Myelitis transverse in Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus: presentation of 3 cases.

Transverse myelitis is a rare focal inflammation of the spinal cord. Multiple etiologies have been identified including autoimmune diseases, mainly systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren' syndrome. It can occur in an acute or subacute clinical onset, with the acute presentation having a worse prognosis.

Presence and isotype of anti-ganglioside antibodies in healthy persons, motor neuron disease, peripheral neuropathy, and other diseases of the nervous system.

Antibodies of the IgM, IgG and IgA class against GM1, asialo-GM1, GD1b and GM2 gangliosides were determined in the sera of patients with motor neuron disease (MND), peripheral neuropathy, other neurological diseases (OND) and healthy individuals. Antibodies of the three immunoglobulin classes were present in healthy persons. MND patients did not differ from OND or controls in anti-GM1 titers of the three isotypes.

Diagnosis by axilla skin biopsy in an early case of Lafora's disease.

Myoclonus, seizures and progressive dementia are the main clinical features in Lafora's disease. This is the first reported case in which the diagnosis has been made by axillary skin biopsy in a patient with myoclonus but no other neurological symptoms.

IgG anti-ganglioside antibodies and their subclass distribution in two patients with acute and chronic motor neuropathy.

IgG anti-ganglioside antibodies were found in two patients with motor neuropathy. The first patient had a chronic axonal neuropathy with persistently elevated anti-GM1 antibodies. The second patient had an acute axonal neuropathy with anti-GM1, GD1b and asialoGM1 antibodies.

[Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis as a form of presentation of anorectal melanoma].

We report a case of anorectal melanoma, whose first manifestation was a carcinomatous meningitis. The anorectal melanoma is a rare tumor of great malignity which represents 1-3 per cent of melanomas and 0.5 per cent of anorectal tumors.