Phase 1 study of safety and preliminary efficacy of intranasal transplantation of human neural stem cells (ANGE-S003) in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Intranasal transplantation of ANGE-S003 human neural stem cells showed therapeutic effects and were safe in preclinical models of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the safety and tolerability of this treatment in patients with PD and whether these effects would be apparent in a clinical trial. METHODS: This was a 12-month, single-centre, open-label, dose-escalation phase 1 study of 18 patients with advanced PD assigned to four-time intranasal transplantation of 1 of 3 doses: 1.5 million, 5 million or 15 million of ANGE-S003 human neural stem cells to evaluate their safety and efficacy. RESULTS: 7 patients experienced a total of 14 adverse events in the 12 months of follow-up after treatment. There were no serious adverse events related to ANGE-S003. Safety testing disclosed no safety concerns. Brain MRI revealed no mass formation. In 16 patients who had 12-month Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) data, significant improvement of MDS-UPDRS total score was observed at all time points (p<0.001), starting with month 3 and sustained till month 12. The most substantial improvement was seen at month 6 with a mean reduction of 19.9 points (95% CI, 9.6 to 30.3; p<0.001). There was no association between improvement in clinical outcome measures and cell dose levels. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with ANGE-S003 is feasible, generally safe and well tolerated, associated with functional improvement in clinical outcomes with peak efficacy achieved at month 6. Intranasal transplantation of neural stem cells represents a new avenue for the treatment of PD, and a larger, longer-term, randomised, controlled phase 2 trial is warranted for further investigation.

Vaccinating with Valor: A Risk Preventive Model to Explain Factors in Parents' Choice to Vaccinate Their Children for COVID-19.

Childhood immunization can effectively control and prevent infectious diseases; however, not all parents choose to vaccinate their children against vaccines, including COVID-19. This study aimed to determine potential factors influencing people's willingness to vaccinate their children. An online survey was conducted with 509 adult parents/guardians of children to test our hypotheses. Based on the TPB model with the RISP model as the antecedent, results indicated that people's systematic risk information processing, trust in science, and concerns about the disease positively influenced their cognitive structure, further impacting their attitude toward vaccinating their children. The results also verified that attitude toward vaccination and perceived behavioral control are both significant predictors of parents/guardians' intention to vaccinate their children. The results contribute to health risk communicators creating effective strategies to better communicate with adults and increase intentions to vaccinate their children.

Atroposelective Access to Dihydropyridinones with C-N Axial and Point Chirality via NHC-Catalyzed [3 + 3] Annulation.

An N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed atroposelective [3 + 3] annulation of enals with 2-aminomaleate derivatives is described. A series of substituted dihydropyridones bearing both C-N axis and point chirality were synthesized with good diastereo- and enantioselectivity under mild conditions. This efficient strategy successfully superpositions an extra point chiral element with an axial backbone, and the generated structurally interesting atropisomers may have potential application in drug discovery.

Trending ticks: using Google Trends data to understand tickborne disease prevention.

Introduction: Ticks and pathogens they carry seriously impact human and animal health, with some diseases like Lyme and Alpha-gal syndrome posing risks. Searching for health information online can change people's health and preventive behaviors, allowing them to face the tick risks. This study aimed to predict the potential risks of tickborne diseases by examining individuals' online search behavior. Methods: By scrutinizing the search trends across various geographical areas and timeframes within the United States, we determined outdoor activities associated with potential risks of tick-related diseases. Google Trends was used as the data collection and analysis tool due to its accessibility to big data on people's online searching behaviors. We interact with vast amounts of population search data and provide inferences between population behavior and health-related phenomena. Data were collected in the United States from April 2022 to March 2023, with some terms about outdoor activities and tick risks. Results and Discussion: Results highlighted the public's risk susceptibility and severity when participating in activities. Our results found that searches for terms related to tick risk were associated with the five-year average Lyme Disease incidence rates by state, reflecting the predictability of online health searching for tickborne disease risks. Geographically, the results revealed that the states with the highest relative search volumes for tick-related terms were predominantly located in the Eastern region. Periodically, terms can be found to have higher search records during summer. In addition, the results showed that terms related to outdoor activities, such as "corn maze," "hunting," "u-pick," and "park," have moderate associations with tick-related terms. This study provided recommendations for effective communication strategies to encourage the public's adoption of health-promoting behaviors. Displaying warnings in the online search results of individuals who are at high risk for tick exposure or collaborating with outdoor activity locations to disseminate physical preventive messages may help mitigate the risks associated with tickborne diseases.

A review of long non-coding RNAs in ankylosing spondylitis: pathogenesis, clinical assessment, and therapeutic targets.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic immune-mediated type of inflammatory arthritis characterized by inflammation, bone erosion, and stiffness of the spine and sacroiliac joints. Despite great efforts put into the investigation of the disease, the pathogenesis of AS remains unclear, posing challenges in identifying ideal targets for diagnosis and treatment. To enhance our understanding of AS, an increasing number of studies have been conducted. Some of these studies reveal that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in the etiology of AS. Some certain lncRNAs influence the development of AS by regulating inflammatory responses, autophagy, apoptosis, and adipogenesis, as well as the proliferation and differentiation of cells. Additionally, some lncRNAs demonstrate potential as biomarkers, aiding in monitoring disease progression and predicting prognosis. In this review, we summarize recent studies concerning lncRNAs in AS to elucidate the underlying mechanisms in which lncRNAs are involved and their potential values as biomarkers for disease assessment and druggable targets for therapy.

Gray Matter Abnormalities in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies utilizing voxel-based morphometry (VBM) have documented gray matter (GM) alterations in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) compared to healthy controls. However, the inconsistency in GM abnormalities observed across different studies has hindered their potential application as objective neuroimaging biomarkers or therapeutic targets. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of VBM studies to identify robust GM differences between CLBP patients and healthy controls. METHODS: The databases including PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched from January 2000 to September 2022 to identify eligible neuroimaging studies. In this coordinate-based meta-analysis of VBM studies, the Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images method was used to quantitatively assess regional differences in GM between CLBP patients and healthy controls. RESULTS: Thirteen VBM studies, involving a total of 574 CLBP patients and 1239 healthy controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The findings revealed that CLBP patients exhibited increased GM in the left striatum and left postcentral gyrus and decreased GM in the left superior frontal gyrus, left cerebellum, right striatum, left insula, and right middle occipital gyrus compared to healthy controls. The jackknife sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these neuroimaging findings. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insights into potential treatment strategies for CLBP and identifies neuroimaging biomarkers for pain chronification. These findings highlight the importance of considering regional GM abnormalities in the development of clinical interventions for CLBP.

Stereotactically intracerebral transplantation of neural stem cells for ischemic stroke attenuated inflammatory responses and promoted neurogenesis: an experimental study with monkeys.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a common neurovascular disorder with high morbidity and mortality. However, the underlying mechanism of stereotactically intracerebral transplantation of human neural stem cell (hNSC) is not well elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four days after ischemic stroke induced by Rose Bengal photo-thrombosis, 7 cynomolgus monkeys were transplanted with hNSCs or vehicles stereotactically and followed up for 84 days. Behavioral assessments, magnetic resonance imaging, blood tests, and pathological analysis were performed before and after treatment. The proteome profiles of the left and right precentral gyrus and hippocampus were evaluated. Extracellular vesicle micro-RNA (miRNA) from the peripheral blood was extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: hNSC transplantation reduced the remaining infarcted lesion volume of cynomolgus monkeys with ischemic stroke without remarkable side effects. Proteomic analyses indicated that hNSC transplantation promoted GABAergic and glutamatergic neurogenesis, and restored the mitochondrial electron transport chain function in the ischemic infarcted left precentral gyrus or hippocampus. Immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCT confirmed the promoting effects on neurogenesis and revealed that hNSCs attenuated post-infarct inflammatory responses by suppressing resident glia activation and mediating peripheral immune cell infiltration. Consistently, miRNA-sequencing revealed the miRNAs which were related to these pathways were down-regulated after hNSC transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that hNSCs can be effectively and safely used to treat ischemic stroke by promoting neurogenesis, regulating post-infarct inflammatory responses, and restoring mitochondrial function in both the infarct region and hippocampus.

Resting-state functional connectivity in a non-human primate model of cortical ischemic stroke in area F1.

BACKGROUND: The application of functional MRI to non-human primates after stroke has not yet been undertaken. This is the first study to explore the functional connectivity changes in non-human primate models during acute stages after stroke onset. METHODS: Nineteen healthy male cynomolgus monkeys (4-5 years) were used in this study. The photothrombosis model was employed to induce focal ischemic stroke in F1 area in the monkey's left hemisphere. T1-weighted structural images and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) of all subjects were obtained using a 3.0 Tesla MRI system on the third day following stroke. Based on the D99 atlas, the structural and functional changes of bilateral F1 areas in monkeys were analyzed using region of interest (ROI)-based functional connectivity (FC). The bilateral F1 areas were selected as the seed regions due to their crucial role in motor control and their potential to unveil the comprehensive functional reorganization of the motor system at a whole-brain level following stroke. RESULTS: Ischemic lesions were observed after the stroke, with larger lesion volumes associated with poorer neurological dysfunction. Compared with baseline condition, left area F1 demonstrated decreased FC with the left cerebellum, left ventral pons and left 5_(PEa). When the ROI was located in the right area F1, ischemic monkeys showed decreased FC in left ventral pons, left cerebellum, left primary visual cortex and left 5_(PEa), accompanied by increased FC in the right orbitofrontal cortex. Importantly, the degree of altered FC between left area F1 and left cerebellum was associated with upper limb tone. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide valuable insights into the early-stage functional connectivity changes in the F1 areas of monkeys under ischemic conditions, highlighting the potential involvement of specific brain regions in the pathophysiology of ischemic injury.

METTL3-mediated RNA m6A Hypermethylation Promotes Tumorigenesis and GH Secretion of Pituitary Somatotroph Adenomas.

INTRODUCTION: Pituitary growth hormone-secreting (GH) pituitary adenomas (PAs) cause mass effects and dysregulated hypersecretion of GH. However, somatic mutation burden is low in PAs. While progress has been made in identifying the epigenetic changes involved in GH-PA initiation, the precise details of its tumorigenesis in GH-PA patients remains to be elucidated. As N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has been shown to often play a critical role in various tumors, it represents a possible initiation point for the tumorigenesis of pituitary adenomas. However, the role of RNA methylation in GH adenomas remains unclear. METHODS: Protein expression of m6A regulators was measured by immunohistochemistry. Global levels and distribution of m6A methylation were separately analyzed by m6A enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and m6A sequencing (m6A-seq). RNA interference and lentivirus knockdown system were used to investigate the role of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and its m6A- dependent regulatory mechanism in tumor progression and GH secretion. RESULTS: We show that both METTL3 messenger RNA and protein expression are elevated in GH-PA samples when compared with both normal pituitary tissue specimens and nonsecreting pituitary adenomas. Levels of m6A modification increased in GH-PAs, and hypermethylated RNAs are involved in hormone secretion and cell development. Knockdown of METTL3 in GH3 cell line resulted in decreased cell growth and GH secretion. Importantly, we found that GNAS and GADD45γ act as the downstream targets in this process. CONCLUSION: Our findings strongly suggest that m6A methyltransferase METTL3 promotes tumor growth and hormone secretion by increasing expression of GNAS and GADD45γ in a m6A-dependent manner. Thus, METTL3 and the methylated RNAs constitute suitable targets for clinical treatment of GH-PAs.

Surgical treatment of a 72-year-old patient with headache, hyponatremia and oculomotor nerve palsy: a case report and literature review.

Pituitary apoplexy is a life-threatening syndrome caused by acute infarction of the pituitary gland. The most common symptoms associated with pituitary apoplexy are headache, nausea, vomiting, visual symptoms, hypopituitarism, and altered mental status. Both oculomotor nerve palsy and hyponatremia are relatively rare complications of pituitary apoplexy. The treatment of pituitary apoplexy is controversial. We report a case of a 72-year-old man with severe headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion and left oculomotor nerve palsy, who was initially considered as posterior communicating artery aneurysm (PCOAA) based on the presenting symptoms. Initial biochemical evaluation showed severe hyponatremia, hormonal evaluation identified multiple pituitary hormone deficiency and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed a large pituitary adenoma with signs of hemorrhage. A diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy and secondary hypopituitarism was finally made. The patient was treated with intravenous hydrocortisone 100 mg twice daily and oral levothyroxine 100 mg once daily. Appropriate venous transfusion with sodium was also used concomitantly to correct hyponatremia. After seven days of treatment, the patient's serum electrolytes normalized and he gradually recovered alertness. Then, the patient underwent transsphenoidal surgery for tumor removal. Left ptosis and oculomotor nerve palsy completely recovered three months after surgery. Postoperatively, hormone replacement therapy was essential for the patient with 20 mg hydrocortisone and 50 mg levothyroxine once daily. During the last follow up 4 years later, the patient was still on hormonal replacement and in good condition. So, for patients with pituitary apoplexy, we have shown that a semi-elective surgery after conservative treatment when the patient becomes clinically stable and hypopituitarism has been corrected is a good approach.

Management of thyrotoxicosis occurring after surgery for Cushing's disease: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Thyrotoxicosis is a rare complication of surgery for Cushing's disease (CD). In clinical practice, given the rarity of this condition, patients may be misdiagnosed, and thus not treated appropriately. This study describes the clinical features and management of thyrotoxicosis in this context. METHODS: We retrospectively screened a pituitary database for CD patients who underwent surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2010 and 2017. The electronic medical records and documentation of 732 patients were searched in order to identify instances of thyrotoxicosis. RESULTS: Fourteen patients developed postoperative thyrotoxicosis after CD remission, representing 1.9% of all the CD patients who underwent surgery and 2.5% of the CD patients who were in remission after surgery. The onset of thyrotoxicosis occurred at a median of 3.5 months after surgery. At the onset, 13 patients (92.9%) were on a maintenance dose of hydrocortisone and were managed using a higher dose of hydrocortisone. One patient had normal adrenal function and was managed by observation first, then using anti-thyroid drugs. Thyrotoxicosis was transient in all but one patient, and lasted 1.9±0.7 months (range, 1-3.2 months). CONCLUSIONS: Thyrotoxicosis is a rare complication that develops during the recovery period following surgery for CD. It occurs only after the surgical resolution of hypercortisolism, and in particular alongside adrenal insufficiency during the 4 months following CD remission. Awareness of this situation should be promoted among physicians, and patients should be managed on the basis of the clinical setting and manifestation.

Genetic and Epigenetic Causes of Pituitary Adenomas.

Pituitary adenomas (PAs) can be classified as non-secreting adenomas, somatotroph adenomas, corticotroph adenomas, lactotroph adenomas, and thyrotroph adenomas. Substantial advances have been made in our knowledge of the pathobiology of PAs. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular biological characteristics of different types of PAs, we reviewed the important advances that have been made involving genetic and epigenetic variation, comprising genetic mutations, chromosome number variations, DNA methylation, microRNA regulation, and transcription factor regulation. Classical tumor predisposition syndromes include multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and type 4 (MEN4) syndromes, Carney complex, and X-LAG syndromes. PAs have also been described in association with succinate dehydrogenase-related familial PA, neurofibromatosis type 1, and von Hippel-Lindau, DICER1, and Lynch syndromes. Patients with aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) mutations often present with pituitary gigantism, either in familial or sporadic adenomas. In contrast, guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(s) subunit alpha (GNAS) and G protein-coupled receptor 101 (GPR101) mutations can lead to excess growth hormone. Moreover, the deubiquitinase gene USP8, USP48, and BRAF mutations are associated with adrenocorticotropic hormone production. In this review, we describe the genetic and epigenetic landscape of PAs and summarize novel insights into the regulation of pituitary tumorigenesis.

Gray Matter Alterations in Parkinson's Disease With Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Voxel-Based Morphometry Studies.

Background: Gray matter (GM) alterations in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) have been demonstrated in many neuroimaging studies using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). However, the inconsistent findings between studies cannot be applied to clinical practice as a neuroimaging biomarker. We performed a meta-analysis of VBM studies at a whole-brain level to investigate GM differences between PD patients with and without RBD. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to November 2019 to identify eligible VBM studies. We adopted the latest Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images technique to quantitatively estimate the difference of regional GM volume between PD patients with and without RBD. Results: We included five studies comprising 105 PD patients with RBD and 140 PD patients without RBD. The pooled meta-analysis revealed that PD patients with RBD showed a significant reduction of GM volume in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) compared with those without RBD. This result was confirmed to be robust by the jackknife sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: Our finding shows significantly and robustly reduced GM volume in the right STG in PD patients with RBD, preliminarily suggesting the association of GM atrophy in this brain region with the occurrence of RBD in PD patients.

Research trends of stem cells in ischemic stroke from 1999 to 2018: A bibliometric analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Many studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of stem cells as therapeutic agents for ischemic stroke. We aimed to quantitatively assess the research trends of stem cell therapy for ischemic stroke. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection to identify relevant publications between 1999 and 2018. We used HistCite to summarize the critical information, including yearly records, authors, countries/regions, and institutions. VOSviewer was applied to map the collaborations between studies. Based on the title and abstract of each publication, MeSH terms were obtained using Medical Text Indexer to demonstrate evolutions of topic hotspots. RESULTS: From 1999-2018, there were a total of 3,741 publications exploring the prospect of stem cells in ischemic stroke. Annual publication outputs grew from six records to 366 records. Stroke was the most high-profile journal because of its ranking first on the top productive and co-cited journal lists. The United States of America and China were the two most contributive countries of stem-cell research of ischemic stroke. Researchers were supposed to follow studies from productive institutions because of their consistent and systematic investigations in this field. Neural stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells were the most recognized cells for clinical translation. CONCLUSION: With the growth of publications concerning the role of stem cells in ischemic stroke treatment, bibliometrics helps researchers to get insights of academic collaborations, research trends, and hot topics in the study field.

Stem-Cell Research of Parkinson Disease: Bibliometric Analysis of Research Productivity from 1999 to 2018.

OBJECTIVE: Although the overall publication trends in Parkinson disease (PD) and characteristics of top-cited articles have been reported, there was only 1 literature analysis published in 2012 with a special focus on stem cells. It is necessary to evaluate and update the global publication trends in stem cell research of PD. METHODS: We identified the publications designated as "article" about stem-cell research of PD between 1999 and 2018 in the Web of Science Core Collection. We used HistCite to analyze annual outputs, journals, countries/regions, and institutions every 5 years and visualized global collaborations between publications by VOSviewer. Moreover, to track the growing hotspots, MeSH terms of each publication were obtained by Medical Text Indexer according to the title and abstract. RESULTS: We described the publication trends and topic hotspots of stem-cell research of PD by bibliometric analysis of 1709 papers. Researchers showed growing interest in publishing relevant scientific literature in journals associated with stem cells or multidisciplinary science. Stem cell research of PD was more common in developed countries and regions. The United States of America was the most contributive country throughout, accounting for 33% of total publications and ranking first in all 5-year periods. Harvard University was the most productive institution in this area, ranking first during 1999-2003, 2004-2008, and 2009-2013. The application of induced pluripotent stem cells was at the forefront of cell therapies for PD. CONCLUSIONS: These bibliometric findings suggest that stem cell research consistently promotes the understanding and treatment of PD.

Preoperative Somatostatin Analogues in Patients with Newly-diagnosed Acromegaly: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

Biochemical remission after transsphenoidal surgery is still unsatisfied in acromegaly patients with macroadenomas, especially with invasive macroadenomas. Concerning the impact of preoperative somatostatin analogues (SSAs) on surgical outcomes, previous studies with limited cases reported conflicting results. To assess current evidence of preoperative medical treatment, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies. A literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Five randomized controlled trials (RCT) and seven non-RCT comparative studies were included. These studies mainly focused on pituitary macroadenomas though a small number of microadenoma cases were included. For safety, preoperative SSAs were not associated with elevated risks of postoperative complications. With respect to efficacy, the short-term cure rate was improved by preoperative SSAs, but the long-term cure rate showed no significant improvement. For invasive macroadenomas, the short-term cure rate was also improved, but the long-term results were not evaluable in clinical practice because adjuvant therapy was generally required. In conclusion, preoperative SSAs are safe in patients with acromegaly, and the favorable impact on surgical results is restricted to the short-term cure rate in macroadenomas and invasive macroadenomas. Further well-designed RCTs to examine long-term results are awaited to update the finding of this meta-analysis.

Transsphenoidal versus Transcranial Approach for Treatment of Tuberculum Sellae Meningiomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

There is controversy regarding the surgical route selection for tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs): the transsphenoidal (TS) or transcranial (TC) approach? We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare clinical outcomes and postoperative complications between two surgical approaches. Literature search was performed. Relevant articles were selected and evaluated. Data were extracted and analyzed. Eight articles comprising 550 patients met the inclusion criteria. Traditionally, the rates of gross total resection, tumor recurrence, visual improvement, and cerebrospinal fluid leakage were the most common outcomes of interest. We demonstrated that the TS approach was significantly associated with better visual outcomes but more frequent cerebrospinal fluid leakage, while the rates of tumor resection and recurrence showed no significant difference between groups. In addition to surgical results that were consistent with previous studies, we further evaluated the impact of approach selection on common postoperative complications, which were closely related to the recovery course and quality of life. We revealed that the risk of dysosmia was significantly higher in the TS group. There was no significant difference between groups regarding infection, intracranial hemorrhage, and endocrine disorders. Because of the relatively low evidence levels of included retrospective studies, it was difficult to reach a categorical conclusion about the optimal surgical approach for TSMs. Finally, we recommended that the TS approach was an alternative option in patients with smaller TSMs (<30 mm) and limited invasion of optic canals in experienced neurosurgical centers.

Role of matrix Metalloproteinases in pituitary adenoma invasion.

Though pituitary adenomas are benign tumors in most cases, a considerable fraction of PAs behave in a malignant-like manner and invade to the adjacent structures in sellar region, especially the cavernous sinuses. Cancer-cell invasion and metastasis remain a great challenge for physicians and surgeons in spite of emerging advances in drug therapy and surgical Treatment. matrix metalloproteinases, as a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases, have long been known to be associated with tumor invasion and metastasis mainly via breaking down basement membrane in different tissues. Aberrant expression and activation of matrix metalloproteinases have been detected in invasive pituitary adenomas as in malignancy and correlated to tumor invasion. Therefore, matrix metalloproteinases are considered as promising biomarkers for predicting tumor behavior and even drug targets for novel therapeutic strategies. In this review, we give an overview of the expression, function, regulation and clinical prospects of matrix metalloproteinases, especially focusing on the biological network in which matrix metalloproteinases may be abnormally activated in promoting pituitary adenoma invasion.

Giant sellar metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Sellar metastasis is a rare and complex disease whose clinical features are strongly associated with the primary malignancy. Here, we present a rare case of giant sellar metastasis spread from renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 30-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to our Hospital, reporting headache, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting, and a sharp decline in her right eye vision. DIAGNOSES: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an invasive sellar mass with cavernous sinus and nasal cavity extension. Additionally, the patient had a medical history of right radical nephrectomy for clear-cell RCC. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent a successful subtotal resection of the tumor. Final pathological diagnosis confirmed sellar metastasis from RCC. After surgery, the patient was referred to our medical oncology department and received further systemic therapy. OUTCOMES: No light perception remained in her right eye even after prompt surgical decompression. Follow-up MRI showed subtotal resection of the giant sellar metastasis. LESSON: Sellar metastasis, although rare, should be particularly considered for elderly patients with deteriorating visual function and medical histories of cancer.

Lymphocytic Hypophysitis Secondary to Ruptured Rathke Cleft Cyst: Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Lymphocytic hypophysitis is a rare inflammatory lesion in the sellar region. Lymphocytic hypophysitis secondary to ruptured Rathke cleft cyst (RCC) is even more rarely seen. Clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and prognosis remain elusive. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 58-year-old Chinese woman with a 3-year history of intermittent headache and new development of polydipsia, polyuria, and binocular visual acuity decline over the past 4 months was admitted to our hospital. On admission, endocrine results were normal. Ophthalmic testing showed bitemporal visual field deficits and decreased visual acuity of both eyes. Pituitary dynamic magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic sellar lesion measuring 5.6 × 5.2 × 6.2 mm with tumor shrinkage compared with initial neuroimaging. Transsphenoidal surgery was performed for tumor resection. An additional biopsy of the anterior pituitary lobe was performed because of intraoperative abnormal appearances of the pituitary gland. Pathology examinations revealed the specimen of the cystic lesion to be RCC and exhibited infiltration of massive lymphocytes, diffused plasmocytes, and eosinophils that were diagnostic of lymphocytic hypophysitis in the anterior pituitary lobe. During follow-up, the lesion of lymphocytic hypophysitis showed spontaneous shrinkage in the absence of steroid treatment after RCC resection. Final diagnosis was lymphocytic hypophysitis secondary to ruptured RCC. CONCLUSIONS: We present a rare case of lymphocytic hypophysitis secondary to ruptured RCC and provide clinical data of such lesions in the literature. Full understanding of the clinical features plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment of lymphocytic hypophysitis secondary to ruptured RCC.