Schizencephaly: A rare cause of late-onset epilepsy in an adult

Schizencephaly, a rare congenital cerebral deformity that affects the cerebral mantle and is caused by both hereditary and acquired factors, is defined by a cleft that spans the entire cerebral hemisphere from the lateral ventricle to the cerebral cortex. Adult symptoms have only been described in a few cases in the literature. Hemiparesis, developmental delays, or seizures are manifestations of the clinical presentation, which is dependent on the size and location of the lesion. Neuroimaging investigations, particularly MRI, enable the diagnosis and rule out other causes. Usually discovered at birth, this entity begins to show up in the first several years. To prevent receiving the wrong treatment, the ailment must be correctly diagnosed. We report the observation of a 43-year-old patient with partial epileptic seizures but with an asymptomatic childhood, in relation to unilateral closed cleft schizencephaly associated with gray matter heterotopia. In this case, we highlight the importance of neuroimaging, in particular MRI on the diagnosis of this entity and to identify the associated anomalies

Osseous hydatid disease: A mimic of other skeletal pathologies

Hydatid disease is still endemic in several regions worldwide including Morocco, and is caused in most cases by the larval form of 2 species of the tapeworm Echinococcus: E. granulosus and E. multilocularis. Primary hydatid disease of the bone without systemic involvement is rare. The disease has a silent clinical evolution until it reaches complicated stages. Complications may include pathological fracture, neural deficit, infection, and fistulization of the abscess. Preoperative diagnosis is based on clinical history, imaging findings, and serological tests, which lack high sensitivity and specificity. Although the interpretation of imaging studies can prove to be very confusing because the bone changes evolve with time, and the nonspecificity of these findings often leads to a mistaken diagnosis. The diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion, especially in patients who reside in or travel to sheep-raising areas where hydatid disease is endemic. A high index of suspicion is necessary for the diagnosis, especially in patients that live in or travel to sheep-raising areas where hydatid disease is endemic. The treatment of choice remains surgical, following the principles of a locally malignant lesion. Chemotherapy (albendazole alone or in combination with praziquantel) is indicated when surgery is not possible or as an adjuvant treatment. The prognosis is often poor. We report the case of a 28-year-old woman with long-standing pain in the left hip joint in which the imaging findings were thought of as being either tuberculous or neoplastic. The result of a CT-guided biopsy concurred with an unexpected diagnosis of a hydatid cyst. This case highlights that in the absence of a high index of suspicion for echinococcal infection, the semblance of imaging findings of hydatid disease in the bone to those of other skeletal pathologies can lead to misinterpretation

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field