Morphogenetic and Imaging Characteristics in Giant Cell Glioblastoma.

Giant cell glioblastoma is a rare tumor entity of IDH-wildtype glioblastoma. It is usually found in the pediatric population. We describe a particular case of a female patient diagnosed histopathologically with giant cell glioblastoma, who had two recurrences in different lobes of the same cerebral hemisphere, despite positive prognostic factors and appropriate treatment. We performed an immunohistochemical characterization of giant cell glioblastoma as well as an analysis of its aggressiveness using the cytogenetic markers TP53, CDKN2A, and TP73 using the FISH technique. The clinical picture was inconsistant, the suspicion being completely different initially. Paraclinical examination and imaging initially suggested a metastasis to the insular lobe. After surgery, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations were the basis for the diagnosis. Despite the prognostic factors known so far in the literature, the aggressiveness denoted by multiple relapses and morphogenetic tests particularizes the case and improves the literature by bringing new information about this rare neoplasm of the central nervous system.

Prognostic Factors of Low-Grade Gliomas in Adults.

Adult low-grade gliomas are a rare and aggressive pathology of the central nervous system. Some of their characteristics contribute to the patient's life expectancy and to their management. This study aimed to characterize and identify the main prognostic factors of low-grade gliomas. The six-year retrospective study statistically analyzed the demographic, imaging, and morphogenetic characteristics of the patient group through appropriate parameters. Immunohistochemical tests were performed: IDH1, Ki-67, p53, and Nestin, as well as FISH tests on the CDKN2A gene and 1p/19q codeletion. The pathology was prevalent in females, with patients having an average age of 56.31 years. The average tumor volume was 41.61 cm3, producing a midline shift with an average of 7.5 mm. Its displacement had a negative impact on survival. The presence of a residual tumor resulted in decreased survival and is an independent risk factor for mortality. Positivity for p53 identified a low survival rate. CDKN2A mutations were an independent risk factor for mortality. We identified that a negative prognosis is influenced by the association of epilepsy with headache, tumor volume, and immunoreactivity to IDH1 and p53. Independent factors associated with mortality were midline shift, presence of tumor residue, and CDKN2A gene deletions and amplifications.

Aggressiveness of Grade 4 Gliomas of Adults.

Grade 4 adult gliomas are IDH-mutant astrocytomas and IDH-wildtype glioblastomas. They have a very high mortality rate, with survival at 5 years not exceeding 5%. We aimed to conduct a clinical imaging and morphogenetic characterization of them, as well as to identify the main negative prognostic factors that give them such aggressiveness. We conducted a ten-year retrospective study. We followed the clinical, imaging, and morphogenetic aspects of the cases. We analyzed immunohistochemical markers (IDH1, Ki-67, and nestin) and FISH tests based on the CDKN2A gene. The obtained results were analyzed using SPSS Statistics with the appropriate parameters. The clinical aspects representing negative prognostic factors were represented by patients' comorbidities: hypertension (HR = 1.776) and diabetes mellitus/hyperglycemia (HR = 2.159). The lesions were mostly supratentorial, and the temporal lobe was the most affected. The mean volume was 88.05 cm3 and produced a midline shift with an average of 8.52 mm. Subtotal surgical resection was a negative prognostic factor (HR = 1.877). The proliferative index did not influence survival rate, whereas CDKN2A gene mutations were shown to have a major impact on survival. We identified the main negative prognostic factors that support the aggressiveness of grade 4 gliomas: patient comorbidities, type of surgical resection, degree of cell differentiation, and CDKN2A gene mutations.

Age, size and body condition do not equally reflect population response to habitat change in the common spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus.

Urbanization impacts biodiversity both directly through physical expansion over land, and indirectly due to land use conversion and human behaviors associated with urban areas. We assessed the response of a common spadefoot toad population (Pelobates fuscus) to habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from urban development by studying changes in size, body condition and age parameters. We compared samples collected in the early 2000s (sample A) and later on during 2012-2014 (sample B). The terrestrial habitats in the study area were severely reduced and fragmented due to the expansion of the human settlement. We found no significant differences in the age parameters between the two sampling periods; the median lifespan shortened from 3.5 (sample A) to 3.0 years (sample B), while the other age parameters were similar in both samples. In contrast, snout-vent length, body mass and body condition experienced a significant decrease over time. Our results suggest that changes in body size and body condition, rather than age parameters, better reflect the response of the common spadefoot toad population to declining habitat quality. Therefore, body measurements can provide reliable estimates of the impact of habitat degradation in amphibian populations.