Ipsilateral hemichorea after striatal hemorrhage

@#Hemichorea after a striatal lesion of the ipsilateral side of the cerebral hemisphere is a very rare condition. A 72-year-old female presented with right-sided bradykinesia and left-sided hemichorea after a left striatal hemorrhage. In a shape analysis of the brain conducted via MRI, her damaged left basal ganglia was severely contracted whereas her right dorsolateral putamen surface was deformed and hypertrophied. Excessive compensation of the contralateral hemisphere may be a possible mechanism of ipsilateral hemichorea in this case.

Call Center Operator's Dystonia

No abstract available.

One-year antibody persistence and safety of a 4-dose schedule of MenACWY-CRM in healthy infants from South Korea

PURPOSE: Results from a post-marketing study to generate evidence on 1-year antibody persistence and safety following vaccination of infants from South Korea with the quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine MenACWY-CRM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this phase IV, open-label, multi-center study (NCT02446691), 128 infants received MenACWY-CRM at ages 2, 4, 6, and 12 months. One-year antibody persistence following the full vaccination course was evaluated (primary objective) for the four meningococcal serogroups (Men) by serum bactericidal activity assay using human or rabbit complement (hSBA/rSBA). Immune responses at 1-month post-vaccination and safety were also assessed. RESULTS: The percentage of children with hSBA titers ≥8 ranged between 94% (MenA) and 100% (MenY/W) 1-month post-vaccination, and from 39% (MenA) to 89% (MenY) 1-year post-vaccination. At least 99% and 92% of children had rSBA titers ≥8 and ≥128 against each meningococcal serogroup, 1-month post-vaccination. One-year post-vaccination, the percentage of children with rSBA titers ≥8 and ≥128 ranged from 54% (MenC) to 99% (MenA) and from 30% (MenC) to 98% (MenA). Geometric mean titers declined from 1-month to 1-year post-vaccination, when they varied between 6.8 (MenA) and 53.6 (MenW) by hSBA and between 17.2 (MenC) and 2,269.5 (MenA) by rSBA. At least one solicited and unsolicited adverse event was reported for 79% and 66% of children. Of 36 serious adverse events reported, none were vaccination-related. CONCLUSION: Antibody persistence (hSBA/rSBA titers ≥8) was determined in 39%–99% of children 1 year after a 4-dose MenACWY-CRM series during infancy, with an acceptable clinical safety profile.

Erratum: Hepatic Lymphoma Preceded by Recurrent Multiple Cranial Neuropathy

In the above article, the financial grant has been erroneously omitted.

Hepatic Lymphoma Preceded by Recurrent Multiple Cranial Neuropathy

No abstract available.

A Case of Widespread Cavernous Malformations of the Central Nervous System Associated with Acute Neurologic Deficit

A 45-year-old female visited our clinic due to sudden right leg weakness and sensory loss. Brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging showed widespread cavernous malformations. Cavernous malformation in L1 spine area was accompanied by a subacute stage hematoma with perilesional edema. Sensory loss subsided after corticosteroid therapy. Usually, neurologic deficit by spinal cavernous malformation appears more chronically in the adults compared to children. Treatment options are difficult to establish in a case with multiple cavernous malformations. Identifying hemorrhagic lesions by extensive neuroimaging evaluation could be helpful to select the treatment target for cavernous malformation.

Dropped Head Syndrome after Minor Trauma in a Patient with Levosulpiride-Aggravated Vascular Parkinsonism

No abstract available.

Freezing of Gait in Extrapontine Myelinolysis

A 65-year-old female visited us due to gait disturbance. A neurological examination showed cognitive impairment, dystonia, myoclonus, bradykinesia, postural instability, and freezing of gait (FOG). She was diagnosed with extrapontine myelinolysis based on her history of hyponatremia and high signal intensities (HSIs) in both striata on T2-weighted images. Her neurological problems including FOG improved over 25 days. In a follow-up MRI 50 days after the onset, HSIs disappeared in the striata but new ones appeared in the pons. FOG may have been related to striatal dysfunction in this patient.

Vitamin D and Risk of Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

PURPOSE: Recent observational studies have found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with respiratory tract infections. However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the efficacy of vitamin D in childhood respiratory tract infection (RTI) have yield inconsistent results. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between vitamin D supplementation and the risk of RTI. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial. Randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation for prevention of RTI in children were included for the analysis. Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing the risk of bias was used to assess the quality of the studies. Pooled risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were meta-analyzed using Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: A total of seven RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. According to a random-effects model, the risk ratio for vitamin D supplementation was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.69-0.98) and I2=62% for heterogeneity. On subgroup analysis, heterogeneity decreased in the subgroup with follow-up less than 1 year, participants ≥5 years of age, patients subgroup, and subgroup with dosing daily. Funnel plot showed that there might be publication bias in the field. CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis supports a beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of RTI in children. However, the result should be interpreted with caution due to limitations including a small number of available RCTs, heterogeneity among the studies, and potential publication bias.

A Case of Aspergillus Endophthalmitis as a Preceding Symptom of Central Nervous System Lymphoma

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of Aspergillus endophthalmitis as a preceding symptom of central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old female was admitted to our clinic with mental change for 3 days. Seven months earlier, she had been diagnosed with retinal vasculitis in an ophthalmology clinic because of blurred vision in both eyes and was administered steroid therapy. Three months earlier, because of progressive symptoms, vitreous fluid culture had been performed and showed Aspergillus endophthalmitis. She was treated with intravitreous voriconazole injection and oral voriconazole. Initial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid study was normal. Two months later, a second MRI showed multiple enhancing lesions, which were aggravated on the third MRI at admission to our clinic. Although brain biopsy was not performed due to the poor condition of the patient, CNS lymphoma was suspected based on the neuroimaging. After steroid pulse therapy and whole brain radiation, follow-up neurologic examination showed improved mental state, and follow-up MRI showed remarkable shrinkage of multiple lesions. CONCLUSIONS: As Aspergillus endophthalmitis is an opportunistic infection in those with an immune-compromised state and the orbit is near the central nervous system, the clinician should be alert to concomitant disorders in CNS. For a prompt and accurate diagnosis of CNS disorder, early evaluation of neurologic symptoms beyond symptoms of endophthalmitis and neuroimaging is essential.

A Fatal Case of Full-Blown Neuro-Behcet Disease / 대한임상신경생리학회지

We reported a 48-year-old man with Behcet disease, who presented with right hemiparesis. His first brain MRI showed multiple enhanced lesions. During the recovery, he had an episode of left 6th nerve palsy without new lesions in a follow-up MRI. Third episode was cervical myelitis, resulting in respiratory difficulty and quadriplegia without any reflexes. The myelitis was not responsive to immunotherapy. He died of respiratory failure complicated with pneumonia. This is a rare case of full-blown neuro-Behcet disease.

Asymptomatic Hematoma in Herpes Simplex Encephalitis / 대한임상신경생리학회지

A 59-year old man was admitted for drowsiness and stiff neck. CSF examination showed lymphocytic pleocytosis and PCR for herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 was positive in CSF. Brain MRI revealed enhanced lesions in left temporal lobe. His symptom improved with acyclovir. Follow-up studies showed red blood cells in CSF and a hematoma in the left temporal lobe. There was no additional symptom related to the hematoma. He was discharged after conservative care. Although rare, hematoma can develop in HSV-1 meningoencephalitis.

Transient periodic limb movement secondary to acute bleeding in a patient with a spine meningioma

We report a 71 years old woman with transient periodic limb movement disorder and myoclonus that appeared after acute gastrointestinal bleeding. The abnormal movements dissolved as the blood loss was restored. The woman was later found to have an asymptomatic spine meningioma. Iron defi ciency due to acute bleeding may be the trigger resulting in the abnormal movements in this patient with subclinical spinal meningioma

Prediction of Hemorrhagic Transformation and Functional Outcome Using HAT Score in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Intravenous Alteplase

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase is the most effective therapy for acute ischemic stroke, but hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a potentially dangerous complication of such thrombolysis. Few studies have investigated the predictors of HT after thrombolysis in Korean stroke patients. METHODS: From 2003 to 2009, acute ischemic stroke patients who received intravenous alteplase were included from the prospective stroke registry of Kyung Hee University Hospital. Patients submitted to CT or MRI scans with gradient echo sequences within 12-36 hours of thrombolysis. The Hemorrhage After Thrombolysis (HAT) score [ranging from 0 (minimum risk) to 5 (maximum risk)] was calculated retrospectively for each patient. The predictive ability of the HAT score for HT and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was calculated using C statistics. RESULTS: Among 151 consecutive patients, HT was confirmed in 35 on follow-up brain imaging. Atrial fibrillation (OR=2.709, 95%CI=1.118-6.567) and low one-third CT scan (OR=3.419, 95%CI=1.281-9.121) increased the risk of HT after intravenous thrombolysis in multivariate logistic regression analysis. HT, sICH (based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Safe Implementation of Treatment in Stroke-Monitoring Study definitions), unfavorable [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 2-6] and poor (mRS score of 3-6) outcomes at 3 months, and mortality at 3 months were increased with higher HAT scores (C statistic=0.632, 0.637, 0.843, 0.670, 0.689, and 0.659, respectively; p=0.018, 0.036, 0.042, 0.002, 0.015, and <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The HAT score can be used to predict the risk of sICH following intravenous thrombolysis and the long-term clinical outcome.

Stroke subtypes and risk factors of ischemic stroke in young Korean adults

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to describe the ischemic stroke subtypes and risk factors in young Korean adults, focusing mainly on traditional risk factors and management of ischemic stroke. Methods: The study patients were the fi rst-ever acute cerebral ischemic infarction age 49 years or below admitted to the Kyung Hee University Medical Centre from September 2003 to June 2009, with ischaemic stroke patients >50 years as control. The stroke subtypes was categorized according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classifi cation. The traditional risk factors of ischemic stroke were examined. For those known to have hypertension and diabetes prior to onset of stroke, their adherence to treatment of hypertension and diabetes was also assessed. Results: Close to half of the patients ≤49 years were due to premature atherosclerosis from small vessel occlusion and large artery atherosclerosis. The most common risk factor in declining order was hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemia and obesity. On logistic regression analysis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity were strongly associated with small vessel occlusion. In patients who were known to have hypertension and diabetes prior to the onset of stroke, the younger patients were less adherent to the treatment as primary prevention than the older stroke patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that premature atherosclerosis from small vessel occulusion is the most common cause of ischaemic stroke among young adults in Korea. Non-adherence to primary preventive treatment of hypertension and diabetes is common.