Intracranial mature teratoma in an adult patient: a case report

Introduction: Primary intracranial teratoma is a subtype of germ cell tumors, classified into three subtypes. They occur very rarely, with only several reported individual cases in adults. ----- Case Description: We present a patient with an intermittent headache in the right frontal region. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a right sided high frontal parasagittal mass that compressed the falx, the right lateral ventricle, as well as the brain parenchyma. Patient underwent surgical treatment. Histopathological analysis described mature teratoma. Four months after the surgical treatment there were no signs of residual intracranial mass or relapse. ----- Discussion: Primary intracranial teratoma in adults has a nonspecific clinical presentation. MRI reveals a solitary irregular mass with multilocularity and mixed signals derived from different tissues. The patients age, biochemical markers, and patohistological analysis are necessary to confirm the diagnosis. ----- Conclusion: Teratoma treatment strategy still remains controversial. It includes radical resection whenever possible. Since the residual portion of mature teratoma may contain part of immature or malignant tissue, tumor recurrence after surgical removal is possible. Also, new tumor mass could occur at other sites intracranial after the initial one was removed. Thus, although patients usually recover, they should be followed-up for a long period of time

Incidencija akutnih simptomatskih napadaja kod bolesnika s COVID-19: monocentrično istraživanje

The most common neurological symptoms in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are headache, myalgia, encephalopathy, dizziness, dysgeusia and anosmia, making more than 90 percent of neurological manifestations of COVID-19. Other neurological manifestations such as stroke, movement disorder symptoms or epileptic seizures are rare but rather devastating, with possible lethal outcome. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of acute symptomatic seizures among COVID-19 patients, while secondary aim was to determine their possible etiology. Out of 5382 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Dubrava University Hospital from November 1, 2020 until June 1, 2021, 38 (seizure rate 0.7%) of them had acute symptomatic seizures. Of these 38 patients, 29 (76.3%) had new-onset epileptic seizures and nine (23.7%) patients with previous epilepsy history had breakthrough seizures during COVID-19. Although acute symptomatic seizures are an infrequent complication of COVID-19, seizure risk must be considered in these patients, particularly in the group of patients with a severe course of the disease. Accumulation of proinflammatory cytokines may contribute to the occurrence of seizures in patients with COVID-19, but seizures may also be secondary to primary brain pathology related to COVID-19, such as stroke or encephalitis.Najčešći neurološki simptomi kod bolesnika s infekcijom SARS-CoV-2 su glavobolja, mialgija, encefalopatija, vrtoglavica, disgeuzija i anosmija, a čine više od 90% neuroloških manifestacija ove bolesti. Ostala neurološka zbivanja poput moždanog udara, poremećaja pokreta ili epileptičkih napada nisu česta, ali su potencijalno teške komplikacije s mogućim smrtnim ishodom. Primarni cilj ove studije bio je procijeniti učestalost akutnih simptomatskih napadaja kod bolesnika s COVID-19, dok je sekundarni cilj bio utvrditi njihovu moguću etiologiju. Od ukupno 5382 bolesnika hospitaliziranih u Kliničkoj bolnici Dubrava od 1. studenoga 2020. godine do 1. lipnja 2021. njih 38 (0,7%) je imalo akutne simptomatske napadaje. Od tih 38 bolesnika 29 (76,3%) ih je imalo novonastale epileptičke napadaje bez ranije anamneze epilepsije, dok je njih 9 (23,7%) imalo anamnezu dobro kontrolirane epilepsije uz pojavu epileptičkih napadaja tijekom bolesti COVID-19. Iako su akutni simptomatski napadaji rijetka komplikacija bolesti COVID-19, treba razmišljati o epileptičkim napadajima kod ovih bolesnika, osobito kod onih s teškim oblikom bolesti. Nakupljanje proupalnih citokina može doprinijeti pojavi napadaja u bolesnika s COVID-19, ali napadaji mogu također biti posljedica primarnog zbivanja na mozgu uslijed bolesti COVID-19, poput moždanog udara ili encefalitisa

Antiepileptics and Drug Interactions

Antiepileptici (AEL) lijekovi su u kliničkoj primjeni dugi niz godina, a osim u liječenju epilepsija, rabe se i u drugim stanjima poput migrene, neuropatske boli ili psihijatrijskih poremećaja, uglavnom kao kronična terapija. Iako se njihova primjena preporučuje u obliku monoterapije, zbog karaktera bolesti često se primjenjuju i kao politerapija. Rabe se u svim dobnim skupinama, a često i u bolesnika s komorbiditetom, odnosno komedikacijom, što znatno povećava mogućnost interakcija s drugim lijekovima, a time i rizik od nuspojava. Stoga je, s obzirom na široku primjenu u kliničkoj praksi, osim o indikacijskom području i učinkovitosti, nužno voditi računa i o njihovim interakcijama s drugim lijekovima.Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been used in clinical practice for many years. They have also been used for the treatment of conditions other than epilepsy, such as migraine, neuropathic pain and psychiatric conditions, mostly as chronic therapy. Although AED monotherapy is recommended, the character of the disease often requires that AEDs be used as part of polytherapy. AEDs are used in all age groups, frequently in patients with comorbidities requiring co-medication, which significantly increases the possibility of drug interactions and the risk of side effects. Thus, given the widespread use in clinical practice, it is highly important to consider not only the range of indications and the efficacy of AEDs, but also their possible interactions with other drugs

Antiepileptics and Drug Interactions

Antiepileptici (AEL) lijekovi su u kliničkoj primjeni dugi niz godina, a osim u liječenju epilepsija, rabe se i u drugim stanjima poput migrene, neuropatske boli ili psihijatrijskih poremećaja, uglavnom kao kronična terapija. Iako se njihova primjena preporučuje u obliku monoterapije, zbog karaktera bolesti često se primjenjuju i kao politerapija. Rabe se u svim dobnim skupinama, a često i u bolesnika s komorbiditetom, odnosno komedikacijom, što znatno povećava mogućnost interakcija s drugim lijekovima, a time i rizik od nuspojava. Stoga je, s obzirom na široku primjenu u kliničkoj praksi, osim o indikacijskom području i učinkovitosti, nužno voditi računa i o njihovim interakcijama s drugim lijekovima.Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been used in clinical practice for many years. They have also been used for the treatment of conditions other than epilepsy, such as migraine, neuropathic pain and psychiatric conditions, mostly as chronic therapy. Although AED monotherapy is recommended, the character of the disease often requires that AEDs be used as part of polytherapy. AEDs are used in all age groups, frequently in patients with comorbidities requiring co-medication, which significantly increases the possibility of drug interactions and the risk of side effects. Thus, given the widespread use in clinical practice, it is highly important to consider not only the range of indications and the efficacy of AEDs, but also their possible interactions with other drugs

Smjernice za farmakološko liječenje epilepsije

SAŽETAK Međunarodne smjernice za farmakološko liječenje epilepsija općenite su, sveobuhvatne i ne prepoznaju lokalne specifičnosti poput ekonomskih i tehničkih mogućnosti u pojedinim državama, dostupnosti pojedinih antiepileptika ili drugih metoda liječenja i slično. Stoga se nameće potreba izrade nacionalnih smjernica, čiji su zapravo temelj međunarodne smjernice Internacionalne lige protiv epilepsije. Hrvatske smjernice za farmakološko liječenje epilepsija plod su suradnje svih relevantnih stručnih društava i referentnih centara u RH, na čelu s Hrvatskom ligom protiv epilepsije te Hrvatskim neurološkim društvom i Hrvatskim društvom za dječju neurologiju Hrvatskoga liječničkog zbora, a odražavaju aktualne socioekonomske i regulatorne specifičnosti u našoj zemlji, najnovije spoznaje farmakoloških profila i učinkovitosti pojedinih antiepileptika kao i ekspertna mišljenja. Antiepileptička terapija se uvodi nakon postavljanja dijagnoze epilepsije, stoga profilaktička primjena nije opravdana. Nakon postavljanja dijagnoze potrebno je bolesnika informirati o prognozi bolesti, mogućnostima liječenja i samopomoći, životnim ograničenjima te mogućim neželjenim događajima. Ciljevi farmakoterapije epilepsija su potpuna kontrola napada uz izbjegavanje nuspojava te održavanje ili poboljšanje kvalitete života. Zlatni standard liječenja je monoterapija odnosno primjena adekvatnog antiepileptika u adekvatnoj dozi. Izbor i titracija lijeka su individualni, a temelje se na smjernicama za liječenje pojedinih vrsta napada, karakteristikama bolesnika i regulatorno specifičnim čimbenicima. Nakon neuspjeha inicijalne monoterapije, potrebna je reevalucija anamnestičkih i dijagnostičkih podataka te potom postupna i spora zamjena antiepileptika. Racionalna politerapija podrazumijeva kombinaciju dvaju antiepileptika različitih mehanizama djelovanja, prvog ili eventualno drugog izbora za postavljenju dijagnozu, niskoga interakcijskog potencijala, različitog profila nuspojava i sinergističkog ili aditivnog djelovanja. Zamjena generičkih ili originalnog i generičkog oblika lijeka nije preporučljiva, a poglavito nakon postizanja remisije ili prilikom uzimanja visokih doza lijeka. Ukidanje antiepileptičke terapije treba biti postupno i sporo, u slučaju politerapije jedan po jedan lijek, a u donošenju odluke o ukidanju, kao i o uvođenju antiepileptika, mora biti uključen bolesnik i njegova obitelj

Bearing variant alleles at uridine glucuronosyltransferase polymorphisms UGT2B7 -161C > T (rs7668258) or UGT1A4*3 c.142 T > G (rs2011425) has no relevant consequences for lamotrigine troughs in adults with epilepsy

Purpose: To estimate whether epilepsy patients with variant UGT2B7 -161C > T (rs7668258) or UGT1A4*3 c.142 T > G (rs2011425) alleles differ from their wild-type (wt) peers in exposure to lamotrigine. Methods: Consecutive adults on lamotrigine monotherapy or lamotrigine + valproate co-treatment undergoing routine therapeutic drug monitoring, otherwise generally healthy and free of interacting drugs, were genotyped for UGT2B7 -161C > T and UGT1A4*3 c.142 T > G. Heterozygous, variant homozygous, or combined heterozygous/variant homozygous subjects were compared to their wt controls for dose-adjusted lamotrigine troughs with adjustment for age, sex, body weight, rs7668258/rs2011425, polymorphisms of efflux transporter proteins ABCG2 c.421C > A (rs2231142) and ABCB1 1236C > T (rs1128503), and level of exposure to valproate using covariate entropy balancing. Results: Of the 471 included patients, 328 (69.6%) were on monotherapy and 143 were co-treated with valproate. Dose-adjusted lamotrigine troughs in UGT2B7 -161C > T heterozygous (CT, n = 237) or variant homozygous (TT, n = 115) subjects were closely similar to those in their wt controls (CC, n = 119): geometric means ratios (GMRs) (frequentist and Bayes) 1.00 (95%CI 0.86-1.16) and 1.00 (95%CrI 0.83-1.22) for CT vs. CC; and 0.97 (0.81-1.17) and 0.97 (0.80-1.20) for TT vs. CC subjects. Lamotrigine troughs were also closely similar in UGT1A4*3 c.142 T > G variant carriers (n = 106: 102 TG + 4 GG subjects) and wt controls (TT, n = 365): GMR = 0.95 (0.81-1.12) frequentist, 0.96 (0.80-1.16) Bayes. GMRs for variant carriers vs. wt controls were around unity also at different levels of exposure to valproate. Conclusion: Dose-adjusted lamotrigine troughs in epilepsy patients with variant UGT2B7 -161C > T or UGT1A4*3 c.142 T > G alleles are equivalent to those in their respective wt peers