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Background@#and Purpose Patients presenting with clinical characteristics that are strongly suggestive of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) have a high risk of developing definite NMOSD in the future. Little is known about the clinical course, treatment, and prognosis of these patients with likely NMOSD at disease onset. @*Methods@#This study prospectively recruited and visited 24 patients with the limited form of NMOSD (LF-NMOSD) at disease onset from November 2012 to June 2021. Their demographics, clinical course, longitudinal aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) serology, MRI, therapeutic management, and outcome data were collected and analyzed. @*Results@#The onset age of the cohort was 38.1±12.0 years (mean±standard deviation). The median disease duration was 73.5 months (interquartile range=44.3–117.0 months), and the follow-up period was 54.2±23.8 months. At the end of the last visit, the final diagnosis was categorized into AQP4-IgG-seronegative NMOSD (n=16, 66.7%), AQP4-IgG-seropositive NMOSD (n=7, 29.2%), or multiple sclerosis (n=1, 4.2%). Seven of the 24 patients (29.2%) experienced conversion to AQP4-IgG seropositivity, and the interval from onset to this serological conversion was 37.9±21.9 months. Isolated/mixed area postrema syndrome (APS) was the predominant onset phenotype (37.5%). The patients with isolated/mixed APS onset showed a predilection for conversion to AQP4-IgG seropositivity. All patients experienced a multiphasic disease course, with immunosuppressive therapy reducing the incidence rates of clinical relapse and residual functional disability. @*Conclusions@#Definite NMOSD may be preceded by LF-NMOSD, particularly isolated/ mixed APS. Intensive long-term follow-up and attack-prevention immunotherapeutic management is recommended in patients with LF-NMOSD.
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Objective To investigate the clinical features of autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) astrocytopathy. Methods We collected and analyzed the clinical and laboratory data and obtained the clinical characteristics of diagnosis and treatment from fifteen patients with positive GFAP antibody tested by cerebrospinal fluid and diagnosed autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy by the multi-centers. Results The mean age of the first onset of autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy was 39.73 years old (range 4-65 years), with no significant gender difference. In terms of clinical manifestations, we found the whole brain symptoms including abnormal mental behavior, disturbance of consciousness, epileptic attack accounting for more than 50, , meningitis accounting for 66.7%, myelitis (53.3%), limb tremor (53.3%), vision loss (33.3%); systemic symptoms including fever(100%) and fatigue(86.7%). 46.7% of patients were initially diagnosed with tuberculous meningoencephalitis and were treated with diagnostic antituberculous therapy. The MRI showed 46.7% of patients showed brain linear perivascular radial gadolinium enhancement in the white matter perpendicular to the ventricle. Conclusions Autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy are acute or subacute dieases and the main clinical features include encephalitis, meningitis, myelitis and optic neuritis. They are likely to be misdiagnosed as tuberculous meningoencephalitis and can manifest progressive loss of consciousness in early phase, which is even life threatening.
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Background@#and Purpose: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a severe central nervous system disorder mediated by NMDAR antibodies that damages neurons. We investigated the correlation between cytoskeletal autoantibodies and the clinical severity in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. @*Methods@#Non-NMDAR autoantibodies were identified by screening matched cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the serum samples of 45 consecutive patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and 60 healthy individuals against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1-transfected and nontransfected human embryonic kidney 293T cells. Immunocytochemistry was performed to assess antibody binding in rat brain sections and primary cortical neurons. Cell-based assays and Western blotting were applied to identify autoantibodies targeting medium neurofilaments (NFMs). We compared clinical characteristics between patients with NMDAR encephalitis who were positive and negative for anti-NFM-autoantibodies. @*Results@#Anti-NFM autoantibodies were detected in both the serum and CSF in one patient (2%) and in the serum only in six patients (13%). No antibodies were detected in the serum of healthy controls (7/45 vs. 0/60, p=0.0016). Four of the seven patients with anti-NFM autoantibodies in serum were children (57%), and three (43%) had abnormalities in brain magnetic resonance imaging. These patients responded well to immunotherapy, and either no significant or only mild disability was observed at the last follow-up. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis did not differ with the presence of anti-NFM autoantibodies. @*Conclusions@#Anti-NFM autoantibodies may be present in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, indicating underlying neuronal damage. A large cohort study is warranted to investigate the clinical differences between patients with NMDAR encephalitis according to their antiNFM antibody status.
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Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor,NMDAR) encephalitis is the most common autoimmune encephalitis,mostly in young women of childbearing age,but how pregnancy influence the disease is still unclear.This article reports a case of gestational morbidity,and analyzes 10 pregnant women in different stages and their babies published in domestic and foreign,aiming to briefly explore the influences of different fetuses during pregnancy.
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Objective To investigate electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (anti-NMDA) receptor encephalitis during different courses of the disease. Methods This study enrolled 30 cases of anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis patients. A total of 58 EEG monitoring reports and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed based on different disease courses and severity of disease. According to the clinical stages, EEG data was divided into 4 phases: the initial stage (4), the peak stage (23), the improvement stage (16) and the recovery stage(15). Based on severity of disease during the peak stage, patients were divided into mild group(10 cases) and severe group (13 cases). Results Occipital background activity of the EEG was presented in all patients (100%) in the initial stage and in the recovery stage, in 39.1%(9/23)in the peak stage and in 13/16 (81.2%)in the improvement stage. Generalized rhythmic delta activity (GRDA) pattern could only be detected in the peak stage and the improvement stage. In the peak stage, the main presentation of abnormal EEG was diffuse slow-wave (9 cases, 90%) in mild group. GRDA and extreme delta brush(EDB) were more common in severe group than in mild group(P<0.05). Three focal epilepsy including one status epilepticus were detected in three patients in the peak stage. Focal epileptiform discharges in EEG existed in the whole course. Conclusion Occipital background activity and GRDA pattern are evolved and gradually recovered during the course of the disease. The EEG patterns of GRDA and EDB are common in severe anti- NMDA receptor encephalitis patients in the peak stage. Focal epileptiform discharges in EEG can be detected during the whole course.
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Objective To study the seropositive ratio of the antibody to aquporin 4 (AQP4-IgG) and myelin oligodendrocytes glycoprotein antibody(MOG-IgG)in patients with autoimmune-associated central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Meanwhile, epidemiology and clinical manifestation and diagnosis,laboratory examination and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)of AQP4-IgG seropositive and MOG-IgG seropositive patients are described. Methods 2068 patients serum samples were collected and enrolled in the multi-center research. The methodology of cell-mediated immunofluorescence staining was used to detect serum AQP4-IgG and MOG-IgG. Clinic medical records were collected and characteristics of epidemiology and manifestation were compared. Results 681 patients were AQP4-IgG seropositive and 110 patients were MOG-IgG seropositive. The female/male ratio and age of onset of patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive(616 female and 65 male,female:male=9.50:1.00;Age of onset=41.7±14.9)were significantly higher than that of patients with MOG-IgG (57 female and 53 male, female:male=1.08:1.00, P<0.0001; Age of onset=27.0 ±17.7, P<0.0001). The optic neuritis was significantly higher in patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive and patients with MOG-IgG seropositive (38.4% vs.53.5%, P<0.05).Among patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive, 42.14% conformed the diagnostic criteria of neuromyelitis optica (NMO),which was higher than that of patients with MOG-IgG seropositive (13.64%, P<0.0001). Laboratory examination showed that there was no significant difference in cerebrospinal fluid protein levels between patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive and those with MOG-IgG seropositive.MRI imaging suggested that AQP4-IgG positive patients were more common in cervical thoracic spinal cord lesions, while MOG-IgG positive patients were more involved in thoracolumbar spinal cord. The study also found that these two groups of patients could be comorbid with other autoimmune antibodies. Conclusions This multi-center research has revealed that patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive and those with MOG-IgG seropositive display differences in epidemiology,clinic manifestations and diagnosis,laboratory examination and MRI imaging. AQP4-IgG and MOG IgG auto-antibody detection are necessary for clinic diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
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Objective To explore the clinical characteristics in patients with histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (also called Kikuchi-Fujimoto' s disease,KD) and meningitis.Methods We reported a patient who developed meningitis preceding the other presentations of KD with abnormal serum autoimmune phenomena,and systematically reviewed 19 cases of KD with meningitis that had been reported worldwide,and analyzed the clinical parameters and treatments.Results The present case was a 25-year-old female subject with serum antinuclear factor antibody and anti-ribonucleoprotein antibody positive.The patient recovered after treatment with steroid and no recurrence was appeared.Among the 19 patients,the average age was 20.2 years,sex ratio was 10:9 (10 female:9 male),7 patients had abnormal serum autoimmune phenomena,7 patients'initial symptom was meningitis and 5 patients were administrated with steroid.Conclusions The onset age in KD with meningitis is earlier than the common KD,and sex ratio in KD with meningitis is close to 1∶ 1.A definitive diagnosis of the disease is determined by a lymph node biopsy at present.
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Objective To investigate the effect of ulinastatin (UTI) on the expression of brainderived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF ) and remyelination in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis ( EAE).Methods Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into UTI group (U),normal saline treated group (S) and normal control group (N,n = 8,respectively).Demyelinations in the spinal cord were observed by solochrome cyanin staining.The expression of BDNF,myelin basic protein (MBP),and 2',3 '-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP) in brain tissue of each group were evaluated by Western blot.Results Average clinical scores in group U at the 12,13,14,22,23,31,33,34 and 35 days were 0,0.25,0.38,0.63,0.63,0.40,0.40,0.40 and 0.40 respectively.They were significantly lower than group S at the same time ( U= 16.00,15.00,14.50,7.50,0.00,14.50,14.50,12.00 and 14.50,all P ＜0.05).Solochrome cyanin staining showed that demyelination of spinal cord in group U was also significantly improved than group S.Expressions of BDNF ( 1.96 ± 0.29),MBP (2.67 ± 0.48 ) and CNP ( 1.75 ± 0.20) in group U were all significantly higher than group S ( There were 0.80 ± 0.15,1.36 ± 0.38 and 1.06 ± 0.18 respectively,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions UTI has protective effect on EAE.The possible mechanism is that it could promote remyelination,and protect oligodendrocytes and neurons in EAE model by increasing BDNF expression in brain.