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Despite technical developments in surgery and radiotherapy over the last 10 years, survival of patients with a glioblastoma multiforme has not improved in our institution. The analysis of prognostic factors corresponded well with data from the literature. A short hypofractionated scheme seems to be a more appropriate treatment for patients with intermediate or poor prognosis as compared to a conventional scheme. The benefit in median survival for patients treated with an interstitial boost is partly explained by patient selection. Since there were no long-term survivors with this boost treatment, its clinical value, if there is one, is still limited.

Creatine kinase (CK) release from male and female rat soleus muscles was studied for 4.5 h in vitro, under basal conditions and after electrical stimulation. Basal CK release was greater from male than from female muscles, and CK release from male muscles increased significantly when the muscle tension in the in-vitro set-up was increased. CK release after electrical stimulation was also more marked in male soleus muscles. Pretreatment of male rats and ovariectomized female rats with oestradiol for 3 weeks attenuated the enzyme efflux, but ovariectomy 24 h before in females, or oestradiol administration 24 h before in males, did not affect the release of CK in vitro. The data show that sex-linked differences in CK efflux are still present, under both basal and stimulated conditions, when muscles are isolated from the intact animal, and that hormone treatment of the intact animal affects these properties in the isolated muscle in vitro.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), cholesterol-lowering drugs that have not been approved for use in children and adolescents, may cause myopathy as a side effect. We compared the effects of three statins (simva-, prava- and lovastatin) in young rats to determine whether skeletal muscle of young animals is more susceptible than that of adults. We also evaluated whether the type of statin (lipophilic versus hydrophilic) determines the degree of muscle damage. Administration via chow of simvastatin (15 mg/kg of body weight/d) and lovastatin (43-55 mg/kg of body weight/d), both lipophilic, caused stunted growth, high creatine kinase (CK) activity in plasma, and severe myopathy. Statin doses that caused damage were much lower for young rats than for adults. Pravastatin (8-55 mg/kg of body weight/d), a hydrophilic drug, caused none of these symptoms. Histologic analysis of hind paw muscles of simvastatin-and lovastatin-treated rats showed abundant signs of damage (hypercontraction, fiber necrosis) in the extensor digitorum longus, correlating with the symptoms noted above. No cellular infiltrates were seen at the onset, pointing to a noninflammatory myopathy. Pravastatin-treated rats never showed signs of myopathy. Impaired DNA synthesis may explain why muscle toxicity is seen at lower doses in young, rapidly developing rats than in adult animals. The differences in muscle damage between the statins may be attributed to differences in lipophilicity and thus in tissue selectivity. Our results can be important when considering drug therapy in young patients with inherited lipoprotein disorders.

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BackgroundChronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is a common neurological disease with a rapidly rising incidence due to increasing age and widespread use of anticoagulants. Surgical intervention by burr-hole craniotomy (BHC) is the current standard practice for symptomatic patients, but associated with complications, a recurrence rate of up to 30% and increased mortality. Dexamethasone (DXM) therapy is, therefore, used as a non-surgical alternative but considered to achieve a lower success rate. Furthermore, the benefit of DXM therapy appears much more deliberate than the immediate relief from BHC. Lack of evidence and clinical equipoise among caregivers prompts the need for a head-to-head randomised controlled trial. The objective of this study is to compare the effect of primary DXM therapy versus primary BHC on functional outcome and cost-effectiveness in symptomatic patients with CSDH.Methods/DesignThis study is a prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled trial (RCT). Consecutive patients with a CSDH with a Markwalder Grading Scale (MGS) grade 1 to 3 will be randomised to treatment with DXM or BHC. The DXM treatment scheme will be 16 mg DXM per day (8 mg twice daily, days 1 to 4) which is then halved every 3 days until a dosage of 0.5 mg a day on day 19 and stopped on day 20. If the treatment response is insufficient (i.e. persistent or progressive symptomatology due to insufficient haematoma resolution), additional surgery can be performed. The primary outcomes are the functional outcome by means of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months and cost-effectiveness at 12 months. Secondary outcomes are quality of life at 3 and 12 months using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Quality of Life after Brain Injury Overall Scale (QOLIBRI), haematoma thickness after 2 weeks on follow–up computed tomography (CT), haematoma recurrence during the first 12 months, complications and drug-related adverse events, failure of therapy within 12 months after randomisation and requiring intervention, mortality during the first 3 and 12 months, duration of hospital stay and overall healthcare and productivity costs. To test non-inferiority of DXM therapy compared to BHC, 210 patients in each treatment arm are required (assumed adjusted common odds ratio DXM compared to BHC 1.15, limit for inferiority < 0.9). The aim is to include a total of 420 patients in 3 years with an enrolment rate of 60%.DiscussionThe present study should demonstrate whether treatment with DXM is as effective as BHC on functional outcome, at lower costs.Trial registrationEUCTR 2015-001563-39. Date of registration: 29 March 2015.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2945-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: To evaluate long-term language development in children with prelingual deafness who received auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) compared with children who received cochlear implants (CIs) at the same hospital. Additional non-auditory disabilities were taken into account. Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Ten children with bilateral malformations of the cochlea and/or cochlear nerve who received ABIs, including seven with additional disabilities, and 147 children with CIs as a reference group, including 22 children with additional disabilities. Intervention: ABIs were implanted at 1.3 to 6.2 years of age. Follow-up ranged from 1.1 to 7.7 years. Main Outcome Measures: Receptive and expressive language abilities were assessed using the Infant Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS), the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), the Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS), and the Speech Intelligibility Rate (SIR). Results: Of the 10 children with ABIs, seven had long-term follow-up data. Within 1 year, six of the seven children with ABIs could identify sounds, respond to speech, and use their voice to attract attention. Language skills developed at a slower rate than in children with CIs and reached the same competence level when additional disabilities were absent. These language skills matched, on average, those of children with CIs with additional disabilities. Conclusion: For deaf children with bilateral inner ear malformations, ABIs provide satisfactory auditory input. Children with ABIs are able to develop receptive and expressive language skills comparable to those of children with CIs with additional disabilities. Using this knowledge, preoperative parent counselling can be refined.

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