Neural Groove Research Articles

Epidermoid cyst of the brain: A common cystic lesion in rare location

Epidermoid cysts are common benign tumors comprising around 1% and 2% of all intracranial tumors. Their usual locations include the parasellar region and cerebellopontine angle, and less commonly, the Sylvian fissure, suprasellar region, cerebral, and cerebellar hemispheres. Epidermoid cysts located in the brain stem are rare. These epidermoid cysts are similar to epidermoids arising in the skin which contain cheesy and flaky-white soft pultaceous material. Epidermoid cysts are very slow-growing tumors having a similar growth pattern of the epidermal cells of the skin and develop from the remnants of epidermal elements during the closure of the neural groove and disjunction of the surface ectoderm with neural ectoderm between the 3rd and 5th weeks of embryonic life. The ideal treatment of choice is the removal of cystic components with the complete resection of the capsule. We are presenting an interesting case of an epidermoid cyst in the frontal lobe in a 42-year-old male along with radiological investigations.

Spinal Dysraphism- A Histopathological Study of 45 Cases

Introduction: Dysraphic conditions of spine resulting from non closure of the neural groove, consists of different types of malformations and they are called spina bifida, which have been classified into several types. Myelomeningocele (MMC) and Meningocele (MC) come under spina bifida cystica. Aim: To review the clinical and pathological findings of congenital spinal dysraphism and discuss the pathological diagnosis Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional type of study was conducted in 45 cases of spinal dysraphism during the period from October 2012 to February 2016, in the Department of Pathology of a tertiary care hospital, Hyderabad, India. Cases which were diagnosed as spinal dysraphism by clinical and radiological examination, tissue specimens were sent to the department of pathology along with clinical and radiological findings. Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining was done in all cases, followed by detailed microscopic study of slides. Histopathological findings such as epithelial, mesodermal, neuroectodermal changes were elucidated in detail and findings were compared with literature. Results: In a total of 45 cases there were 30 cases of MMC, nine cases of MC and six cases of encephalocele. Loss of epidermal appendages were seen in 91% of cases and neuropil like matrix was present in 76% cases. Conclusion: The embryogenesis of spina bifida involves ectoderm, neuroectoderm and mesoderm. A detailed definition of histopathological aspects will help in understanding these anomalies and should be a part of a detailed histopathology report.

No bones about it: a case of infected intradural dermoid cyst mimicking primary orthopedic pathology

Introduction Dermoid cysts are benign developmental tumors that arise from the inclusion of ectodermal and mesenchymal components within the neural groove during embryonic development. Infection is rare and can lead to profound neurologic sequelae that closely mimic orthopedic or rheumatologic pathology. Case Report A previously healthy 2 year old male presented with 4 month history of progressive pain and refusal to ambulate or bear weight in his lower extremities. His initial decline began with falls while walking or running, followed by unilateral lower extremity pain, then bilateral lower extremity pain, and eventually refusal to ambulate. He also had …

Physiopathological Aspects of Sellar Epidermoid Cyst Determining Endocrine Disturbances: A Case Report

AbstractEpidermoid cysts (ECs) of the central nervous system (CNS) constitute benign circumscribed lesions that are more common in lateral than in midline sites. Epidermoid cysts of the CNS arise more frequently in the cerebellopontine angle, around the pons, near the sella, within the temporal lobe, in the diploe, and in the spinal canal. Most common tumoral lesion of sellar region is pituitary adenoma, and sellar cystic epithelial masses may be difficult to differentiate based only on clinical and imaging findings. Epidermoid cysts are covered by keratinized squamous epithelium and are usually filled with keratin lamellae. The process is, for the most part, maldevelopmental in origin, presumably arising from trapped surface ectodermal elements in association with the developing CNS during the closure of the neural groove or formation of the secondary cerebral vesicles. In the present study, the authors describe a case of sellar epidermoid cyst producing endocrine alterations and visual disturbance in a 35 years woman, and review the physiopathological and diagnostic criteria of this lesion.

Ultrastructure aspects of Brycon gouldingi (Teleostei, Characidae) related to swimming ability and feeding during larval development.

The larval ultrastructure of Brycon gouldingi related to swimming and feeding from hatching to total yolk absorption is described from scanning electron micrographs. Newly hatched larvae (time zero) had no mouth opening, undefined optic vesicles, an olfactory plate visible as a shallow depression, rudimentary gill arches, neural groove, embryonic fin and a primary neuromast in the dorsal region of the head. At the time of yolk absorption, 55 h post hatching, the larvae presented an optic vesicle comprising an optic cup and crystalline lens; a mouth with tongue, tapered teeth and taste buds; a ciliated olfactory cavity; branched gill arches; filled neural groove signalling central nervous system development; caudal, pectoral, dorsal and anal fins; and neuromasts distributed throughout the head and body. These characters are related to prey capture and swimming ability, key aspects of survival during the larval stage. The results of this study provide important information for exploitation and aquaculture of B. gouldingi.

Brainstem epidermoid cyst: An update.

The incidence of epidermoid tumors is between 1% and 2% of all intracranial tumors. The usual locations of epidermoid tumor are the parasellar region and cerebellopontine angle, and it is less commonly located in sylvian fissure, suprasellar region, cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres, and lateral and fourth ventricles. Epidermoid cysts located in the posterior fossa usually arise in the lateral subarachnoid cisterns, and those located in the brain stem are rare. These epidermoids contain cheesy and flaky white soft putty like contents. Epidermoid cysts are very slow growing tumors having a similar growth pattern of the epidermal cells of the skin and develop from remnants of epidermal elements during closure of the neural groove and disjunction of the surface ectoderm with neural ectoderm between the third and fifth weeks of embryonic life. We are presenting an interesting case of intrinsic brainstem epidermoid cyst containing milky white liquefied material with flakes in a 5-year-old girl. Diffusion-weighted imaging is definitive for the diagnosis. Ideal treatment of choice is removal of cystic components with complete resection of capsule. Although radical resection will prevent recurrence, in view of very thin firmly adherent capsule to brainstem, it is not always possible to do complete resection of capsule without any neurological deficits.

Sonographic diagnosis of intraosseous epidermoid cysts of the calvarium

Sonographic diagnosis of intraosseous epidermoid cysts of the calvarium

Craniorachischisis - a case report

AbstractCraniorachischisis is an extreme example of anencephaly and spina bifida. It is an example for defective neural groove closure. A female dead fetus delivered by caesarian section in Malla Reddy Medical College, Hyderabad found to have features of craniorachischisis. There was complete absence of calvaria and brain; the entire vertebral column was open on the posterior side with spinal nerves seen outside. On dissection, all thoracic and abdominal organs were found to be normal. Since infant organs are in high demand for pediatric transplantation, laws must be framed to use the normal organs from these cases of neural tube defects.

Craniorachischisis - a case report

Craniorachischisis is an extreme example of anencephaly and spina bifida. It is an example for defective neural groove closure. A female dead fetus delivered by caesarian section in Malla Reddy Medical College, Hyderabad found to have features of craniorachischisis. There was complete absence of calvaria and brain; the entire vertebral column was open on the posterior side with spinal nerves seen outside. On dissection, all thoracic and abdominal organs were found to be normal. Since infant organs are in high demand for pediatric transplantation, laws must be framed to use the normal organs from these cases of neural tube defects.

Technical note: Endoscopic resection of a dermoid cyst anchored to the anterior optic chiasm

Supratentorial dermoid cysts arise due to the misplacement of embryonic inclusions in the vicinity of the developing neural tube up to the third week of life, when the neural groove begins to close. This report describes a case of a suprasellar dermoid cyst anchored to the anterior optic chiasm, which was accurately located by endoscopic observation, removed gross-totally without visual disturbance, and confirmed pathologically. Although the cyst wall was gross-totally resected, the patient’s impaired visual field returned to a normal level. The resection procedure under endoscopic vision is demonstrated. A 22-year-old man gradually developed bitemporal hemianopsia with retrobulbar pain over two months. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a suprasellar cyst with intracystic fat contents forming a fluid level within the lesion. The suprasellar cyst was gross-totally removed with endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal procedures. Intraoperative inspection confirmed that this cyst arose from the optic chiasm. Pathological examination showed the lesion as a dermoid cyst. After gross-totally resection of the cyst, the patient presented a further, transient impairment of bitemporal hemianopsia; at four month follow-up, his visual disturbance was not evident any longer. To the best of our knowledge, ours is the only case of a dermoid cyst anchored to the anterior optic chiasma, which was visually confirmed under endoscopic observation. After surgery, the patient presented a transient impairment of the visual field, which was not evident at four month follow-up. It will contribute to a similar case, in which surgeons hesitate to make an incision in the optic chiasm. A subtotal excision should be considered in cases of dermoid cysts anchored to the anterior optic chiasm, because all the previously reported cases of suprasellar dermoid cysts are young people or those who have a relatively long life expectancy.

A unique scrotal extratesticular epidermod cyst attached to the seminal vesicles

A 46-year-old man was admitted with a scrotal long standing painless mass. The workup included physical examination, alpha-fetoprotein (αFP) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) analyses, scrotal ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and urethrocystoscopy. Surgical exploration revealed a separate mass between the testes extending superiorly with a thin stalk. It was dissected easily to the anterior aspect of the seminal vesicles and removed from the junction to the seminal vesicles. Pathology reported an epidermoid cyst. To our knowledge this is the first case of a scrotal extratesticular epidermoid cyst attached to the seminal vesicles.

Embryonic Development of Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baerii under Hatchery Conditions: An Image Guide with Embryological Descriptions

Normal embryonic development at a constant temperature (18°C) has been described for the Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii (Acipenseriformes). Hormone-induced spawning and artificial insemination were performed to prepare embryonic batches for embryologic examination. After insemination, early cleavages of the Siberian sturgeon embryos continued for 7 h post-fertilization (HPF), showing the typical pattern of uneven holoblastic cleavage. Blastulation and gastrulation began at 9 HPF and 19 HPF, respectively. Epiboly formation (2/3 covered) was observed at 25 HPF during gastrulation. Neurulation was initiated with the formation of a slit-like neural groove from the blastopore at 33 HPF. During neurulation, the primary embryonic kidney (pronephros) and s-shaped heart developed. The embryos underwent progressive differentiation, which is typical of Acipenseriform species. A mass hatching was observed at 130 HPF, and the average total length of the hatched prolarvae was 10.5 mm. The hatched prolarvae possessed a typical pigment plug (yolk plug). The results of this study are valuable not only as a reference guide for the artificial propagation of Siberian sturgeon in hatcheries but also as the basis for the derivation of developmental gene expression assays for this species.

Treatment of Congenital Divided Nevus of the Eyelid with Excision and Blepharoplasty

Treatment of Congenital Divided Nevus of the Eyelid with Excision and Blepharoplasty

Three-dimensional immunohistochemical characterization of lineage commitment by localization of T and FOXA2 in porcine peri-implantation embryos

Gene expression during gastrulation in porcine embryos has been sparsely studied, but there are indications that species-specific patterns exist. Here, we investigated the three-dimensional (3D) expression of the T-box transcription factor Brachyury (T) and the forkhead box transcription factor FOXA2 by immunocytochemistry in porcine peri-gastrulation embryos. The first T(+) cells were detected in posterior epiblast of ovoid blastocysts. Later T(+) FOXA2(-) cells were found in the posterior primitive streak (PS) and nascent mesoderm, T(+) FOXA2(+) cells in the anterior PS, probably identifying the organizer region, and T(-) FOXA2(+) cells anterior to this region. In embryos with a neural groove, T and FOXA2 were co-expressed in the node and notochord, FOXA2 was expressed in the floor plate and posteriorly T was expressed in the streak. In all developmental stages, FOXA2 was expressed in the entire hypoblast/definitive endoderm. We conclude that the expression pattern of T and FOXA2 is largely conserved between pig and mouse.

Epidermoid cyst of the posterior fossa: a case report

Epidermoid cysts of the central nervous system are uncommon conditions, which are frequently located in the cerebellopontine angle and around the pons. They are covered with keratinized squamous epithelium and keratin lamella, which give its contents a soft, white-pearly appearance. Epidermoid cysts are mostly originated from malformations, presumably associated with surface elements of the nervous system ectoderm during the closure of the neural groove or formation of secondary cerebral vesicles. The authors describe a case of epidermoid cyst in the posterior fossa causing hydrocephalus and review morphologic and diagnostic criteria of this lesion.

Robust In Vivo Transduction of Nervous System and Neural Stem Cells by Early Gestational Intra Amniotic Gene Transfer Using Lentiviral Vector

Presently, in vivo methods to efficiently and broadly transduce all major cell types throughout both the central (CNS) and peripheral adult nervous system (PNS) are lacking. In this study, we hypothesized that during early fetal development neural cell populations, including neural stem cells (NSCs), may be accessible for gene transfer via the open neural groove. To test this hypothesis, we injected lentiviral vectors encoding a green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker gene into the murine amniotic cavity at embryonic day 8. This method (i) efficiently and stably transduced the entire nervous system for at least 80% of the lifespan of the mice, (ii) transduced all major neural cell types, and (iii) transduced adult NSCs of the subventricular zone (SVZ) and subgranular zones (SGZs). This simple approach has broad applications for the study of gene function in nervous system development and adult NSCs and may have future clinical applications for treatment of genetic disorders of the nervous system.

The Expression Patterns of Cdc25A, Cdc25B, Sox2 and Mnb in Central Nervous System in Early Chicken Embryos

The sense and antisense digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes of four genes, Cdc25A, Cdc25B, Sox2 and Mnb, were produced by using SP6 and T7 RNA polymerases, respectively, and in vitro transcription. Expression patterns of the four genes were detected by in situ hybridization in HH (Hamburger and Hamilton) stage 10 chick embryos. In general, expression patterns of the four genes were similar. mRNA of the four genes was mostly restricted to the entire CNS (central nervous system). All were confined to an identical region, neural tube, neural groove and caudal neural plate, corresponding to the notochord or spinal cord, but there was some distinction in specific region or in concentration, for example in somites. The overlap in expression at the same developmental stage in the CNS suggests that the four genes may be functional similar or related in CNS development. Expression patterns of the four genes support specific roles of these regulators in the developing CNS.

107 EARLY EMBRYONIC SURVIVAL IN THE PIG IS HIGHER THAN CONVENTIONALLY REPORTED

It is generally accepted that 30% of the embryos in a porcine litter die within the first 40 days of pregnancy (Pope WP and First NL 1985 Theriogenology 23, 91–105). The aim of the study was to investigate the dynamics of embryonic mortality from the 2nd to the 7th week of pregnancy in a homogeneous pig population in order to test whether this dogma holds true. A total of 141 pregnant Danish Landrace × Yorkshire gilts were divided into three groups dependent on gestational length: Group 1 (Days 9 to 24 post insemination (p.i.)): At Days 9 to 18 p.i., embryos were collected by flushing the uterine horns with PBS containing 1% serum. At Days 19 to 24, embryos were identified in situ by opening of the horns along the anti-mesometrial side. All embryos were staged according to the morphological appearance of embryo proper. Pre-somite stage embryos were categorized as either: Hatched blastocysts, pre-streak 1, pre-streak 2, primitive streak, or neural groove stage embryos (Vejlsted M et al. 2006 Mol. Reprod. Dev. 73, 709–718). Somite stage embryos were staged according to the number of somites. All embryos in Group 2 (Days 24.5 to 33 p.i.) and Group 3 (Days 40.5 to 47 p.i.) were identified in situ by opening the uterine horns as described above. The localization in the uterus and the Crown Rump Length (CRL) was recorded for all embryos in these groups. The average embryo recovery rate, (i.e. the ratio between the numbers of recovered embryos and the CL numbers) was 82%. Moreover, there were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the embryo recovery rate, signaling the absence of continued embryonic mortality. No significant correlations were obtained between the location of the embryos in the uterus and the CRL (only measured for Groups 2 and 3). Our data indicate that (1) the level of embryonic mortality was less than 10 to 15% and (2) there was no continued embryonic mortality occurring between Days 9 to 47 p.i. This is in great contrast to previous reports. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the location in the uterine horn has any influence on the embryonic development. Table 1.The average numbers of corpora lutea (CL), embryos, and the embryo recovery rates in gilts at different time points after insemination The Danish Research Council for Technology and Production Sciences.

The prevalence of embryonic remnants following the recovery of post-hatching bovine embryos produced in vitro or by somatic cell nuclear transfer

The reliable collection of peri-implantation embryos in the bovine has important ramifications to post-transfer consequences, particularly in the elucidation of mechanisms associated with post-hatching embryo development and to perturbations in developmental growth following transfer. This study analyzed both in vitro produced (IVP) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryo-like structures (ELS) recovered at Day (D) 14 and D21. The recovered ELS were subsequently processed for histological examination. At D14 and D21, many of the embryos recovered in the IVP group conformed to the appropriate stage of development. However, a significant number of anomalies were present in the SCNT groups when examined in more detail. Histological examination revealed that irrespective of whether these embryos had undergone trophoblast expansion to an ovoid, tubular or filamentous morphology, many had a degenerated hypoblast layer and a large proportion did not possess an epiblast and therefore could not differentiate into any of the three germ layers as would be expected at the neural groove or somite stage. The prevalence of this developmental pattern was random and did not correlate with treatment (IVP or SCNT) or with types of structures recovered. The rapid embryo elongation period also coincides with the time of greatest embryonic loss and these observations could have important implications for assessing the recovery of embryos post-transfer where incorrect morphological assessment could lead to false implantation and pregnancy determination rates. The implementation of additional methodology is required to adequately characterize the quality of IVP and SCNT-derived embryos collected post-transfer.

Neurulation in the normal human embryo.

The neural groove and folds are first seen during stage 8 (about 18 postovulatory days). Two days later (stage 9) the three main divisions of the brain, which are not cerebral vesicles, can be distinguished while the neural groove is still completely open. Two days later (stage 10) the neural folds begin to fuse near the junction between brain and spinal cord, when neural crest cells are arising mainly from the neural ectoderm. The rostral (or cephalic) neuropore closes within a few hours during stage 11 (about 24 days). The closure is bidirectional; it takes place from the dorsal and terminal lips and may occur in several areas simultaneously. The two lips, however, behave differently. The caudal neuropore takes a day to close during stage 12 (about 26 days) and the level of final closure is approximately at future somitic pair 31, which corresponds to the level of sacral vertebra 2. At stage 13 (4 weeks) the neural tube is normally completely closed. Secondary neurulation, which begins at stage 12, is the differentiation of the caudal part of the neural tube from the caudal eminence (or end-bud) without the intermediate phase of a neural plate.