Journal of neuroimmunology最新文献

Although two-dimensional (2D) histology and immunohistochemistry techniques have long been established and successfully applied to obtain structural information from tissues, recent advances in tissue clearing and expansion approaches combined with light sheet microscopy have led to the realization of three-dimensional (3D) nondestructive pathology, which may revolutionize our knowledge of the morphology of an organ or the whole body in its true state. Employing these 3D technologies, we obtained imaging data of microglia in whole hippocampus of mice. We established a simple procedure to analyze the 3D structures of microglia using the commercial software Amira. Major 3D structural parameters, including the volume of the whole cell, volume of the cell body, Feret's maximum/minimum diameter, number of total branches, fractal dimension, convex hull, and number of intersections,were measured. We found that lipopolysaccharide administration markedly changed multiple 3D morphological parameters of microglia. 3D analysis of microglial structures provides a more comprehensive evaluation than 2D analysis, which can be applied in future neuroscience research.

Background: Recent literature describes a condition similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) but with demyelinating lesions limited to the spinal cord. This condition, referred to as "pure spinal" MS, might benefit from disease-modifying treatment (DMT).

Methods: We screened the medical records of approximately 8000 patients with demyelinating diseases at the Isfahan MS clinic in Iran. Criteria for inclusion in the case series were adults with a demyelinating disease limited to the spinal cord, positive oligoclonal IgG bands in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and negative results for other potential diagnoses.

Results: Seven people with pure spinal MS were identified (all women, mean age [SD]: 40.14 [6.17] years at the first visit, mean follow-up duration [SD]: 98 [39.41] months). Two had a family history of conventional MS in their siblings. All patients exhibited lower limb weakness and tested negative for anti-MOG and anti-AQP4 antibodies. They experienced relapsing-remitting partial myelitis, with new spinal cord lesions on MRI but no extraspinal CNS lesions. DMT significantly reduced relapse rates in all patients, and two showed no increase in EDSS scores.

Conclusion: Pure spinal MS might be an atypical form of MS. Those affected may benefit from DMT; therefore, further investigation and consideration in the upcoming revisions of the McDonald criteria are recommended.

Introduction: Environmental factors may contribute to myasthenia gravis (MG) development, sometimes with seasonal patterns of exposure. However, whether seasonality has an impact on MG incidence remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between seasonality and MG onset.

Methods: We reviewed data of MG patients with acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-IgG and disease onset between January 2010-December 2019, from two Italian cohorts: 1) an hospital-based cohort and 2) a population-based cohort. MG cases were assigned to four season-trimesters based on month of onset to determine seasonal association with MG incidence.

Results: We enrolled 316 patients:214 in the hospital-based and 102 in the population-based cohort. Median age at onset was 66 years (range, 8-92); Female accounted for 41.1 %. The median number of new MG cases per season-trimester was significantly higher in summer than other trimesters (p = 0.009), and associated with higher environmental temperatures.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that MG onset may be more common in summer and at higher environmental temperatures. Identifying the determinants of this association may improve our understanding of disease pathophysiology.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a rare cause of NORSE. We describe the case of a young girl who presented with NORSE associated with MOGAD along with a systematic review of all cases of NORSE associated with MOGAD till date. Seizures associated with MOGAD are usually associated with good outcome but can occasionally be catastrophic and non-responsive to conventional therapies. Early initiation of anti-IL6 therapies might help improve outcomes in such patients.

Refractory seizures are common in pediatric neurology; consideration of whether seizures are acutely symptomatic of an underlying disease process is critical. In this case, a previously healthy 7-year-old patient presented with intractable focal seizures in the setting of a viral prodrome and headache. This case highlights a comprehensive work up of new-onset refractory seizures in a patient with features of encephalitis and describes a diagnostic quandary that ultimately led to a rare unifying diagnosis.

This study evaluated the effects of vitamin C and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) on sickness behaviour and oxido-inflammatory response in chronically stressed mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Sickness behaviour severity was examined with weight and assessment of mice behaviours. Results showed that stress increased parasitaemia in infected mice. Vitamin C co-administration with AL increased parasite clearance over AL alone, and modulated inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-12) and antioxidant parameters in plasma and brain tissue. Conclusively, stress worsens malaria-induced sickness behaviour and up-regulates the inflammatory and oxidative stress response. Co-administration of vitamin C with AL appears to counteract these detrimental effects.

IgLON5 autoimmunity is characterized by a diverse range of clinical presentations, including neuropsychiatric symptoms, sleep disturbances, gait instability, and bulbar symptoms, that are usually insidiously progressive. While some individuals with specific HLA haplotypes may be more susceptible to developing anti-IgLON5 disease, this antibody is typically not associated with a paraneoplastic etiology nor known to be induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We present a clinical and serological workup of a patient who developed symptoms of IgLON5 autoimmunity following treatment with pembrolizumab. He was found to have IgLON5 antibodies present in both the serum and cerebrospinal fluid, but he also expressed high-risk HLA haplotypes. This case suggests that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) may promote the development of IgLON5 autoimmunity, particularly in those with high-risk HLA haplotyes.