Prognostic stratification of gliomatosis cerebri by IDH1R132H and INA expression

Gliomatosis cerebri (GC) constitutes a heterogeneous group of conditions involving diffuse neoplastic glial cell infiltration of the brain. Management is difficult and an obvious challenge is to identify prognostic factors. Alpha-internexin (INA) expression, which is closely related to the 1p19q codeletion, is a strong prognostic marker in oligodendroglial tumors. Similarly, the R132H isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 IDH1 mutation, which can now be detected by use of a specific antibody, predicts better outcome in gliomas. In a retrospective series of 40 GC treated with up-front chemotherapy, we analyzed IDH1(R132H) mutant protein and INA immunohistochemical expression and correlated it with outcome; 17/40 GC expressed IDH1(R132H) and 10/40 GC expressed INA. IDH1(R132H) staining was strongly related to progression-free survival (42.3 vs. 15.5 months for positive IDH1(R132H) vs. negative tumors; P < 0.0001) and overall survival (73.9 vs. 23.6 months; P < 0.0001). This effect was independent of grade, histologic subtype, and INA expression (P < 0.001). Combined expression of IDH1(R132H) and INA was strongly associated with response to chemotherapy (100% vs. 36%; P = 0.003). These data strongly suggest that INA and IDH1(R132H) mutant protein immunohistochemical analysis is of a great prognostic value in biopsied GC.     

Long-term outcomes in temporal lobe epilepsy with glutamate decarboxylase antibodies

Journal of Neurology - To assess the long-term outcomes of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and CSF anti-glutamate decarboxylase antibodies (GAD65-Abs). We retrospectively analyzed the clinical...     

Core cerebrospinal fluid biomarker profile in anti-LGI1 encephalitis

Journal of Neurology - To compare CSF biomarkers’ levels in patients suffering from anti-Leucine-rich Glioma-Inactivated 1 (LGI1) encephalitis to neurodegenerative [Alzheimer’s disease...     

Quantification of Iron-Labeled Cells with Positive Contrast in Mouse Brains

Purpose

To quantify small amounts of iron-labeled cells in mouse brains with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Procedures

Iron-labeled cells (from 500 to 7,500) were stereotaxically transplanted into the brain of living mice that were subsequently imaged with MRI at 4.7 T. We compared four quantitative methods: (1) T2 relaxometry, (2) T2* relaxometry, (3) the volume of the cloverleaf hypointense artifact generated on T2*-weighted images, and (4) the volume of the cloverleaf hyperintense artifact generated on positive contrast images.

Results

The methods based on relaxometry, whether T2 or T2*, did not correlate with the number of injected cells. By contrast, those based on measurement of cloverleaf artifact volume, whether using negative or positive enhancement, showed a significant linear relationship for the given range of cells (R [0.92?C0.95], p?<?0.05).

Conclusions

T2* artifact volume imaging (negative or positive) appears promising for the quantification of magnetically labeled cells following focal injection in the brain.     

Quantitative effects of cell internalization of two types of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles at 4.7 T and 7 T

Purpose  

MRI coupled with the intravenous injection of ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxides (USPIOs) is a promising tool for the study of neuroinflammation. Quantification of the approximate number of magnetically labelled macrophages may provide an effective and efficient method for monitoring inflammatory cells. The purpose of the present study was to characterise the relaxation properties of macrophages labelled with two types of USPIOs, at 4.7 T and 7 T.