Leprosy neuropathy evaluated by NCS is independent of the patient's infectious state.

INTRODUCTION: Leprosy causes nerve injury, which mimics clinical and neurophysiological conditions, rendering it an excellent model of peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: A retrospective study including 822 nerve conduction studies (NCS) of 509 patients was developed to appraise the electrophysiological pattern of leprosy neuropathy. NCS of motor and sensory nerves performed before, during, and after multidrug therapy (MDT) were analyzed. RESULTS: During the three periods of MDT, while NCS alterations were similar regarding extension, topography, damage severity, and type of lesion, NCS showed that sensory was more frequent (sural nerve) (92-96%) than motor impairment (70-77%) (ulnar nerve). CONCLUSION: Once axonal loss has been installed, nerve function is little affected by inflammatory, immune and/or bacterial events since chronic neuropathy has been established, inevitably leading to the well-known leprosy sequelae occurring at any time before and/or after leprosy diagnosis.

[Iatrogeny. The importance of clinical diagnosis. Myopathies induced by clofibrate]. / Iatrogenia. A importância do diagnóstico clínico. Miopatia induzida por clofibrate.

The authors describe the neurological manifestations of a female patient with hypercholesterolemia who developed myopathy in the course of her treatment with clofibrate. After the drug was tapered off, the neurological signs and symptoms disappeared. Therefore, attention is called for the importance of the differential diagnosis of iatrogenic myopathies with polymyositis.

[Motor neuron disease: metabolic evaluation]. / Doença do neurônio motor. Avaliação metabólica.

The authors studied serum and urinary calcium and phosphorus levels, as well as abnormalities on the spine of 30 patients with motor neuron disease. The authors believe in multifactorial aspects in the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease, calling special attention to toxic and metabolic factors.

[Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Diagnostic criteria]. / Esclerose lateral amiotrófica esporádica. Critérios diagnósticos.

The authors report two cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) misdiagnosis (a craniocervical junction disorder, and a cervical spinal cord ependymoma). They review some causes of ALS-like syndrome and propose a protocol to be adopted for the study of all patients who present clinical abnormalities suggesting ALS.

Propylthiouracil and peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy is a rare manifestation in hyperthyroidism. We describe the neurological manifestations of a 38 year old female with Graves' disease who developed peripheral neuropathy in the course of her treatment with propylthiouracil. After the drug was tapered off, the neurological signs disappeared. Therefore, we call attention for a possible toxic effect on peripheral nervous system caused by this drug.

Doença do neurônio motor: avaliaçäo metabólica / Motor neuron disease: metabolic evaluation

Com base nos escassos dados da literatura médica internacional, os autores estudam os níveis séricos e urinários de cálcio e fósforo, bem como a existência de possíveis anormalidades na coluna vertebral de 30 enfermos com o diagnóstico de doença do neurônio motor. Os autores postulam a participaçäo de múltiplos fatores na etiopatogenia da doença, fazendo mençäo aos aspectos tóxicos e metabólicos

Iatrogenia: a importância do diagnóstico clínico; miopatia induzida por clofibrate / Iatrogeny: the importance of clinical diagnosis; myopathies induced by clofibrate

Os autores descrevem o caso de uma enferma que apresentou síndrome polimiosite símile durante tratamento de hipercolesterolemia com clofibrate. Com a suspensäo da medicaçäo, os sinais e sintomas de acometimento muscular desapareceram por completo. Os autores chamam a atençäo para a importância das miopatias iatrogênicas no diagnóstico diferencial de pacientes com doenças do sistema neuromuscular

Esclerose lateral amiotrófica: variante distal dos membros inferiores; apresentaçäo de três casos / Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: distal variant of the lower extremities; report of 3 cases

Os autores apresentam três casos de pacientes com esclerose lateral amiotrófica, variante de patrikios, chamando a atençäo para a importância do diagnóstico diferencial desta com as neuropatias periféricas

Convulsoes febris na infancia. / Febrile convulsions in infants

Os autores enfatizam a necessidade de tratar, indistintamente, todos os casos de crises convulsivas febris, desde a primeira crise. Destacam o criterio evolutivo como o mais importante para a avaliacao destes casos

Esclerose lateral amiotrófica esporádica / Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The authors report two cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) misdiagnosis (a craniocervical junction disorder, and a cervical spinal cord ependymoma). They review some causes of ALS-like syndrome and propose a protocol to be adopted for the study of all patients who present clinical abnormalities suggesting ALS.