Intracranial brain parenchymal spread of mucormycosis through olfactory tract: a diffusion-weighted imaging-based concept.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection involving among others the paranasal sinuses, nasal fossa and brain parenchyma. Mucor can invade the brain parenchyma by either contiguous spread from the paranasal sinuses or through vascular invasion. We report a case of fatal rhino-cerebral mucormycosis in whom cytotoxic edema at magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging was symmetrically restricted to both neocortical and paleocortical primary areas of olfactory projection at earliest phase of the disease process.

Drug-drug interactions in the intensive care unit: Do they really matter?

Purpose: To describe prevalence and patterns of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in the intensive care unit (ICU), occurrence of adverse drug events (ADEs), and agreement between different compendia and intensivists' perceptions.

Methods: A cross-sectional study. Drug profiles of all adult patients from 2 academic ICUs were screened on day 3 upon admission.

Transient perioperative visual loss after an elective neurosurgical procedure.

Objective: To describe a case of reversible visual loss after a neurosurgical intervention and to discuss the role of the prone position as a potential risk factor.

Observation: A 63-year-old woman without significant medical previous history underwent elective resection of a left parieto-occipital meningioma. Preoperatively, the patient presented a right homonymous lower quadranopsia.

[Acute methanol intoxication: physiopathology, prognosis and treatment].

Acute methanol poisoning is mainly the consequence of voluntary or accidental ingestion. The mortality and morbidity rates remain very high despite intensive care therapy. Methanol by itself is poorly toxic.

[Efficacy and safety of acetaminophen-codeine in the treatment of pain].

The treatment of acute or chronic pain of variable intensity and origin, is efficiently achieved by the association of paracetamol and codeine. At a dose of 1000 mg paracetamol and 60 mg of codeine, this association is considered one of the most efficient as compared to other analgesics of level II in the OMS classification, like tramadol.

A Belgian traveler who acquired yellow fever in the Gambia.

A 47-year-old Belgian woman acquired yellow fever during a 1-week vacation in The Gambia; she had never been vaccinated against yellow fever. She died of massive gastrointestinal bleeding 7 days after the onset of the first symptoms. This dramatic case demonstrates that it is important for persons to be vaccinated against yellow fever before they travel to countries where yellow fever is endemic, even if the country, like The Gambia, does not require travelers to be vaccinated.

Carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and teratogenicity of manganese compounds.

Manganese, an essential trace element, is one of the most used metals in the industry. Recently, several new manganese compounds have been introduced as fungicide, as antiknock agent in petrol and as contrasting agent in nuclear magnetic resonance tomography. Manganese displays a somewhat unique behaviour with regard to its toxicity.