Ketogenic diet in pharmacoresistant epilepsies: a clinical nutritional assessment.

Background:  Epilepsies are among the most prevalent chronic neurological diseases, usually beginning in childhood. About 30% of children with epilepsies develop seizures that are difficult to control with medication. Recurrent epileptic seizures hinder diet intake, impairing the nutritional status.

Brazilian experts' consensus on the treatment of infantile epileptic spasm syndrome in infants.

Background: Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) is a rare but severe condition affecting children early and is usually secondary to an identifiable brain disorder. It is related to psychomotor deterioration in childhood and epilepsy in adult life. Treatment is challenging as infantile spasms may not respond to most antiseizure medication, and relapse is frequent.

Ketogenic therapy in childhood and adolescence: recommendations of the Brazilian experts group.

Ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs) are a safe and effective treatment for pharmacoresistant epilepsy in children. There are four principal types of KDTs: the classic KD, the modified Atkins diet (MAD), the medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet, and the low glycemic index diet (LGID). The International Ketogenic Diet Study Group recommends managing KDTs in children with epilepsy.

Persistent detection of Zika virus RNA from an infant with severe microcephaly - a case report.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a recently emerged arbovirus, which infection during pregnancy is associated with a series of congenital malformations, collectively denominated Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Following infection, ZIKV RNA has a median duration period of 10 days in plasma and up to 6 months in semen in immunocompetent adult individuals. Moreover, ZIKV is able to replicate and persist in fetal brains and placentas, consequently, infection is associated with pregnancy loss, albeit the pathogenic mechanisms are still unknown.

Neuromodulation in refractory epilepsy: Brazilian specialists consensus.

Epilepsy is a potentially devastating brain disorder characterized by a predisposition to spontaneous epileptic seizures. In patients with medically refractory epilepsy, new non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches may be considered. In this scenario, palliative surgery such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be indicated in a subset of patients.

[Cannabinoids in neurology--Brazilian Academy of Neurology].

The use of cannabidiol in some neurological conditions was allowed by Conselho Regional de Medicina de São Paulo and by Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA). Specialists on behalf of Academia Brasileira de Neurologia prepared a critical statement about use of cannabidiol and other cannabis derivatives in neurological diseases.

Schistosomal myelopathy in childhood: findings of magnetic resonance imaging in 26 patients.

We describe magnetic resonance image findings of 26 children (16 boys; average age, 9.4 years) with schistosomal myelopathy. All children lived in Pernambuco State, Brazil, an area of endemic mansoni schistosomiasis.

[Treatment of West syndrome with vigabatrin: clinical and electroencephalographic evaluation of 13 patients].

We evaluated the efficacy of vigabatrin (VGB) as a first drug to be used as monotherapy for West syndrome (WS), its side effects and correlations with the electroencephalogram (EEG). The sample consisted of 13 infants examined between October 2001 and September 2002 at IMIP ambulatory patients office or private clinic. Administration of vigabatrin was around 118 mg/kg/day.

[Management of the first convulsive seizure].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the wide variety of reported prognosis after a first unprovoked convulsion and of risk factors that are associated with recurrence, and a uniform conduct. SOURCES: Systematic review of Bireme. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: Recurrence rates differ from a first seizure study because of different inclusion criteria.