The rapidly progressing and fatal outcome of rhombencephalitis by listeriosis in a 61-year-old male.

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobic bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment and can cause severe infections in immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, and newborns. Listeriosis can manifest as meningitis, encephalitis, or sepsis, and its diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. The case is reported of a rare presentation of rhombencephalitis by listeriosis in a 61-year-old male who initially suffered from subacute gastric disturbances and fever.

Altered serum cytokines in patients with symptomatic disk herniation and depressive symptoms.

Purpose: An increasing number of studies have indicated the important role of cytokines in the development of depressive disturbances (DD). In medically ill patients, cytokines can provoked sickness behavior, the signs of which resemble DD. This results in alterations in behavior to limit energy expenditure and redirect it to cope with particular diseases.

Metalloproteinase-2 in failed back surgery syndrome caused by epidural fibrosis: can it play a role in persistent pain?

Purpose: Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) occurs in 10-40% of patients treated surgically due to disk herniation (DH). There are several factors that can cause a predisposition to FBSS, but the exact pathomechanism has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) activities in a homogeneous group of FBSS patients with epidural fibrosis in comparison to its activity in patients with surgically treated DH.

VAS and NRS, Same or Different? Are Visual Analog Scale Values and Numerical Rating Scale Equally Viable Tools for Assessing Patients after Microdiscectomy?

Objectives: To compare the viability of the numerical rating scale (NRS) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) as a pain assessment tools among a large cohort of patients who underwent microdiscectomy. . The pain intensity (PI) reduction is a parameter of surgical treatment efficacy.

IFN- Correlations with Pain Assessment, Radiological Findings, and Clinical Intercourse in Patient after Lumbar Microdiscectomy: Preliminary Study.

Objectives: We investigated the influence of pain decrease after lumbar microdiscectomy on the interferon gamma (IFN-) serum level in patients with lumbar disc herniations. The study challenges the mechanism of sciatica pain and the role of IFN- in radicular pain development. .

Clinical and biochemical predictors of late-outcome in patients after ischemic stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate neurological scales, as well as biochemical and radiological parameters measured on day 10 after ischemic stroke (IS), according to their value as predictors of the long-term outcome.

Material And Methods: 45 patients were assessed according to the Barthel Index (BI) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on day 10, and according to Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 3 months after the onset of IS. On day 10 of IS, the serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, D-dimers (DD), S100BB and Tau proteins was measured and the volume of ischemic focus assessed with the use of Computed Tomography (CT).

The impact of changes in serum levels of metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-9 on pain perception in patients with disc herniation before and after surgery.

The aim of our research was to investigate the link between serum levels of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9, and the degree of pain experienced before and 1 and 3 months after microdiscectomy in 70 patients with disc herniation (DH). The control group (group C) consisted of 70 healthy subjects and the DH group consisted of 70 patients with sciatica pain caused by lumbar DH. Before (DH0) and 1 and 3 months after surgery, the patients were assessed in terms of the following biochemical parameters: MMP-2, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), MMP-2/TIMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and MMP-9/TIMP1, and the following clinical parameters: Numeric Rating Scale for the back (NRS-B) and the leg (NRS-L) and the Pain Rating Index (PRI) and Present Pain Intensity (PPI) of the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

The Elevated Serum Level of IFN- in Patients with Failed Back Surgery Syndrome Remains Unchanged after Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Objectives: We investigated the influence of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on IFN-, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-, IL-10, and TGF- serum levels in failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) patients. The study will try to give new insights into the mechanism of SCS action and the role of IFN- and other cytokines in neuropathic pain (NP) development.

Materials And Methods: Clinical and biochemical assessment was conducted in four groups of patients: consisted of 24 FBSS patients qualified to SCS therapy, included 17 patients who were one month after implantation, featured 12 patients who were 3 months after the implantation, and (the control group) with no NP.

Serum Level of Metalloproteinase-2 but not Metalloproteinase-9 Rises in Patients With Failed Back Surgery Syndrome After Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Objectives: The impact of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on serum levels of metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was assessed in a group of patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). The study was to give new insights into the SCS mechanism of action and the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the development of NP.

Material And Methods: Clinical assessments were performed and biochemical markers were determined in two groups of patients: the control group (24 individuals) and the FBSS group (24 patients).

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome as a rare phenotype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

We reported the case of a patient with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKs) as an early clinical manifestation of sporadic Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (sCJD). The 66-year-old female complained of dizziness and imbalance which mostly occurred while walking. A neurological examination revealed a triad of symptoms characteristic for WKs such as gaze paresis, ataxia of limbs and trunk as well as memory disturbances with confabulations.

Correlation between CHDS-VASc Score and Serum Leptin Levels in Cardioembolic Stroke Patients: The Impact of Metabolic Syndrome.

Objective: To determine adipokines levels in patients with different etiologic subtypes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) status.

Methods: Serum adiponectin, leptin, and resistin levels were determined by ELISA in 99 AIS patients and 59 stroke-free control group subjects. Stroke patients were grouped based on MetS, modified TOAST classification, and CHADS-VASc scale in case of cardioembolic stroke following atrial fibrillation.

Worse Neurological State During Acute Ischemic Stroke is Associated with a Decrease in Serum Albumin Levels.

High serum albumin levels during ischemic stroke (IS) decrease the risk of a poor outcome. This study aimed to determine whether serum albumin levels within the first days after IS correlate with radiological and biochemical markers of brain tissue damage. Fifty-six IS patients were enrolled into the study.

The effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator on MMP-2 and MMP-9 activities in vitro.

One of the most significant side effects during recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) for acute stroke treatment is intracranial bleeding. Gelatinases [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9] are one of the agents involved in the blood-brain barrier destruction resulting in secondary bleeding into the ischemic area during stroke. Previous papers revealed that patients with high baseline MMP-9 serum level have higher risk of intracranial bleeding after thrombolytic therapy.

The significance of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in the ischemic stroke.

There is a continuous urgent need to explore the pathogenesis and biochemical changes within the infarcted area during acute ischemic stroke (IS). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), prevailing extracellular endopeptideses, can digest proteins located extracellulary, e.g.

Trigeminal neuralgia occurring after the third dose of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Complication or coincidence? An illustrative case report and literature review.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is an ongoing concern for medical care worldwide. Since its emergence, multiple COVID-19 vaccines have been designed, allowing for more effective control of the pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines, like any other form of medical intervention, may cause adverse and unforeseen side effects, varying in frequency and severity.

[The novel views on the patomechanism of ischemic stroke].

Stroke is the third cause of death and the first cause of handicap. Current knowledge about stroke allows to apply the effective methods of treatment or prophylaxis. Eighteen five percent of all strokes are ischemic (IS), 15% are haemmorrhagic (HS).

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 contributes to the increase of tau protein in serum during acute ischemic stroke.

Previous studies indicate that tau protein, a marker of damage to neurons, is present in the serum of healthy patients at a concentration approximately 40 percent that of patients with ischemic stroke We assumed that increased serum activity of gelatinases (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-2 and MMP-9) can influence the level of tau protein in serum, probably due to disruption of the blood-brain barrier. We obtained blood sera from 31 patients admitted within the first 24 hours of ischemic stroke on days 1, 5 and 10, following the onset of stroke. Tau protein was detected in the serum of 12 patients (38.

Does serum Tau protein predict the outcome of patients with ischemic stroke?

The prediction of outcome after ischemic stroke (IS) is currently based on indirect data from clinical and radiological evaluation. We evaluated the usefulness of serum Tau protein as possible prognostic markers for IS. Fifty-six patients with computed tomography-confirmed IS were enrolled.

Serum bilirubin and uric acid levels as the bad prognostic factors in the ischemic stroke.

Bilirubin (Bil) and uric acid (UA) are the endogenous antioxidant compounds possibly involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke (IS). Our goal was to find the relationship between serum Bil and UA levels with clinical presentation and outcomes of patients suffering from IS. Forty-three patients (mean age: 71.

Simvastatin inhibits the increase in serum tau protein levels in the acute phase of ischemic stroke.

Our goal was to analyze the effects of treatment with a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (simvastatin, 40 mg/day) on serum S100BB and tau protein levels during the acute ischemic stroke (IS). Twenty four patients with IS were divided into two equal groups; treated and untreated with simvastatin. Blood was obtained four times during acute IS.

[Oxidative stress in cerebral stroke].

Free radicals are molecules or ions containing non-paired electrons on the external orbit, which ensures their high chemical activity. In systemic homeostasis, free radicals are inactivated by endo- and exogenous antioxidants and do not have destructive effects. The human organism possesses protective mechanisms, i.