1/20. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and cerebral toxoplasmosis in an adult patient, with no symptoms of underlying immunosuppressing illness.We present a case of the coincidence of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and central nervous system (CNS) toxoplasmosis in an adult patient, without a detectable cause of cell-mediated immunity impairment. The proper diagnosis was made postmortem on the basis of histological changes typical of both pathological processes. PML was characterized by the presence of subcortical focal demyelination, containing enlarged, densely basophilic oligodendrocyte nuclei, often with intranuclear inclusion, and bizarre astrocytes, mimicking neoplastic cells. PML was confirmed by detecting numerous papova virus particles in oligo- and astroglial nuclei by thin-section electron microscopy. Cerebral toxoplasmosis was characterized by the presence of multiple well-circumscribed necrotizing abscesses. Numerous toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) cysts and free, non-encysted protozoan parasites were found among the inflammatory infiltrates. The diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis was further confirmed by immunocytochemistry. In order to detect putative immunosuppressive background underlying both pathological processes, hiv infection was taken into consideration, however, no histopathological changes indicative of AIDS either in the CNS or in the peripheral organs were eventually found. Moreover no hiv provirus genome was identified in the formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded brain tissue by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Current view on the selected aspects of the pathogenesis of both disorders were discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/20. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the maxillary sinus in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common malignancies in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv): it occurs 25-60 times more frequently in hiv-infected patients than in the general population. This neoplasm in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients is a highly aggressive tumour with a poor prognosis and tends to develop in extranodal sites, such as the central nervous system, digestive tract and bone marrow. NHL involving the paranasal sinuses is rare in hiv-infected patients, and is likely to be confused clinically and radiographically with sinusitis; moreover, its optimal treatment is currently uncertain. We present a case of NHL involving the left maxillary sinus in a patient with AIDS. The patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy (low dose-CHOP), but the malignancy did not respond. Subsequently, he was treated with local maxillary sinus irradiation which resulted in partial regression of the neoplasm and in decrease of local symptoms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/20. central nervous system toxoplasmosis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: An emerging disease in india.With the incidence of patients infected with human immuno-deficiency virus (hiv) increasing in india, the central nervous system (CNS) manifestations of the disease will be seen more frequently. The CNS may be primarily afflicted by the virus or by opportunistic infections and neoplasms secondary to the immune suppression caused by the virus. In india, although mycobacterium tuberculosis has been reported to be the most common opportunistic infection, toxoplasmosis may become as common owing to the ubiquitous nature of the protozoan. Since an empirical trial of medical therapy without histopathological diagnosis is recommended, the true incidence of this condition may remain under estimated. The role of ancillary tests such as radiology and serology in the initial diagnosis of this condition remain crucial. This report highlights two patients who were diagnosed to have acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) only after the biopsy of the intracranial lesion was reported as toxoplasmosis. Presently all patients for elective neurosurgery are tested for hiv antigen. The management protocol to be followed in a known patient with AIDS presenting with CNS symptoms is discussed in detail. The value of ancillary tests is also reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/20. Failure of screening to detect hiv in a foreign laborer who died of toxoplasmosis of the central nervous system.The most common neurologic complication in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is cerebral toxoplasmosis. patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis have characteristic findings on clinical examination and neuroimaging. They require prolonged treatment and have a considerable mortality rate. We report a case of cerebral toxoplasmosis in a foreign laborer with AIDS, in whom a human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) screening test failed to detect-hiv infection. The patient, a 23-year-old man from thailand, presented in a confused state 2 weeks after his arrival in taiwan. Computed tomography showed a mass effect, and magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple ring-enhanced lesions in the cerebrum. serologic tests were positive for anti-hiv antibody and also showed high anti-toxoplasma immunoglobulin g titers. Although symptomatic treatment was initiated, the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly and he died of multiple organ failure due to brain stem herniation a few days after admission. As the number of foreign laborers working in taiwan has increased dramatically in recent years, the issues raised by this case are the efficacy of our screening protocols for foreign laborers and the increased occupational hazards encountered by medical personnel in taiwan.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/20. Toxoplasmic encephalitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome--four case reports.Four patients, all males aged 40-64 years, presented with toxoplasmic encephalitis associated with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection manifesting as nonspecific neurological deficits such as epilepsy or hemiparesis. magnetic resonance imaging showed single or multiple lesions with ring enhancement, mimicking metastatic brain tumor or brain abscess. Marked eosinophilia was noted in three patients. Two patients who received anti-toxoplasma chemotherapy in the early stage had a good outcome. However, the other two patients suffered rapid neurological deterioration and needed decompressive surgery, resulting in a poor outcome. toxoplasma diffusely infects the whole central nervous system from the early stage. The outcome for patients who needed emergency surgery was poor. Therefore, this rare but increasingly common infectious disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with neuroimaging findings similar to those of metastatic tumor or brain abscess. Appropriate chemotherapy should be started immediately after hiv-positive reaction is identified in patients with single or multiple mass lesions with ring enhancement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/20. MRI features of toxoplasma encephalitis in the immunocompetent host: a report of two cases.central nervous system involvement due to toxoplasmosis in an immunocompetent host is rare. We describe MRI features in two immunocompetent patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis and compare these with those for the immunocompromised host.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/20. Treatment of toxoplasma brain abscess with clindamycin and sulfadiazine in an AIDS patient with concurrent atypical pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.toxoplasmosis is the most common opportunistic infection of the central nervous system in patients with AIDS. The standard treatment for toxoplasmic encephalitis is pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine. There have been few reports of concurrent toxoplasma brain abscess and cavitary pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in taiwan. We report the case of a 26-year-old homosexual man with coexisting infection with toxoplasma gondii and P. carinii who was successfully treated for brain abscess with clindamycin and sulfadiazine. The cavitary lung lesions, initially diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis, were proved to be PCP by lung biopsy. hiv infection and syphilis had been diagnosed 1 year before admission. He presented with general weakness, ataxia, nausea, blurred vision and fever for 2 weeks. magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple ring-enhanced lesions over the cerebrum and cerebellum. Chest roentgenography showed a 3-cm lesion with cavitation over the right upper lung field. Diagnostic computerized tomography-guided lung biopsy revealed P. carinii cysts. clindamycin, sulfadiazine and trimethoprim (TMP)-sulfamethoxazole (20 mg/kg/day TMP) were given with good response. His CD4 count rose from 40 to 280/microL 4 months later. All antibiotics were discontinued after 4.5 months due to the development of a skin rash. He was well at follow-up 1 year later. This case suggests that the combination of clindamycin and sulfadiazine is an effective treatment for toxoplasma brain abscess and highlights the importance of diagnostic lung biopsy for cavitary lung lesions, particularly in a region endemic for tuberculosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/20. early diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients by dot blot hybridization analysis.central nervous system toxoplasmosis is a life-threatening infection with a mortality rate of higher than 60%. An early and rapid diagnosis is important for effective treatment of the disease. A new approach for detection of cerebral toxoplasmosis is described here. DNAs extracted from cells in cerebrospinal fluid samples (0.3 to 0.8 ml) of patients suspected of having cerebral toxoplasmosis were analyzed by a dot blot hybridization technique. A highly repetitive dna sequence of toxoplasma gondii (ABGTg4) was nonisotopically labelled with digoxigenin-dUTP and used as a specific dna probe. Four of six patients analyzed gave positive signals in our hybridization assay. Two of them recovered with pyrimethamine-sulfadiazine, a drug recommended for treatment of toxoplasmosis. The other two patients with positive signals died soon after diagnosis. patients with negative signals were found to suffer from mycobacterial infection (patient 1) or varicella-zoster virus infection (patient 6).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/20. Primary cerebral toxoplasmosis: a rare case of ventriculitis and hydrocephalus in AIDS.We describe the clinical, radiological and neuropathological findings in an adult AIDS patient presenting with ventriculitis and hydrocephalus as the primary manifestations of cerebral toxoplasmosis. Clinical symptoms including fever, headache, changes in mental status and focal neurological deficits were non-specific. Cranial computed tomography showed a subtile ventricular dilatation whereas magnetic resonance imaging disclosed triventricular hydrocephalus due to stenosis of the aqueduct and a periventricular nodular rim of high signal intensity on T2- and proton density-weighted images. This rim also showed a slight enhancement on post-contrast T1-weighted images. Focal intracerebral lesions could not be delineated, neither by neuroimaging nor by pathology. Neuropathological examination showed severe ventriculitis with large ependymal and subependymal necrosis as well as dilatation of the lateral and the third ventricle. The only microorganism demonstrated at histology in the central nervous system was toxoplasma gondii. We conclude that ventriculitis and hydrocephalus without any focal parenchymal lesion may be the only manifestations of CNS toxoplasmosis. It is important to recognize this unusual form of presentation of cerebral toxoplasmosis in order to perform specific therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/20. hydrocephalus and prominence of the choroid plexus: an unusual computed tomographic presentation of cerebral toxoplasmosis in AIDS.toxoplasmosis is a frequent cause of infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Computed tomography (CT) usually shows solitary or multiple parenchymal lesions, which are most often located in the cortex, the juxtacortical white matter and the basal ganglia. The authors describe a 30-year-old immunocompromised Haitian woman with pathologically proven CNS toxoplasmosis who presented with hydrocephalus and prominence of the choroid plexus; there was no evidence of focal parenchymal lesions in contrast-enhanced CT scans. An autopsy revealed diffuse destruction of the ependyma of the lateral, the third and the fourth ventricles. necrosis was evident, and the periventricular tissues and the choroid plexus were infiltrated with neutrophils and macrophages. Pseudocysts of toxoplasma were identified near the ventricular surface.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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