The Effect of Predictive Nursing Care for the Treatment of Senile Cerebral Tumors Treated by Craniotomy.

Objective: The current study aimed to analyze the postoperative intracranial infection in patients with senile cerebral tumors treated by craniotomy. Methods: This retrospective study included 116 patients with senile cranial tumors admitted and treated in our Hospital from January 2019 to January 2021. The patients were assigned to an observation group and a conventional group, by different nursing interventions, with 58 patients in each. Patients in both groups were treated with craniotomy, in which patients in the conventional group were given routine nursing. In contrast, patients in the observation group were provided with predictive nursing interventions. Predictive nursing interventions encompass personalized care plans, early identification of infection risk factors, and tailored prophylactic measures. A comparative analysis of the nursing intervention effect, self-management of the patients, and impact on the physical and mental health of the patients was performed between the two groups, with statistical significance set at P < .05. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) is a widely used and well-validated questionnaire designed to measure health-related quality of life and is adopted in this study to assess the quality of life of patients. Results: The number of intracranial infection cases in the observation group (4) was significantly less than in the conventional group (14), and the incidence of intracranial infection in the observation group (6.90%) was significantly reduced than in the conventional group (24.14%) (P < .05). Moreover, the effective rate of patients in the observation group (96.55%) was significantly higher than that in the conventional group (77.59%) (P < .05). The quality of life of patients in both groups improved, and the SF-36 score of patients in the observation group (70.25±7.18) was significantly higher than that of the conventional group (60.18±5.54) (P < .05). The total satisfaction of patients in the observation group (98.28%) was significantly higher than that of the conventional group (82.76%) (P < .05). Predictive nursing interventions minimize the incidence of postoperative complications, particularly intracranial infections, leading to improved treatment outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and increased patient satisfaction. Conclusion: The provision of predictive nursing care to patients with senile cranial tumors treated with craniotomy can effectively reduce the incidence of postoperative intracranial infection, and the nursing effect is better for patients with or without intracranial infection, which can significantly contribute to the quality of life quality improvement and effectively enhance patients' satisfaction. Further research is imperative to evaluate and promote the practice as a significant toolkit in clinical practice. Future investigations should focus on the enduring impact of predictive nursing interventions in senile cerebral tumor patients post-craniotomy, unraveling sustained benefits over an extended period. The study's findings underscore the potential for transformative nursing practices in craniotomy for senile cranial tumors, advocating for the integration of predictive nursing interventions to enhance patient safety, satisfaction, and overall well-being.

Risk factors for the rupture of intracranial aneurysms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The study aimed to identify potential risk factors for aneurysm rupture by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and methods: We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library electronic databases for eligible studies from their inception until June 2023. Results: Eighteen studies involving 17,069 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) and 2,699 aneurysm ruptures were selected for the meta-analysis. Hyperlipidemia [odds ratio (OR): 0.47; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.39-0.56; p < 0.001] and a family history of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.91; p = 0.001) were associated with a reduced risk of aneurysm rupture. In contrast, a large-size aneurysm (OR: 4.49; 95% CI: 2.46-8.17; p < 0.001), ACA (OR: 3.34; 95% CI: 1.94-5.76; p < 0.001), MCA (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.73-2.69; p < 0.001), and VABA (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.24-3.91; p = 0.007) were associated with an increased risk of aneurysm rupture. Furthermore, the risk of aneurysm rupture was not affected by age, sex, current smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, a history of SAH, and multiple aneurysms. Conclusion: This study identified the predictors of aneurysm rupture in patients with UIAs, including hyperlipidemia, a family history of SAH, a large-size aneurysm, ACA, MCA, and VABA; patients at high risk for aneurysm rupture should be carefully monitored. Systematic Review Registration: Our study was registered in the INPLASY platform (INPLASY202360062).

Expression levels of vascular endothelial cell growth factor and microRNA-210 are increased in medulloblastoma and metastatic medulloblastoma.

The present study aimed to investigate the roles of the vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and micro (mi)RNA-210 in the metastasis of primary medulloblastoma (MB) tumors. A total of 86 adult patients diagnosed with cerebellar MB were enrolled in the present study, of which 11 patients had metastatic MB in the subarachnoid space. The following samples were collected: MB primary tumor tissue, MB secondary tumor tissue, tumor adjacent tissues and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Immunohistochemical analyses of the tissue samples were conducted in order to detect patterns of VEGF expression. In addition, the expression levels of VEGF mRNA and miRNA-210 were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantititative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analyses were used to investigate VEGF protein expression levels. The positive expression rate of VEGF was significantly higher in MB tumor tissue, as compared with adjacent tissues (P<0.01). In addition, VEGF mRNA and protein expression levels in MB primary and secondary tumor tissues, and in the CSF of patients with metastatic MB, were significantly upregulated, as compared with tumor adjacent tissues and the CSF of patients with non-metastatic MB, respectively (P<0.01). miRNA-210 expression levels were significantly upregulated in MB tumor tissues, the CSF of patients with metastatic MB and in tumor tissues of metastatic MB (P<0.01). In the present study, the expression levels of VEGF and miRNA-210 were upregulated in patients with MB and metastatic MB; thus suggesting that miRNA-210 may promote the metastasis of MB primary tumors by regulating the expression of VEGF.

Methylation of Werner syndrome protein is associated with the occurrence and development of invasive meningioma via the regulation of Myc and p53 expression.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the positive rate of Werner syndrome protein (WRN) methylation in meningioma patients, and further assess the association between WRN methylation and the occurrence of meningioma. A total of 56 consecutive meningioma patients and 26 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. A methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to detect the positive rate of WRN methylation in the peripheral blood and tissue samples collected from the recruited subjects. In addition, western blot analysis was performed to determine the protein expression levels of WRN, Myc and p53 in the peripheral blood and tissue samples. The positive rate of WRN methylation in the peripheral blood of the meningioma group was increased when compared with the control group (P<0.05). In addition, the protein expression levels of WRN were significantly decreased in the peripheral blood and tissue samples collected from the individuals with a positive WRN methylation status (P<0.05), as compared with the samples without WRN methylation. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of Myc and p53 were increased in the peripheral blood and tissue samples that exhibited positive WRN methylation when compared with those without WRN methylation (P<0.05). Therefore, WRN methylation was demonstrated to be associated with the occurrence and development of invasive meningioma, possibly through the regulation of Myc and p53 expression.

MicroRNA-18a regulates invasive meningiomas via hypoxia-inducible factor-1α.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of microRNA-18a (miR-18a) on the invasiveness and metastasis of invasive meningiomas and the underlying mechanism. A total of 69 patients with meningiomas (30 patients in the invasive meningioma group and 39 patients in the non-invasive meningioma group) and 48 cases in the control group were enrolled. Samples of meningioma tissues, serum and cerebrospinal fluid were collected. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) mRNA and miR-18a. Western blot analysis was used to determine protein expression levels of HIF-1α. The expression levels of HIF-1α mRNA and protein in all three types of sample from the invasive meningioma group were significantly higher compared with those in the control and non-invasive meningioma groups (P<0.05), and the expression levels of HIF-1α mRNA in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of the non-invasive meningioma group were significantly higher compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of miR-18a in the invasive meningioma group were significantly reduced compared with those in the control and non-invasive meningioma groups (P<0.05), whereas the levels of miR-18a in the non-invasive meningioma group were significantly lower compared with those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression of HIF-1α is significantly upregulated in patients with invasive meningiomas, possibly due to the downregulation of miR-18a expression. Therefore, miR-18a may regulate invasive meningiomas via HIF-1α.

Third ventricular meningiomas.

We report 13 patients with third ventricular meningiomas (TVM) and discuss the clinical, radiological, pathological and surgical features, as well as follow-up of these tumors. TVM are rare intracranial tumors, and because of this, there are few reports in the literature. Of 11,600 intracranial meningiomas that were surgically treated and pathologically confirmed at Beijing Tian Tan Hospital over a period of 10 years (2003-2013), 13 TVM were selected for a retrospective review. We recorded the clinical, radiological, pathological, and surgical data and statistically analyzed the preoperative, postoperative and 6 month postoperative Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) scores. TVM represented 0.11% of intracranial meningiomas. Radiologically, TVM were divided into three groups: anterior (n=3), posterior (n=3), and entire third ventricle (n=7). Three patients (23.1%) were misdiagnosed preoperatively. Total removal was achieved in 61.5% (8/13) of patients, and subtotal resection was achieved in 38.5% (5/13). Pathologically, the tumors were World Health Organization (WHO) Grade I in 11 patients (84.6%) and WHO Grade II in two (15.6%). There were no statistically significant differences in the preoperative, postoperative, or 6 month postoperative KPS scores (F=0.814; p=0.401). TVM without dural attachments are rare neoplasms that should be differentiated from choroid plexus papilloma, craniopharyngioma, and pineocytoma. Surgery is the optimal treatment and may result in a favorable prognosis, and understanding of the radiological subtype can help with the choice of surgical approach.

Multicystic vestibular schwannomas with fluid-fluid levels: A report of three cases.

The present study reported three rare cases of multicystic vestibular schwannoma with fluid-fluid levels. These three tumors exhibited apparent fluid-fluid levels that demonstrated a radiological appearance of two fluid levels in the cystic area. Two cases had an acute history, whereas one case presented with a chronic progression. A suboccipital retrosigmoid approach was used for access to the tumors and gross total resection was achieved in all the cases. During the surgical procedures, unclotted blood was observed, and the tumors were adhered to the facial nerve, other cranial nerves or the brain stem. In each case, the facial nerve function of the patients was impaired following surgery. The present study discussed the possible mechanism of the formation of the fluid-fluid levels, the effect of the fluid-fluid levels and the therapeutic strategy employed.