The role of TH17 cells in multiple sclerosis: Therapeutic implications.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) where immunopathology is thought to be mediated by myelin-reactive CD4 T helper (TH) cells. The TH cells most commonly implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease are of TH1 and TH17 lineage, which are defined by the production of interferon-γ and interleukin-17, respectively. Moreover, there is emerging evidence for the involvement of TH17.

"Spreading the word of the master": the contribution of Italian physicians in the early dissemination of Jean-Martin Charcot's theories.

Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) laid the foundations of modern neurology. The lectures he gave at La Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris attracted a large number of visitors from all over the world. Some of them transcribed these clinical lessons, translating and publishing them when returning home.

Carotid Calcium Volume and Stenosis after Stent Implantation.

Introduction: Internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis could be treated with stent placement. It was hypothesized that calcium amount could be predictive of vessel stenosis after stent placement. We utilised computed tomography (CT) angiography to quantify volume of calcium material in bulbar ICA.

Giovanni Mingazzini (1859-1929) and his opposition to Pierre Marie's conception of motor aphasia.

This article describes the contribution of Giovanni Mingazzini (1859-1929), the "Father of Italian Neurology," in the description of the subcortical structures involved in motor aphasia and his opposition to Pierre Marie's (1853-1940) conception of aphasia. In one of the most famous controversies in the history of neurology, the French neurologists Joseph Jules Dejerine (1849-1917), Augusta Dejerine-Klumpke (1859-1927), and Pierre Marie (1853-1940) faced each other during the three symposiums of the French Society of Neurology in 1908. The debate, which was later called "the aphasia quarrel", focused on the subject of aphasia.

The international European Academy of Neurology survey on neurological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 infection.

Background And Purpose: Although the main clinical features of COVID-19 infection are pulmonary, several associated neurological signs, symptoms and diseases are emerging. The incidence and characteristics of neurological complications are unclear. For this reason, the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) core COVID-19 Task Force initiated a survey on neurological symptoms observed in patients with COVID-19 infection.

Jean-Martin Charcot´s medical instruments: Electrotherapeutic devices in .

In the famous painting (A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière) by André Brouillet (1857-1914), the neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) is shown delivering a clinical lecture in front of a large audience. A hysterical patient, Marie Wittman (known as "Blanche"; 1859-1912) is leaning against Charcot's pupil, Joseph Babinski (1857-1932). Lying on the table close to Charcot are some medical instruments, traditionally identified as a Duchenne electrotherapy apparatus and a reflex hammer.

Sexual symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder following childhood sexual abuse: a network analysis.

Background: Even though recent research indicates that sexual symptoms are highly prevalent in post-traumatic stress disorder following childhood sexual abuse and cause severe distress, current treatments neither address them nor are they effective in reducing them. This might be due to a lack of understanding of sexual symptoms' specific role in the often complex and comorbid psychopathology of post-traumatic stress disorder following childhood abuse.

Methods: Post-traumatic, dissociative, depressive, and sexual symptoms were assessed in 445 inpatients with post-traumatic stress disorder following childhood sexual abuse.

A systematic review of neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection: the devil is hidden in the details.

Background And Purpose: We systematically reviewed available evidence for reports of neurological signs and symptoms in patients with COVID-19 to identify cases with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infection or immune-mediated reaction in the nervous system.

Methods: We followed PRISMA guidelines and used the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar, MedRxiv and ChinaXiv databases to search for articles on COVID-19 and nervous system involvement that were published from 1 January to 24 April 2020. Data on design, sample size, neurological assessment and related work-up were extracted.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Final Stage of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system. The clinical course is characterized by rapid progression of neurological and neuromuscular symptoms. The late stage with loss of consciousness is not well characterized.

Actigraphy in brain-injured patients - A valid measurement for assessing circadian rhythms?

Background: Actigraphy has received increasing attention in classifying rest-activity cycles. However, in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC), actigraphy data may be considerably confounded by passive movements, such as nursing activities and therapies. Consequently, this study verified whether circadian rhythmicity is (still) visible in actigraphy data from patients with DOC after correcting for passive movements.

Therapy of Dysphagia by Prolonged Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation (Phagenyx) in a Patient with Brainstem Infarction.

Dysphagia after stroke impacts quality of life and is a risk factor for respiratory infections. Patients frequently require prophylactic measures including nasogastric tube or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Until recently, therapy for dysphagia was limited to training with a speech and language specialist.

Successful disease control with alemtuzumab in MOG-IgG-associated demyelinating disease with MS-phenotype.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in serum denote an emerging autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. Treatment trials have not been performed so far and anecdotal reports suggest that immunotherapies approved for multiple sclerosis (MS) may not be effective. We report favorable disease control with alemtuzumab, a CD52 depleting antibody approved for active MS, in a 34-year-old woman with the rarer condition of MOG-IgG disease with MS-phenotype.

Intracranial Vertebrobasilar Calcification in Patients with Ischemic Stroke is a Predictor of Recurrent Stroke, Vascular Disease, and Death: A Case-Control Study.

Intracranial artery calcification can be detected on nonenhanced brain computer tomography (NECT) and is a predictor of early vascular events. Here, we assessed the impact of vertebrobasilar artery calcification (VBC) on the long-term risk for recurrent stroke and vascular events. We performed a case-control trial of all consecutive stroke patients admitted to the University Hospital of Maribor, Slovenia over a period of 14 months.

Vitamin D Supplementation in Multiple Sclerosis: A Critical Analysis of Potentials and Threats.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In recent years, vitamin D has gained attention, as low serum levels are suspected to increase the risk for MS. Cholecalciferol supplementation has been tested in several clinical trials, since hypovitaminosis D was linked to higher disease activity and may even play a role in long-term outcome.

Cerebral HSV-1 Vasculitis as a Fatal Complication of Immunosuppression in Non-Hodgkin´s Lymphoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Patients with lymphoma are predisposed to infection because of the immunocompromised state related to the disease itself and as a consequence of chemo-/radiotherapy. Here, we report a case of Herpes-simplex virus encephalitis (HSE) in an immunosuppressed patient with splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), a rare indolent variant of non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma (NHL). The course was complicated febrile neutropenia and HSV-1-related cerebral vasculitis causing progressive ischemic stroke.

Clinical Challenges in a 49-Year-Old Patient with Severe Tick-Borne Myeloradiculitis Despite Complete Active Vaccination.

Vaccination is an effective means to prevent infectious diseases including tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), an emerging Flavivirus infection. There is, however, only limited knowledge about risk of vaccination failure, the disease course and the challenges for work-up and care. Of note, there is evidence that patients with breakthrough disease experience a more severe disease course.

Immunological consequences of "immune reconstitution therapy" in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review.

Immune reconstitution therapy (IRT) is an emerging concept for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) that is given intermittently and can induce long-term remission of MS that is sustained in treatment-free periods. A systematic literature review was performed to identify and summarize current knowledge regarding the short- and long-term immunological consequences of different IRTs and CD20 depleting therapies on the cellular level in patients with MS. A total of 586 articles published between January 2010 and September 2019 were identified and screened; 44 studies met inclusion criteria for the review.

Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review of Current Knowledge and Impact of Immunotherapies.

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (CAD) has been reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This systematic review summarizes the evidence for the types and prevalence of CAD in MS patients, as well as its association with MS type, disease characteristics, fatigue and immunotherapies used to treat MS. The analysis revealed that CAD is correlated with pathophysiological processes of MS, can trigger serious cardiovascular complications that may reduce life expectancy, and may have implications for treatment with immunotherapies, especially fingolimod.

Evidence-based guidelines on the therapeutic use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS): An update (2014-2018).

A group of European experts reappraised the guidelines on the therapeutic efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) previously published in 2014 [Lefaucheur et al., Clin Neurophysiol 2014;125:2150-206]. These updated recommendations take into account all rTMS publications, including data prior to 2014, as well as currently reviewed literature until the end of 2018.

Delayed high-grade atrioventricular block requiring pacemaker implantation in a multiple sclerosis patient treated with fingolimod.

Fingolimod is a sphingosine-1-phosphate 1 (S1P1) modulator which retains lymphocytes in secondary lymphoid organs and is approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The decrease of heart rate and AV block are reversible side-effects of treatment initiation. We report a case of persistent high-grade atrioventricular (AV) block 450 days after start of fingolimod and permanent pacemaker requirement in late-onset relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS).