Neurological complications of hematopoietic cell transplantation in children and adults

Hematopoietic cell transplantation（HCT） is widely performed for neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. HCT involves intravenous infusion of hematopoietic progenitor cells from human leukocyte antigen（HLA）-matched donor（allogeneic） or from the patient（autologous）. Before HCT, the patient is prepared with high dose chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to destroy residual malignant cells and to reduce immunologic resistance. After HCT, chemotherapy is used to prevent graft rejection and graft versus host disease（Gv HD）. Neurological complications are related to the type of HCT, underlying disease, toxicity of the conditioning regimens, immunosuppression caused by conditioning regimens, vascular complications generated by thrombocytopenia and/or coagulopathy, Gv HD and inappropriate immune response. In this review, neurological complications are presented according to time of onset after HCT：（1） early complications（in the first month）-related to harvesting of stem cells, during conditioning（drug toxicity, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome）, related to pancytopenia,（2） intermediate phase complications（second to sixth month）-central nervous system infections caused by prolonged neutropenia and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy due to JC virus,（3） late phase complications（after sixth month）-neurological complications of Gv HD, second neoplasms and relapses of the original disease.

Hepatic encephalopathy before and neurological complications after liver transplantation have no impact on the employment status 1 year after transplantation

To investigate the impact of hepatic encephalopathy before orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and neurological complications after OLT on employment after OLT. METHODSOne hundred and fourteen patients with chronic liver disease aged 18-60 years underwent neurological examination to identify neurological complications, neuropsychological tests comprising the PSE-Syndrome-Test yielding the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score, the critical flicker frequency and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), completed a questionnaire concerning their occupation and filled in the short form 36 (SF-36) to assess health-related quality of life before OLT and 12 mo after OLT, if possible. Sixty-eight (59.6%) patients were recruited before OLT, while on the waiting list for OLT at Hannover Medical School [age: 48.7 ± 10.2 years, 45 (66.2%) male], and 46 (40.4%) patients were included directly after OLT. RESULTSBefore OLT 43.0% of the patients were employed. The patients not employed before OLT were more often non-academics (employed: Academic/non-academic 16 (34.0%)/31 vs not employed 10 (17.6%)/52, P = 0.04), had more frequently a history of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (yes/no; employed 15 (30.6%)/34 vs not employed 32 (49.2%)/33, P = 0.05) and achieved worse results in psychometric tests (RBANS sum score mean ± SD employed 472.1 ± 44.5 vs not employed 443.1 ± 56.7, P = 0.04) than those employed. Ten patients (18.2%), who were not employed before OLT, resumed work afterwards. The patients employed after OLT were younger [age median (range, min-max) employed 47 (42, 18-60) vs not employed 50 (31, 29-60), P = 0.01], achieved better results in the psychometric tests (RBANS sum score mean ± SD employed 490.7 ± 48.2 vs not employed 461.0 ± 54.5, P = 0.02) and had a higher health-related quality of life (SF 36 sum score mean ± SD employed 627.0 ± 138.1 vs not employed 433.7 ± 160.8; P < 0.001) compared to patients not employed after OLT. Employment before OLT (P < 0.001), age (P < 0.01) and SF-36 sum score 12 mo after OLT (P < 0.01) but not HE before OLT or neurological complications after OLT were independent predictors of the employment status after OLT. CONCLUSIONHE before and neurological complications after OLT have no impact on the employment status 12 mo after OLT. Instead younger age and employment before OLT predict employment one year after OLT.

Analysis of Risk Factors of Postoperative Neurological Complications in Patients with Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection Undergoing Sun’s Procedure

Objective:This study analyzed the risk factors of neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection after Sun’s procedure in a single-center with the purpose of improving the effects.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2020,the clinical data of 480 patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection,who were treated by Sun’s procedure in our center were retrospectively analyzed.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors of postoperative neurological complications.According to whether there were neurological complications after surgery,they were divided into two groups:the group with complications(n=70)and the group without complications(n=410).The clinical data of the two groups were collected and compared.Results:There were 70 cases of patients with postoperative neurological complications in 480 cases.The incidence rates of temporary neurological dysfunction(TND)and permanent neurological dysfunction(PND)was 11.5%(55/480)and 3.1%(15/480),respectively.Univariate analysis showed that the age(≥70 years),stroke history,femoral artery intubation and cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB)time were associated with postoperative PND(p<0.05).Renal dysfunction,emergency surgery,postoperative hypernatremia,postoperative hyperglycemia,postoperative hypoxemia,postoperative low cardiac output syndrome,and assisted time of suction influenced the occurrence of postoperative TND(p<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age(≥70 years),stroke history,femoral artery intubation and CPB time were independent risk factors for PND.Renal dysfunction,emergency surgery,postoperative hypernatremia,postoperative hyperglycemia,postoperative hypoxemia,postoperative low cardiac output syndrome,and aspiration time were independent risk factors for TND.Compared with the two groups,the hospitalization time and ICU time of the patients in the neurological complications group were significantly prolonged,and the mortality rate was significantly increased(p<0.05).Conclusion:There are many risk factors for neurological complications in patients with Stanford type A aortic dissection after surgery.With the improvement of surgical techniques,optimization of cerebral perfusion,and interventions for risk factors,Sun’s procedure remains the preferred treatment for Stanford type A aortic dissection.

Risk factors and prognosis of neurological complications in patients with infective endocarditis

Objective To identify risk factors of neurological complications(NC)in left-sided infective endocarditis(IE)and to assess its impact on the outcome and cardiac surgery.Methods Clinical data,NC,treatment and outcome of patients with definite left-sided IE admitted to our hospital during 2001—2012 were retrospectively ana-

Tacrolimus-induced posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome following liver transplantation

In this editorial,we talk about a compelling case focusing on posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome(PRES)as a complication in patients undergoing liver transplantation and treated with Tacrolimus.Tacrolimus(FK 506),derived from Streptomyces tsukubaensis,is a potent immunosuppressive macrolide.It inhibits Tcell transcription by binding to FK-binding protein,and is able to amplify glucocorticoid and progesterone effects.Tacrolimus effectively prevents allograft rejection in transplant patients but has adverse effects such as Tacrolimus-related PRES.PRES presents with various neurological symptoms alongside elevated blood pressure,and is primarily characterized by vasogenic edema on neuroimaging.While computed tomography detects initial lesions,magnetic resonance imaging,especially the Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery sequence,is superior for diagnosing cortical and subcortical edema.Our discussion centers on the incidence of PRES in solid organ transplant recipients,which ranges between 0.5 to 5+ACU-,with varying presentations,from seizures to visual disturbances.The case of a 66-year-old male status post liver transplantation highlights the diagnostic and management challenges associated with Tacrolimus-related PRES.Radiographically evident in the parietal and occipital lobes,PRES underlines the need for heightened vigilance among healthcare providers.This editorial emphasizes the importance of early recognition,accurate diagnosis,and effective management of PRES to optimize outcomes in liver transplant patients.The case further explores the balance between the efficacy of immunosuppression with Tacrolimus and its potential neurological risks,underlining the necessity for careful monitoring and intervention strategies in this patient population.

Zika virus infection and its emerging trends in Southeast Asia

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that represents a public health emergency at the ongoing epidemic.Previously,this rare virus was limited to sporadic cases in Africa and Asia until its emergence in Brazil,South America in 2015,where it rapidly spread throughout the world.Recently,a high number of cases were reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries.A combination of factors explains the current Zika virus outbreak although it is highly likely that the changes in the climate and high frequency of travelling contribute to the spread of Aedes vector carrying the Zika virus mainly to the tropical climate countries such as the Southeast Asia.The Zika virus is known to cause mild clinical symptoms similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and transmitted by different species of Aedes mosquitoes.However,neurological complications such as Guillain-Barrésyndrome in adults,and congenital anomalies,including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers,raised a serious concern.Currently,there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus infection.Therefore,international public health response is primarily focused on preventing infection,particularly in pregnant women,and on providing up-to-date recommendations to reduce the risk of non-vector transmission of Zika virus.

Japanese encephalitis following liver transplantation: A rare case report

BACKGROUND Japanese encephalitis(JE) is a serious public health concern with a high mortality rate in many Asian countries. For many years, JE virus(JEV) was considered the major cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. Although most JE cases are asymptomatic, the case fatality rate approaches 30%, and approximately 30%–50% of survivors have long-term neurological sequelae. To the best of our knowledge, JEV infection has never been reported following liver transplantation.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of a woman who underwent liver transplantation for autoimmune liver disease but presented with fever and neurological symptoms 13 d after transplantation. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed JEV infection,and positive immunoglobulin M antibody to JEV in blood and cerebrospinal fluid confirmed JE. The patient was treated with antiviral agents, immune regulation,and organ function support. No neurological sequelae were present after 1 year of follow-up.CONCLUSION Imaging and lumbar puncture examination should be performed as soon as possible in patients with fever and central nervous system symptoms after liver transplantation, and the possibility of atypical infection should be considered,which is helpful for early diagnosis and improved prognosis.

Assessment of EEG Changes in Neonatal Sepsis at Al-Zahraa University Hospital’s NIC Unit

Background: EEG is one of the most sensitive instrumental techniques for identifying sepsis-related neurological complications and a valuable tool in the ICU when clinical assessment is difficult. Aim of the Study: To detect EEG changes in neonates with evidence of sepsis. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective observational study for detecting EEG changes in cases of proven neonatal sepsis. This study was conducted at the NICU of Al Zahraa University Hospital for a period from October 2019 to March 2020. Our studied neonates were 50. This study included full-term newborns (37 to 42 weeks of gestational age) with clinical and laboratory evidence of sepsis (early and late onset). Neonatal birth asphyxia, jaundice, congenital malformations, suspected inborn error of metabolism and neonates electrolytes disturbances were excluded from the study. We record EEG changes during 20 min By an electroencephalogram (EEG) with abioelectric amplifier (Deltamed, Bourgogne), (Philips) Screen. Results: Among our studied neonates (neonates with evidence sepsis), 44.0% developed clinical seizures, 81% of the seizures group had abnormal EEG, 35.7% of No seizures group had abnormal EEG. Among our studied neonates, 56% had abnormal EEG EEG abnormalities were as follow, 26%/ had low voltage, 30% had spikes, 22% had sharp waves. Conclusion: About 35% (one third) of neonates who didn’t develop clinical seizures had abnormal EEG, suggesting a poor correlation between clinical and electroencephalographic detection of seizures.

Advances in research on Zika virus

Zika virus(ZIKV) is rapidly spreading across the America and its devastating outcomes for pregnant women and infants have driven this previously ignored pathogen into the limelight.Clinical manifestations are fever,joint pain or rash and conjunctivitis.Emergence of ZIKV started with a first outbrcak in the Pacific arca in 2007.a second large outbreak occurred in the Pacific in 2013/2014 and subsequently the virus spread in other Pacific islands.Threat of explosive global pandemic and severe clinical complications linked with the more immediate and recurrent epidemics necessitate the development of an effective vaccine.Several vaccine platforms such as DNA vaccine,recombinant subunit vaccine.ZIKV purified inactivated vaccine,and chimeric vaccines have shown potent efficacy in ritro and in rim trials.Moreover,number of drugs such as Sofosbuvir.BCX4450.NITD008 and 7-DMA are ready to enter phase I clinical trial because of proven anti-ZIKV activity.Monoclonal based antibodies offer promise as an intervention effective for use in pregnant women.In this review,we describe the advances in research on ZIKV such as research strategies for the development of antiviral drugs & vaccines,molecular evolution,epidemiology emergence,neurological complications and other teratogenic outcomes as well as pathogenesis.

Amyloidβ-related angiitis of the central nervous system occurring after COVID-19 vaccination:A case report

BACKGROUND Although coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccines have been effective in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic,a variety of post-vaccination neurological complications have been reported worldwide.Amyloidβ-related angiitis(ABRA)is a rare neurological disease.The underlying cause of ABRA is unknown,but several studies suggest that it is caused by an excessive immune response to amyloid-βdeposited in blood vessels.In addition,limited attention has been paid to potential triggers of ABRA,such as infection or vaccination.CASE SUMMARY We report a case of ABRA that developed 2 wk after COVID-19 vaccination.A 75-year-old woman developed a frontal headache after receiving a second dose of COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine(Pfizer-BioNTech).Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging(DW-MRI)of the head showed abnormal hyperintensity,suggesting cerebral infarctions in the left parietal and occipital lobes.We diagnosed her condition as ABRA based on a brain biopsy.We administered steroid pulse therapy and the patient’s symptoms and DW-MRI abnormalities improved.This case had a good outcome due to prompt diagnosis and treatment.CONCLUSION We report a case of ABRA that may have been triggered by COVID-19 vaccination.

Osler’s Subacute Infective Endocarditis on Rheumatic Heart: A Complicated Clinical Case That Reflects Four (4) Major Public Health Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa

Endocarditis is an inflammation of the endocardium and its structures (valves), most often of infectious origin, described by William Osler in 1885. In the 21st century, infective endocarditis remains a reality in our countries. We report a complicated case of infective endocarditis (IE). This is a 53-year-old woman, obese and passive smoker who died on the 5th day of her hospitalization following an infective endocarditis (IE) with bacterial strains resistant to the usual antibiotics: daughter of acute lithiasic cholecystitis, mother of major mitral valve perforation, brain abscess, ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation. All were responsible for septic shock and fatal coma. Surgical management of the infective endocarditis in the first hours of her admission could have improved her prognosis. To conclude, in addition to its interests and its clinical particularities, our present observation has highlighted major public health problems specific to our sub-Saharan African countries, namely: The problem of the double health burden, the problem of delays in seeking care, the problem of resistance to antibiotics and the problem of the insufficiency of reference health technical platforms.

Perioperative outcomes in minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery: A systematic review

AIM: To compare minimally invasive(MIS) and open techniques for MIS lumbar laminectomy, direct lateral and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(TLIF) surgeries with respect to length of surgery, estimated blood loss(EBL), neurologic complications, perioperative transfusion, postoperative pain, postoperative narcotic use, and length of stay(LOS).METHODS: A systematic review of previously published studies accessible through Pub Med was performed. Only articles in English journals or published with English language translations were included. Level of evidence of the selected articles was assessed. Statistical data was calculated with analysis of variance with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant.RESULTS: A total of 11 pertinent laminectomy studies, 20 direct lateral studies, and 27 TLIF studies were found. For laminectomy, MIS techniques resulted in a significantly longer length of surgery(177.5 min vs 129.0 min, P = 0.04), shorter LOS(4.3 d vs 5.3 d, P = 0.01) and less perioperative pain(visual analog scale: 16 ± 17 vs 34 ± 31, P = 0.04). There is evidence of decreased narcotic use for MIS patients(postoperative intravenous morphine use: 9.3 mg vs 42.8 mg), however this difference is of unknown significance. Direct lateral approaches have insufficient comparative data to establish relative perioperative outcomes. MIS TLIF had superior EBL(352 mL vs 580 mL, P < 0.0001) and LOS(7.7 d vs 10.4 d, P < 0.0001) and limited data to suggest lower perioperative pain.CONCLUSION: Based on perioperative outcomes data, MIS approach is superior to open approach for TLIF. For laminectomy, MIS and open approaches can be chosen based on surgeon preference. For lateral approaches, there is insufficient evidence to find noninferior perioperative outcomes at this time.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome and heart failure tacrolimus-induced after liver transplantation: A case report

BACKGROUND Patients undergoing liver transplantation can develop posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome(PRES)and acute heart failure(HF)in the postoperative period.But PRES with HF caused by tacrolimus has rarely been described.CASE SUMMAR A 40-year-old female patient who had a normal preoperative cardiac and neural evaluation developed PRES with acute heart failure tacrolimus-induced after liver transplantation.The challenges associated with both diagnosis and management in the setting of a newly implanted graft are discussed.CONCLUSION Tacrolimus can induce neurotoxicity and then cardiac toxicity.Magnetic resonance imaging,echocardiography,and increased brain natriuretic peptide may be predictive of post-operative PRES with acute heart failure.Further investigations are necessary to verify this finding.

Posterior Reduction and Monosegmental Fusion with Intraoperative Three-dimensional Navigation System in the Treatment of High-grade Developmental Spondylolisthesis

Background： The treatment of high-grade developmental spondylolisthesis （HGDS） is still challenging and controversial. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of the posterior reduction and monosegmental fusion assisted by intraoperative three-dimensional （3D） navigation system in managing the HGDS. Methods： Thirteen consecutive HGDS patients were treated with posterior decompression, reduction and monosegmental fusion ofL5/S1, assisted by intraoperative 3D navigation system. The clinical and radiographic outcomes were evaluated, with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The differences between the pre- and post-operative measures were statistically analyzed using a two-tailed, paired t-test. Results： At most recent follow-up, 12 patients were pain-free. Only l patient had moderate pain, There were no permanent neurological complications or pseudarthrosis. The magnetic resonance imaging showed that there was no obvious disc degeneration in the adjacent segment. All radiographic parameters were improved. Mean slippage improved from 63.2% before surgery to 12.2% after surgery and 11.0% at latest follow-up. Lumbar lordosis changed from preoperative 34.9 ± 13.3° to postoperative 50.4 ±9.9°, and 49.3 ± 7.8° at last follow-up. L5 incidence improved from 71.0 ± 11.3° to 54.0 ± 1 1.9° and did not change significantly at the last follow-up 53.±1 15.4°. While pelvic incidence remained unchanged, sacral slip significantly decreased from preoperative 32.7± 12.5° to postoperative 42.6 ± 9.8°and remained constant to the last follow-up 44.4 ± 6.9°. Pelvic tilt significantly decreased from 38.4±12.5° to 30.9± 8.1° and remained unchanged at the last fbllow-up 28.1± 11.2°. Conclusions： Posterior reduction and monosegmental fusion of L5/S1 assisted by intraoperative 3D navigation are an effective technique for managing high-grade dysplastic spondylolisthesis. A complete reduction of local deformity and excellent correction of overall sagittal balance can be achieved.