Background Alcohol use occurs across the lifespan beginning in adolescence and continuing through adulthood. Ethanol-induced pathology varies with age and includes changes in neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, and glial cell activation. Ethanol-induced changes in glial activation and immune activity are believed to contribute to ethanol-induced neuropathology. Recent studies indicate an emerging role of glial-derived neuroimmune molecules in alcohol abuse and addiction. Methods Adolescent and adult C57BL/6 mice were treated via gavage with 6 g/kg ethanol for 10 days and tissue was harvested one day post-treatment. We compared the effects of ethanol on chemokine and cytokine expression and astrocyte GFAP immunostaining and morphology in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. Results Ethanol increased mRNA levels of the chemokine CCL2/MCP-1 in all three regions of adult mice relative to controls. The cytokine IL-6 was selectively increased only in the adult cerebellum. Ethanol did not affect mRNA levels of the cytokine TNF-α in any of these brain regions in adult animals. Interestingly, CCL2, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA levels were not increased in the hippocampus, cerebellum, or cortex of adolescent mice. Ethanol treatment of adult and adolescent mice resulted in increased GFAP immunostaining. Conclusions Collectively, these data indicate an age- and region-specific susceptibility to ethanol regulation of neuroinflammatory and addiction-related molecules as well as astrocyte phenotype. These studies may have important implications concerning differential alcohol-induced neuropathology and alcohol addiction across the lifespan.

We present the case of a 65-year-old man with severe headaches and unilateral facial weakness, seen in consultation by the dermatology service to rule out primary cutaneous melanoma after brain imaging identified an enlarging mass within the right trigeminal (Meckel's) cave. Examination revealed only a pair of erythematous papules on the scalp, for which biopsy demonstrated metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Further evaluation and subsequent thyroidectomy confirmed the origin of widespread internal disease, followed by definitive excision of scalp lesions and multimodal management of systemic involvement. Whereas presentation of metastasis to the skin is highly variable, a low threshold for biopsy may allow for histological identification of internal disease not otherwise considered in the clinical differential.

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