OBJECTIVE: The authors present the effect of VEGF upon neuronal and glial response following transient global ischemia of the rat METHODS: We studied the effect of VEGF in 36 rats subjected to 15 minutes of transient global ischemia. Animals were devided into control group(transient global ischemia only: day-3, day-7, day-14, respectively n=6) and VEGF-treated group(transient global ischemia with intraventricular injection of 100 micro gram VEGF: day-3, day-7, day-14, respectively n=6). These animals were sacrificed at 3 days, 7 days and 14 days after induction of ischemia. Nissle stain and immunohistochemistry of GFAP(glial fibrillary acidic protein), OX-42, and ED1 were done for assessment of neuronal and glial responses. RESULTS: In the CA1 hippocampus, there was a significant reduction of pyramidal cell damage in VEGF-treated group as compared with control group in post-ischemia 3, 7, 14 days(p<0.05). In the CA3 hippocampus which is relatively resistant to ischemia, reduction of pyramidal cell damage was significant in post-ischemia 7 days(p<0.05), not significant in post-ischemia 3, 14 days(p>0.05). In the assessment of CA1 hippocampus with GFAP stained areas, there was significant reduction of reactivity in post-ischemia 3, 7 days(p<0.05), not significant in post-ischemia 14 days(p>0.05). In the CA3 hippocampus, reduction of GFAP reactivity was significant in post-ischemia 3, 7 days(p<0.05), not significant in post-ischemia 14 days(p>0.05). In the assessment of CA1 hippocampus with OX-42 stained areas, there was significant reduction of reactivity in post-ischemia 3, 7, 14 days(p<0.05). But in the CA3 hippocampus, the difference was not significant in post-ischemia 3, 7 days(p<0.05). In the assessment of of CA1 hippocampus with ED1 stained areas, there was significant reduction of reactivity in post-ischemia 3, 7, 14 days(p<0.05). But in the CA3 hippocampus, the difference was significant in post-ischemia 3 days only(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that VEGF can reduce neuronal damage in transient global ischemia, thus have protective effect on ischemic brain injury. In our experiment, the reduction of glial response with VEGF seems to be related to the secondary neuroprotective effect of VEGF. However, the proliferation of endothelial cells and new vessel formation take days to months, the thus neuroprotective effect of VEGF against ischemia seems to related to a certain mechanism rather than angiogenesis.
Animals ; Astrocytes ; Brain Injuries ; Endothelial Cells ; Hippocampus ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections, Intraventricular ; Ischemia* ; Microglia ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

The authors think that the more desirable treatment for pineal region tumors is definitive surgery with a histological diagnosis and that a conservative approach consisting of shunting and radiation therapy no longer seems to be appropriate. We report the result of a retrospective review of the presentation, treatment, and outcome of the seventeen patients treated between June, 1989 and June, 1994. Nine patients were males and eight patients were females, and the age ranged from 13 to 51 years(mean age about 32 years old). Histological verification was available in fourteen tumors;six by an occipital transtentorial approach and five by an infratentorial supracerebellar approach and two by a stereotaxic biopsy and one by a frontotemporal craniotomy for ectopic germinoma. Germinomas were the most common type. Three of the seventeen patients died of tumor progression. Because the great variety of tumor found in the pineal region must be treated in different ways and because improved microsurgical and stereotaxic surgical techniques have made mortality and morbidity rates acceptably low, a biopsy diagnosis should be obtained.
Biopsy ; Craniotomy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Germinoma ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Apolipoprotein E polymorphism plays an important role in the metabolism of cholesterol and bile acids, which may be related to the development of colorectal adenomas. An association between apolipoprotein E genotype and colonic adenomas has been reported in a western country. This study was designed to determine whether the apolipoprotein E was genotype would be associated with proximal or distal colonic adenomas in Koreans. METHODS: On the colonoscopy, colonic adenomas were found in 132 patients. Proximal colonic adenoma was found in 35 patients and distal colonic adenoma was found in 97 patients. Serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were measured. Apolipoprotein E genotype was determined by PCR and allele specific oligonucleotide hybridization. 279 control subjects without an adenoma on the screening sigmoidoscopy were selected randomly. RESULTS: The serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride did not significantly differ between each adenoma group and control group. The individual frequencies of epsilon2, epsilon3 and epsilon4 alleles in patients with colonic adenomas did not differ from those in control subjects. The frequency of either heterozygote or homozygote for epsilon4 allele in patients with proximal adenoma was lower than that in control subjects (0.029 vs 0.168, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that epsilon4 allele may be associated with a lower risk for the development of proximal colonic adenoma in Korean men.
Adenoma* ; Alleles ; Apolipoproteins* ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Cholesterol ; Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Genotype* ; Heterozygote ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Triglycerides