Preliminary comparative study of cortical thickness in HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit.

PURPOSE: Changes in cerebral cortical regions occur in HIV-infected patients, even in those with mild neurocognitive disorders. Working memory / attention is one of the most affected cognitive domain in these patients, worsening their quality of life. Our objective was to assess whether cortical thickness differs between HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit. METHODS: Forty-one adult HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit were imaged on a 1.5 T scanner. Working memory deficit was classified by composite Z scores for performance on the Digits and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (third edition; WAIS-III). Cortical thickness was determined using FreeSurfer software. Differences in mean cortical thickness between groups, corrected for multiple comparisons using Monte-Carlo simulation, were examined using the query design estimate contrast tool of the FreeSurfer software. RESULTS: Greater cortical thickness in left pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, and rostral and caudal portions of the left middle frontal gyrus (cluster 1; p = .004), and left superior frontal gyrus (cluster 2; p = .004) was observed in HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit compared with those without such deficit. Negative correlations were found between WAIS-III-based Z scores and cortical thickness in the two clusters (cluster 1: ρ = -0.59; cluster 2: ρ = -0.47). CONCLUSION: HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit have regions of greater thickness in the left frontal cortices compared with those without such deficit, which may reflect increased synaptic contacts and/or an inflammatory response related to the damage caused by HIV infection.

Longitudinal assessment of subcortical gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and white matter integrity in HIV-positive patients.

PURPOSE: To longitudinally evaluate the cortical thickness and deep gray matter structures volume, measured from T1 three-dimensional (3D) Gradient echo-weighted imaging, and white matter integrity, assessed from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of HIV-positive patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one HIV-positive patients on stable highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with CD4+ T lymphocytes count >200 cells/mL and viral load <50 copies/mL underwent two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with a median interval of 26.6 months. None of the patients had HIV-related dementia. T1 3D magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo-weighted imaging and DTI along 30 noncolinear directions were performed using a 1.5 Tesla MR scanner. FreeSurfer was used to perform cortical volumetric reconstruction and segmentation of deep gray matter structures. For tract-based spatial statistics analysis, a white matter skeleton was created, and a permutation-based inference with 5000 permutations, with a threshold of P < 0.05 was used to identify abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA). The median, radial, and axial diffusivities were also projected onto the mean FA skeleton. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in cortical thickness, deep gray matter structures volumes or diffusivity parameters between scans at the two time points (considering P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: No longitudinal differences in cortical thickness, deep gray matter volumes, or white matter integrity were observed in an HIV-positive population on stable HAART, with undetectable viral load and high CD4+ T lymphocytes count. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:1262-1269.

Regional Cerebral Gray Matter Volume in HIV-Positive Patients with Executive Function Deficits.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with and without executive functions deficits and healthy control subjects differ on cortical thickness and subcortical brain structures volume in vivo. METHODS: In total, 34 HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits were compared with 13 HIV-positive patients without executive functions deficits and 19 gender-, age-, and education-matched control subjects. Executive functions impairments were classified by performance on the Wisconsin card sorting test. T1 3-dimensional magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo-weighted imaging was performed using a 1.5 Tesla (magnetic resonance) MR scanner. FreeSurfer software was used to perform cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation of subcortical gray matter structures. RESULTS: HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits had smaller volumes in the right and left caudate compared with the HIV-positive patients without executive functions deficits and control groups. In addition, HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits had smaller volumes in their left accumbens, right putamen, and globus pallidum compared with the control group. No significant differences in cortical thickness were observed between the groups. CONCLUSION: HIV-positive patients with executive functions deficits have reduced volumes of several subcortical structures, primarily in the caudate nucleus.

Diffusion tensor MR imaging of white matter integrity in HIV-positive patients with planning deficit.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether normal controls and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients with and without planning deficits differ on white matter integrity. METHODS: A total of 34 HIV-positive patients with planning deficits were compared with 13 HIV-positive patients without planning deficits and 19 gender-, age-, and education-matched control subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed along 30 noncolinear directions in a 1.5-T scanner. For tract-based spatial statistics analysis, a white matter skeleton was created, and a permutation-based inference with 5000 permutations with a threshold of p < 0.05 was used to identify abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA). The median, radial, and axial diffusivities were also projected onto the mean FA skeleton. RESULTS: Compared with controls, HIV-positive patients with planning deficits had decreased FA in bilateral anterior thalamic radiations, bilateral inferior fronto-occiptal fasciculi, genu and splenium of the corpus callosum, bilateral superior longitudinal fascicule, and bilateral uncinate fasciculi. Compared to HIV-positive patients without planning deficits, patients with planning deficits had decreased FA in bilateral anterior thalamic radiations, bilateral inferior fronto-occiptal fasciculi, genu of the corpus callosum, bilateral superior longitudinal fascicule, and right uncinate fascicule. CONCLUSION: DTI can detect extensive white matter abnormalities in the normal-appearing white matter of HIV-positive patients with planning deficits compared with controls and HIV-positive patients without planning deficits.

Sternal metastasis as an initial presentation of renal cell carcinoma: a case report.

Renal cell carcinoma accounts for 85% of all solid renal tumors in adults. Nearly one quarter of patients has distant metastasis at presentation while another 50% develop metastasis during follow-up. A small percentage of these are solitary metastasis. We report here a case of solitary bone sternal metastasis as an initial presentation of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma in a 56-year-old woman. The prognosis for patients with metastasized renal cell carcinoma is poor; treatment of metastasis is usually palliative and designed to provide comfort and pain relief. Palliative nephrectomy may be considered for control of symptoms. Radical nephrectomy associated with metastatic bone tumor resection is being tested to improve functional status and survival, especially when metastasis involves supporting bones.

Pulmonary amyloidosis with calcified nodules and masses - a six-year computed tomography follow-up: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary amyloidosis is an uncommon disease, characterized by extracellular deposition of fibrillary protein in the lungs. It appears in three forms: tracheobronchial, nodular pulmonary, and alveolar septal. There are few reports of long-term observation of primary pulmonary amyloidosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 47-year-old man who presented with fever, dyspnea, cough and hemoptysis. Chest radiograph and computed tomography revealed multiple pulmonary nodules and masses. The patient underwent open lung biopsy, which diagnosed pulmonary amyloidosis. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary nodular amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules or masses.

Magnetic resonance findings of neurofibromatosis type 2: a case report.

Neurofibromatosis type 2 is an inherited autosomal dominant syndrome, characterized by multiple neoplasms of the central and peripheral nervous system associated with ocular abnormalities. The most common tumor associated with the disease is the vestibulocochlear schwannoma (VIII cranial nerve), and as many as 10% of patients with this tumor have neurofibromatosis type 2. In this report we aim to present a 34-year-old male who was seen for bilateral hearing loss. During his workup, which included cranial computer tomography, he was found to have multiple intracranial masses. Cranial and whole spine magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral vestibulocochlear schwannoma, multiple meningiomas, and one intramedullary tumor. Based on clinical and imaging findings the diagnostic of neurofibromatosis type 2 was made.

Telangiectatic adenoma - computed tomography and magnetic resonance findings: a case report and review of the literature.

Telangiectatic adenoma is a new classification of a hepatic lesion. It was previously named telangiectatic focal nodular hyperplasia but it is in fact true adenoma with telangiectatic features. We report here a case of telangiectatic adenoma in a 72-year-old woman. The image features are lack of a central scar, a heterogeneous lesion, hyperintensity in T1-weighted MR images, strong hyperintensity in T2-weighted MR images, and persistent contrast enhancement in delayed-phase contrast-enhanced CT or T1-weighted MR images. It is a monoclonal lesion with potential of malignancy. The treatment of telangiectatic adenoma is surgery, the same way as hepatic adenoma. Focal nodular hyperplasia may be managed by clinical follow-up alone.

Pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma in a human immunodeficiency virus - infected woman: a case report.

Approximately 90% to 95% of Kaposi sarcoma cases occur in human immunodeficiency virus - infected homosexual and bisexual men. Pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma is uncommon in women, and rarely considered as a potential cause of diffuse lung disease in women with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The disease is usually mistaken clinically for pulmonary infection. A 32-year-old woman was admitted with a 2-month history of dyspnea, evening fever, hemoptysis, weight loss, and generalized adenomegaly. Physical examination showed erythematous macules in the lower limbs. Skin and open lung biopsy demonstrated Kaposi sarcoma. Computerized tomography demonstrated peribronchovascular interstitial thickening. Although uncommon, pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of diffuse lung disease in women with AIDS.