Neuropsychological, neuroimage and psychiatric aspects of primary Sjögren's syndrome

We report a case of a 49-year-old woman diagnosed with primary Sjögrens Syndrome (pSS) who was submitted to extensive neuropsychobiological assessment. Examination revealed a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Full Scale IQ of 97 with no Verbal/Performance IQ discrepancy and performance below estimated premorbid levels on arithmetic skills, visual tracking, naming and delayed paired associate learning/memory. CT scans of the brain were normal. However, there were subcortical hyperintensities on MRI and left parieto-temporal hypoperfusion on SPECT. Neuropsychological impairment is consistent with the pattern of neuroimage findings. We hypothesize that the pathophysiological mechanisms of pSS involve direct immune attack on neurons in addition to indirect effects through small-vessel angiopathy and thereby induce natural fracture lines in behavior according to location in the central nervous system

AIDS e miopatia: relato de um caso e revisäo da literatura / AIDS and myopathy: report of a case and review of the literature

É relatado o caso de um paciente com miopatia de apresentaçäo clínica incomum como manifestaçäo inicial da infecçäo por HIV. O paciente apresentava aumento de volume dos membros acompanhado de sinais flogísticos e elevaçäo dos níveis séricos de enzimas musculares. A alteraçäo histopatológica predominante consistia em necrose segmentar de fibrocélulas musculares esqueléticas. Evoluiu com pneumonia por Pneumocytis carini, tratada satisfatoriamente com sulfametaxazol e trimetropim. Apesar do uso sucessivo de indometacina, predinisona e dexametasona, a miopatia continuava a progredir. Após administraçäo de methotrexate, houve regressäo do quadro neurológico