CSF rhinorrhea after nasopharyngeal swab testing for COVID-19: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: There are more than 206 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection globally. Nasopharyngeal swab testing is one of the widely used diagnostic methods for the initial diagnosis of such cases. With the growing diagnostic testing capacity, it is expected to observe an increased number of adverse events due to nasopharyngeal testing. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A middle-aged woman presented with unilateral rhinorrhea, started after nasopharyngeal swab test for Covid-19. She had no prior medical issues. Thorough examination and imaging showed the presence of cerebrospinal fluid leakage. CONCLUSION: Nasopharyngeal swab testing may lead to serious complications and taking a brief history might be helpful. Also, patients should be educated on different complications of nasopharyngeal swab testing and their associated symptoms.

Publisher Correction: Nanoplasma-enabled picosecond switches for ultrafast electronics.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Nanoplasma-enabled picosecond switches for ultrafast electronics.

The broad applications of ultrawide-band signals and terahertz waves in quantum measurements1,2, imaging and sensing techniques3,4, advanced biological treatments5, and very-high-data-rate communications6 have drawn extensive attention to ultrafast electronics. In such applications, high-speed operation of electronic switches is challenging, especially when high-amplitude output signals are required7. For instance, although field-effect and bipolar junction devices have good controllability and robust performance, their relatively large output capacitance with respect to their ON-state current substantially limits their switching speed8. Here we demonstrate a novel on-chip, all-electronic device based on a nanoscale plasma (nanoplasma) that enables picosecond switching of electric signals with a wide range of power levels. The very high electric field in the small volume of the nanoplasma leads to ultrafast electron transfer, resulting in extremely short time responses. We achieved an ultrafast switching speed, higher than 10 volts per picosecond, which is about two orders of magnitude larger than that of field-effect transistors and more than ten times faster than that of conventional electronic switches. We measured extremely short rise times down to five picoseconds, which were limited by the employed measurement set-up. By integrating these devices with dipole antennas, high-power terahertz signals with a power-frequency trade-off of 600 milliwatts terahertz squared were emitted, much greater than that achieved by the state of the art in compact solid-state electronics. The ease of integration and the compactness of the nanoplasma switches could enable their implementation in several fields, such as imaging, sensing, communications and biomedical applications.

[Vestibular schwannoma as possible cause for auditory hallucinations in a woman with schizophrenia].

In this case report, a female patient with schizophrenia was diagnosed with a cystic vestibular schwannoma, at the age of 28 years. Since her teenage years, the patient had been showing psychiatric symptoms and had suffered from vertigo and auditory hallucinations, and since adulthood the symptoms were unilateral perceptive hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. In patients with psychiatric disorders, clinicians should be especially aware of changes in persistent symptoms or onset of new symptoms not to overlook any organic disease.

Effect of Fibers Configuration and Thickness on Tensile Behavior of GFRP Laminates Exposed to Harsh Environment.

The present study indicates the importance of using glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) laminates with appropriate thickness and fibers orientation when exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The effect of different environmental conditions on tensile properties of different GFRP laminates is investigated. Laminates were exposed to three environmental conditions: (1) Freeze/thaw cycles without the presence of moisture, (2) freeze/thaw cycles with the presence of moisture and (3) UV radiation and water vapor condensation cycles. The effect of fiber configuration and laminate thickness were investigated by considering three types of fiber arrangement: (1) Continuous unidirectional, (2) continuous woven and (3) chopped strand mat and two thicknesses (2 and 5 mm). Microstructure and tensile properties of the laminates after exposure to different periods of conditioning (0, 750, 1250 and 2000 h) were studied using SEM and tensile tests. Statistical analyses were used to quantify the obtained results and propose prediction models. The results showed that the condition comprising UV radiation and moisture condition was the most aggressive, while dry freeze/thaw environment was the least. Furthermore, the laminates with chopped strand mat and continuous unidirectional fibers respectively experienced the highest and the lowest reductions properties in all environmental conditions. The maximum reductions in tensile strength for chopped strand mat laminates were about 7%, 32%, and 42% in the dry freeze/thaw, wet freeze/thaw and UV with moisture environments, respectively. The corresponding decreases in the tensile strength for unidirectional laminates were negligible, 17% and 23%, whereas those for the woven laminates were and 7%, 24%, and 34%.

Nerve-Sheath-Risen Neuroglial Cyst: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Neuroglial cysts are rare intracranial lesions that are believed to originate from the sequestration of neural tube lining during embryogenesis. They can present anywhere within the neuraxis; however, their most common location is the frontal lobe. Cerebellopontine angle (CPA) neuroglial cysts are extremely rare and, to the best of our knowledge, there are no previous reports of a neuroglial cyst arising from cranial nerves. CASE DESCRIPTION: The current study presented a male adolescent with the reoccurrence of an intracranial cyst with symptoms of diplopia and facial numbness primarily treated as CPA arachnoid cyst with fenestration of the cyst 12 months prior to admission to our center. Different magnetic resonance imaging sequences showed a thin-walled extra-axial cyst at the right CPA without gadolinium enhancement. Direct visualization of the lesion revealed a cyst arising from the fifth cranial nerve sheath compressing the surrounding structures. The cyst was fenestrated, and a biopsy was taken from the cyst wall. The pathological analysis, along with specified histological markers, indicated the neuroglial nature of the cyst. CONCLUSIONS: The rising of a neuroglial cyst from the nerve sheath is a finding that brings other possible origins of neuroglial cysts into consideration.

Colloid Cyst of the Third Ventricle: Long-Term Results of Endoscopic Management in a Series of 112 Cases.

OBJECTIVES: The endoscopic approach increasingly is used to treat third ventricular colloid cysts. Our objective was to assess the results of endoscopic resection of colloid cysts of the third ventricle. METHODS: A retrospective study was designed, and a series of 112 consecutive patients (76 male, 36 female) with third ventricular colloid cyst treated by endoscopic surgery was undertaken. RESULTS: We found that the most common clinical presentations in patients with third ventricular colloid cyst were headache, vomiting, and impaired vision. Complete resection was obtained in majority of patients (92%). Meningitis, hemiparesis, and memory deficits occurred most commonly as postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of complete resection of third ventricular colloid cysts, with low morbidity and mortality, are possible with an endoscopic approach. The results of this study support the role of endoscopic resection in the treatment of patients with third ventricular colloid cysts as a safe and effective modality and show how endoscopic resection of third ventricular colloid cysts can produce favorable results.

Prepontine arachnoid cyst presenting with headache and diplopia: A case report study.

BACKGROUND: Arachnoid cysts are found everywhere in cerebrospinal axis, most often in the middle cranial fossa. They are very rare in prepontine location. CASE DESCRIPTION: In this study, we report a 26-year-old female presenting with a 3-month history of headache and diplopia. On physical examination, she had clinical manifestations of sixth cranial nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a prepontine arachnoid cyst with extension into interpeduncular and suprasellar cisterns. Computed tomography scan demonstrated no evidence of hydrocephalus. The patient was treated surgically by endoscopic fenestration of the cyst with endonasal transsphenoidal approach. The cyst was opened to prepontine, interpeduncular, and suprasellar cisterns. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic endonasal fenestration of the cyst to adjacent cistern may be safe in prepontine arachnoid cysts with sellar and suprasellar extension; it may be effective and less invasive compare to transcranial approach.