Guillain-Barré syndrome following varicella-zoster virus infection: a case report and systematic review.

Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory disease of the peripheral nervous system, rarely following Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. The authors aimed to review all cases in the English literature of GBS that occurred after primary VZV infection to investigate the clinical features, diagnostic workup, treatment, and outcome of patients with GBS following VZV. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase are systematically searched from their inception to 9 May 2022 to collect all cases of GBS following varicella-zoster infection. Patients with GBS following VZV reactivation were excluded. Results: Among the 29 patients, the age of presentation ranged from 1.5 to 70 years with a median of 37, with a yield for males (81.5%). Most of the patients presented with sensory-motor symptoms (65.4%) and suffered from tetraparesis (81.5%). Cranial nerve palsy was present in (84%) of patients, and the seventh cranial nerve was the most commonly affected nerve (75%). Lumbar puncture showed albuminocytological dissociation in (80%) of patients. The dominant nerve conduction study subtype was acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (65.3%). in addition, the magnetic resonance imaging showed pathological findings in only (47.5%) of the patients. Intravenous immunoglobulin is now the drug of choice for all cases of GBS following VZV infection. Conclusion: GBS is a rare neurological complication of primary infection with VZV. However, the authors should suspect this syndrome when a patient develops ascending weakness, regardless of the absence of areflexia and albuminocytological dissociation. Drug therapy with IIVIg ensures a gradual improvement for the patient over a period of weeks to several months.

The prevalence and risk factors of functional dyspepsia among adults in low- and middle-income countries: An international cross-sectional study.

Dyspepsia is one of the most common chronic digestive diseases, which is due to underlying organic causes that can be detected, or causes that cannot be detected called functional dyspepsia (FD). There is no epidemiological study to date that measures the prevalence and risk factors of the FD in low- and middle-income countries, so this international cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 low- and middle-income countries from data previously published its protocol NCT05340400. Participants were recruited in the period from 22/April/2022 to 14/June/2022. The diagnosis of the FD was according to clinical manifestations. We determined the physical activity, daily stress, and fatigue of the participants. A large number of collaborators were chosen from different regions and institutions within each country to achieve diversity within the sample and reduce the probability of bias. Our study concluded that the prevalence of FD is much higher in low- and middle-income countries 37.9% [6.2%-44.2%], compared to high-income countries 10% [8%-12%], with a higher rate among the Afro-Caribbean race 47.9%. Sudan obtained the highest prevalence 44.3%, then Egypt 41.4%, while the lowest prevalence was in Algeria 25.7%. Moreover, there are many risk factors, including modifiable ones, such as severe stress, chronic fatigue, smoking, abnormal BMI, insufficient or too many hours of sleep, and previous infection with Covid-19, and non-modifiable ones such as advanced age, chronic diseases, and female sex. Highlighting the prevalence and increasing risk factors of FD in low- and middle-income countries should draw the attention of those responsible for health care in these countries and reduce the risk factors.

Strangulated femoral hernia with appendicitis: A rare case of De Garengeot's hernia.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: De Garengeot hernia is a rare case of a femoral hernia. It occurs when a femoral hernia contains a vermiform appendix that may be inflamed and sometimes necrotic, and this requires emergency surgery. However, the hernia is usually discovered by chance in the operating theater, which poses an additional challenge for surgeons. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old man presented with a 1-week history of a painful right groin lump. The lump is irreducible and painful on exert a week ago. Ultrasound imaging showed a 1.5 × 2 cm loculated turbid liquid collection containing an edematous intestinal loop measuring 8 mm in diameter that was suspected to be the vermiform appendix. Therefore, appendectomy was performed through the hernia sac. After that, the hernia was repaired using the McVay technique and 2.0 nylon sutures. One day after the operation, the patient was discharged, and he returned to the clinic after 10 days without any complications. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: The patient has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a risk factor for a hernia. He had to live with the right femoral hernia for ten years until it became painful and irreversible. Ultrasound revealed what appears to be an appendix. To avoid possible consequences of complicated appendicitis and strangulated hernia, emergency surgery was the appropriate choice for our patient case. CONCLUSION: The presence of an appendix in the femoral hernia poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to surgeons, due to the atypical clinical picture and the lack of efficacy of radiographic methods in diagnosing the condition.