Background:
Anti-N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (anti NMDAR) antibody encephalitis is an immune-mediated entity characterised by a constellation of neuro-psychiatric symptoms.
Objective:
To describe clinical profile and treatment outcomes of patients with anti NMDAR antibody encephalitis.
Settings and Design:
Subjects were selected by screening for all patients satisfying Graus
et al
.'s criteria for probable anti NMDAR antibody encephalitis, admitted in neurology department of a tertiary care centre in Eastern India.
Materials and Methods:
A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted by identifying 25 patients with anti NMDAR antibodies in CSF and or serum, between September 2018 to February 2020.
Statistical Analysis:
Chi square test was used to compare variables.
Results:
Out of 98 patients screened, 25 subjects (14 females: 11 male) were positive for anti NMDAR autoantibodies, with a mean age of 17 years. 13 subjects belonged to paediatric age group. Most common presenting feature was memory/learning deficit (88%) followed by behavioural abnormalities (84%) and seizures (68%). 11 patients (44%) patients needed escalation to second line therapy, rituximab. Seven (28%) and twelve (48%) patients underwent complete (mRS 0-1) and partial recovery (mRS 2-3) respectively, while 4 (16%) became disabled (mRS 4-5). Mortality was 8%. Paediatric population had a better outcome in terms of disability (p = 0.043).
Conclusion:
Anti NMDAR-Ab encephalitis is the most common cause of antibody positive autoimmune encephalitis worldwide. There are important clinical markers and investigational profiles which carry prognostic significance.
Dasatinib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is approved for therapy of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Common adverse effects of this therapy include myelosuppression, fluid retention and diarrhoea. However, Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) in the context of dasatinib therapy, without a history of antecedent antibiotic use, has not been reported previously. We present here a case of a 36-year-old man diagnosed with accelerated phase of CML, who was started on treatment with dasatinib. Two months into therapy, he experienced profuse diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Colonoscopy revealed multiple confluent colonic mucosal ulcerations. Immunoassay study of stool revealed positive C. difficile toxin. The patient was started on oral metronidazole, with discontinuation of all other drugs, including dasatinib. He made a complete uneventful recovery following 2 weeks of antibiotic therapy. Chemotherapeutic agents, such as dasatinib, should be considered as possible etiological agents in the pathogenesis of CDI, even in absence of antibiotic use.
Background: Abnormal involuntary movement of paralyzed upper limb during yawning is a rare phenomenon termed as parakinesia brachialis oscitans.
Case Report:We describe a 59-year-old gentleman with abnormal involuntary movement of paralyzed right upper limb during yawning 2 weeks following ischemic stroke of left middle cerebral artery territory.Discussion: This is a rare post-stroke phenomenon and its pathophysiological mechanism is poorly understood but this entity highlights possible preserved extrapyramidal pathway which might help in rehabilitating stroke survivors.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a progressive, invariably fatal inflammatory disease of the brain, owing to persistent measles virus infection. It generally presents in childhood or adolescence, and usual presentation is with progressive cognitive decline and myoclonic jerks. An adult male, with an uneventful past medical history, presented with a rapidly progressive dementia and generalised myoclonus. During the course of his admission, he developed right sided spastic hemiparesis with evidence of subcortical infarct on brain imaging with focal narrowing of left middle cerebral artery. Subsequently diagnosed as SSPE, he was managed conservatively, without improvement. Intrathecal interferon could not be given owing to lack of consent from the patient’s relatives. Histopathological confirmation could not be done for the same reason. A medium to small vessel intracranial vasculitis, secondary to measles virus infiltration was a proposed explanation of the vascular event. Persistence of measles virus in the brain may be a potential risk factor for intracranial vasculitis and strokes.
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