Brain & development
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Brain & development · Jun 2014
Nucleated red blood cell counts: an early predictor of brain injury and 2-year outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the era of cooling-based treatment.
Raised nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) counts in neonates may indicate in utero hypoxia and brain damage. ⋯ NRBC counts can predict brain injury and neurological outcomes in cooled and non-cooled asphyxiated neonates.
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Brain & development · Jun 2014
Case ReportsMarked elevation of interleukin-6 in mild encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) associated with acute focal bacterial nephritis caused by Enterococcus faecalis.
This report describes two cases of mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion (MERS) associated with acute focal bacterial nephritis (AFBN). The patients, who presented with fever and delirious behavior, exhibited hyponatremia and markedly elevated interleukin (IL)-6 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum. Enterococcus faecalis was detected in the urine culture. ⋯ Moreover, a diffusion-weighted MRI abnormality, i.e., intensified signals in splenium of the corpus callosum, disappeared. MERS is a possible complication of AFBN. Elevated CSF IL-6 levels suggest that remote activation of intracerebral immune response through the immune-neuroendocrine pathway might play an important role in the pathophysiology of MERS.