Non-infectious meningitis and CNS demyelinating diseases: A conceptual review.

Many cases of aseptic meningitis or meningoencephalitis, unresponsive to antimicrobial treatments, have been reported recently in patients with established/new-onset central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating diseases (CNSIDDs). Given the higher probability of infectious etiologies, CNSIDDs are rarely considered among the differentials in meningitis or meningoencephalitis cases. We gathered and tabulated cases of non-infectious, steroid-responsive meningitis or meningoencephalitis associated with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease (MOGAD). This conceptual review highlights the need to bolster routine infectious workups with immunological workups in cases of meningoencephalitis or meningitis where potential autoimmune etiologies can be suspected. Although differentiating CNSIDDs with meningeal involvement from infectious meningitis may not substantially affect acute treatment strategies, long-term management and follow-up of the two are entirely different. We also discuss future research directions and hypotheses on how CNSIDDs may be associated with meningitis-like presentations, e.g. overlapping glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy or autoimmune encephalitis, alterations in regulatory T-helper cells function, and undetected viral agents.

WITHDRAWN: Incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in Iranian multiple sclerosis patients treated with disease-modifying therapies.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the authors and editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal.

MicroRNA-221: biogenesis, function and signatures in human cancers.

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs of 18-25 nucleotides that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through binding to the 3´-UTR of mRNAs and block mRNA transcription or regulate its resistance. Increasing evidence indicates that dysregulation of miRNA is a hallmark of cancer. The miRNAs have an essential role in the regulation of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in cell signaling pathways. MiR-221 and miR-222 are two homologous microRNAs, the high expression levels of which have been commonly demonstrated in multiple human cancer types. The miR-221/miR-222 functions have been verified as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Here, we reviewed the roles of miR-221/miR-222 in various kinds of cancer progression and development: controlling proliferative signaling pathways, avoiding cell deaths resulted from tumor suppressors, monitoring angiogenesis and even supporting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. We discussed that miR-221/miR-222 act as promising biomarkers for detection of human cancer types and suggested a new pathway for molecular targeted cancer therapy.

Is it time to have another look at lithium maintenance therapy in bipolar disorder?

1. Bipolar disorder is typically a chronic disease entailing an episodes course, whereby psychiatric status alternates between periods of normal functioning and periods of illness. Lithium is well established and approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder. However, its efficacy in practice is not as great as expected. This retrospective record study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of lithium in bipolar disorders. 2. 48 patients who met DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for bipolar I disorder and had been admitted once before lithium therapy and twice or more after that, were included in this study. 3. No significant difference in length between episode (frequency) was observed before and after lithium maintenance therapy. In addition, the percentages of manic episode after lithium therapy were much greater than before that. 4. The results indicate that it is worth re-examining the efficacy of lithium in bipolar disorders.