First report of persistent dengue-1-associated autoimmune neurological disturbance: neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Dengue virus (DENV) causes immune-mediated diseases. Neurological involvement represents a severe condition that is rarely observed in DENV-1 infection. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)/NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are idiopathic immune-mediated demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system. We report a 17-year-old female with oligosymptomatic DENV-1 viremia, diagnosed as NMOSD. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord and brainstem lesions. Antibody for aquaporin 4 was negative. DENV-1 RNA infection was detected by serial RT-PCR and confirmed by phylogenetic analysis in serum. Although there are some reports of NMO post-dengue infection, there are not any published accounts of NMOSD with coexistent and persistent DENV-1 infection.

Changes in neuroinflammatory biomarkers correlate with disease severity and neuroimaging alterations in patients with COVID-19 neurological complications.

COVID-19 induces acute and persistent neurological symptoms in mild and severe cases. Proposed concomitant mechanisms include direct viral infection and strain, coagulopathy, hypoxia, and neuroinflammation. However, underlying molecular alterations associated with multiple neurological outcomes in both mild and severe cases are majorly unexplored. To illuminate possible mechanisms leading to COVID-19 neurological disease, we retrospectively investigated in detail a cohort of 35 COVID-19 mild and severe hospitalized patients presenting neurological alterations subject to clinically indicated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling. Clinical and neurological investigation, brain imaging, viral sequencing, and cerebrospinal CSF analyses were carried out. We found that COVID-19 patients presented heterogeneous neurological symptoms dissociated from lung burden. Nasal swab viral sequencing revealed a dominant strain at the time of the study, and we could not detect traces of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein in patients' CSF by multiple reaction monitoring analysis. Patients presented ubiquitous systemic hyper-inflammation and broad alterations in CSF proteomics related to inflammation, innate immunity, and hemostasis, irrespective of COVID-19 severity or neuroimaging alterations. Elevated CSF interleukin-6 (IL6) correlated with disease severity (sex-, age-, and comorbidity-adjusted mean Severe 24.5 pg/ml, 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.62-62.23 vs. Mild 3.91 pg/mL CI 1.5-10.3 patients, p = 0.019). CSF tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and IL6 levels were higher in patients presenting pronounced neuroimaging alterations compared to those who did not (sex-, age-, and comorbidity-adjusted mean TNFα Pronounced 3.4, CI 2.4-4.4 vs. Non-Pronounced 2.0, CI 1.4-2.5, p = 0.022; IL6 Pronounced 33.11, CI 8.89-123.31 vs Non-Pronounced 6.22, CI 2.9-13.34, p = 0.046). Collectively, our findings put neuroinflammation as a possible driver of COVID-19 acute neurological disease in mild and severe cases.

Effects of the addition of functional electrical stimulation to ground level gait training with body weight support after chronic stroke.

BACKGROUND: The addition of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to treadmill gait training with partial body weight support (BWS) has been proposed as a strategy to facilitate gait training in people with hemiparesis. However, there is a lack of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of FES addition on ground level gait training with BWS, which is the most common locomotion surface. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the additional effects of commum peroneal nerve FES combined with gait training and BWS on ground level, on spatial-temporal gait parameters, segmental angles, and motor function. METHODS: Twelve people with chronic hemiparesis participated in the study. An A1-B-A2 design was applied. A1 and A2 corresponded to ground level gait training using BWS, and B corresponded to the same training with the addition of FES. The assessments were performed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Rivermead Motor Assessment (RMA), and filming. The kinematics analyzed variables were mean walking speed of locomotion; step length; stride length, speed and duration; initial and final double support duration; single-limb support duration; swing period; range of motion (ROM), maximum and minimum angles of foot, leg, thigh, and trunk segments. RESULTS: There were not changes between phases for the functional assessment of RMA, for the spatial-temporal gait variables and segmental angles, no changes were observed after the addition of FES. CONCLUSION: The use of FES on ground level gait training with BWS did not provide additional benefits for all assessed parameters.

Effects of the addition of functional electrical stimulation to ground level gait training with body weight support after chronic stroke / Efeitos da adição da estimulação elétrica funcional ao treino de marcha em piso fixo com suporte parcial de peso após acidente vascular encefálico crônico

BACKGROUND: The addition of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to treadmill gait training with partial body weight support (BWS) has been proposed as a strategy to facilitate gait training in people with hemiparesis. However, there is a lack of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of FES addition on ground level gait training with BWS, which is the most common locomotion surface. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the additional effects of commum peroneal nerve FES combined with gait training and BWS on ground level, on spatial-temporal gait parameters, segmental angles, and motor function. METHODS: Twelve people with chronic hemiparesis participated in the study. An A1-B-A2 design was applied. A1 and A2 corresponded to ground level gait training using BWS, and B corresponded to the same training with the addition of FES. The assessments were performed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Rivermead Motor Assessment (RMA), and filming. The kinematics analyzed variables were mean walking speed of locomotion; step length; stride length, speed and duration; initial and final double support duration; single-limb support duration; swing period; range of motion (ROM), maximum and minimum angles of foot, leg, thigh, and trunk segments. RESULTS: There were not changes between phases for the functional assessment of RMA, for the spatial-temporal gait variables and segmental angles, no changes were observed after the addition of FES. CONCLUSION: The use of FES on ground level gait training with BWS did not provide additional benefits for all assessed parameters.

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A adição da estimulação elétrica funcional (EEF) ao treino de marcha em esteira, com sistema de suporte parcial de peso corporal (SPPC), tem sido proposta como estratégia para melhorar a marcha em hemiparéticos. Entretanto, nenhum estudo verificou a eficácia da adição da EEF ao treino de marcha com SPPC em piso fixo, a superfície mais habitual de locomoção. OBJETIVO: Investigar os efeitos da adição da EEF do nervo fibular comum, ao treino de marcha com SSPC, em piso fixo, sobre os parâmetros espaço-temporais da marcha, ângulos segmentares e função motora. MÉTODOS: Participaram do estudo 12 hemiparéticos crônicos. O sistema adotado foi o A1-B-A2. A1 e A2 corresponderam ao treino em piso fixo com SPPC, e B, ao mesmo treino, associado à EEF. As avaliações foram realizadas por meio da Escala de Ashworth Modificada (EAM), da Categoria de Deambulação Funcional (CDF), da Avaliação Motora de Rivermead (AMR) e de filmagens. As variáveis cinemáticas analisadas foram: velocidade média de locomoção; comprimento do passo; comprimento, velocidade e duração da passada; duração dos períodos de apoio duplo inicial e final, apoio simples e balanço; ângulos máximos e mínimos e amplitude de movimento (ADM) dos segmentos pé, perna, coxa e tronco. RESULTADOS: Na AMR, não houve alterações entre as fases. Para as variáveis espaço-temporais e ângulos segmentares, não houve nenhuma alteração após a adição da EEF. CONCLUSÃO: A adição da EEF ao treino de marcha em piso fixo com SPPC não promoveu melhora adicional nos parâmetros mensurados.

Valor prognóstico da largura do complexo QRS na cardiopatia chagásica crônica com disfunção ventricular moderada ou grave / The prognostic value of the QRS complex length on the chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy with severe or moderate ventricular dysfunction

Objetivo: Avaliar o valor prognóstico, em relação à mortalidade cardíaca, da largura do complexo QRS (LQRS), em uma coorte de pacientes com cardiopatia chagásica crônica e disfunção ventricular moderada ou grave (DISF). Métodos: Estudo prospectivo, observacional, de coorte, constituída por 738 pacientes com diagnóstico sorológico de doença de Chagas, acompanhados no período de 03/90 a 12/99. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a avaliação clínica, eletrocardiográfica, radiológica e ecocardiográfica. DIS foi definida por fração de ejeção ...