This study provides evidence that MRT could be better than a multimodal PT program for short-term improvement of pain and PPTs in patients with neck pain.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and aggressive primary brain tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis. Despite the use of combined treatment approaches, recurrence is almost inevitable and survival longer than 14 or 15 months after diagnosis is low. It is therefore necessary to identify new therapeutic targets to fight GBM progression and recurrence. Some publications have pointed out the role of glioma stem cells (GSCs) as the origin of GBM. These cells, with characteristics of neural stem cells (NSC) present in physiological neurogenic niches, have been proposed as being responsible for the high resistance of GBM to current treatments such as temozolomide (TMZ). The protein Kinase C (PKC) family members play an essential role in transducing signals related with cell cycle entrance, differentiation and apoptosis in NSC and participate in distinct signaling cascades that determine NSC and GSC dynamics. Thus, PKC could be a suitable druggable target to treat recurrent GBM. Clinical trials have tested the efficacy of PKCβ inhibitors, and preclinical studies have focused on other PKC isozymes. Here, we discuss the idea that other PKC isozymes may also be involved in GBM progression and that the development of a new generation of effective drugs should consider the balance between the activation of different PKC subtypes.

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Objetivos. Analizar en tumores cerebrales, fundamentalmente de estirpe neuro-epitelial, la existencia de mutaciones en los cromosomas 1p y 19q por la técnica de análisis de la pérdida de heterocigocidad (LOH). Un primer objetivo implícito fue poner a punto la técnica del análisis. Método. Hemos investigado la existencia de mutaciones en 3 alelos seleccionados del cromosoma 1p y en 2 alelos del 19q de distintos tumores cerebrales de estirpe glial intervenidos de manera consecutiva en nuestro Centro desde Octubre de 2004 a Marzo de 2006. La metodología empleada ha sido la detección en ADN tumoral de tejido en fresco y en sangre del paciente del marcaje por PCR de amplificados y electroforesis analizando la pérdida de heterocigocidad de microsatélites, repeticiones de dinucleótidos, situados en D1S508, D1S2734, D1S199, D19S412 y D19S219. Resultados. Hemos incluido en esta primera fase de estudio un total de 45 muestras de pacientes intervenidos de tumores cerebrales supratentoriales de estirpe neuroepitelial y que incluyen: 29 glioblastomas, 1 gliosarcoma, 7 astrocitomas grado II, 1 oligoastrocitoma, 3 oligodendrogliomas, 1 oligodendroglioma anaplásico, 1 xantoastrocitoma, 1 tumor neuroepitelial disembrioplásico y 1 astrocitoma pilocítico. La presencia de mutación la hemos considerado cuando el índice alélico T1/ T2 era inferior a 0.8. Nl/N2 Por estirpe histológica destaca la presencia de mutación en un 80% de tumores oligodendrogliales, 14% de glioblastomas y 14% de astrocitomas fibrilares grado II. Conclusiones. La técnica de análisis de LOH en 1p/19q es factible de realizar en centros que dispongan de técnicas de estudios genético-moleculares, con un alto índice de fiabilidad. De su resultado se desprende qué pacientes se pueden beneficiar del tratamiento con alquilantes añadiendo, a la terapia quirúrgica y/o radioterápica en uso hasta la fecha, una posibilidad de tratamiento con alto porcentaje de respuestas. PALABRAS CLAVE: Tumores cerebrales. Gliomas. Mutación 1p/19q. Pérdida de heterocigocidad. Alquilantes. Allelic loss at 1p/19q analysis in brain tumors of glial lineage Summary Background. To analyze in cerebral tumors of neuroepithelial tissue 1p/19q codeletions by study of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). A first implied objective was to get ready this molecular thecnique. Methods. We aimed to determine several deletions mapping 1p and 19q chromosomes, three allelic loss of 1p and two allelic loss of 19q, in patients with cerebral tumors which were operated in our Deparment from October 2004 until March 2006. We have detected in blood and tumoral DNA loss of heterozygosity assay for molecular detection using PCR and capillary array electrophoresis of five markers (D1S508, D1S2734, D1S199, D19S412 y D19S219). Results. Were included in the first part of this study 45 sample of neuroepithelial tissue supratentorial tumors: 29 glioblastoma, 1 gliosarcoma, 7 diffuse astrocytoma grade II, 1 oligoastrocytoma, 3 oligodendroglioma, 1 anaplastic oligodendroglioma, 1 xanthoastrocytoma, 1 dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial...

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive form of glioma and is characterized by poor prognosis and high recurrence despite intensive clinical interventions. To retrieve the key factors underlying the high malignancy of GB with potential diagnosis utility, we combined the analysis of The Cancer Gene Atlas and the REMBRANDT datasets plus a molecular examination of our own collection of surgical tumor resections. We determined a net reduction in the levels of the non-canonical histone H3 variant H3.3 in GB compared to lower-grade astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas with a concomitant increase in the levels of the canonical histone H3 variants H3.1/H3.2. This increase can be potentially useful in the clinical diagnosis of high-grade gliomas, as evidenced by an immunohistochemistry screening of our cohort and can be at least partially explained by the induction of multiple histone genes encoding these canonical forms. Moreover, GBs showing low bulk levels of the H3.1/H3.2 proteins were more transcriptionally similar to low-grade gliomas than GBs showing high levels of H3.1/H3.2. In conclusion, this study identifies an imbalanced ratio between the H3 variants associated with glioma malignancy and molecular patterns relevant to the biology of gliomas, and proposes the examination of the H3.3 and H3.1/H3.2 levels to further refine diagnosis of low- and high-grade gliomas in future studies.

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Nerve regeneration was studied in a model of centrocentral anastomosis (CCA) performed on the sciatic nerve of the rat. Experimental CCA was made by suturing the proximal end of the peroneal branch on the proximal end of the sural branch, placing between them a peroneal nerve graft (Group I, 20 rats) or a silicone chamber (Group II, 12 rats). Nerve grafts had a length of 5 mm and silicone chambers 7 mm. In six silicone chambers an 1 mm nerve graft was placed in the centre of the tube. In group I animals anterograde degeneration was studied by cutting the graft 60 days after surgery. In group II, nerve regeneration was studied 2, 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. Results indicate that in CCA: 1) regenerated axons coming from one nerve end grow into the graft but do not cross the contralateral suture line; 2) regeneration is poorer in silicone chambers than in nerve grafts; and 3) in silicone chambers regeneration is related to time. The reduction in the regenerative capability in CCA seems to be related to the alteration of nerve sprouts aiming for the peripheral targets.

A delay in the formation of the terminal neuroma following sciatic nerve section in rats was obtained by means of free nerve grafts sutured to the proximal stump of the sectioned sciatic nerve branches. The automutilating behaviour in these animals was statistically compared with that which follows single sciatic section and sciatic section plus end-to-end suture. The results showed that in animals with grafted nerve stumps, autotomy begins significantly later than in those with single sciatic section. However, when the self-mutilation started, it followed the same increasing evolution in both groups. These results suggest that autotomy after a nerve section is behaviour related to the aparition and nature of the terminal neuroma.