Patterns of protein expression in infectious meningitis: a cerebrospinal fluid protein array analysis.

Seventy-nine cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were measured by protein array analysis in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningitis and controls. Several factors were found to be regulated, which have not been studied in the CNS before, e.g.

Severe meningoencephalitis caused by human herpesvirus 6 type B in an immunocompetent woman treated with ganciclovir.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), the causative agent of exanthema subitum in childhood, can also induce meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals. In contrast, HHV-6 encephalitis in immunocompetent patients is rare, and the clinical syndrome not well defined. We report a case of meningoencephalitis caused by HHV-6 type B in an otherwise healthy woman.

Thrombosis of the internal cerebral vein associated with transient unilateral thalamic edema: a case report and review of the literature.

Thrombosis of the deep venous system presenting with bilateral thalamic infarction or edema is a common finding, but unilateral venous thrombosis presenting with unilateral thalamic edema is extremely rare. We report a case of a patient with this unusual condition presenting with nonspecific clinical signs and symptoms. CT and MR imaging revealed a unilateral thalamostriate lesion.

Inflammatory response during bacterial meningitis is unchanged in Fas- and Fas ligand-deficient mice.

Fas (CD95) and Fas ligand (FasL, CD95L) have been implicated to be involved in the acute inflammatory response by attracting neutrophils and regulating their survival. Increased levels of soluble Fas and FasL are found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients with bacterial meningitis but not in controls. Functional FasL (gld)- or Fas (lpr)-deficient mice were used to assess their role in the pathophysiology of pneumococcal meningitis.

Increased intrathecal release of soluble fractalkine in HIV-infected patients.

The CX(3)C chemokine fractalkine is suggested to play an important role in inflammatory brain diseases, for example, because of its chemotactic properties. To investigate the release of soluble fractalkine in HIV-induced brain diseases fractalkine levels were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples of HIV-infected patients with (n = 10) and without (n = 23) HIV-induced CNS complications, using semiquantitative Western blot analysis. Fractalkine CSF levels were significantly elevated (p < 0.