Neurologic complications in herpes simplex encephalitis: clinical, immunological and genetic studies.

Patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis (HSE) often develop neuronal autoantibody-associated encephalitis (AE) post-infection. Risk factors of AE are unknown. We tested the hypotheses that predisposition for AE post-HSE may be involved, including genetic variants at specific loci, human leucocyte (HLA) haplotypes, or the blood innate immune response against HSV, including type I interferon (IFN) immunity.

Anti-Zic4 paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration in a patient with EGFR-mutated NSCLC: a case report.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is one of the most prevalent neurological paraneoplastic syndromes, typically associated with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). PCD is thought to be caused by proteins expressed by tumor cells which trigger an antibody-mediated immune response. Despite PCD being commonly associated with anti-Yo, anti-Hu and anti-Tr/DNER antibodies, PCD is the most prevalent paraneoplastic syndrome in patients harboring anti-Zic4 antibodies.

Frequency, symptoms, risk factors, and outcomes of autoimmune encephalitis after herpes simplex encephalitis: a prospective observational study and retrospective analysis.

Background: Herpes simplex encephalitis can trigger autoimmune encephalitis that leads to neurological worsening. We aimed to assess the frequency, symptoms, risk factors, and outcomes of this complication.

Methods: We did a prospective observational study and retrospective analysis.

Substantia Nigra Echogenicity Predicts Response to Drug Withdrawal in Suspected Drug-Induced Parkinsonism.

Introduction: Response to drug withdrawal in patients with suspected drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) is of prognostic and therapeutic importance, but cannot be predicted solely on clinical information. The aim of this study was to validate SN hyperechogenicity (SN+) assessed by transcranial sonography as a predictor of response to drug withdrawal in this group of patients.

Methods: Patients were diagnosed according to previously published criteria and prospectively included in the study.

[Gustavo Pittaluga and the expedition to study sleeping sickness in the Spanish territories of the Gulf of Guinea (1909)].

Introduction: Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis, caused an important mortality at the beginnings of the twentieth century. For this reason the European colonial countries organized several scientific expeditions which contributed decisively to the knowledge of the disease.

Aim: To study the first investigation performed in Spain on African trypanosomiasis and in the field of tropical medicine, which was accomplished by a scientific expedition to the Spanish territories in the Gulf of Guinea organized by Cajal in 1909.