An Unusual Case of Fever in Paralytic Ileus.

Still's disease is frequently a condition of exclusion for patients with an unidentified cause of fever. Accompanying symptoms typically include fever, arthralgia, and a transient skin rash. The underlying pathophysiology indicates an autoimmune origin. Diagnosis is primarily clinical, often utilizing the Yamaguchi criteria. The case in question involves a 19-year-old male presenting with high-grade fever and paralytic ileus. The patient received intravenous glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, resulting in a rapid clinical improvement. During the follow-up, tofacitinib was initiated based on the clinical response observed.

Acute-Onset Quadriplegia Presenting With Hyperreflexia: A Dilemma in Diagnosis.

An autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, rapidly progressive, and fulminant one. Rapidly developing motor weakness along with absent reflexes, with or without sensory impairment, is the hallmark of GBS. GBS is never a hereditary entity; it is always acquired by the individual. Here, we present an interesting case of GBS in a 37-year-old male patient presenting with lower limb weakness for one day which had progressed to upper limb weakness in a day. There was a history of fever and loose stools four days back. On examination, vitals were within normal limits including single breath count. Central nervous system (CNS) examination revealed as follows: bicep jerk, tricep jerk, and supinator jerk were National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) scale grade 2 in bilateral upper limbs. Knee jerk was NINDS scale grade 3 in bilateral lower limbs, which was unusual considering that GBS presents with areflexia or reduced reflexes. Ankle jerk was absent in bilateral lower limbs. Plantars were mute bilaterally. Nerve conduction study was suggestive of axonal and demyelinating motor neuropathy involving all four limbs. The patient was planned for intravenous immunoglobulin at a dose of 2 g/kg/day for five days but developed an allergic reaction to the first dose; hence, the therapy was discontinued, and the option of plasmapheresis was given to which the patient refused. This is a report of a case of GBS with hyperreflexia which is an uncommon entity in the Indian subcontinent.

T-cell responses in COVID-19 survivors 6-8 months after infection: A longitudinal cohort study in Pune.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immune response is crucial for disease management, although diminishing immunity raises the possibility of reinfection. METHODS: We examined the immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of convalescent COVID-19 patients in matched samples collected at 1 and 6-8 months after infection. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from enrolled study participants and flow cytometry analysis was done to assess the lymphocyte subsets of naive, effector, central memory, and effector memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 patients at 1 and 6-8 months after infection. Immunophenotypic characterization of immune cell subsets was performed on individuals who were followed longitudinally for 1 month (n = 44) and 6-8 months (n = 25) after recovery from COVID infection. RESULTS: We observed that CD4 +T cells in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients tended to decrease, whereas CD8+ T cells steadily recovered after 1 month, while there was a sustained increase in the population of effector T cells and effector memory T cells. Furthermore, COVID-19 patients showed persistently low B cells and a small increase in the NK cell population. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that T cell responses were maintained at 6-8 months after infection. This opens new pathways for further research into the long-term effects in COVID-19 immunopathogenesis.

An Unusual Presentation of Wilson's Disease.

Wilson's disease affects the metabolism of copper and is a rare hereditary disorder that is inherited autosomally recessively. The liver and brain are the main organs affected by this disorder, which causes progressive hepatolenticular degeneration. A 15-year-old male patient arrived at the outpatient department (OPD) with mild abdominal pain on the right side, and both eyes showed Kayser-Fleischer (KF) rings. An abdominal ultrasound showed that the spleen was enlarged. Copper levels in urine were found to be higher. After a liver biopsy, cirrhosis, and mild chronic active hepatitis were found. The majority of hematological indicators were normal; however, a peripheral blood smear revealed mild thrombocytopenia. Wilson's disease is uncommon, so diagnosing it requires a high degree of suspicion. In circumstances of inexplicable liver cirrhosis or isolated neurological symptoms, it could go unnoticed. The only primary complaint in the case being presented was abdominal pain. However, the age upon presentation, the existence of KF rings in both eyes, and other tests helped us get the diagnosis.

Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies Associated Vasculitis Presenting As Neuropathy.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-related vasculitis (AAV), is a group of diseases marked by systemic symptoms and severe small vessel inflammation. The three subtypes of AAV are eosinophilic GPA (EGPA), Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA), and Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA). The organs that get involved in the disease process are the kidneys and the upper and lower respiratory tracts, with a spectrum of neurological manifestations. Here, we present a case report of a 68-year-old man who came with complaints of tingling and numbness over bilateral lower limbs for two months accompanied by difficulty in walking and bilateral foot drop without any respiratory complaints or involvement of sensory or autonomic system who was diagnosed with AAV (c-ANCA +) on further workup. A sural Nerve biopsy was done for confirmation which was suggestive of chronic, asymmetrical axonal neuropathy with perivascular inflammation, suggestive of vasculitic neuropathy. The patient had no other organ involvement. The patient was started on glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide therapy for 6 cycles after which his symptoms and quality of life improved drastically.

Lymphopenia with Altered T Cell Subsets in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Pune, India.

The cellular immune cell subsets affecting COVID-19 disease severity are being studied by researchers from many countries. The current study was carried out to investigate the alteration of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and their subsets in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care center in Pune, India. The PBMCs were isolated from enrolled study participants, and flow cytometry analysis was done to assess peripheral white blood cell alterations. The lymphocyte subsets of naive, effector, central memory, and effector memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were then evaluated in COVID-19 patients with different disease categories and compared to healthy controls. The immunophenotypic characterization of the immune cell subset was done for 139 COVID-19 patients and 21 healthy controls. These data were evaluated based on the disease severity. A total of 139 COVID-19 patients were classified as mild (n = 30), moderate (n = 57), or severe (n = 52) cases. The decreased percentages of total lymphocytes, CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, naive T cells, central memory T cells, and Natural Killer (NK) cytotoxic cells were found, and there was increase in effector T (TEf) cells and effector memory T cells in patients with severe COVID-19 compared to healthy controls. The severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection has an effect on lymphocyte subsets, resulting in reduced T memory cells and NK cells but increased TEf cells in severe cases. Clinical Trial Registration: CTRI ID-CTRI/2021/03/032028.

Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD): Case Report.

We report a young male of autosomal recessive limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) with positive family history presented with gradual onset proximal muscle weakness in all four limbs since eight years and thinning of shoulders, arms and thighs. Neurological examination revealed atrophy of both shoulders with wasting of both deltoids thinning of thighs and pseudo hypertrophy of both calves, hypotonia in all four limbs. Gower's sign was positive. Winging of scapula was present. Power was 3/5 at both shoulders, 4/5 at both elbows, 5/5 at both wrists, 3/5 at both hip joints, 3/5 at both knees, 5/5 at both ankles. All deep tendon reflexes and superficial reflexes were present with plantars bilateral flexors. Electromyography (EMG) showed myopathic pattern. He had elevated creatinine phosphokinase levels and muscle biopsy findings consistent with muscular dystrophy.