The association between benzodiazepine use and greater risk of neurocognitive impairment is moderated by medical burden in people with HIV
AbstractBenzodiazepine use is linked to neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in the general population and people with HIV (PWH); however, this relationship may depend on age-related factors such as medical comorbidities, which occur at an elevated rate and manifest earlier in PWH. We retrospectively examined whether chronological age or medical burden, a clinical marker for aging, moderated the relationship between benzodiazepine use and NCI in PWH. Participants were 435 PWH on antiretroviral therapy who underwent neurocognitive and medical evaluations, including self-reported current benzodiazepine use. A medical burden index...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 7, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction: carbamazepine as a treatment option in a series of cases
AbstractOlfactory dysfunction is reported frequently in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. However, an effective treatment for this dysfunction is unknown. The present study evaluated carbamazepine as a treatment option for olfactory dysfunction based on its use in cases of neuralgia, especially of the V cranial nerve. The study included 10 patients with coronavirus disease with olfactory complaints who were part of a cohort of 172 coronavirus disease patients monitored for late neurological manifestations. Carbamazepine was administered for 11 weeks. The adverse effects reported were drowsiness (9/10) and dizziness...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - April 2, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Limited evidence for a moderating effect of HIV status on brain age in heavy episodic drinkers
AbstractWe set out to test the hypothesis that greater brain ageing will be observed in people with HIV (PWH) and those who engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED), with their combined effects being especially detrimental in cognitive control brain networks. We correlated measures of “brain age gap” (BAG) and neurocognitive impairment in participants with and without HIV and HED. Sixty-nine participants were recruited from a community health centre in Cape Town: HIV − /HED − (N = 17), HIV + /HED − (N = 14), HIV − /HED + (N = 21), and HIV + /HED + (N = 17). Brain a...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 30, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Neurological soft signs and brain morphology in people living with HIV
AbstractNeurological soft signs (NSS) are a common feature of severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia but are also prevalent in organic brain diseases like HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) or Alzheimer ’s disease. While distinct associations between NSS, neurocognition, and cerebral regions were demonstrated in schizophrenia, these associations still have to be elucidated in HIV. Therefore, we investigated 36 persons with HIV of whom 16 were neurocognitively healthy and 20 were diagnosed with HA ND. NSS were assessed using the Heidelberg scale. NSS scores were correlated with gray matter (GM) usin...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 29, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Infection of human microglial cell line CHME-3 to study neuropathogenesis of chikungunya virus
AbstractChikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection, generally characterised by fever, rash and debilitating polyarthralgia, and/or arthritis, also causes complications of the central nervous system, including encephalitis. However, the role of microglial cells in the neuropathogenesis of CHIKV is poorly understood. The current study characterised the progression of CHIKV infection in the human microglial cell line CHME -3. The susceptibility of these cells to CHIKV and the viral replication kinetics were assessed during the early and late phases of infection. The cell viability was determined using the cell viability assay. Ult...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 29, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Risk factors of herpes simplex virus reactivation after surgery for primary trigeminal neuralgia
The objective of this study is to investigate the risk factors of oral or facial herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection after primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN). The clinical data of 33 PTN patients admitted by the same surgeon in the neurosurgery were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 33 patients, 26 patients underwent microvascular decompression (MVD), 6 patients who have not been found the clear offending vessels during the operation underwent partial sensory rhizotomy (PSR), and only one underwent adhesive band separation. Thirteen patients with postoperative oral and facial HSV-1 infection were selected as the herpe...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 25, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Sequential treatment of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy with intravenous immunoglobulins and pembrolizumab
AbstractProgressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare demyelinating disease of the CNS caused by the human polyomavirus 2 (JCV). PML predominantly occurs in immunocompromised patients. To date, no specific antiviral treatment exists, leaving only restoration of the immune system as possible treatment. In 2019, the monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab was reported as a potential treatment option in PML in a case series. Following case reports could not thoroughly confirm a positive outcome. Pembrolizumab targets the inhibitory programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor on lymphocytes and is associated with be...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 23, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Correction: Interaction of declined handgrip strength and HIV infection on neurocognitive impairment
(Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 18, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
A case of ischemic stroke secondary to varicella-zoster virus meningoencephalitis
AbstractVaricella-zoster virus (VZV) lurks in cranial nerves and other brain ganglias after infection. Because middle cerebral artery (MCA) receives the ipsilateral trigeminal ganglia afferent innervations, the reactivated VZV infects the adventitia and intima of cerebral artery wall probably through this way and causes vascular inflammation, finally resulting in artery remodeling, vessel occlusion, and ischemia. In fact, there is a growing clinical recognition that there is an association between VZV reactivation and subsequent stroke. Here, we showed a case of ischemic stroke secondary to varicella-zoster virus meningoen...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 11, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Neurological complications of COVID-19 in pediatric patients require comprehensive evaluation
(Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 11, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
SARS-CoV-2 –associated Guillain–Barre syndrome requires extensive pre- and post-mortem examinations
(Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 10, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
“Anosmia” the mysterious collateral damage of COVID-19
AbstractCOVID-19 pandemic spreads worldwide, with more than 100 million positive cases and more than 2 million deaths. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several otolaryngologists described many cases of a sudden loss of smell (anosmia) associated with the disease with or without additional symptoms. Anosmia is often the first and sometimes the only sign in the asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. Still, this disorder is underestimated, and it is not life-threatening. However, it significantly decreases the quality of life. This olfactory dysfunction continues in several cases even after the nasopharyngeal swab was...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 5, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
A human-derived 3D brain organoid model to study JC virus infection
In conclusion, the brain organoid model of JCV infection establishes a human model suitable for studying the mechanisms of JCV infection and pathogenesis of PML and may facilit ate the exploration of therapeutic approaches. (Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 3, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Notes from guest editor Dr. Fatah Kashanchi
(Source: Journal of NeuroVirology)
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 3, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
Cardiovascular risk factors and brain white matter lesions in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP)
AbstractThe origin of brain white matter lesion found in HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP) remains undefined. We investigated the association between white matter lesions in HAM/TSP with cardiovascular risk factors. The group of 40 patients with HAM/TSP included 60% females and mean age of 58.6 ± 8 years old. The probability of 10-year cardiovascular disease was low in 53%, moderate in 38%, and high in 10% of the patients. There was no difference between the cardiovascular risk factors in HAM/TSP patients with and without brain lesions (p > 0.05). Our data suggest that the brain white matter abnormaliti...
Source: Journal of NeuroVirology - March 2, 2022 Category: Neurology Source Type: research
