[Linear scleroderma en coup de sabre: neurological symptoms, images and review]. / Esclerodermia lineal en coup de sabre. Manifestaciones neurologicas, imagenes y revision

INTRODUCTION: 'Sword stroke' linear scleroderma, which is better known as linear scleroderma en coup de sabre (LSCS), is a rare disease with an uncertain causation that is characterised by progressive craniofacial focal atrophy and is, at least in part, different from Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS). CASE REPORTS: Here, we report on the cases of 3 patients with LSCS (2 females and 1 male, with a mean age of 40 years). The main neurological symptoms were headache and seizures. Although different alterations were observed in the X-ray images, they were all ipsilateral to the coup de sabre. Histopathological evidence for gliosis and mixed perivascular inflammatory infiltrate was found in the study of a biopsy specimen taken from one female. Cerebrovascular involvement was seen in another patient, as highlighted by the observation of an earlier subclinical cerebellar infarct and occlusion of the superior cerebellar artery in the absence of any other possible causation. CONCLUSIONS: When it affects the central nervous system, the clinical and radiological presentation of LSCS is heterogeneous. Both the imaging studies carried out during the clinical control and the histopathological findings suggest a focal inflammatory process that can be progressive. The arterial involvement is probably due to a non-atherosclerotic, occlusive and chronic inflammatory disease of the peripheral vessels.

Granulomatous amebic encephalitis due to Balamuthia mandrillaris (Leptomyxiidae): report of four cases from Mexico.

In this report, we describe four cases of granulomatous amebic encephalitis caused by Balamuthia (Leptomyxid ameba) in four previously healthy Mexican patients. All four cases were characterized by focal neurologic signs, increased intracranial pressure, and cerebral hyperdense lesions in computed tomography scans of the head. These patients underwent craniotomies for evaluation of mass lesions for possible brain tumors. Granulomatous chronic inflammatory reaction and amebic trophozoites were found in brain biopsies. At autopsy, areas of hemorrhagic encephalomalacia were located in both basal frontal lobes, right parieto-occipital lobes, and, less often, in the brainstem and cerebellum. Angiitis, necrotizing granulomatous encephalitis, and large numbers of amebic trophozoites in perivascular spaces were present. Amebic trophozoites were seen in the left adrenal gland in one of the cases. The amebas in all four cases were identified as Balamuthia mandrillaris (Leptomyxiidae) based on their reactivity with the anti-Balamuthia (Leptomyxiidae) serum in an immunofluorescence test.

Brucellosis and polyneuroradiculomyeloencephalitis. A case report.

Reports on simultaneous central and peripheral nervous system involvement in a patient with brucellosis are very rare. We report of one young female patient with a long history of consumption of non-pasteurized dairy products in which clinical and laboratory findings confirmed the existence of an active brucellosis with nervous system impairment. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses were negative. Electrophysiology and positive findings on sural nerve biopsy complemented the diagnosis of polyneuroradiculomyeloencephalitis. Treatment with a combination of doxycycline and rifampin for 2 months was successfully applied. No relapse or sequelae occurred in the patient after 12 months of follow up.

Event related brain potentials to semantically incongruent words in children of different ages.

In this study, developmental changes of N400 elicited by a simple paradigm to semantic incongruity were examined. Subjects were divided in three different age groups and educational levels: Group I (first grade) = 7-8 years, n = 10; Group II (third grade) = 9-10 years, n = 10; and Group III (sixth grade) = 11-12 years, n = 10. EEG activity was recorded from 8 monopolar sites referred to linked earlobes. Data showed that the amplitude of the N400 like component did not change significantly from first to sixth grade, although the onset latency appeared to be shorter in older children. No significant latency and amplitude changes were found among groups.