Present results support the hypothesis that BDNF normalizes with mood stabilization and pharmacological treatment. Our findings in young and physically healthy patients with short illness duration and few mood episodes may explain the lack of association between serum BDNF levels and neurocognitive performance, even though cognitive performance in patients was overall significantly worse as compared to healthy controls.

Using Doppler echocardiography for evaluation, pulmonary hypertension seems to be common in patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, significantly impacts survival, and correlates with FVC, FEV(1), and PaO(2) and inversely with PaCO(2).

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Sporadic cases of acute viral hepatitis E have been described in developed countries, despite the more common occurrence in endemic areas and developing countries. We present the case of a 58 years old Portuguese female, with no epidemiological relevant factors, admitted with acute hepatitis with positive anti-nuclear antibodies, anti-smooth muscle antibody and high serum gamma globulin (> 1.5 fold increase). Serologies for hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, hereditary sensory neuropathy and varicella zoster virus were negative. Liver biopsy histology revealed changes compatible with autoimmune hepatitis. Prednisolone and azathioprine was started. She tested positive for immunoglobulin M anti hepatitis E virus (HEV) with detectable viremia by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. HEV-RNA was confirmed through RT-PCR in a liver specimen, establishing the diagnosis of acute hepatitis E. Immunosuppression was stopped. She clinically improved, with resolution of laboratory abnormalities. Therefore, we confirmed acute hepatitis E as the diagnosis. We review the literature to elucidate about HEV infection and its autoimmune effects.

BackgroundCardiomyopathy is a major determinant of overall Fabry disease (FD) prognosis, with the worst outcomes in patients with myocardial fibrosis. Late gadolinium enhancement is currently the gold standard for evaluation of replacement myocardial fibrosis; however, this event is irreversible, thus identification of biomarkers of earlier diffuse fibrosis is paramount.Methods and ResultsType I collagen synthesis and degradation biomarkers (PICP [carboxyterminal propeptide of procollagen type I], ICTP [carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen], and MMP1 [matrix metalloproteinase 1] and MMP2) and markers of bone synthesis and degradation were evaluated (to adjust type I collagen metabolism to bone turnover) in FD patients and controls. FD patients were grouped by cardiomyopathy severity, according to echocardiogram: (1) normal, (2) tissue Doppler abnormalities, (3) left ventricular hypertrophy. A significant increase in PICP and a significant decrease in matrix metalloproteinases were observed in FD patients; even the group with normal echocardiogram had a significant increase in PICP. We also found a significant correlation between left ventricular mass and PICP (ρ=0.378, P=0.003) and MMP1 (ρ=−0.484, P<0.001). PICP (adjusted for bone turnover) was the better predictor of left ventricular mass in multivariable regression, and its diagnostic accuracy to predict late gadolinium enhancement was also significant.ConclusionsCollagen type I synthesis is increased in FD cardiomyopathy, even in the earlier stages of the disease, and this profibrotic state has good predictive value for and is likely to be critical to the development of overt left ventricular hypertrophy. Moreover, inhibition of enzymes involved in collagen type I cleavage also seems crucial to myocardial collagen deposition.