Brit J Hosp Med
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The coronavirus pandemic has caused major disruption of systems worldwide, including education and health services. The duration and scale of the impact is yet to be established. The effect of the pandemic on medical education should be managed on the basis of early response, alternative education options and future changes and actions.
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Review Case Reports
Novel treatments for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a rare demyelinating disorder of the CNS, caused by John Cunningham virus, that occurs in those with impaired immune systems. Existing treatment options are ineffective or unproven. This article reviews research into novel therapies: immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab), allogenic BK virus-specific T cell treatment and filgrastim. Results for these therapies in small clinical trials are promising, but further research is required to assess efficacy fully.
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Review
Autoantibodies in the diagnostic work-up of neuropathy: clinically useful or purely academic?
The search for autoantibodies in patients with acute and chronic neuropathies has become widespread in neurological practice. These tests are more routinely available and therefore are more commonly requested in larger hospitals with neuroscience centres, although they are now also regularly requested from district general hospital settings, including by non-neurologists. However, the clinical value of these frequently expensive tests is often unclear and their impact on management not always obviously beneficial. This article reviews the main immunological tests used to search for specific autoantibodies in the setting of neuropathy and discusses their potential diagnostic importance, together with the eventual therapeutic implications of results obtained.