Background and objective: Despite recent advances in treatment, glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most lethal and aggressive brain tumor. A continuous search for a reliable molecular marker establishes the methylation status of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene promoter as a key prognostic factor in primary glioblastoma. The aim of our study was to screen Serbian patients with primary glioblastoma for an MGMT promoter hypermethylation and to evaluate its associations with overall survival (OS) and sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) treatment. Materials and methods: A cohort of 30 Serbian primary glioblastoma patients treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy were analyzed for MGMT promoter methylation and correlated with clinical data. Results: MGMT methylation status was determined in 25 out of 30 primary glioblastomas by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). MGMT promoter hypermethylation was detected in 12 out of 25 patients (48%). The level of MGMT promoter methylation did not correlate with patients’ gender (p = 0.409), age (p = 0.536), and OS (p = 0.394). Treatment with TMZ significantly prolonged the median survival of a patient (from 5 to 15 months; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Due to a small cohort of primary GBM patients, our study is not sufficient for definitive conclusions regarding the prognostic value of MGMT methylation for the Serbian population. Our preliminary data suggest a lack of association between MGMT promoter methylation and overall survival and a significant correlation of TMZ treatment with overall survival. Further population-based studies are needed to assess the prognostic value of the MGMT promoter methylation status for patients with primary glioblastoma.

Current treatment options for diffuse glioma patients include maximum safe resection followed by a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy with alkylating agents. The DNA-repair enzyme O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) counteracts the cytotoxic effect of alkylating agents and mediates chemoresistance. Disruption of the DNA methylation mechanism in diffuse glioma cells results in epigenetic silencing of MGMT through methylation of cytidinephosphate-guanosine dinucleotides (CpG) in the promoter region. The methylation status of MGMT is widely accepted to be a strong prognostic factor in diffuse glioma patients. This study was designed to screen Serbian diffuse glioma patients for hypermethylation of the MGMT promoter and to estimate its impact on overall survival. The results obtained in our study on 33 samples of diffuse glioma detected a positive methylation status in 17 patients (51.5%) by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The positive methylation status of the MGMT promoter did not correlate with overall survival. In this study group, the patients older than 50 years had significantly lower overall survival in comparison with younger patients (7 months-19 months median survival). Extent of tumour resection also had influence on overall survival of patients. The relevance of the MGMT promoter methylation status should be further evaluated in a larger study and in association with other markers. ARTICLE HISTORY

The incidence of HTA had borderline significance in the patients aged 60-69 years with SCSDHs and statistical significance in the patients aged 70-79 years with SCSDHs. Anticoagulant therapy was the most significant risk factor. Among the patients with SCSDHs aged 60-69 years, the percentage of heavy drinkers was significantly higher than in the control group.

Introduction An acute bilateral extradural hematoma is an uncommon presentation of a traumatic head injury; however, it leads to higher mortality rate than an acute unilateral hematoma. A delayed epidural hematoma (DEDH) is a hematoma not present on the initial computed tomography (CT) scan but is found on a subsequent CT scan. While reviewing the literature, we could not find recently published papers considering supratentorial DEDH after primary operated contralateral epidural hematoma. Case outline A comatose 14-year-old male patient with Glasgow Coma Scale score of 4 and the right mydriatic pupil on the side of the blunt trauma to the head was admitted to the intensive care unit after he had survived a traffic accident. The initial brain CT scan showed an acute temporoparietal epidural hematoma on the right side of the cranium, with impressive midline shift and bilateral linear skull fracture. Surgery was performed and an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor was implanted, which showed increased values of ICP. A control brain CT scan performed within 24 hours showed a new contralateral occipitoparietal epidural hematoma. Another operation was performed. A second, control CT brain scan showed favorable findings. The patient was transferred after 25 days to the rehabilitation center, with the disability rating score of 11, which was reduced to 1 after three months. Conclusion A contralateral DEDH is a life-threatening neurosurgical emergency case which can occur during the first 24 hours after decompressive craniectomy. Control CT scans should be performed one day after the operation in order to verify and treat DEDH timely. A high degree of vigilance and ICP monitoring is recommended in these cases, especially after surgical decompression.

Skull fractures occur as the result of the effect of kinetic forces and represent discontinuity of the bones of the skull. They can be opened and closed affecting tissues; linear, diastatic, comminuted affecting cranial level; or depressed ones often leading to injuries of meninx, brain tissue with different types of intracranial bleeding. The paper presents a 56-year old male patient who suffered severe craniocerebral injury of the frontal region including orbit while operating the wood processing machine. The injury manifested as scalp damage, expressed-depressed open fracture of frontal-orbital region with cerebrospinal fluid leak. Computerized tomography of the brain showed the presence of epidural, subdural, and intracerebral hematoma with mass effect. The injuries were surgically treated, hematomas evacuated, and skull defect was reconstructed by previous plasticizing the dura in order to stop cerebrospinal fluid leak In the reconstruction of the multifragmentary fracture, a star titanium implant was used, but significant implantation of artificial material was not performed due to already contaminated wound and the possibility of a subsequent infection.