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Biomedical subjects

C A David

Publications and source records attributed to C A David.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach to the posterolateral mesencephalon: technique and clinical experience.

OBJECTIVE: Lesions situated posterolaterally along the mesencephalon present neurosurgeons with a special challenge. The midline and paramedian variations of the supracerebellar infratentorial approaches do not adequately expose this region. The subtemporal approach risks injury to the vein of Labbé. An extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach with more radical resection of bone superiorly and laterally, and skeletonization of the sigmoid and transverse sinuses, was used to approach lesions at this location in eight METHODS: Five cavernous malformations, two juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas, and one peripheral superior cerebellar artery aneurysm located in this region were approached in eight patients. In this extreme lateral approach, the sigmoid sinus is unroofed more superiorly and the bone flap includes not only a posterior fossa craniotomy but also a portion that extends just above the transverse sinus. The dural opening is based along the transverse and sigmoid sinuses. After the cerebrospinal fluid has been drained, the lateral aspect of the brainstem is approached via the cerebellar surface. A proximal tentorial incision offers additional rostral exposure where needed. RESULTS: Seven patients in this series underwent successful resection of their lesion. The remaining patient's aneurysm was clipped successfully with no major complications. CONCLUSION: The extreme lateral supracerebellar infratentorial approach differs from the midline and paramedian supracerebellar infratentorial variants in the area of exposure, patient positioning, and location of the craniotomy. The technique is effective for approaching the posterolateral mesencephalon.

Adolescent↗

Application of QuantiGene nucleic acid quantification technology for high throughput screening.

To identify inhibitors of interleukin-8 (IL-8) production, a high throughput assay was developed using the QuantiGene nucleic acid quantification kit that employs branched-chain DNA (bDNA) technology to measure the mRNA directly from cells. Unlike polymerase chain reaction and other technologies that employ target amplification, the QuantiGene system uses signal amplification. To perform the assay, various molecular probes capable of hybridizing with IL-8 mRNA were designed and synthesized. A human lung epithelial cell line was treated with interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) to stimulate the IL-8 gene expression and the mRNA was measured using the QuantiGene system. The QuantiGene assay was sensitive, flexible, and reproducible and achieved equivalent or better sensitivity than promoter-reporter assays, and eliminated the time required for constructing a promoter-reporter system. Our data show that bDNA technology has the potential to be used as a high throughput screening assay.

Branched DNA Signal Amplification Assay↗

Late angiographic follow-up review of surgically treated aneurysms.

OBJECT: This study was undertaken to evaluate the long-term angiographic outcome of surgically treated aneurysms, which is unknown. Specifically, the incidence of recurrent aneurysms, the fate of residual necks, and the de novo formation of aneurysms were evaluated. METHODS: One hundred two patients (80 females and 22 males; mean age 49 years; range 12-78 years) harboring a total of 167 aneurysms underwent late follow-up angiography; 160 aneurysms were surgically treated. Late angiographic follow-up review was obtained at a mean of 4.4 +/- 1.6 years postsurgery (range 2.6-9.7 years). Late follow-up angiography revealed two recurrent aneurysms (1.5%) of 135 clipped aneurysms without residua. Of 12 aneurysms with known residua, there were eight "dog-ear" residua, of which two (25%) enlarged. One hemorrhage was noted, yielding a hemorrhage risk of 1.9% per year. A second subgroup with broad-based residua revealed dramatic regrowth in three of four cases. Eight de novo aneurysms were found in six patients, for an annual risk of 1.8% per year. A history of multiple aneurysms was associated with de novo aneurysm formation (p = 0.049, chi-square analysis). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the long-term efficacy of aneurysm clip ligation. In addition, the authors found there is a small but significant risk of de novo aneurysm formation, particularly in patients with multiple aneurysms. Most residual aneurysm rests appear to remain stable, although a subset may enlarge or rupture. These findings support the rationale for late angiographic follow-up review in patients with aneurysms.

Adolescent↗

Long-term graft patency rates and clinical outcomes after revascularization for symptomatic traumatic internal carotid artery dissection.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical management of traumatic internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection remains controversial. Therefore, the delayed outcomes and graft patency rates of patients who underwent bypass procedures for symptomatic traumatic ICA dissection were studied. METHODS: Between September 1989 and August 1996, 13 patients (9 male and 4 female patients; mean age, 30.6 yr) underwent 16 revascularization procedures for symptomatic traumatic ICA dissection. The duration of clinical follow-up averaged 47.3 months (range, 12-94 mo) from the date of diagnosis. The duration of radiographic follow-up (catheter or magnetic resonance angiography, duplex Doppler ultrasonography) averaged 24 months (range, 12-60 mo). RESULTS: ICA dissection was caused by blunt (n = 11) or penetrating trauma (n = 2). Associated angiographic abnormalities included seven ipsilateral ICA occlusions, six dissecting aneurysms, two carotid-cavernous fistulae, and six contralateral traumatic ICA dissections. Patients requiring early revascularization (n = 6) underwent bypass procedures an average of 19.2 days after their injuries. Medically managed patients who developed ischemia later were revascularized a mean of 7.8 months after injury. The mean Glasgow Coma Scale score at the time of presentation was 10 (range, scores of 6-15), and the mean Glasgow Coma Scale score before revascularization was 14 (range, scores of 9-15). There were 14 saphenous vein ICA bypasses (8 cervical-to-petrous, 3 cervical-to-middle cerebral artery, 3 petrous-to-supraclinoid) and 2 superficial temporal artery-to-middle cerebral artery bypasses. There was one early postoperative graft occlusion, which responded to surgical thrombectomy. One patient with multiple other traumatic injuries died as a result of a pulmonary embolus 12 months after revascularization. All remaining patients had Glasgow Outcome Scale scores of 5, with patent bypass grafts confirmed during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Revascularization for persistently symptomatic traumatic ICA dissection eliminated ischemia and was associated with excellent long-term outcomes and graft patency rates.

Adolescent↗

Reversed-flow saphenous vein grafts for cerebral revascularization. Technical note.

The authors sought to create a saphenous vein interposition graft to be used in cerebral bypass procedures that would be more physiologically appropriate than standard vein grafts and would provide a better match between the graft and recipient vessels at the anastomotic sites. The saphenous vein graft was prepared by lysing the valves with a valvulotome. The blood flow could then be reversed in the vein, allowing it to be used in either direction as a bypass graft. An illustrative case including angiograms that confirm good patency and blood flow through the reversed-flow bypass graft is presented. It is concluded that the reversed-flow saphenous vein graft provides a more physiologically suitable conduit than standard vein grafts. Lysis of the valves allows the graft to be used in an orientation that takes advantage of the natural tapering of the vein to produce a better match with the recipient vessels at the anastomotic sites. Minimizing diameter changes at the proximal and distal anastomoses helps reduce turbulence, which has been implicated as a cause of early graft failure and thrombosis.

Cerebral Revascularization↗

Cerebral protection by intermittent reperfusion during temporary focal ischemia in the rat.

Temporary arterial occlusion has been routinely used as an adjunct in intracranial aneurysm surgery. This has commonly been performed using a protocol of multiple short periods of occlusion alternating with periods of restoration of normal circulation. Recently, the logical basis of this method has come under scrutiny. There is extensive experimental evidence to suggest that repetitive, brief periods of global ischemia may cause more severe cerebral injury than an equivalent single period of global ischemia. Only recently has this issue begun to be addressed with regard to focal ischemia. Hence, despite the common use of temporary clipping, little experimental data are available regarding the ischemic consequences of temporary arterial occlusion with periods of reperfusion versus uninterrupted temporary occlusion. To investigate this issue, a protocol of occlusion/reperfusion that simulates the temporal profile that occurs during surgery was performed in a rat model of focal ischemia. Sixteen anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. The animals in Group I underwent 60 minutes of uninterrupted middle cerebral artery occlusion and the animals in Group II were subjected to six separate 10-minute occlusion periods with 5 minutes of reperfusion between occlusions. Histopathological analysis was performed 72 hours postischemia. Group I had significantly increased mean infarction volumes (50.0 +/- 12.1 mm3) compared to Group II (8.7 +/- 3.1 mm3) (p = 0.008). Injuries in Group I occurred in both the cortex and striatum, whereas Group II showed only striatal injuries. Furthermore, the extent of the injuries in Group II was less severe, characterized by ischemic neuronal injury rather than frank infarction. The results indicate that intermittent reperfusion is neuroprotective during temporary focal ischemia and support the hypothesis that intermittent reperfusion is beneficial if temporary clipping is required during aneurysm repair.

Animals↗

Pseudotumor syndrome resulting from a cerebral arteriovenous malformation: case report.

We report a case of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation presenting as a pseudotumor cerebri syndrome. The lack of mass effect, hemorrhage, or hydrocephalus, in addition to angiographic evidence of high-flow and venous outflow restriction, implicate increased cerebral blood flow and venous hypertension as the mechanism for the papilledema. This case illustrates a pathophysiological mechanism in the development of intracranial hypertension associated with vascular malformations.

Adult↗

Growth of "seeded" cellulolytic enrichment cultures on mesquite wood.

Eleven enrichment cultures were developed by a "seeded" enrichment culture technique, and one was developed by a simple enrichment technique. The seeded enrichment, the pure "seed," and the simple enrichment cultures were compared during growth on mesquite wood, cotton, carboxymethylcellulose, and cellobiose. All of the enrichment cultures were cellulolytic and exceeded the pure seed cultures in mesquite wood hydrolysis and/or viable cell count. Yeast extract improved, but was not essential for, growth of the seeded enrichment cultures on carboxymethylcellulose. Two of the seeded enrichment cultures, CAD5 and CAD11, grew best at 37 degrees C and pH 7.0 on mesquite wood. A 1.0% (wt/vol) wood concentration was optimum for their growth.

Journal Article↗