Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria
-
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, and ischemic stroke is one of its most common and devastating manifestations. Proinflammatory cytokines play a key role in the progression of the irreversible ischemic lesions. The presence of anti-inflammatory mediators may prevent secondary ischemic injury. ⋯ IL-10 may protect against ischemic injury during the acute phase of stroke.
-
Natalizumab is a new and efficient treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) during the use of this drug has created the need for better comprehension of JC virus (JCV) infection. The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of JCV-DNA in Brazilian patients using natalizumab. ⋯ Data on JCV-DNA in Brazil add to the worldwide assessment of the prevalence of the JCV in MS patients requiring treatment with natalizumab.
-
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes high rates of disability and neurological sequelae Objective To evaluate spot signs as predictors of expansion and worse prognosis in non-traumatic ICH in a Brazilian cohort. Method We used multidetector computed tomography angiography to study 65 consecutive patients (40 men, 61.5%), with ages varying from 33 to 89 years (median age 55 years). ⋯ Although expansion of ICH was detected in 75% of the patients with a spot sign, expansion was observed in only 9.0% of the patients who did not present a spot sign. Conclusions The spot sign strongly predicted expansion in non-traumatic ICH and an increased risk of in-hospital mortality.
-
Comparative Study
Impact of stroke unit in a public hospital on length of hospitalization and rate of early mortality of ischemic stroke patients.
We ascertained whether a public health stroke unit reduces the length of hospitalization, the rate of inpatient fatality, and the mortality rate 30 days after the stroke. ⋯ We observed reduced in-patient fatalities and 30-day mortality rates in patients managed in the stroke unit. There was no impact on the length of hospitalization.
-
To report the clinical and neuroimaging findings in a case series of vascular parkinsonism (VP). ⋯ This series provides a profile of VP with predominant lower-limb involvement, freezing of gait and falls, pyramidal signs, executive dysfunction, concomitant vascular dementia, and poor levodopa response.