Presence of Epstein-Barr virus in cerebrospinal fluid is associated with increased mortality in HIV-negative cryptococcal meningitis.

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most common cause of fungal meningitis and is associated with a high mortality. The clinical significance of concurrent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients with cryptococcal meningitis (CM) remains unclear. A retrospective cohort study was performed by analyzing CSF samples from 79 HIV-negative Chinese Han patients with confirmed CM.

Analysis of the relationship between drug susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans isolates and mortality in HIV-negative cryptococcal meningitis.

Objectives: The relationship between antifungal susceptibility and mortality of cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in HIV-negative patients is poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1-year follow-up of 200 HIV-negative CM patients with an initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture for Cryptococcus neoformans. According to the cut-off values of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), two groups of five antifungal agents were classified: amphotericin B (AmB), ≤0.

Central nervous system nocardiosis diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: A case series and literature review.

Background: Central nervous system (CNS) nocardiosis is a rare suppurative disease caused by the genus Nocardia. It is found most frequently in immunocompromised individuals.

Objectives: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical presentations, laboratory examination, therapy and outcomes of 9 patients with CNS nocardiosis diagnosed using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in our hospital.

Characterization of SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral immunity and associated factors in the healthy population post-vaccination.

Objectives: To investigate factors that may influence humoral immunity post-vaccination with a COVID-19-inactivated vaccine (SC2IV).

Methods: A total of 1596 healthy individuals from the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University (1217) and Shenzhen Baotian Hospital (379) were enrolled in this study among which 694 and 218 participants were vaccinated with two-dose SC2IV, respectively. Physical examination indices were recorded.

Exploring Shared Genetic Signatures of Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: A Bioinformatic Analysis Study.

Introduction: Many clinical studies reported the coexistence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but the common molecular signature between AD and MS remains elusive. The purpose of our study was to explore the genetic linkage between AD and MS through bioinformatic analysis, providing new insights into the shared signatures and possible pathogenesis of two diseases.

Methods: The common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined between AD and MS from datasets obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

Neurological worsening during treatment of HIV-negative cryptococcal meningitis in a patient with Evans syndrome.

A 49-year-old woman with a rare autoimmune hematological disease, Evans syndrome, was admitted to the authors' hospital with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome-like reconstitution syndrome after effective antifungal therapy for cryptococcal meningitis. She initially improved after receiving corticosteroid treatment; after prednisone was tapered, her clinical presentation and brain imaging deteriorated but finally improved with the addition of thalidomide. Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome-like reconstitution syndrome is a rare complication in cryptococcal meningitis patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.

Failure of Early Mycological Clearance in HIV-Negative Cryptococcal Meningitis.

Background: Negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures at 2 weeks after antifungal treatment (early mycological clearance [EMC]) should be a treatment goal of cryptococcal meningitis (CM). However, EMC in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients with CM is poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical records and 1-year follow-up of 141 HIV-negative patients with CM with an initial positive CSF culture for .

The effect on brain volume in HIV-negative and non-transplant cryptococcal meningitis.

To explore the brain volume (BV) changes of HIV-negative and non-transplant cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in 1 year after initial therapy. Case data were collected from 78 CM patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning at least 3 times in 1-year interval after initial therapy. The assessment of BV was measured by a non-commercial software, uAI Research Portal.

Hydrogen sulfide alleviates cognitive deficiency and hepatic dysfunction in a mouse model of acute liver failure.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a devastating clinical syndrome with a high mortality rate if not treated promptly. Previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of hydrogen sulfide (HS) on the brain and liver. The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of HS in ALF.