BACKGROUND CRX is a homeobox transcription factor whose expression and function is critical to maintain retinal and pineal lineage cells and their progenitors. To determine the biologic and diagnostic potential of CRX in human tumors of the retina and pineal, we examined its expression in multiple settings. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry we sh...

OBJECTIVE The pineal gland calcifications have been associated with some diseases such as cerebral infarction, Alzheimer's disease and intracerebral hemorrhage while most cases are considered idiopathic and physiologic. However, there are limited data in the current literature about the association of pineal calcification and migraine. Our aim was to evaluate this association between migraine a...

Dear Editor, Pilocytic astrocytoma mostly arises from the cerebellum,1 and rarely involves the pineal region.2 Isolated diplopia has rarely been reported in association with pilocytic astrocytoma, and isolated trochlear palsy has only been described once, in a child with pilocytic astrocytoma involving the posterior fossa.3 The purpose of this report is to describe a rare manifestation of isola...

OBJECTIVES To observe the effect of changes in the pineal sympathetic innervation on the crypt cell proliferation rate in the rat small intestine, and compare these with the effect of pinealectomy to determine the role of the sympathetic innervation in the effect of pinealectomy. METHODS The effect of bilateral ablation of the superior cervical ganglion, and that of pinealectomy on the crypt ...

INTRODUCTION Pineal region glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare disease entity with a generally poor prognosis. We present a case of a patient with an unresectable pineal region GBM treated with chemoradiation with favorable outcome. CASE BACKGROUND A 65-year-old patient who was presented with visual symptoms was found to have a pineal region tumor on imaging. A stereotactic biopsy showed ...

Nocturnal melatonin production in the pineal gland is under the control of norepinephrine released from superior cervical ganglia afferents in a rhythmic manner, and of cyclic AMP. Cyclic AMP increases the expression of serotonin N-acetyltransferase and of inducible cAMP early repressor that undergo circadian oscillations crucial for the maintenance and regulation of the biological clock. In th...

Todate, report about the role of pineal gland in maintaining the normal physiology of gestation is scanty. Present study is the first of its kind giving a detail profile of organ weights and plasma concentration of melatonin, estradiol and progesterone to suggest a possible role of pineal gland in maintaining normal physiology during gestation and post-parturition periods of female Indian palm ...

Calcification of the pineal gland is shown to be closely related to defective sense of direction. In a tricentre prospective study of 750 patients lateral skull radiographs showed that 394 had calcified pineal glands. Sense of direction was assessed by subjective questioning and objective testing and the results noted on a scale of0-10 (where 10 equals perfect sense ofdirection). The average sc...

We have examined the morphology and photopigments of the pineal organs from a number of mesopelagic fish, including representatives of the hatchet fish (Sternoptychidae), scaly dragon-fish (Chauliodontidae) and bristlemouths (Gonostomidae). Although these fish were caught at depths of between 500 and 1000 m, the morphological organisation of their pineal organs is remarkably similar to that of ...