Herpesvirus-associated central and peripheral nervous system involvement: two clinical cases

Herpesviruses can directly affect the structure of the nervous system, resulting in encephalitis, and also induce immune-mediated disorders of the peripheral nervous system as sensory-predominant chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Patients with immunodeficiency may simultaneously develop two pathological processes, determining the severity of the condition. Parainfectious limbic encephalitis (PILE) associated with viruses from the family Herpes viridae is a form of chronic herpes encephalitis, which is characterized by dysfunction of the limbic system and by a long-term course with exacerbations. CIDP is a dysimmune disease leasing to peripheral nervous system involvement, which belongs to a class of myelinopathies. The paper describes two clinical cases of a concurrence of chronic PILE and CIDP in middle-aged men who have symptomatic status epilepticus and iatrogenic complications. It characterizes difficulties in diagnosis and the clinical features of chronic herpes infection involving the central and peripheral nervous systems. The given clinical cases suggest that not only neurologistsand epileptologists, but also resuscitation specialists and ngiosurgeons should be particularly alert to the pathology in question

Конечностно-поясная мышечная дистрофия с аутосомно- доминантным типом наследования: пельвиофеморальная форма Лейдена–Мебиуса

The paper considers current approaches to the clinical laboratory diagnosis of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy with emphasis on its autosomal dominant forms. The authors describe their clinical observation of a case of late diagnosis of the pelvifemoral form of autosomal dominant limbgirdle muscular dystrophy in a 37-year-old patient.В статье рассматриваются современные подходы к клинико-лабораторной диагностике конечностно-поясной мышечной дистрофии с акцентом на аутосомно-доминантные формы заболевания. Авторами представлено собственное клиническое наблюдение случая с поздней диагностикой пельвиофеморальной формы конечностно-поясной мышечной дистрофии с аутосомно-доминантным типом наследования у пациентки 37 лет.

Directional Secretory Response of Double Stranded RNA-Induced Thymic Stromal Lymphopoetin (TSLP) and CCL11/Eotaxin-1 in Human Asthmatic Airways

Background Thymic stromal lymphoproetin (TSLP) is a cytokine secreted by the airway epithelium in response to respiratory viruses and it is known to promote allergic Th2 responses in asthma. This study investigated whether virally-induced secretion of TSLP is directional in nature (apical vs. basolateral) and/or if there are TSLP-mediated effects occurring at both sides of the bronchial epithelial barrier in the asthmatic state. Methods Primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) from control (n = 3) and asthmatic (n = 3) donors were differentiated into polarized respiratory tract epithelium under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions and treated apically with dsRNA (viral surrogate) or TSLP. Sub-epithelial effects of TSLP were examined in human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMC) from normal (n = 3) and asthmatic (n = 3) donors. Clinical experiments examined nasal airway secretions obtained from asthmatic children during naturally occurring rhinovirus-induced exacerbations (n = 20) vs. non-asthmatic uninfected controls (n = 20). Protein levels of TSLP, CCL11/eotaxin-1, CCL17/TARC, CCL22/MDC, TNF-α and CXCL8 were determined with a multiplex magnetic bead assay. Results Our data demonstrate that: 1) Asthmatic HBEC exhibit an exaggerated apical, but not basal, secretion of TSLP after dsRNA exposure; 2) TSLP exposure induces unidirectional (apical) secretion of CCL11/eotaxin-1 in asthmatic HBEC and enhanced CCL11/eotaxin-1 secretion in asthmatic HASMC; 3) Rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations in children are associated with in vivo airway secretion of TSLP and CCL11/eotaxin-1. Conclusions There are virally-induced TSLP-driven secretory immune responses at both sides of the bronchial epithelial barrier characterized by enhanced CCL11/eotaxin-1 secretion in asthmatic airways. These results suggest a new model of TSLP-mediated eosinophilic responses in the asthmatic airway during viral-induced exacerbations

Distribution of SARS-CоV-2 seroprevalence among residents of the Tyumen Region during the COVID-19 epidemic period. Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology

Introduction. In late 2019 - early 2020, an outbreak of infection caused by a novel strain of beta coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was reported. The World Health Organization defined the disease as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the Tyumen Region, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed on 31/1/2020. The source of infection was a female student who came from Jinan, Shandong province (China). The number and rate of cases were steadily increasing from the 16th week through 28th week in 2020. The highest rate was 36.87 cases per 100 thousand people. Afterwards, the cumulative incidence kept increasing gradually, but not as quickly.The purpose of the seroepidemiological study was to measure the level and to identify the structure of herd immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus among the population of the Tyumen Region during the rapid spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.Materials and methods. Volunteers for participation in the study were selected through questionnaire surveys and random sampling. The exclusion criterion was an active COVID-19 infection at the time of the survey. A total of 2,758 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. The age of the surveyed volunteers ranged from 1 year to 70 years and older.Results of the study. During the active phase of the COVID-19 incidence, the population of the Tyumen Region showed moderate (24.5%) seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2. At the same time, the tests revealed a high (97.8%) rate of asymptomatic infection cases in seropositive individuals who had never been diagnosed with COVID-19 and did not have history of positive PCR test results or acute respiratory infection symptoms on the day of testing. The maximum level of herd immunity was identified in children aged 1-6 years (34.7%), which was significantly higher compared to the average level of seroprevalence in the entire cohort. In recovered COVID-19 patients, antibodies were detected in 68.2%. In individuals with positive PCR test results, antibodies were detected in 64%. Conclusion. The results of the assessment of the level of herd immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus are crucial for prediction of the development trend of the epidemic and for planning specific and non-specific COVID-19 prevention measures