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In this study, success rates of CSF repair were not associated with the use of LDs. However, the small number of cases with high success rates precludes appropriate statistical analysis.

This article briefly reviews some of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, i.e. damage mechanisms (DM), and their interactions and overlap with protection and reparatory processes (i.e. endogenous defence activities). A relationship between DM and endogenous defence activity (EDA) regarding therapy principles will also be described. Currently, it is difficult to find the correct therapeutic approach for brain protection and recovery, especially because we do not fully understand all of the endogenous neurobiological processes, the complete nature of the pathophysiological mechanisms and the links between these two categories. Moreover, we continue to use a simplistic and reductionist approach in this respect. Endogenous neurobiological processes, such as neurotrophicity, neuroprotection, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, are central to protection and recovery and represent the background of EDA. The biological reality of the nervous system is far more complex. In fact, there is an endogenous holistic process of neuroprotection and neurorecovery that should be approached therapeutically in an integrated way. The current tendency to exclusively frame drug activity in terms of single mechanisms and single focus effect might distract from other paradigms with greater explanatory power and hinder the development of more effective treatment strategies. A change of concept is required in pharmacological brain protection and recovery. Prospective considerations include an integrated pharmacological approach, focusing on drugs with multimodal activity and pleiotropic neuroprotective effect which are biological drugs, rather than single mechanism drugs, which usually are chemical drugs.

Neuroplasticity is a complex process of structural and functional reorganization of brain tissue. In the fetal period, neuroplasticity plays an important role in the emergence and development of white matter tracts. Here, we aimed to study the architecture of normal fetal brains by way of Klingler's dissection. Ten normal brains were collected from in utero deceased fetuses aged between 13 and 35 gestational weeks (GW). During this period, we observed modifications in volume, shape, and sulci configuration. Our findings indicate that the major white matter tracts follow four waves of development. The first wave (13 GW) involves the corpus callosum, the fornix, the anterior commissure, and the uncinate fasciculus. In the second one (14 GW), the superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi and the cingulum could be identified. The third wave (17 GW) concerns the internal capsule and in the fourth wave (20 GW) all the major tracts, including the inferioroccipital fasciculus, were depicted. Our results suggest an earlier development of the white matter tracts than estimated by DTI tractography studies. Correlating anatomical dissection with tractography data is of great interest for further research in the field of fetal brain mapping.

Abstract:The low rate of survival for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma may be attributed to the existence of a subpopulation of cancer stem cells. These stem cells have certain properties that enable them to resist chemotherapeutic agents and ionizing radiation. Herein, we show that temozolomide-loaded gold nanostructures are efficient in reducing chemoresistance and destroy 82.7% of cancer stem cells compared with a 42% destruction rate using temozolomide alone. Measurements of in vitro cytotoxicity and apoptosis indicate that combination with gold facilitated the ability of temozolomide, an alkylating drug, to alter the resistance of these cancer stem cells, suggesting a new chemotherapy strategy for patients diagnosed with inoperable recurrent malignant glioma.