Ocular pathology in NeuroAIDS - An autopsy study.

The central nervous system (CNS) and the eye are involved in Human immunodeficiency virus related disease. Although, optic nerve is considered an extension of the CNS, it has not been systematically evaluated to determine if infections of brain can extend into the eye or vice versa. The brain and posterior compartment of eyeball retrieved at autopsy of patients succumbing to NeuroAIDS, were evaluated with Hematoxylin & Eosin, special stains and immunohistochemistry for infective pathogens. Multiplex PCR was performed in vitreous, CSF and serum for simultaneous detection of bacterial, viral, and protozoal opportunistic infections. Ocular involvement in NeuroAIDS was seen in 93.7% (15/16) with opportunistic infection being the most common 62.5% (10/16); with toxoplasma optic neuropathy in 5 (50%), Cryptococcal optic neuritis in 3 (30%), and Cytomegalovirus chorioretinitis in 2 (20%). Concordance between ocular and CNS pathology was seen in 50% of cases. CSF PCR was more sensitive than PCR in vitreous for detecting ocular infections in posterior compartment of eye.

Profile of 26 HIV Seropositive individuals with Cerebral Venous Thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection has been found to be prothrombotic condition. However, venous thromboembolism associated with HIV is restricted to peripheral vasculature with few reports of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical manifestations of CVT among HIV seropositive individuals and explore the possible etiological factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: It is a prospective study of 26 (M:F-18:8) patients of CVT associated with HIV seropositive status. Their age and duration of illness was 33.8±6.8years and 11.3±8.5days respectively. Headache and vomiting was the most common symptom followed by seizures. Drowsiness with GCS (Glasgow coma score) ranging from 9-14 was present in two-thirds of the patients. Serum homocysteine was elevated in 70% of patients. Vitamin B12 was low in 12.5% and insufficient levels in 25%. 88.5% of the patients recovered completely to GCS 15/15 in 2-7days during follow up; 11.5% patients expired during the acute state. CONCLUSION: This study represents the largest series of CVT in HIV seropositive individuals. There is increased risk of thrombosis due to elevated homocysteine and low Vitamin B12. They have better sensorium inspite of extensive radiological involvement.

Unique clinical and imaging findings in a first ever documented PCR positive rabies survival patient: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Rabies is fatal encephalitis which is a major public health problem in Asian and African countries. Till date, only 12 cases have been reported who have survived after rabies. CASE REPORT: In this communication we report a patient who is unique as the first documented long term rabies survivor with PCR positivity even after 4½ years of illness. Child sustained dog bite following which he received adequate prophylaxis. Within two weeks, child developed encephalopathy requiring evaluation. Child continues to have persistent myoclonic jerks, seizures, is dependent on all activities with severe neurological deficits. Nested reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) specific for rabies nucleoprotein gene in CSF and nuchal skin biopsy were positive for rabies viral RNA. The nuchal skin biopsy was also positive for rabies nucleoprotein antigen by fluorescent antibody test (FAT). We describe the clinical evolution and sequential MRI brain changes in this child. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the uniformly dismal prognosis of human rabies, these unusual reports of survival of rabies patients may provide an impetus to explore newer therapeutic strategies for this otherwise fatal disease.

Surgical outcome in patients with mesial temporal sclerosis, with and without associated temporal lobe pathology: A clinicopathological study

Objective: Mesial temporal sclerosis with associated extra hippocampal pathology is considered ‘dual pathology’ that could influence the progression and clinical outcome of complex partial seizures. This study is undertaken to evaluate and compare the clinical outcome and pathology of the temporal lobe and hippocampus in cases of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) alone and MTS with associated pathological changes in the extrahippocampal temporal lobe (dual pathology). Methods: The clinical and presurgical evaluation data and post surgical follow up (2 years) were reviewed retrospectively from medical records of 15 cases with MTS alone and 11 cases having dual pathology. Specific pathological changes were recorded after reviewing the material from hippocampus and temporal lobe and immunostaining with antibodies to synaptophysin, and neurofilament to delineate dystrophic neurons and synaptic pathology and S-100 protein for glial elements. Results: Among the 11 patients with dual pathology, 2 patients had mild cortical dysplasia (MCD) and 9 had focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in the adjacent temporal cortex, as described by Palmini et al. High resolution MRI (1.5 Tesla) did not detect the presence of the second pathology reported in this series. Thirteen of the 15 patients with MTS alone and 6 of the 11 patients with dual pathology had good post surgical outcome. Six (2 MTS + 4 dual pathology) out of 7 patients who failed to show good clinical outcome had significant loss of neurons in CA3 sub-field of Ammon’s horn, whereas only 12 out of 19 patients who had good outcome had CA3 neuronal loss. Various types of cytoskeletal and synaptic pathology are found in the dysplastic neurons in the zones of cortical dysplasia. Conclusion: Two types of structural lesions underlie complex partial seizures, MTS with or without associated extrahippocampal lesions of neuronal cytoarchitectural abnormality may influence the prognosis. Neuronal loss in CA3 subfield of Ammon’s horn seems to have a role in negative clinical outcome, though this feature needs to be further validated.