scholarly journals Evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay for clinical diagnosis of neurocysticercosis in symptomatic patients

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 647-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynaldo Mendes de Carvalho Junior ◽  
Dorcas Lamounier Costa ◽  
Savyo Carvalho Soares ◽  
Carlos Henrique Nery Costa

INTRODUCTION: Neurocysticercosis is an infection of the human central nervous system caused by the metacestode larvae of Taenia solium. Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic disease in developing countries. Epilepsy is the most common clinical manifestation. Difficulties in confirming the diagnosis motivated the evaluation of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). METHODS: Twenty-two patients with NCC and 44 control patients were studied. CSF was analyzed using a commercial ELISA kit developed for NCC. Sensitivity and specificity were measured and a multivariate logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 31.8% and 100%, respectively, with accuracy of 77.3%. Only the size of the lesions proved to be important for performance of the test. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that ELISA contributes to the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis if the result is negative or if the patient has a lesion of 2 cm or more.

Author(s):  
Hector H. Garcia ◽  
Robert H. Gilman

Cysticercosis, infection by larvae of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium (see Chapter 7.10.2), is the commonest helminthic infection of the human central nervous system. It accounts for up to 30% of all seizures and epilepsy in endemic countries, and travel and immigration now lead to its more frequent presentation in industrialized countries....


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90
Author(s):  
Gislaine Cristina Lopes Machado-Porto ◽  
Leandro Tavares Lucato ◽  
Fábio Henrique de Gobbi Porto ◽  
Evandro Cesar de Souza ◽  
Ricardo Nitrini

Infection of the human central nervous system (CNS) by the larvae of Taenia solium, termed neurocysticercosis (NCC), is endemic in most developing countries, where it is a major cause of acquired seizures and other neurological morbidity, including neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, despite its frequent manifestation, some findings, such as cognitive impairment and dementia, remain poorly understood. Less commonly, NCC may affect the ventricular system and subarachnoid spaces and this form is known as extraparenchymal neurocysticercosis. A particular presentation of the subarachnoid form is called racemose cysticercosis, which has a progressive pattern, frequently leads to hydrocephalus and can be life-threatening. Here we review a case of the racemose variety of cysticercosis, complicated by hydrocephalus and reversible dementia, with remission of symptoms after derivation and that remained stable with use of dexchlorpheniramine. We discuss the challenges in diagnosis, imaging findings, treatment and follow-up of this disease.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Hampson

Organizational and activational effects of sex steroids were first discovered in laboratory animals, but these concepts extend to hormonal actions in the human central nervous system. This chapter begins with a brief overview of how sex steroids act in the brain and how the organizational-activational hypothesis originated in the field of endocrinology. It then reviews common methods used to study these effects in humans. Interestingly, certain cognitive functions appear to be subject to modification by sex steroids, and these endocrine influences may help explain the sex differences often seen in these functions. The chapter considers spatial cognition as a representative example because the spatial family of functions has received the most study by researchers interested in the biological roots of sex differences in cognition. The chapter reviews evidence that supports an influence of both androgens and estrogens on spatial functions, and concludes with a glimpse of where the field is headed.


Author(s):  
Kristin N Varhaug ◽  
Omar Hikmat ◽  
Hanne Linda Nakkestad ◽  
Christian A Vedeler ◽  
Laurence A Bindoff

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the utility of the serum biomarkers neurofilament light chain (NF-L), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in diagnosing primary mitochondrial disorders. We measured serum NF-L, FGF-21 and GDF-15 in 26 patients with a genetically proven mitochondrial disease. FGF-21 and GDF-15 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and NF-L with the Simoa assay. NF-L was highest in patients with multisystemic involvement that included the central nervous system such as those with the m.3242A>G mutation. Mean NF-L was also highest in patients with epilepsy versus those without (49.74 pg/ml versus 19.7 pg/ml (p = 0.015)), while FGF-21 and GDF-15 levels were highest in patients with prominent myopathy, such as those with single mitochondrial DNA deletion. Our results suggest that the combination of NF-L, FGF-21 and GDF-15 is useful in the diagnostic evaluation of mitochondrial disease. GDF-15 and FGF-21 identify those with muscle involvement while NF-L is a clear marker for central nervous system involvement independent of underlying mitochondrial pathology. Levels of NF-L appear to correlate with the degree of ongoing damage suggesting, therefore, that monitoring NF-L levels may provide prognostic information and a way of monitoring disease activity.


1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnhild Sandberg-Wollheim ◽  
Burton Zweiman ◽  
Arnold I. Levinson ◽  
Robert P. Lisak

Author(s):  
Mehrak Mahmoudi ◽  
Piroz Zamankhan ◽  
William Polashenski

The nervous system remains one of the least understood biological structures due in large part to the enormous complexity of this organ. A theoretical model for the transfer of nerve impulses would be valuable for the analysis of various phenomena in the nervous system, which are difficult to study by experiments. The central nervous system is composed of more than 100 billion neurons, through which information is transmitted via nerve impulses. Nerve impulses are not immediately apparent since each impulse may be blocked during transmission, changed from a single impulse into repetitive impulse, or integrated with impulses from other neurons to form highly intricate patterns. In the human central nervous system, a neuron secretes a chemical substance called a neurotransmitter at the synapse, and this transmitter in turn acts on another neuron to cause excitation, inhibition, or some other modification of its sensitivity.


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