HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorder: epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment.

The modern antiretroviral treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection has considerably lowered the incidence of opportunistic infections. With the exception of the most severe dementia manifestations, the incidence and prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) have not decreased, and HAND continues to be relevant in daily clinical practice. Now, HAND occurs in earlier stages of HIV infection, and the clinical course differs from that before the widespread use of combination antiretroviral treatment (cART).

Cognitive impairment after acute encephalitis: an ERP study.

Cognitive deficits are often observed during the acute stage of encephalitis. It is presumed, that they persist and influence the long-term outcome, but data are very limited. Forty-seven patients with a definite or highly probable diagnosis of acute encephalitis were identified through retrospective analysis and prospectively followed up 6-84 months after the acute illness.

Protocol for German trial of Acyclovir and corticosteroids in Herpes-simplex-virus-encephalitis (GACHE): a multicenter, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled German, Austrian and Dutch trial [ISRCTN45122933].

Background: The treatment of Herpes-simplex-virus-encephalitis (HSVE) remains a major unsolved problem in Neurology. Current gold standard for therapy is acyclovir, a drug that inhibits viral replication. Despite antiviral treatment, mortality remains up to 15%, less than 20% of patients are able to go back to work, and the majority of patients suffer from severe disability.

A "malignant" variant of status epilepticus.

Background: Status epilepticus (SE) frequently does not respond to common first-line anticonvulsants. In a substantial portion of patients, administration of anticonvulsant anesthetics is inevitable. Even this aggressive approach fails to terminate SE in an undefined number of cases.

Functional, cognitive and emotional long-term outcome of patients with ischemic stroke requiring mechanical ventilation.

Prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) has been reported to be poor. However, longterm survival and functional outcome have scarcely been studied and nothing is known about the prevalence of cognitive impairment or depression in survivors and their quality of life (QoL). We identified all patients treated for acute ischemic stroke on a Neurological Intensive Care Unit during 3.

Timing the valve replacement in infective endocarditis involving the brain.

Neurological complications are very frequent in patients with infective endocarditis (20-40 %). In these patients it is unclear at what time a valve replacement should be performed. In order to develop a data based recommendation we studied 12 patients of our own and analyzed 228 patients from the literature.

Delayed occlusion after internal carotid artery dissection under heparin.

Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) is a frequent etiology of stroke in the young. Immediate anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin is the most frequent treatment. A theoretical side effect of unfractionated heparin is an increase in the intramural hematoma resulting in hemodynamic cerebral infarction.