Head trauma (August 11, 2006)

OMG, it's Friday!!!!!!! Finally, end of the week. I'm so tired, exhausted, lack of sleep. I wanted to go home on time, 4.30 PM.

(Sigh)............But what has happened? There will be a Capsule Endoscopy patient on Monday and Susan will be on vacation next week. So after went to Kemayoran to train the OT nurses, I had to go MKKG Hospital to do patient data entry. In the middle of training in Kemayoran, Cipto Hospital called and informed me that there will be a brain surgery at 4 PM to treat head trauma patient. Argghhhhh!!!!!!!

I was not in the mood, but on the other hand, it was excited because it would be our 1st case using the monitor.

When I was in MKKG Hospital, found out that there was no one in the endo room, I could't wait very long cause it was 3.30 PM. I rushed to Cipto Hospital, went to Neurosurgery Dept. Dr.Y was in a hurry and asked me to go to Emergency OT. Had some talk with Dr.F, then went to 4th floor of emergency building. Changed into OT uniform and witnessed my first head trauma case.

Dr.IB from Budhi Asih accompanied Dr.Y and Dr.C (they are residents).

It was a lady, around 49 years old. Got hit by a motorbike while she was crossing the road one day before surgery. She lost some of her teeth. Her skull in right part near right ear was dent (not in a round normal shape). She has blood clot inside the brain, brain was swollen. Neurosurgeons goal was to remove the clots, so brain was not so tight, giving brain some space to get back to normal condition. I saw her MRI pictures, her brain was displaced.

Right before closing the brain, my catheter was inserted. The function is to monitor the pressure inside her brain. Catheter was connected to my monitor. Voila!

Surgery started at 4 PM, finished at 10 PM. Thank God I can go home soon. Hmmm, never never felt relieved so fast. It turned out that the ICU was full and she had to wait until one of the patient was moved to other room. I couldn't leave and just go home. I had to show to ICU nurses how to use the monitor. So I stayed, maybe around 2 hours, felt cold in the OT. Then we waited outside OT, waited to move downstair where ICU is.

I left the hospital at 00.30 on August 12. Went to Sabang to find some food. I was very hungry. Arrived in the office at 01.15 AM. Damn it! My car wouldn't start! I asked Dedy to use kijang's battery to recharge mine, and I tried to start it again. It worked!

I drove home, and arrived home at 2 AM!!! One of my record at work!

Astrocytoma (July 28, 2006)

Do you know what astrocytoma is?

Here's a link for the information.

I was in Malang on Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday, there was a male patient, still young, around 35 y.o. had that tumor. It was malignant, he's lost his concious, based on his Glasgow Coma Scale which was very low.

After surgery he will need chemotherapy, radiation, etc, so the tumor won't grow again. That's the theory, in reality, after surgery was done, most patient if they feel better, they won't come to see their doctor for checkups.

Anyway.........the neurosurgeons were able to remove the tumor, inspite of limited supporting equipments they have.

For you out there:

- Take care of the food you eat. Avoid junkfood and fastfood, fatty food, etc. Love your body.

- Even people at young age can get tumor! Based on my three last brain tumor surgeries, patients are considered young.

- Male and female patients are balance, although my neurosurgeon told me that women has bigger chance to get tumor! It's the hormones, they said.

Brain tumor surgeries (July 20, 2006)

Been in Bandung last Sunday night and went back to Jakarta last night.

Well, there was earthquake in Jakarta. Thank God, it was a mild one.

I accompanied neurosurgeons for two tumor removal surgeries.

One, on Tueday, was at RS St.B, meningioma, 12 hours of surgery! The longest time I have ever been! The tumor was hard and big, very big. I was very tired, standing, waiting, sitting, feeling hungry, in the cold O.T.

At the same time in Jakarta, Susan accompanied Dr.JS using our 3rd handpiece. He finally used it despite of confusing hospital's arrangement.

Hmm, as long as the patient was helped and neurosurgeons were happy and they plan to purchase my machine, I can put up with it :)

Second was on Wednesday, at RSHS, glioma, in the eye. Patient's right eye was removed. It took 5 hours of surgery.

I took a pic of the eye ball, hehehe. I will downloaded it here later.

(human eye ball)

Wish I took pictures of their MRI, so I can show you how big their tumors were.

I just felt really tired, because I skipped lunch on tuesday and had late lunch on Monday and Wednesday (at 3.30 pm). Also, I had to bring big heavy cases of the equipments.
I'm glad the neuro residents helped me carry them.

And before went home, it's alway a must to buy cakes and breads, LOL.

Dropped by at Kartikasari and Amanda Brownies. Also, bought 1 pair of shoes and 2 pairs of high heels.

What is Mind Map?

Source: Wikipedia

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged radially around a central key word or idea. It is used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.

It is an image-centered diagram that represents semantic or other connections between portions of information. By presenting these connections in a radial, non-linear graphical manner, it encourages a brainstorming approach to any given organizational task, eliminating the hurdle of initially establishing an intrinsically appropriate or relevant conceptual framework to work within.

A mind map is similar to a semantic network or cognitive map but there are no formal restrictions on the kinds of links used.

The elements are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts and they are organized into groupings, branches, or areas. The uniform graphic formulation of the semantic structure of information on the method of gathering knowledge, may aid recall of existing memories.

Origins

Mind maps (or similar concepts) have been used for centuries for learning, brainstorming, memory, visual thinking, and problem solving by educators, engineers, psychologists, and people in general. Some of the earliest examples of mind maps were developed by Porphyry of Tyros, a noted thinker of the 3rd century, as he graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle. Ramon Llull also used these structures of the mind map form.

The semantic network was developed as a theory to understand human learning and developed into mind maps by Dr. Allan Collins and M. Ross Quillian during the early 1960s. Due to his commitment and published research, and his work with learning, creativity, and graphical thinking, Dr. Allan Collins can be considered the father of the modern mind map.^{[citation needed]}

People have been using image-centered radial graphic organization techniques, referred to variably as mental or generic mind maps or spidergrams, for centuries in areas such as engineering, psychology, and education. Despite this history a claim to the origin of the mind map has been made by British popular psychology author Tony Buzan. He claimed the idea was inspired by Alfred Korzybski's general semantics as popularized in science fiction novels, such as those of Robert A. Heinlein and A. E. van Vogt. Buzan argues that 'traditional' outlines rely on the reader to scan left to right and top to bottom, whilst what actually happens is that the brain will scan the entire page in a non-linear fashion. He also uses popular assumptions about the cerebral hemispheres in order to promote the exclusive use of mind mapping over other forms of note making.

The mind map continues to be used in various forms, and for various applications including learning and education (where it is often taught as 'Webs', 'Mind webs', or 'Webbing'), planning, and in engineering diagramming.

When compared with the concept map (which was developed by learning experts in the 1970s) the structure of a mind map is a similar, but simplified, radial by having one central key word.

Uses of mind maps

A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added.

Mind maps have many applications in personal, family, educational, and business situations, including notetaking, brainstorming (wherein ideas are inserted into the map radially around the center node, without the implicit prioritization that comes from hierarchy or sequential arrangements, and wherein grouping and organizing is reserved for later stages), summarizing, revising, and general clarifying of thoughts. One could listen to a lecture, for example, and take down notes using mind maps for the most important points or keywords. One can also use mind maps as a mnemonic technique or to sort out a complicated idea. Mind maps are also promoted as a way to collaborate in color pen creativity sessions.

Mindmaps can be drawn by hand, either as 'rough notes' during a lecture or meeting, for example, or can be more sophisticated in quality. Examples of both are illustrated. There are also a number of software packages available for producing mind maps (see below).

The best-selling fiction paperback (August 2007) in the U.K., "The Naming of the Dead" by Ian Rankin, features detective Inspector Rebus who uses mind maps to solve crimes.~

Novel Progesterone Formulation for Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury Developed by Encore Therapeutics, Inc.

June 24, 2008 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Encore Therapeutics, Inc. (“ETI”) today reported that it has created a proprietary nano-emulsion intravenous formulation of progesterone that is suitable for the treatment of stroke and traumatic brain Injury, or TBI. Both stroke and TBI are major unmet needs with 500,000 and 1.4 million new cases, respectively, reported each year in the United States and no effective treatments for either disorder.

The protective effect of progesterone in treating brain injury has been firmly established but the inability to develop a product that can be used in the field by medical first responders and the absence of intellectual property covering a composition of progesterone have prohibited commercialization. To address these deficiencies, Encore has developed ETI-411, a novel lyophilized, easy to reconstitute and administer IV progesterone formulation. The company is now seeking a development and commercialization partner to bring ETI-411 to market.

Dr. Paul J. Marangos, Chairman and CEO of ETI commented, “Treatments for stroke and TBI and have eluded the best efforts of drug development largely due to drug toxicity and lack of efficacy. Progesterone is safe and has been documented by many investigators to have broad neuroprotective efficacy in both pre-clinical and clinical studies but its commercialization has not been feasible till now. We are excited about finding a partner to commercialize ETI-411.”

ETI-411 is based on a proprietary phospholipid nano-emulsion formulation that is composed entirely of natural or generally regarded as safe, or GRAS, components. This formulation platform has been utilized successfully for a variety of other IV drugs currently in human clinical trials. Dr. Andrew X. Chen, Chief Scientific Officer and inventor of the formulation commented, “ETI-411 is a substantial improvement over the current means of delivering IV progesterone. It is supplied in a stable, lyophilized format that can be easily reconstituted and administered, making it ideal for first responders and ER personnel treating stroke and TBI victims.”

About Stroke and TBI
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and TBI is the leading cause of death in young people. The combined annual cost to the US healthcare system related to stroke and TBI exceeds $120 billion each year. There are no effective treatments for either disorder.

About ETI
ETI was founded by Drs. Paul J. Marangos and Andrew X. Chen in 2006 to extend and enhance the action of existing drugs through novel formulation strategies. The Company has devised multiple novel applications of its proprietary phospholipid based formulation technologies and seeks development and marketing partnerships with other companies to bring these products to market.

Scientists Identify Major Risk Gene for Alzheimer’s Disease

A team of scientists has identified a novel gene that puts people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and the gene’s surprising identity – it is a calcium channel modulator – suggests a potentially new way to treat or even prevent the mind-robbing disorder.

Manhasset, NY (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 25, 2008 -- A team of scientists has identified a novel gene that puts people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and the gene’s surprising identity – it is a calcium channel modulator – suggests a potentially new way to treat or even prevent the mind-robbing disorder.

Philippe Marambaud, PhD, an assistant investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, and Fabien Campagne, PhD, of The Weill Medical College of Cornell University, began focusing their search for genes expressed in the hippocampus, an area that is hit early in the disease process. They identified several polymorphisms – or gene variants – in DNA samples from Alzheimer’s patients and controls, and one stood out preferentially in the Alzheimer’s brains in a previously uncharacterized gene. The authors found a new calcium channel modulator strongly expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region necessary for learning and memory.

Normally, channels work like a bridge to open up and allow boats to pass. In this case, the channel opens and allows calcium into the neuron, a mechanism that controls important signals inside the cells, such as memory formation. The study was published in the journal Cell. The risk gene, called CALHM1, leads to a partial loss of function, which means that less calcium gets into the cell and it weakens the signals normally regulated by calcium. The authors determined that one of these signals controls the levels of amyloid peptides, the building blocks of the characteristic senile plaques.

The researchers conducted the study using DNA from American deceased Alzheimer’s and age-matched controls with no pathological signs of the disease. They also collaborated with French researcher Jean Charles Lambert, PhD, who had access to DNA samples from patients in France, Italy and the United Kingdom. In total, they ran tests on 3,404 samples. The gene variant showed up more often in the Alzheimer’s samples. People who have the genetic variant have 1.5 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

The strongest risk gene identified for late-onset Alzheimer’s is Apo-E4. Just one copy of this gene variant triples the risk of the disease. No one knows precisely why or how it works to increase the risk for the disease. Dr. Marambaud and his colleagues are excited by their discovery, because there are medicines that block calcium channels and it would be easier to develop targeted therapies.
“It is a lot easier to figure out how to alter this effect of this gene compared to Apo-E4,” said Peter Davies, PhD, head of the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders. "This is the kind of target that pharmaceutical companies are familiar with. Calcium channel drugs have been well studied for decades.”

He added that a lot more basic science work is needed before such drugs are developed. They want to figure out what this newly identified modulator of calcium channel does in the normal brain, and then how it precisely works to increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.

"This is a robust genetic risk factor that was identified now in four different populations,” said Dr. Marambaud. “Having this risk gene can cause a functional problem. It may not only affect the balance of calcium in the brain, which is key to normal cellular processing in memory formation, but also increases the formation of the amyloid peptide, a key player in the pathogenic process of the disease”. He said that the gene, located on chromosome 10, is restricted primarily to the brain. This new work not only provides a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms leading to the disease but also identifies CALHM1 as a potentially important new target for therapy.


About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, human genetics, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. Feinstein researchers are developing new drugs and drug targets, and producing results where science meets the patient. For more information, please visit www.FeinsteinInstitute.org or www.feinsteininstitute.typepad.com. The institute also publishes the scientific journal Molecular Medicine and a monthly podcast of the latest findings in the journal at www.molmed.org.

Video: Allen Institute for Brain Science Unveils World's First Genome-Wide Spinal Cord Atlas

Landmark Atlas Holds Vast Potential to Accelerate Life-Changing Spinal Cord Research

Project Made Possible through Generous Support from Funding Consortium Committed to Advancing Breakthrough Spinal Cord Discoveries

WASHINGTON, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Allen Institute for Brain Science today unveiled the groundbreaking Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, the world's first genome-wide map of the mouse spinal cord. Researchers can immediately access the free online data to advance their research
surrounding spinal cord diseases and disorders.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/alleninstitute/33951/

Until now, the scientific community's efforts to research spinal cord injury and disease have been hindered by the absence of a genome-wide map of gene expression. The Allen Spinal Cord Atlas is designed to address a gap in the scientific community's knowledge of gene expression in the spinal cord, giving researchers the gift of time in gathering data that might otherwise take months or years to discover.

From disabled veterans to those afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) or Spinal Muscular Atrophy, spinal cord related diseases and
disorders affect people of all ages. Nearly one-quarter of a million Americans -- including several thousand troops in Iraq -- have suffered or suffer from a spinal cord injury; as many as 30,000 Americans suffer from ALS at any given time; and multiple sclerosis affects 2.5 million people worldwide, to name a few.


Innovative Funding Consortium Joins Forces

The Allen Spinal Cord Atlas was first proposed by scientists in the research community following the completion of the Allen Institute's groundbreaking inaugural project, the Allen Brain Atlas. The Institute's
established technology platform and multi-disciplinary approach creates a unique opportunity for donors to support specific projects advancing scientific knowledge in target areas.

The Institute's unique funding model, designed to transform public, private and foundation funds into breakthrough scientific discoveries, supported the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas' dedicated consortium of public and private entities -- including The ALS Association, PVA Research Foundation, Wyeth Research, PEMCO Insurance, National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
International Spinal Research Trust and philanthropist and Institute founder Paul G. Allen, as well as numerous anonymous donors.

Initial Allen Spinal Cord Atlas Gene Information Released on Internet

Since mice and humans share 90 percent of genes, and the mouse is a well-established model for the study of human diseases, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will provide scientists and physicians with an expanded foundation of knowledge to discover new treatments for numerous diseases and disorders. The Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will utilize the same concept
and technology as the Institute's inaugural Allen Brain Atlas.

From start to finish, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will be completed within a swift, twelve-month timeframe. While inaugural data --approximately 2,000 genes -- from the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas is now available, the Institute will continue to follow its founding mission and upload additional information until the projected completion in early 2009.
It is estimated that hundreds of users from universities, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies and government organizations will use the atlas.

When completed, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will detail approximately 20,000 genes including data from youth and adult developmental stages. It will also feature data across the full length of the spinal cord as well as anatomical reference sections.

New Research Provides Evidence that Tea May Improve Attention and Focus, Keep Brain Cells Healthy, & Influence Genetics in Cancer

Findings Published in August Issue of Journal of Nutrition

NEW YORK, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Drinking four to five cups of tea a day may help maintain a healthy mind and body, according to new research published in a supplement to the August issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
One study's results suggest that four to five cups of tea a day may improve attention and focus. This and other studies on tea polyphenols, including research on neurological health, genetic susceptibility to cancer, and insulin sensitivity are included in the Proceedings of the Fourth
International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health. The supplement also provides an update on the evidence in support of tea's role in cardiovascular health, and the ioavailability of its beneficial flavonoids.

"This supplement highlights many of the new frontiers being investigated regarding black and green tea's potential public health benefits," said Tea Symposium co-chair, Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Director, Antioxidants
Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston. Lenore Arab, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles and Blumberg's partner as Tea Symposium co-chair adds that, "There are tremendous advancements to better understand the mechanisms by which tea may reduce risk for heart disease, certain cancers, type II diabetes, and help maintain neurological function."

Theanine in Tea Increases Attention and Focus

The results of a new human, placebo-controlled, trial published in the Proceedings of the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health found that theanine, an amino acid present almost exclusively in the tea plant, including black, green, and oolong varieties, actively alters the attention networks of the brain. "Our results show that after having theanine, individuals had significant improvements in tests for attention, and that activity in cortical regions responsible for attention functions was enhanced," said author John Foxe, Ph.D., Professor of
Neuroscience, Biology and Psychology at City College of the City University of New York. "What's more, we have seen that just 20 minutes after consuming theanine, the blood concentrations increase and the brain's alpha waves are impacted. It lasts about three to four hours, which we have speculated may be why people tend to drink a cup of tea every three-to-four hours during the day," added Dr. Foxe.

The new research from Dr. Foxe and his team used electrophysiological measures to monitor brain activity after individuals drank solutions containing a placebo, 50 mg caffeine, an amount of theanine equivalent to five to six cups of tea, or a combined treatment. The subjects were asked to complete a variety of attention-related computerized tasks.

The results from Dr. Foxe's laboratory, the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York, supported by the Lipton Institute of Tea, suggest that the effects of theanine in combination with caffeine are even greater than with either one alone in improving attention. Theanine may work synergistically with caffeine to help induce a more calming, relaxed state, but one that allows the mind to focus and concentrate better at tasks Theanine is known to be absorbed by the small intestine and cross the blood-brain barrier where it affects the brain's neurotransmitters, and increases alpha brain-wave activity. This alpha brain rhythm is known to induce a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind. A cup of brewed tea typically contains between 10 and 20 mg of theanine.

Tea May Protect Aging Brains from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases

Newly published study by Sylvia Mandel, Ph.D., of the Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Israel, show that the active flavonoids in tea may have multiple mechanisms of action on a cellular level on maintaining neurological health. Mandel, who has been studying the effects of tea on brain functions in laboratory and animal models for over a decade, looked at animal models of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. An amount of purified EGCG equal to about two to four cups of green tea per day was provided to animals with induced Parkinsonism as part of their diet to evaluate how their symptoms improved
or progressed. They found that when the animals are fed green tea EGCG, the polyphenol appeared to prevent brain cells from dying, and showed improvements in reducing compounds that lead to lesions in the brains of animals with Alzheimer's disease.
"In the past, it was thought that once brain cells were damaged, there was no way to repair them. Not only may the EGCG help prevent brain cells from dying, it appears that the polyphenol may even rescue the neurons, once they have been damaged, to help them repair," says Dr. Mandel.

While numerous studies have concluded that diets rich in fruits and vegetables support the body in fighting neurological decline through antioxidant mechanisms associated with their high flavonoid content, the importance of tea's polyphenolic flavonoids in supporting healthy brain
cells appears to go beyond the simple oxygen species scavenging, involving pleiotropic effects on numerous biological pathways to help keep human brain cells from dying and even help repair them when they are subjected to insults that damage the cells' DNA.

Human epidemiological and new animal data from around the world suggests that drinking tea -- especially those rich in flavonoids named catechins -- may help support the brain as we age. Recent publications from earlier this year also contribute to the growing body of research on the
potential neuroprotective benefits of tea polyphenols. Tan et al found an inverse association between black tea and Parkinson's disease, based on a 12 year prospective study of over 63,000 men and women, that was due to black tea ingredients separate from its caffeine content. A retrospective study, by Kandinov et al, of nearly 300 patients with Parkinson's disease found that drinking three or more cups of tea per day delayed motor symptoms by 7.7 years. In addition to epidemiological data, results from recent animal studies showed that tea polyphenols may improve memory in Alzheimer's disease (Rezai-Zadeh et al), and be neuroprotective against oxidative stress (Hague et al).

Tea May Alter Cancer Genetics

Results from a tea intervention on the role of green tea on the prevention of cancer provided insights into the cutting-edge field of nutri-genomics, or how gene susceptibility toward chronic diseases can be altered through dietary interventions. Iman Hakim, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.,
Professor and Dean of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Professor at the Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, has conducted several human clinical trials over the past decade on the role both green and black tea may play in certain cancers. Her latest human clinical trial suggests that bioactive compounds in tea have a significant effect on genes that impact cancer susceptibility and repair from environmental insults.

"The good news is that we are seeing that green tea is impacting genes that play a role in cancer, but we cannot pinpoint who will be responders versus non-responders at this time," noted Dr. Hakim. "In addition, our recent preliminary data show a beneficial effect of green tea on lipid profile among smokers and former smokers. Since there are no known negative
effects of consuming tea, and it may be beneficial, there's no reason not to recommend drinking it." Dr. Hakim recommends at least four cups per day.

Growing Body of Evidence

The Proceedings of the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health provides the latest scientific update from key research scientists from top medical institutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, based on their clinical, laboratory, and
epidemiological studies related to the role of tea in promoting healthfulness and reducing the risk of disease. The ongoing scientific exploration of the health benefits of drinking tea has led to a growing body of research that points to tea as an important contributor to overall health. The Proceedings extends the base of credible, published data supporting the health benefits of tea, encouraging the scientific community to continue exploring this exciting area.

Please visit http://www.teausa.com/scisymp/publicity.cfm for access to the studies.

Glioblastoma

A Glioblastoma is a type of a primary brain tumor. Primary brain tumors are those that arise from the brain itself rather than traveling or metastasizing from another location in the body. Approximately 17,000 new cases of primary brain tumors are treated each year in the United States.

Primary brain tumors can either be benign or malignant. Benign brain tumors (eg. meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, pituitary gland tumors) usually grow slowly and can often be removed by surgery depending upon their specific location in the brain. Malignant brain tumors, such as glioblastomas and anaplastic astrocytomas, among others, tend to grow rapidly spreading into the surrounding brain tissue and often cannot be entirely removed surgically.

Primary brain tumors can occur in both children as well as adults. The most common age groups are children 3 to 12 and adults ages 40-70. Metastatic brain tumors, such as glioblastomas, are much more common in adults than in children.

There are many different types of brain tumors. One type, know as astrocytomas, are tumors that arise from astrocyte cells - part of the supportive (neuroglial) tissue of the brain. Astrocytomas account for about half of all primary brain and spinal cord tumors.
Glioblastomas are fast growing astrocytomas that contain areas of dead (necrotic) tumor cells. In adults, glioblastoma occurs most often in the cerebrum, especially in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. They rarely occur in the cerebellum or brain stem.
Glioblastoma can be difficult to treat although surgery, radiation therapy, steroids, and chemotherapy have shown the ability to prolong survival.

Source: MediFocus.Com

Tumor removal surgery

This is my experience (dated July 4, 2005)

I got back from my assignment from Sumatera, it was almost a week of business trip. Did a demo for tumor removal machine with a neurosurgeon there.

We had 2 patients, but most touching operation was when neurosurgeon operated a 10 years old girl.

She lost one of her sight due to her condition before the surgery. After doctor plant a shunt, she can talk normally. The tumor removal was successfull. But I can't imagine what kind of pain she will feel after the surgery. My migrain won't compare to it.

Do you know that neurosurgeon must shave her head, made incision to her scalp, peeled off her scalp, drilled the skull, took off part of the scalp, opened dura layer, opened the brain, cut and removed the tumor, after he finished removing tumor, then he closed it, he sewn the blood vessel and other open location, attached the skull using wires, after that the scalp was sewn, and the nurse put a catheter to drain the blood.

Drilling the skull

Removing the tumor using ultrasonic aspirator

What is shunt?

A shunt is a surgically implanted device that diverts cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a controlled manner from fluid compartments in the brain or near the spine to another part of the body, such as the abdomen or the heart. For nearly half a century, hydrocephalus has been treated by surgical placement of a (CSF) diverting shunt.
Shunts typically consist of three components:
1. An inflow (proximal) catheter, which drains CSF from the ventricles or the lumbar subarachnoid space, to a valve;
2. A valve mechanism, which regulates differential pressure or controls flow through the shunt tubing;
3. An outflow (distal) catheter, which directs CSF from the valve to the peritoneum, heart or other suitable drainage site.

Other shunt components may include reservoirs and/or antechambers for sampling or injecting medications; or dyes, on/off devices, anti-siphon or other flow-compensating devices, auxiliary catheters, etc., to modify performance or adapt the basic system to the patient’s specialized needs. In selected cases (such as when extraventricular fluid collections are drained), a shunt may not contain a valve.