Brazilian consensus recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune encephalitis in the adult and pediatric populations.

Background:  Autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) is a group of inflammatory diseases characterized by the presence of antibodies against neuronal and glial antigens, leading to subacute psychiatric symptoms, memory complaints, and movement disorders. The patients are predominantly young, and delays in treatment are associated with worse prognosis.

Objective:  With the support of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (Academia Brasileira de Neurologia, ABN) and the Brazilian Society of Child Neurology (Sociedade Brasileira de Neurologia Infantil, SBNI), a consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of AIE in Brazil was developed using the Delphi method.

Impacts of environmental tobacco smoke on the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.

Background:  Unlike cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has not been as well described as an environmental risk for Multiple sclerosis (MS) nor as a risk factor for disease progression.

Objective:  We systematically reviewed the association between ETS and the risk of onset and/or progression of MS.

Methods:  We systematically screened MedLine/PubMed, Science Direct, LILACs, and SciELO searching for publications between January 1st, 2010, and July 5, 2021, with the following keywords: "multiple sclerosis and smoking"; "multiple sclerosis and passive smoking"; "multiple sclerosis and secondhand smoking".

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders with a benign course. Analysis of 544 patients.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) most commonly cause severe disability which is related to disease attacks. However, some patients retain good neurological function for a long time after disease onset.

Objectives: To determine the frequency, demographic and the clinical features of good outcome NMOSD, and analyze their predictive factors.

Update of the Brazilian consensus recommendations on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

In the last few decades, there have been considerable improvements in the diagnosis and care of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common childhood muscular dystrophy. International guidelines have been published and recently reviewed. A group of Brazilian experts has developed a standard of care based on a literature review with evidence-based graded recommendations in a two-part publication.

Interleukin-31 and soluble CD40L: new candidate serum biomarkers that predict therapeutic response in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), varying from relatively benign to severely disabling. Although the roles of several cytokines and chemokines in MS are well established, their roles in MS lesions and evolution remain a matter of debate. Soluble CD40L (sCD40L) is a ligand that induces lymphocyte proinflammatory activity by stimulating the activation and maturation of B cells, promoting isotype switching and affinity hypermutation.

Idiopathic Hypertrophic Spinal Pachymeningitis: A Case Report.

Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis is rare cause of neurological symptoms with myelopathy due to spinal cord compression. We report a case of pachymeningitis, which was manifested primarily by tetraparesis after low-energy trauma and recurrence the myelopathy symptoms after 5 years of surgery. The patient, a 19-year-old woman, was subjected to extensive investigation without evidence of any underlying disease.

Recommendations by the Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (DCNI/ABN) and the Brazilian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunological Diseases (BCTRIMS) on vaccination in general and specifically against SARS-CoV-2 for patients with demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system.

The Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (DCNI/ABN) and Brazilian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunological Diseases (BCTRIMS) provide recommendations in this document for vaccination of the population with demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) against infections in general and against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19. We emphasize the seriousness of the current situation in view of the spread of COVID-19 in our country. Therefore, reference guides on vaccination for clinicians, patients, and public health authorities are particularly important to prevent some infectious diseases.

Clinical Features of COVID-19 on Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders.

Background And Objectives: To describe the clinical features and disease outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Methods: The Neuroimmunology Brazilian Study Group has set up the report of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV2) cases in patients with NMOSD (pwNMOSD) using a designed web-based case report form. All neuroimmunology outpatient centers and individual neurologists were invited to register their patients across the country.

Neuralgic Amyotrophy: Its Importance in Orthopedics Practice.

The present academic work aims to contribute to an early diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) because of its high prevalence in the population. This disease is a neuromuscular syndrome with unclear etiology; it affects mostly the brachial plexus, causing acute pain in the affected shoulder, paralysis, and disabilities. Considering the importance of an early treatment that can modify the prognosis of the patient, knowing the last updates about the syndrome as its clinical presentation is important.

A New Vision at the Interface of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke.

Current evidence questions the linear sequence traditionally described in atrial fibrillation, blood stasis, intracavitary thrombus, and embolization to the central nervous system. Currently, new perspectives have been described based on questions from the linearly traditional chronology of events; it is within this scope that the article has its objective. The association of the two entities is biologically plausible and supported by different cohorts with a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, especially in the cardioembolic form.

Latent tuberculosis infection reactivation in patients with multiple sclerosis in use of disease-modifying therapies: A systematic review.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious-contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This disease can act acutely or in latent form as granuloma. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease more common in the Central Nervous System (CNS).

Altered expression of microRNAs and B lymphocytes during Natalizumab therapy in multiple sclerosis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of non-translated small ribonucleic acids (RNAs) measuring 21-25 nucleotides in length that play various roles in multiple sclerosis (MS). By regulating gene expression via either mediating translational repression or cleavage of the target RNA, miRNAs can alter the expression of transcripts in different cells, such as B lymphocytes, also known as B cells. They are crucial in the pathogenesis of MS; however, they have not been extensively studied during the treatment of some drugs such as natalizumab (NTZ).

Painful legs and moving toes.

A 40-year-old woman reported involuntary and irregular movements of her left toes accompanied by pain. This arose following arthroscopy after a sprained left ankle. She had involuntary flexion-extension and abduction and adduction movements of the hallux and the other toes, with reduced pinprick sensation on the skin web between the left hallux and the second toe.

Encephalopathy responsive to thiamine in severe COVID-19 patients.

Encephalopathy is one of the most frequent neurological complications of severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Cytokine storm and sepsis, hypercatabolic states, the use of furosemide and dialytic therapy represent risk factors for thiamine deficiency and are also found in patients with severe COVID-19. In this retrospective case series, we report clinical and neurological findings of fifteen patients with COVID-19-associated Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE) and their response to treatment with intravenous thiamine.

Wernicke Encephalopathy in COVID-19 Patients: Report of Three Cases.

Encephalopathy has been frequently reported in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to COVID-19, and its etiology remains undetermined. These patients display hypercatabolic state, weight loss, use of diuretics, and dialytic therapy, which represent risk factors for thiamine depletion. The diagnosis of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is challenging and based on risk factors for the depletion of thiamine.

Neurological Complications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have We Got So Far?

The recently emerged coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of COVID-19, is the newest threat to human health. It has already infected more than 54.5 million people worldwide, currently leading to more than 1.

Patients and neurologists have different perceptions of multiple sclerosis symptoms, care and challenges.

Background: Basic steps in the management of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), such as good patient understanding of the disease and active participation in its management are extremely important, as they directly influence treatment adherence and success. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the perception of MS patients and neurologists pertaining to the most common disease symptoms, disabilities that impact on quality of life, and patient concerns and difficulties during medical visits, as information that can be used to improve the doctor-patient relationship.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving two groups: the first composed of neurologists and the second of patients.

MOG-IgG-associated disorder and systemic lupus erythematosus disease: Systematic review.

Introduction: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) is a nervous system protein expressed by oligodendrocytes to constitute the myelin sheath. Autoantibodies against MOG have been widely described in neurological and autoimmune diseases such as MOG-IgG-associated disorder (MOGAD).Although underlying mechanisms have not yet been understood, an overlap of MOGAD and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) has been shown in the literature.

Diffuse skin rash in tropical areas: Dengue fever or COVID-19?

There have been several clinical manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection since 2019, including dermatological signs and symptoms. In this article, the authors report a case of a previously healthy patient with COVID-19 who was mistakenly diagnosed with dengue fever due to a skin rash. By the time the patient's investigation was initiated, Joinville (Santa Catarina, Brazil) had approximately 5,000 confirmed cases of dengue fever and 1,700 cases of COVID-19 in 2020.

Correlation between IL-31 and sCD40L plasma levels in Fingolimod-treated patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS).

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, several protocols are described for the different phases of MS. In this longitudinal study, we aim to quantify the concentration of plasma cytokines of MS patients treated with Fingolimod alone or after Glatiramer Acetate (GA) or Interferon-beta (IFN-β), in order to compeer both treatments and describes if it is possible to use them as biomarkers.