Hypertrophic pachymeningitis with co-occurrence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and immunoglobulin G4 seropositivity: Case report and literature review.

We report an extremely rare case of hypertrophic pachymeningitis in which a 71-year-old man presented with an intractable recurrent headache for >1 year. During this period, he became positive for immunoglobulin G4 and proteinase 3-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed characteristic diffuse thickening of the dura. Symptoms were improved by intravenous methylprednisolone (500 mg per day for 5 days) and cyclophosphamide pulse therapy during corticosteroid withdrawal; he remained symptom-free during 1-year follow-up. This case suggests that this disease can be treated by corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressive agents.

[Establishment of minireplicon system for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus].

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus is a newly emerging virus in China, enveloped with a tripartite, single-stranded RNA genome of negative polarity. The regulatory elements for viral transcription and replication, as well as encapsidation and packaging signals, are thought to be located within these noncoding regions (NCRs). The terminal nucleotides are genus specific and highly conserved. The function of the remaining nucleotides of the NCRs is still not well understood. In this study, we developed the plasmid-driven RNA polymerase I minireplicon system for SFTSV firstly, using reporter genes GFP and luciferase. The function of the noncoding regions of the three Bunyaviridae RNA segments (L, M, S) in transcription was analyzed. Reporter genes are successfully expressed in SFTSV minireplicon system. Our results suggest that the NCRs of SFTSV from all three segments contain the necessary signals to initiate transcription. Quantitative detection of the luciferase expression level shows that promoter activity in the three segments is different.