Encephalomyelitis in a patient with monkeypox: an unusual complication.

A new outbreak of monkeypox has been reported worldwide with CNS complications like encephalitis or myelitis being extremely rare. We present a case of a 30-year-old man with PCR-confirmed diagnosis of monkeypox who developed rapid neurological deterioration with extensive inflammatory involvement of the brain and spinal cord on MRI. Because of the clinical and radiological resemblance to acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), it was decided to indicate treatment with high-dose corticosteroids for 5 days (without concomitant antiviral management due to lack of availability in our country). Given the poor clinical and radiological response, 5 days of immunoglobulin G were administered. During follow-up the patient's clinical condition improved, physiotherapy was started and all associated medical complications were controlled. To our knowledge, this is the first reported monkeypox case with severe CNS complications treated with steroids and immunoglobulin in the absence of specific antiviral treatment.

Enfoque práctico de la neurosífilis meningovascular: a propósito de un caso presuntivo / Meningovascular neurosyphilis practical approach. Report of a presumptive case

Se presenta el caso clínico de un paciente masculino de 62 años de edad, con ataque cerebrovascular (ACV) isquémico de circulación posterior, secundaria a neurosífilis meningovascular presuntiva, sin coinfección por VIH. La neurosífilis puede tener una presentación clínica heterogénea, siendo el ACV isquémico una de sus principales manifestaciones. El diagnóstico se realiza básicamente con confirmación serológica de la sífilis y posteriormente el estudio del líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR). Un diagnóstico y tratamiento oportuno puede prevenir complicaciones neurológicas a futuro. La recomendación de manejo actual sigue siendo la penicilina cristalina endovenosa.

We present a 62 year-old male who had a posterior circulation ischemic stroke probably due to meningovascular neurosyphilis, without HIV coinfection. Neurosyphilis can present in a heterogeneous manner. The diagnosis is made with the serologic confirmation, as well as a CSF study. A prompt diagnosis and treatment can prevent neurologic complications.

Enfermedad de Pompe como diagnóstico diferencial de enfermedad de motoneurona: reporte de casos y revisión de la literatura / Pompe disease as a differential diagnosis of motor neuron disease: report of a case and review of the literature

A través del presente estudio se pretende demostrar la importancia de la evaluación de la enfermedad de Pompe como diagnóstico diferencial de la enfermedad de motoneurona. En el siguiente trabajo presentamos dos casos clínicos en los que inicialmente se consideró enfermedad de motoneurona, y en donde finalmente se documentó un déficit de alfa glucosidasa como causal de la sintomatología.

Through this study we aim to demonstrate the importance of the evaluation of pompe disease as a differential diagnosis of motor neuron disease. Here we present two cases in which the initial approach was of a motor neuron disease, but with a more comprehensive assessment it was documented an alpha glucosidase deficiency.

Caracterización de pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson en un centro de referencia de la ciudad de Bogotá, Colombia / Characterization of patients with Parkinson's disease in a reference center of Bogotá, Colombia

Introducción: la enfermedad de Parkinson es una de las enfermedades neurodegenerativas más prevalentes a nivel mundial. Se han documentado las características clínicas de presentación de la enfermedad, además de los síntomas motores y no motores. En nuestra población no hay datos al respecto. Objetivo: describir las características demográficas y clínicas de una cohorte de pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson, evaluados en un centro de referencia de movimientos anormales de la ciudad de Bogotá, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de los pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson que asisten a la consulta de movimientos anormales. Se observaron todos los pacientes registrados en la base de datos de enero de 2013 hasta junio de 2015 y se revisaron las variables sociodemográficas, los síntomas motores y no motores y se analizaron de acuerdo al tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad. Todos los datos fueron analizados en el programa SPSS, en donde se establecieron frecuencias, promedios y proporciones. Resultados: se analizaron en total 446 pacientes, de los cuales el 50.7 % son mujeres. La edad promedio encontrada fue de 68 años. Encontramos en ellos, síntomas pre-motores como hiposmia en un 33.6 % y alteraciones del sueño REM en un 32 %. Los síntomas motores experimentados como de presentación inicial fueron: temblor (62.3 %), bradicinesia (15.9 %), rigidez (12.6 %), dificultad para caminar (8.1 %), alteración del equilibrio (1.6 %) y caídas (1.6 %). Conclusión: en la población estudiada se encontraron frecuencias de patrones motores similares con los registros internacionales, sin embargo, las características demográficas y las manifestaciones no motoras tuvieron algunas diferencias.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases worldwide. It's clinical presentation, motor and non-motor signs have been described previously. In our population, we don't know the frequency of those signs and symptoms. Objective: Describe the clinical presentation, motor and non-motor signs of a cohort of patients with Parkinson's disease, that were evaluated in a movement disorders center of reference, at Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and methods: Descriptive retrospective study of patients with Parkinson's disease, who went to the movement disorders clinic between January 2013 and June 2015. Patients were organized depending on the time from the onset of the disease. Socio-demographic variables, motor and non-motor signs and symptoms where studied. Frequencies, mean and proportions were analyzed using SPSS 22 version. Results: 446 patients were analyzed, from which 50.7% were women. The mean age found was 68 years old. We found hiposmia in 33.6% of patients and abnormalities in REM sleep in 32% of them. The first motor symptoms noticed by the patient were tremor (62.3%), bradykinesia (15.9%), stiffness (12.6%), difficulty walking (8.1%), balance problems (1.6%) and falls (1.6%). Conclusion: Parkinson's disease is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Its clinical presentation is diverse, and in our population we have never study the patterns of presentation. We found similar frequencies compared with the international registries of this disease, with some difference in demographic and non-motor symptoms.

Primary gliosarcoma of the brain: radiologic and histopathologic features.

Gliosarcoma is a rare central nervous system (CNS) neoplasm with biphasic glial and non-glial malignant components. Here we describe the radiologic and histopathologic features observed in five cases of primary gliosarcoma. The mean age at diagnosis in the studied patients was 54.2 years; these patients were predominantly males (male:female ratio = 4:1). At diagnosis all patients had several clinical deterioration. The most common symptoms of presentation were: headache (5/5 cases), seizures (4/5 cases) and hemiparesis (1/5 cases). All the tumors were large (mean major diameter= 4.12±1.64 cm) at diagnosis as evidenced in computer tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance images (MRIs), with preferential involvement of the temporal lobe and frequent associated deviation of the midline structures. Other common characteristics identified on CT scans and MRIs were partial contrast medium uptake with annular pattern (5/5 cases), peripheral edema (5/5 cases), and central calcification (3/5 cases). In additional a peak of dye uptake was observed (4/5 cases) on MRI spectrometry. In the histopathology, the glial component showed malignant astrocytes, with high Ki67 (>60%) and p53 positivity; the sarcomatous components displayed pleomorphic spindle cells similarly with p53 positivity and high Ki67 (75-90%) in all cases. Dedifferentiation to pleomorphic sarcoma (two cases), fibrosarcoma (one case), leiomyosarcoma (one case) and MPNST (one case) were documented. All patients received radiotherapy/chemotherapy and had a median overall survival of ten months. The study of radiologic and histopathologic features in primary gliosarcomas of the brain is a priority to achieve early diagnosis that can be translated to better outcomes. Here we describe the radiologic and histopathologic features observed in a group of gliosarcoma patients with variable histopathologic dedifferentiation.