Both 11C-MET PET/CT and MRI (with the inclusion of advanced MRI techniques) demonstrated a high diagnostic performance in the identification of tumor residual/recurrence in high-grade gliomas posttherapy. Although 11C-MET PET/CT seemed to be more sensitive, whereas advanced MRI seemed more specific, there was no statistically significant difference in the diagnostic performance of either modality in the present study. Further studies with a larger group of patients are warranted.

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Aim:The aim of the present study is to evaluate diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) as a tool for detecting diffuse axonal injury in patients of acute, mild, and moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI), using two diffusion variables: Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). The correlation of these indices with the severity of post-concussive symptoms was also assessed.Materials and Methods:Nineteen patients with acute, mild, or moderate TBI and twelve age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Following Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) on a 3.0-T scanner, DTT was performed using the ‘fiber assignment by continuous tracking’ (FACT) algorithm for fiber reconstruction. Appropriate statistical tools were used to see the difference in FA and MD values between the control and patient groups. In the latter group, the severity of post-concussive symptoms was assessed six months following trauma, using the Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPSQ).Results:The patients displayed significant reduction in FA compared to the controls (P < 0.05) in several tracts, notably the corpus callosum, fornix, bilateral uncinate fasciculus, and bilateral superior thalamic radiations. Changes in MD were statistically significant in the left uncinate, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and left posterior thalamic radiation. A strong correlation between these indices and the RPSQ scores was observed in several white matter tracts.Conclusion:Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based quantitative analysis in acute, mild, and moderate TBI can identify axonal injury neuropathology, over and above that visualized on conventional MRI scans. Furthermore, the significant correlation observed between FA and MD indices and the severity of post-concussive symptoms could make it a useful predictor of the long-term outcome.

Background:Caregivers of patients with intracranial tumors handle physical, cognitive, and behavioral impairments of patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the magnitude of burden experienced by primary caregivers of patients operated for intracranial tumors and evaluate factors influencing it.Methods:Descriptive cross-sectional design was used to assess home-care burden experienced by primary caregivers of patients operated for intracranial tumors. Using purposive sampling, 70 patient-caregiver pairs were enrolled. Modified caregiver strain index (MCSI) was used to assess the caregiver burden. Mini mental status examination (MMSE), Katz index of independence in activities of daily living (ADL), and neuropsychiatric inventory questionnaire (NPI-Q) were used to assess the status of patients.Results:Of 70 caregivers, 45 had mild, and 22 had moderate MCSI burden. A number of behavioral changes in NPI-Q had a significant correlation with MCSI burden (P < 0.001), whereas MMSE and Katz-ADL of patients did not show significant relation with caregiver burden. In NPI-Q, irritability, agitation, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances had a significant impact on MCSI. Among caregiver factors, unemployment, low per capita income, time spent, inability to meet household needs, quitting the job, and health problems had a significant impact on MCSI. In separate multivariate analyses, irritability component (P = 0.004) among behavioral changes of patients and caregivers’ inability to meet household needs (P < 0.001) had a significant association with caregiver burden independent of other factors.Conclusions:Behavioral changes in patients (especially irritability) and financial constraints had a significant independent impact on the burden experienced by primary caregivers of patients operated for intracranial tumors. Identifying and managing, these are essential for reducing caregiver burden.

Hypothyroidism affects brain functioning as suggested by various neuroimaging studies. The primary focus of the present study was to examine whether hypothyroidism would impact connectivity among resting-state networks (RSNs) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI). Twenty-two patients with hypothyroidism and 22 healthy controls were recruited and scanned using rsfMRI. The data were analysed using independent component analysis and a dual regression approach that was applied on five RSNs that were identified using fsl software (http://fsl.fmrib.ox.ac.uk). Hypothyroid patients showed significantly decreased functional connectivity in the regions of the right frontoparietal network (frontal pole), the medial visual network (lateral occipital gyrus, precuneus cortex and cuneus) and the motor network (precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, precuneus cortex, paracingulate gyrus, cingulate gyrus and supramarginal gyrus) compared to healthy controls. The reduced functional connectivity in the right frontoparietal network, the medial visual network and the motor network suggests neurocognitive alterations in hypothyroid patients in the corresponding functions. However, the study would be further continued to investigate the effects of thyroxine treatment and correlation with neurocognitive scores. The findings of the present study provide further interesting insights into our understanding of the action of thyroid hormone on the adult human brain.