A case report of simultaneous autoimmune and COVID-19 encephalitis.

COVID-19 encephalitis is a rare condition usually presenting with altered mental status. Simultaneous presence of anti-NMDAR antibody and SARS-CoV-2 virus in CSF is a very rare condition described in a few case reports so far. On the other hand, brain edema is an unusual presentation of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Herein, we reported a case with simultaneous detection of anti-NMDAR antibody and SARS-CoV-2 virus in her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) presenting with brain edema, altered mental status, seizures, and respiratory symptoms.

Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with COVID-19: a case report study.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading around the world. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) typically present fever, cough, and respiratory illnesses. It has been revealed that the comorbidities can turn it into severe types, and the managements meet unpredicted complications. Here, we report a case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) coincidence with confirmed acute Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Ten days after admission and therapeutic process, the patient developed autonomic dysfunction. Despite respiratory support and receiving intravenous immunoglobulin, the patient died due to cardiac arrest. Albeit it is yet scientifically doubtful, there are raising concerns toward a possible association between GBS and SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrating potential neurological symptoms of COVID-19.

A rare case of coexistence of Wegener's granulomatosis and pulmonary tuberculosis with subsequent development of thrombosis of the cerebral veins.

BACKGROUND: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), also known as Wegener's granulomatosis, is an idiopathic systemic disease typically affecting the lungs, although other organs may also be involved. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old male was admitted to Baqiyatallah university hospital in Teheran (Iran) after a 3-week history of fever and productive cough. The patient gradually developed fatigue, arthralgia, hematuria, nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, hemoptysis, weight loss, oliguria and then anuria. Chest-X-ray (CXR) and computerized tomography scan revealed cavitating nodular opacities in the right lung lobe. Furthermore, plasma creatinine increased from 2.2 to 4 mg/dl in a few days. Histopathological examination of kidney biopsy revealed peri-glomerular and peri-vascular inflammation, degeneration and necrosis of the tubular epithelial lining, red blood cell casts, distorted glomerular structure, fibrin thrombi, segmental breaks of the glomerular basal membrane, disruption of Bowman's capsular membrane and crescent formation of the affected glomeruli. An abnormal CXR, an abnormal urinary sediment and a typical kidney histology were used as criteria to diagnose glomerulonefritis with poliangiitis (GPA). Bronchoalveolar lavage smear and PCR turned out positive for mycobacterium tuberculosis. After 3 months of treatment for (GPA) and tuberculosis the patient developed headache and seizure. Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Venography revealed cerebral venous thrombosis of the sinus transverse and sigmoid. CONCLUSIONS: Tuberculosis may coexist with GPA, as it occurred in our patient. Since a crescentic glomerulonephritis can progress to renal failure, clinicians should always be aware of potential multiple conditions when considering differential diagnoses.

Cutaneous manifestations related to the COVID-19 pandemic: a review article.

BACKGROUND: Skin lesions are either caused by COVID-19 disease or they can be due to other driving forces related to the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: Considering the fact that the reported data in different articles for the type and prevalence of skin manifestations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are inconsistent, we have described the mechanism and type of skin lesions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this review article, we have searched the Medline database (PubMed) for the combination of the following key terms "Dermatological Manifestation", "cutaneous Manifestation", "Skin Manifestation", "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2". RESULTS: The prevalence of skin manifestations related to COVID-19 ranged from 0.2% to 20%. The majority of these skin lesions are maculopapular eruptions. The skin presentations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are described below. Traumatic skin conditions such as dermatitis in individuals, especially those with allergies, might initiate secondary to over-washing or rinsing with inappropriate detergents. Also, inappropriate use of personal protective equipment (mask-gloves-shield) can trigger skin lesions on the face and hands or aggravate the lesions of acne, seborrhoeic dermatitis, eczema, etc. Furthermore, cutaneous adverse drug reactions may occur during hospitalization or outpatient treatment of COVID-19 patients. Also, psychocutaneous disorders due to acute stress can trigger or deteriorate several skin manifestations. Moreover, COVID-19 prevalence and course may be changed in patients with autoimmune or chronic inflammatory underlying skin disorders such as psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, pemphigus, scleroderma who are on immunosuppressive or biological medications to control their disorders. CONCLUSION: Due to the various dimensions of skin organ involvement and the large population affected, long-term skin conditions following this pandemic can be a lot more problematic than it appears. Serious preventive measures and medical supports are necessary to avoid skin disorders from becoming permanent or even chronic.

Systematic Review of Cell Therapy Efficacy in Human Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most debilitating problems for humans. About 6 months after the initial injury, a cascade of secondary cellular and molecular events occurs and the primary damage enters the chronic phase. Current treatments are not curative. One of the new treatment methods is the use of cell therapy, which is gradually being tested in clinical trials to improve the symptoms of SCI patients. In this review article, we investigated the effect of different cell therapy trials in improving patients' symptoms and their paraclinical indicators. In the 72 final reviewed studies with 1144 cases and 186 controls, 20 scores were recorded as outcomes. We categorized the scores into seven groups. In upper extremity motor score, daily living function, trunk stability, postural hypotension, somatosensory evoked potential, and motor evoked potential scores, the bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell therapy had a more healing effect. In the International Association of Neurorestoratology SCI Functional Rating Scale, light touch score, bowel function, decreased spasticity, Visual Analog Scale, and electromyography scores, the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell had more impact. The olfactory ensheathing cell had a greater effect on lower extremity motor score and pinprick scores than other cells. The embryonic stem cell had the greatest effect in improving the important score of the American Spinal Injury Association scale. Based on the obtained results, it seems that a special cell should be used to improve each symptom of patients with chronic SCI, and if the improvement of several harms is involved, the combination of cells may be effective. Impact statement Compared to similar review articles published so far, we reviewed the largest number of published articles, and so the largest number of cases and controls, and the variety of cells we examined was more than other published articles. We concluded that different cells are effective for improving the symptoms and paraclinical indicators of patients with chronic spinal cord injury. Bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell have had the higher overall mean effect in more scores (each in six scores). If the improvement of several harms is involved, the combination of cells may be effective.

Adverse events of cell therapy clinical trials in human chronic spinal cord injury, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Spinal cord injury is a lesion with high mortality and significant morbidities. After the primary injury, during six months, a cascade of secondary cellular and molecular events makes the lesion chronic. Recently, cell-based clinical trials as a new procedure have been gradually tested to improve the symptoms of patients. Each treatment method is associated with different adverse events. Based on the PRISMA flow diagram of the identified records, and after multistep screening, finally in 76 reviewed studies with 1633 cases and 189 controls, 64 types of adverse events in 12 categories were recorded in 45 studies. The most common adverse events were transient backache and meningism (90%) and cord malacia (80%). The cell therapy method in which the treatment was associated with more adverse events was Olfactory ensheathing cell and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell combination therapy in 55%, and the adverse events were less with the embryonic stem cell in 2.33% of patients. In a meta-analysis, the total prevalence of adverse events in cell therapy was 19% and the highest pulled effect size belonged to urinary tract and localized adverse events. Also, the total prevalence of adverse events in 14 cell therapy methods was 18% and four cell types (neural stem cell, bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell, embryonic stem cell, and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell) had the most effect. None of the adverse events were reported on the 4 (life-threatening consequences) and 5 (death) grading scales. We concluded that the frequency of life-threatening adverse events following cell therapy clinical trials in chronic spinal cord injury patients is very scarce and can be ignored.

Covid-19 vaccines and neurological complications: a systematic review.

The COVID-19 mainly causes respiratory disorders with high infection and severe morbidity and mortality. Neurologists have concerns about potential neurological side effects, profits, and timing of COVID-19 vaccines. This study aimed to review systematically research for the COVID-19 vaccine and neurological complications. Data was searched in Scopus, ISI web of knowledge, Medline, PubMed, Wiley, Embase, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Two reviewer authors individually searched and assessed the titles and abstracts of all articles. The third reviewer resolved disagreement between them. Data were documented regarding study location, study design, type of complications, number of patients, various types of COVID-19 vaccine, and type of neurological complications. Six studies in COVID-19 vaccine and neurological complications include two studies about neurological manifestations after the mRNA vaccines, four records about side effects of vector-based vaccine were included in the study. The main neurological complication associated mRNA vaccines were body aches, paresthesia, and difficulty walking, erythema migrans lesion, fatigue, myalgia, and pain in the left lateral deltoid region. The major neurological complication related to vector-based vaccines were urinary retention difficulty, feeding and ambulating, arm soreness, mild fatigue, chills, left-sided facial droop, headaches, a generalized epileptic seizure, hemianopia, and mild aphasia, acute somnolence and right-hand hemiparesis, acute transverse myelitis, deep vein thrombosis in her left leg, a vigilance disorder and a twitching, a severe immobilizing opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome, and encephalitis. A large spectrum of severe neurological unfavorable has been reported. These complications could occur as a result of molecular stimulation and later neuronal damage. Generally, the advantages of COVID-19 vaccination are dominant on the risks of a neurological complication at both individual and population levels. Future investigations will be required to find any relationship between neurological complications and COVID-19 vaccines principally as new strains of the virus and new vaccines are technologically advanced against them.

VZV Encephalitis with Brucella coinfection-case report.

Encephalitis occasionally occurs due to the central nervous system (CNS) infection by Varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The coincidence of herpes Encephalitis-brain infection and brucellosis occurs rarely. In this case, a 56-year-old woman was described with low consciousness, seizures, fever, and mood disorders. The brain CT revealed no pathological lesions, but MR showed non-specific plaques in the periventricular white matter. VZV was detected in molecular tests for the panel of viral Encephalitis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The blood culture and the Wright test revealed the presence of Brucella spp. The antiviral treatment of choice was Acyclovir, Levetiracetam to control seizures, and Ampicillin/Sulbactam as prophylaxis antibiotics. Coinfections common poor prognoses makes it crucial to administer antiviral medications immediately. Many clinical challenges require a multidisciplinary team, including involvement of the CNS, resistance to viral strains, reactivation of diseases, and drug toxicity. The early detection of Encephalitis and treatment can promptly prevent exacerbation and complications.

Neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection; a cross-sectional study on hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global issue now, can have a variety of clinical manifestations. Hundreds of articles have discussed different aspects of this infectious disease, such as physiopathology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations and treatment protocols. Recently, neurological manifestations of the disease have been found to be pretty common among COVID-19 patients. Here, neurological symptoms of COVID-19 infection with a focus on non-cerebrovascular complications are discussed in a large study population. METHODS: Neurological symptoms of 891hospitalized COVID-19 patients from March to June 2020 in a major Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were reviewed. Demographic characteristics and neurological manifestations were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 891 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the following symptoms were observed: headache (63.9%), sleeping problems (51.3%), hyposmia/anosmia (46%), dizziness (45.4%), hypogeusia (42.1%), memory issues (31.5%), auditory disturbances (17.5%), paralysis (3.7%) and seizures (1.7%). In 29.7% of the patients, a neurological symptom was the initiating symptoms of the infection. Females were more likely to show headache and dizziness compared to males (p value<0.05). Headache intensity was also higher in females compared to males (p value<0.05). Headache prevalence was lower in older patients (p value<0.05), while memory loss and impaired consciousness were higher by increasing age (p values=0.002 and 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Neurological manifestations were common among COVID-19 patients under study. Headache, as the most common neurological symptom among COVID-19 patients, was the most prevalent and intense among the female population. Headache, dizziness, sleeping problems, hyposmia/anosmia and hypogeusia were common COVID-19 neurological manifestations, while memory issues, auditory disturbances, paralysis, and seizures were less common.