Search

Diffuse midline gliomas are a new entity in the WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, corresponding to grade 4 gliomas. The diagnostic pathognomonic feature is the presence of a H3K27M mutation. Although mainly seen in children, cases in adults have also been reported. The symptoms are highly variable and usually dependent on the location and extent of spinal cord compression., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Southeast Asia harbors a young population of more than 600 million people. Socioeconomic transition within the last decades, driven by globalization and rapid economic growth, has led to significant changes in lifestyle and nutrition in many countries of this region. Hence, an increase in the number of non-communicable diseases is seen in most populations of Southeast Asia. Brunei Darussalam is the smallest country in this region, with a population of around 400,000 inhabitants. Vast hydrocarbon resources have transformed Brunei into a wealthy industrialized country within the last few decades. We compared the age distribution and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in ischemic stroke patients between the only stroke unit in Brunei Darussalam and a tertiary stroke center from Frankfurt/Germany. Between 2011 and 2016, a total number of 3877 ischemic stroke patients were treated in both institutions. Even after adjusting for age due to different population demographics, stroke patients in Brunei were younger compared to their German counterparts. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in young age groups in Brunei, whereas no difference was observed for older patients. The rapid socioeconomic transition might be a significant risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, including stroke.

Background: The current Libyan civil war has originated many casualties, imposing medical challenges. War injuries are complex, requiring specialized knowledge and interdisciplinary assessment for adequate patient and intercultural management., Methods: This retrospective study analyzed records of 78 Libyan patients admitted from July 2016 to November 2017 to neurological and trauma surgical departments of Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt, Germany. Issues of system preparation of the hospital, demographics, injury patterns and therapies were analyzed. The chi-squared test was used to analyze differences in injury patterns in explosion and gunshot injuries., Results: Seventy-seven of seventy-eight patients were male (mean age 30.6 years). The patients received primary and secondary treatment in Tunisia (n = 39), Libya (n = 36) and Turkey (n = 23). Forty-eight patients had gunshot injuries, 37 explosion injuries, 11 both. Preparation for management of injuries included hygienic and isolation protocols, organization of interpreters and intercultural training. Patients presented with a broad variety of neurological, psychiatric and trauma surgical injuries. Fifty-six patients had sensory, 47 motor deficits. Nine reported headache, 5 vertigo, 13 visual impairment, 28 psychiatric symptoms. Eighteen patients had central nervous damage, 50 peripheral nervous damage. Central nervous damage was significantly more common in gunshot than explosion injuries (p = 0.015). Peripheral nervous damage was more common in explosion than gunshot injuries (p < 0.1). Fifty-one patients had polytrauma and 49 suffered from fractures. Therapy included surgical interventions (n = 56) and physiotherapy. Structured rehabilitation programs were often indicated., Conclusion: Specialized knowledge about war injuries and their management including hospital preparation and planning regarding infrastructure may be required anytime. Injuries include a broad variety of neurological, psychiatric and trauma surgical injuries. Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach is crucial.

Objectives: Hypertension is the most important known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Brunei Darussalam to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and its association with socioeconomic and life-style factors and impact on stroke incidence., Methods: Five thousand and sixty-three participants aged above 18 years from 2103 randomly selected households in the Brunei-Muara district of Brunei Darussalam were surveyed. Hypertension was defined as mean SBP at least 140 mmHg, DBP at least 90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication and blood pressure was measured twice. Logistic regression models are used to analyze the association between hypertension/medication for hypertension and sex, age, overweight, education, smoking, family history of hypertension, and employment., Results: A total of 48.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 46.9-49.7%] of all respondents were identified as hypertensive. Prevalence of hypertension was higher in men (52.8%; 95% CI: 50.7-54.9%) compared to women (45.0%; 95% CI: 43.2-46.8%) and women seek treatment more often than men. Age, overweight, lower levels of education, and a family history of high blood pressure are positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension. The prevalence of overweight (57.3%) and obesity (23.7%) is high and the attributable risk of hypertension for stroke is large., Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in Brunei is high in both women and men. Information campaigns and prevention programs are needed to be able to cope with the increasing problem of hypertension and resulting diseases like stroke in Brunei in the near future.

Endothelial cells play the most important role in construction of the blood-brain barrier. Many studies have opted to use commercially available, easily transfected or immortalized endothelial cell lines as in vitro blood-brain barrier models. Numerous endothelial cell lines are available, but we do not currently have strong evidence for which cell lines are optimal for establishment of such models. This review aimed to investigate the application of immortalized endothelial cell lines as in vitro blood-brain barrier models. The databases used for this review were PubMed, OVID MEDLINE, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink. A narrative systematic review was conducted and identified 155 studies. As a result, 36 immortalized endothelial cell lines of human, mouse, rat, porcine and bovine origins were found for the establishment of in vitro blood-brain barrier and brain endothelium models. This review provides a summary of immortalized endothelial cell lines as a guideline for future studies and improvements in the establishment of in vitro blood-brain barrier models. It is important to establish a good and reproducible model that has the potential for multiple applications, in particular a model of such a complex compartment such as the blood-brain barrier., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)