A unique association of bifacial weakness, paresthesia and vestibulocochlear neuritis as post-COVID-19 manifestation in pregnant women: a case report.

SARS-CoV-2 is an infection due to a novel virus belonging to the coronavirus family. Since December 2019, first human cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Wuhan (China) and rapidly has been progressed to a global pandemic declared by the world health organization (WHO) on March 11th 2020. The major complication of COVID-19, is pneumonia, but other presentations like cardiovascular and neurological complications have been reported. Herein, we report a first case of pregnant women presented with bifacial weakness and paraesthesia (BFP) associated to a vestibulocochlear neuritis as post-COVID-19 manifestation. This is a 36-year-old Moroccan female patient with a history of SARS-CoV-2 positive 6 weeks before admission. She presented to the emergency department with rapid bifacial paralysis, bilateral lower extremity paresthesia, vertigo, nausea, vomiting and right auricular pain. An acute stroke was ruled out after neurological examination and brain MRI. Clinical presentation, neurophysiological, audiometry and videonystagmography workup additionally to CSF findings were suggestive of a variant of Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS), which is BFP associated to right vestibulocochlear neuritis. The patient was treated with Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) therapy associated with intravenous steroids. The patient made a complete recovery of the right facial palsy and the sensorineural hearing loss but still have tingling in lower limbs and left facial palsy at 2 weeks´ follow-up. BFP can be induced by COVID-19 as a postinfectious immune-mediated complication. Regarding the pathophysiology of vestibular neuritis, is probably similar to other viral infection causing nerve damage. Clinicians should consider the association of vestibulocochlear neuritis and BFP as a post SARS-CoV-2 manifestation.

Acupuncture for HIV-associated distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated distal symmetric peripheral neuropathy (DSPN) is one of the most frequent neurological complications of HIV infection, and causes pain and dysaesthesias in millions globally. Many individuals with this infection report using acupuncture to manage their symptoms, but evidence supporting the use of acupuncture is limited. This systematic review will assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for patients with HIV-associated DSPN. METHODS: Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, Web of science, AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database and clinical trials registers (the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform portal and www.ClinicalTrials.gov) will be electronically searched from inception to December 1, 2020. All randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese without restriction on publication status will be included. Selection of studies, extraction of data, and assessment of studies quality will be independently performed by 2 reviewers. The primary outcome measure will be the change in pain intensity assessed by validated scales. Secondary outcomes include change in neurologic summary scores, quality of life, physical function evaluated by admitted tools, and adverse events related to acupuncture reported in the included trials. If possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted to provide an estimate of the pooled treatment effect using Review Manager 5.3 statistical software. Otherwise, qualitative descriptive analysis will be given. The results will be presented as the risk ratio for binary data and the mean difference (MD) or standardized MD for continuous data. RESULTS: The results of the systematic review will be disseminated via publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a relevant conference. CONCLUSION: This review will be the first review entirely focused on assessing the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for HIV-associated DSPN. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020210994.

Evidence for a novel subcortical mechanism for posterior cingulate cortex atrophy in HIV peripheral neuropathy.

We previously reported that neuropathic pain was associated with smaller posterior cingulate cortical (PCC) volumes, suggesting that a smaller/dysfunctional PCC may contribute to development of pain via impaired mind wandering. A gap in our previous report was lack of evidence for a mechanism for the genesis of PCC atrophy in HIV peripheral neuropathy. Here we investigate if volumetric differences in the subcortex for those with neuropathic paresthesia may contribute to smaller PCC volumes, potentially through deafferentation of ascending white matter tracts resulting from peripheral nerve damage in HIV neuropathy. Since neuropathic pain and paresthesia are highly correlated, statistical decomposition was used to separate pain and paresthesia symptoms to determine which regions of brain atrophy are associated with both pain and paresthesia and which are associated separately with pain or paresthesia. HIV+ individuals (N = 233) with and without paresthesia in a multisite study underwent structural brain magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry and a segmentation/registration tool were used to investigate regional brain volume changes associated with paresthesia. Analysis of decomposed variables found that smaller midbrain and thalamus volumes were associated with paresthesia rather than pain. However, atrophy in the PCC was related to both pain and paresthesia. Peak thalamic atrophy (p = 0.004; MNI x = - 14, y = - 24, z = - 2) for more severe paresthesia was in a region with reciprocal connections with the PCC. This provides initial evidence that smaller PCC volumes in HIV peripheral neuropathy are related to ascending white matter deafferentation caused by small fiber damage observed in HIV peripheral neuropathy.

Hemicorporal paresthesias in a parvovirus infection / Parestesias hemicorporales en una infección por parvovirus

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Sacral Myeloradiculitis: An Uncommon Complication of Genital Herpes Infection.

Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 infections affect up to 50 million people in the United States, with a natural history of recurrent viral shedding with or without recurrence of symptoms. Although many patients remain asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, a spectrum of rare but significant nervous system complications have been reported. Although urinary retention and constipation associated with genital herpesvirus infections is often attributed to painful genital ulcerations, herpesvirus-associated lumbosacral myeloradiculitis has been reported in adults. Here, we report an 18-year-old man with constipation, urinary retention, perineal paresthesias, and erectile dysfunction in the setting of a genital herpes infection. His workup was notable for a cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis and MRI with enhancement of the cauda equina and nerve roots, all of which are consistent with sacral myeloradiculitis. The patient was treated with a 3-week course of intravenous acyclovir with complete resolution of symptoms. Pediatric practitioners should be aware of this complication of anogenital herpes simplex virus infection because appropriate diagnosis has implications for treatment delivery and duration.

Acute hepatitis E infection as a cause of unexplained neurological symptoms.

Neurological disease is the most common extrahepatic manifestation of autochthonous infection with hepatitis E virus (HEV). The association between acute neurological symptoms and hepatitis E is not well known, and hence HEV testing is often omitted. This case describes aberrant neurology in a 35-year-old woman with a background of HEV infection, highlighting the need for increased awareness of acute hepatitis E infection as a cause of unexplained neurological illness.

Guillain-Barré-like axonal polyneuropathy associated with Toscana virus infection: A case report.

RATIONALE: Numerous cases of post-infectious Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been reported in the literature. Toscana virus (TOSV) is an arthropod-borne emerging pathogen in the Mediterranean area. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 40-year-old male patient was admitted to hospital for acute facial weakness, associated to numbness paraesthesias at lower and upper limbs. The neurological examination revealed facial diplegia and reduced tendon reflexes. The nerve conduction studies documented an acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN); the lumbar puncture detected albuminocytologic dissociation. Serology for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), mumps, and Borrelia was negative, as was cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction assay for Herpes virus, Borrelia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Cryptococcus, and Mycobacterium tubercolosis. Positivity for TOSV IgG antibodies was found on both CSF and serum; the patient remembered being recently exposed to mosquitoes. DIAGNOSES: The AMSAN subtype of GBS, subsequent to a TOSV infection, was diagnosed. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with plasma-exchange with complete clinical recovery, but a relapse occurred 9 months later, when the nerve conduction studies confirmed the presence of an AMSAN, which benefited from oral steroids. OUTCOMES: A good clinical recovery was achieved after treatments. LESSONS: This is the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of a TOSV infection associated to a peripheral neuropathy mimicking a GBS syndrome, both clinically and electrophysiologically. The clinical spectrum of TOSV neurological complications seems to be wider than previously known: this should be taken into account by the scientific community and public health institutions.

Neurological manifestations of dengue in Central Brazil.

INTRODUCTION:: The incidence of dengue has increased throughout the 2000s with a consequent global increase in atypical clinical forms. METHODS:: This study reports a series of cases of neurological dengue out of 498 confirmed cases of laboratory dengue in Goiânia, Brazil. Cases were confirmed based on viral RNA detection via polymerase chain reaction or IgM antibody capture. RESULTS:: Neurological symptoms occurred in 5.6% of cases, including paresthesia (3.8%), encephalitis (2%), encephalopathy (1%), seizure (0.8%), meningoencephalitis (0.4%), and paresis (0.4%). DENV-3 was the predominant circulating serotype (93%). CONCLUSIONS:: We reported dengue cases with neurological manifestations in endemic area.

Neurological manifestations of dengue in Central Brazil

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The incidence of dengue has increased throughout the 2000s with a consequent global increase in atypical clinical forms. METHODS: This study reports a series of cases of neurological dengue out of 498 confirmed cases of laboratory dengue in Goiânia, Brazil. Cases were confirmed based on viral RNA detection via polymerase chain reaction or IgM antibody capture. RESULTS: Neurological symptoms occurred in 5.6% of cases, including paresthesia (3.8%), encephalitis (2%), encephalopathy (1%), seizure (0.8%), meningoencephalitis (0.4%), and paresis (0.4%). DENV-3 was the predominant circulating serotype (93%). CONCLUSIONS: We reported dengue cases with neurological manifestations in endemic area.

Transverse myelitis caused by hepatitis E: previously undescribed in adults.

We report the case of a 62-year-old Caucasian woman who was admitted with urinary retention and lower limb paraesthesia following a week's prodromal illness of headache and malaise. Liver function tests showed a picture of acute hepatocellular dysfunction. She developed reduced lower limb power, brisk reflexes, extensor plantars, a sensory level at T8 and reduced anal sphincter tone, establishing a clinical diagnosis of transverse myelitis. A spinal MRI showed no evidence of cauda equina or spinal cord compression. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed raised protein and raised white cell count. Hepatitis E IgM and IgG were positive and hepatitis E virus was found in her CSF. She was treated with methylprednisolone and is slowly recovering with physiotherapy.

Hepatitis E virus infection presenting with paraesthesia.

Hepatitis E virus infection is an emerging disease in developed countries. Acute and chronic infection has been reported, with chronic infection being increasingly reported in immunocompromised patients. Neurological disorders are an emerging manifestation of both acute and chronic hepatitis E virus infection. We report a 77-year-old female presented with paraesthesia and was found to have abnormal liver function tests. Serology was found to be positive for hepatitis E virus IgM, IgG and RNA. Liver function tests normalised after three weeks and her neurological symptoms completely resolved. To our knowledge, this is the first case in Scotland of hepatitis E virus presenting only with neurological symptoms.

A case of primary HIV type 1 and cytomegalovirus coinfection presenting with widespread clinical disease.

Coinfection of HIV-1 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) may occur given the shared routes of transmission, and the clinical presentations of each process overlap. We present a case of acute HIV-1 and CMV coinfection presenting with an acute febrile illness complicated by meningitis, hepatitis, and retinopathy. This and other similar cases demonstrate the need to consider CMV coinfection in acute HIV-1 disease, particularly in situations with significant end-organ damage.

Sensory polymyeloradiculopathy associated with Toscana virus infection.

Sandfly viruses are arthropod-borne viruses that are endemic in the Mediterranean basin. The Toscana virus (TOSV) is the only serotype of sandfly viruses known to cause neurological symptoms in humans, usually aseptic meningitis or meningoencephalitis. We report a case of a 39-year-old man who was admitted to our department with progressive paresthesias of the lower limbs followed by dysesthesias of the upper thorax after a hiking trip to the Netherlands. The patient had also been suffering from epididymitis for several weeks before the neurological symptoms appeared but was treated by antibiotics accordingly. Lumber puncture results demonstrated mononuclear pleocytosis with elevated protein levels. MRI of the lumbar spine revealed polymyeloradiculopathy. Positive IgM antibodies against the Toscana serotype of sandfly virus were discovered in the patient's blood and CSF. There was also evidence for a recent infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The patient was treated conservatively with improvement in his neurological state. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of an association between TOSV infection and polymyeloradiculopathy.

Impact of Chikungunya virus infection on oral health status: an observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chikungunya fever outbreak started in December 2005 in India when the country experienced more than 13 lakhs of Chikungunya infected cases. We undertook this study to describe the impact of Chikungunya virus infection on oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The confirmed seropositive patients were included for the study (N = 97). Oral hygiene index simplified, gingival index, plaque index were recorded. RESULTS: Of the 181 tested, 97 were confirmed seropositive for chikungunya infection. Pain and bleeding gums were seen in 55% of the subjects. Of them, 29.1% had poor oral hygiene, 42.27% had severe gingivitis, and 27.84% had severe plaque deposits. Severe gingivitis was observed in patients with chronic disease, this association was statistically significant (χ2 = 6.417, P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that about more than half of the tested patients suffered severe pain and bleeding in the oral cavity thereby causing discomfort in chewing. About 1/3 patients had severe gingivitis and foul breath which caused discomfort in carrying out their day-to-day activities.

Type 2 herpes simplex reactivation after craniocervical decompression for hind brain hernia and associated syrinx.

Herpes virus reactivation is a well-known phenomenon rarely described in neurosurgery. We report a case of type 2 herpes simplex virus reactivation following neurosurgery of the posterior fossa. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis of over 200 x 10(6)/l. Viral reactivation should be considered in patients with fever, meningism and extended hospital admission following neurosurgical procedures.

Rabies in humans.

This column discusses the etiology and clinical manifestation of and postexposure prophylaxis for rabies in humans.