Bilateral facial palsy with paresthesias, variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome following COVID-19 vaccine: A case series of 9 patients.

Several cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) associated with COVID-19 vaccination have been reported, including the rare subtype known as Bilateral Facial Palsy with paresthesias (BFP). To date, it is not known whether a causal relationship may exist between the two. We report 9 cases of BFP in patients vaccinated against COVID-19 in the previous month.

Standardization of factor VIII: establishment and use of secondary standards.

Two secondary standards for use in routine assays of Factor VIII in therapeutic concentrates and in patients, plasmas, respectively, have been established in a multicenter collaborative study. In order to assess the effect of the adoption of these preparations as common Secondary Standards a comparative assay has been performed: one sample of a Factor VIII concentrate of intermediate purity and one plasma sample have been tested in two laboratories for Factor VIII:C activity using as reference, among others, the common working standard. Analysis of the results shows that with the plasma sample the differences of the estimates obtained with any of the references in our two laboratories were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.

Comprehensive study of haemostasis in nephrotic syndrome.

A comprehensive study of haemostasis has been performed in a homogeneous group of 20 patients with nephrotic syndrome without renal failure. We have found unchanged number of platelets and a significant increase of platelet adhesiveness and aggregation; increased levels of activity and related antigen of fibrinogen, of factor VIII, of activity of factors II, VII and X and of antigens of factors XIII. Antithrombin III was unchanged in plasma and was detected in the urine.

Comprehensive study of haemostasis in chronic uraemia.

A comprehensive study of haemostasis has been performed in a homogeneous group of 25 adult patients with conservatively treated chronic uraemia. We have found prolonged bleeding time, impaired platelet adhesiveness and aggregation, and decreased platelet factor 3 activity, increased values of fibrinogen, of factor VIII activity and related antigen, and of combined levels of factors II, VII and X. Non-significantly abnormal concentrations of factor XIII and of plasminogen and significantly lower values of plasminogen activators and higher values of urokinase inhibitors and anti-plasmin have also been found.

Antithrombin III, heparin cofactor and antifactor Xa in relation to age, sex and pathological condition.

Antithrombin III (At-III) activity and protein, heparin cofactor activity, antifactor Xa activity were determined in 200 healthy adults, evenly distributed within age and sex groups, in 60 patients with cerebral thrombosis and in 20 oral contraceptive users. There was a positive correlation between At-III protein and its activities in normal subjects and in patients with cerebral thrombosis. The mean At-III protein and heparin cofactor activity values decreased with age in men and in women of fertile age.

Characterization of heterogeneity of haemophilia B for the detection of carriers.

Factor IX activity (IX:C) and antigern (IX:Ag) as well as factor VII, prothrombin time, Normotest and Thrombotest were determined in 37 haemophiliacs B from 26 kindreds, in 30 carriers of haemophilia B and in 40 healthy subjects. In 15 obligatory carriers from 9 kindreds, in which haemophiliacs did not exhibit IX:Ag in excess of IX:C, IX:C was parallel with IX:Ag, but in 4 from 4 kindreds, in which haemophiliacs exhibit excess of IX:Ag, there was a discrepancy between IX:C and IX:Ag. Among the obligatory carriers 6 from 3 kindreds, in which haemophiliacs did not have IX:Ag in excess of IX:C, showed that the anomaly M is not a sign of genetic variability of haemophilia B.