Publications by authors named "Shakespear Norshalena"

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often seen with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), and these conditions may occur concurrently with severe immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and even acute kidney injury (AKI); however, post-renal AKI due to bleeding is uncommon. Here, we describe a case of post-renal AKI and anuria in a patient with SLE and APS, which were attributable to urinary tract obstruction due to massive blood clots caused by secondary ITP. A 50-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital with anuria, abdominal tenderness, purpura in the trunk and in both legs, and severe thrombocytopenia.

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Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is a progressive and life-threatening disease with pulmonary vasculature remodeling, leading to right-sided heart failure. Epoprostenol (prostaglandin I) is highly recommended for patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) categorized by the World Health Organization as functional class III or IV. It has been reported that prostaglandin I analogs can cause thyroid gland swelling and abnormal thyroid function.

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Article Synopsis
  • * An 80-year-old man exhibited symptoms like new headaches and jaw pain, and was ultimately diagnosed with TA, but treatment with high-dose steroids did not alleviate his severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
  • * While a new medication helped reduce some of his digestive issues, unfortunately, the patient died due to intestinal perforation, emphasizing the need for thorough investigation of gastrointestinal symptoms in similar patients.
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Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome is an inflammatory disorder caused by somatic variants, which are sometimes associated with hematological disorders, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). VEXAS syndrome often overlaps with rheumatic diseases, including relapsing polychondritis. Here, we describe a case of VEXAS syndrome with auricular chondritis and exceptional multiple myeloma (MM).

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Astrocytes release exosomes that regulate neuronal cell function. 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) is a well-known neurotoxin used to induce cell death in in vitro Parkinson's disease models, and microRNA (miRNA) transferred by released exosomes can regulate its mechanisms. Here, we demonstrated that exosomes released from normal astrocytes (ADEXs), but not exosomes derived from MPP-stimulated astrocytes (MPP-ADEXs), significantly attenuate MPP-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells and primary mesencephalic dopaminergic neuron cultures, and reduce expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4), an important upstream kinase in the c-Jun N-terminal kinase cell death pathway.

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The development of neuroprotective agents is necessary for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report PQA-11, a prenylated quinolinecarboxylic acid (PQA) derivative, as a potent neuroprotectant. PQA-11 inhibits glutamate-induced cell death and caspase-3 activation in hippocampal cultures, as well as inhibits N-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium iodide- and amyloid β-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells.

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A 26-year-old, 17-week pregnant woman developed aquaporin-4-IgG-positive severe longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis during the course of disseminated herpes zoster and became quadriparetic. She was unresponsive to high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone but became able to walk without assistance after intravenous immunoglobulin. One and a half months later, left optic neuritis developed but her vision improved with intravenous immunoglobulin.

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Five consecutive cases of anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis that we encountered were marked by a rapidly fluctuating level of consciousness associated with psychotic and delirious mental states. Opisthotonus, catatonia, and rhythmic and non-rhythmic involuntary movements of the mouth and jaw were also characteristic features of these particular cases. Serious and potentially fatal problems included epilepsia partialis continua, partial and generalized seizures, and respiratory depression, resembling the symptoms of encephalitis lethargica.

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