Faidra Laskou, Elizabeth M Curtis, Aravinthan Varatharaj, Elaine M Dennison, Nicholas C Harvey
{"title":"Osteoporosis and fracture risk: a practical guide for neurologists.","authors":"Faidra Laskou, Elizabeth M Curtis, Aravinthan Varatharaj, Elaine M Dennison, Nicholas C Harvey","doi":"10.1136/pn-2024-004257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2024-004257","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many people with neurological disorders are at high risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Such fractures are a leading cause of disability and premature mortality. There are various underlying mechanisms, including reduced bone mineral density from biomechanical factors (eg, reduced muscle strength), inflammation and/or medications such as glucocorticoids, together with an increased risk of falls. Neurologists are well placed to initiate measures to protect bone health. In this review, we address the epidemiological associations between bone health, fracture risk and different neurological disorders and elucidate the potential underlying mechanisms. We set out overarching principles for managing bone health in the context of neurological disorders, together with guidance for specific diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144585177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bernard Liem, Gorav Wali, Sabrina Khan, Eleni Ieremia, Karthik Ramasamy, Alexander Thompson, Arjune Sen
{"title":"Dermato-neuro syndrome triggered by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.","authors":"Bernard Liem, Gorav Wali, Sabrina Khan, Eleni Ieremia, Karthik Ramasamy, Alexander Thompson, Arjune Sen","doi":"10.1136/pn-2025-004613","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2025-004613","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There are many possible causes for acute encephalitis, and systemic causes can be easily overlooked. We report a woman with initial status epilepticus, marked working memory impairment and ataxia, which developed 1 week following the ChAdOx1 SARS-CoV-2 (Astra-Zeneca) vaccination. Although lumbar puncture detected a paraprotein, it was not until she developed the hallmark cutaneous features of scleromyxoedema several months later that we recognised this as the dermato-neuro syndrome. Given the temporal association, the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was a likely trigger, and the decision whether to give subsequent vaccinations during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic added a layer of complexity to decision making. We review the literature regarding dermato-neuro syndrome in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and explore its unique features.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144545385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katharine Kline, Alexandra Raleigh, Heidi Beadnall, Judith M Spies, Elizabeth Thompson, Nicolas Urriola, Stephen Adelstein, Heinz Wiendl, Michael Barnett
{"title":"Ravulizumab-related meningococcal sepsis post rituximab.","authors":"Katharine Kline, Alexandra Raleigh, Heidi Beadnall, Judith M Spies, Elizabeth Thompson, Nicolas Urriola, Stephen Adelstein, Heinz Wiendl, Michael Barnett","doi":"10.1136/pn-2025-004651","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2025-004651","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Complement inhibition is a highly effective strategy for preventing relapse and disability accumulation in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Invasive infection with <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i>, the principal risk of complement inhibition, is largely mitigated by adequate vaccination. However, vaccination in the context of treatment sequencing from other immunosuppressive therapies, in particular rituximab, presents unique challenges. We present a 17-year-old woman with a severe NMOSD relapse despite B-cell depletion, who subsequently developed meningococcal sepsis after treatment with ravulizumab, despite prior vaccination; and we propose strategies to manage risk in this patient population.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144498321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trajano Aguiar Pires Gonçalves, Camila Dermínio Donadel, Rodrigo Siqueira Soares Frezatti, Pedro Manoel Marques Garibaldi, Antonio Carlos Dos Santos, WIlson Marques, Pedro José Tomaselli
{"title":"Pachymeningeal thickening and subdural effusion in POEMS syndrome.","authors":"Trajano Aguiar Pires Gonçalves, Camila Dermínio Donadel, Rodrigo Siqueira Soares Frezatti, Pedro Manoel Marques Garibaldi, Antonio Carlos Dos Santos, WIlson Marques, Pedro José Tomaselli","doi":"10.1136/pn-2025-004628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2025-004628","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144486429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Viveka Biswas, Laura Martin, Emma A Lim, Luke Dixon, Onn Min Kon, James Millard, Maddalena Cerrone, Anna Dawson, Richard Nicholas, Antonio Scalfari, James A Varley
{"title":"Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-antibody disease (MOGAD) with leukodystrophy-like presentation.","authors":"Viveka Biswas, Laura Martin, Emma A Lim, Luke Dixon, Onn Min Kon, James Millard, Maddalena Cerrone, Anna Dawson, Richard Nicholas, Antonio Scalfari, James A Varley","doi":"10.1136/pn-2025-004662","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/pn-2025-004662","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-antibody disease (MOGAD) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disorder, distinct from MS, which typically affects the optic nerve, spinal cord, brain and/or brainstem. Diffuse white matter involvement that resembles a leukodystrophy has been reported only in children. We present a woman aged 29 years with new right optic neuritis on a background of previously unexplained, longstanding, bilateral, reduced visual acuity. MR scan of the brain and orbits showed confluent, bilateral, posterior predominant white matter changes reminiscent of a leukodystrophy, along with bilateral optic atrophy. She was strongly MOG-seropositive. Positron-emission tomography scanning showed enlarged cervical lymph nodes, and biopsy found necrotising granulomata without tuberculosis. She showed a marked clinico-radiological response to corticosteroids, going from legally blind to functioning independently. Most strikingly, the chronically affected left eye improved significantly, 5 years after symptom onset. This expands the phenotypic spectrum of MOGAD as well as therapeutic expectations after a delayed presentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144477189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How many cranial CT scans does a man need?","authors":"Josef G Heckmann, Martin Breckner, Michael Reng","doi":"10.1136/pn-2024-004447","DOIUrl":"10.1136/pn-2024-004447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A 61-year-old man had epilepsy related to chronic alcoholism and occipito-temporal porencephaly. Over a span of 19 years, he had been admitted to our institution 227 times, undergoing 55 CT scans of the head and 11 CT scans of the cervical spine. His blood alcohol concentrations varied between 1.9 g/L and 5.1 g/L. We discuss the challenges of emergency management of patients with alcoholism and seizures and the overuse of radiological examinations.</p>","PeriodicalId":39343,"journal":{"name":"PRACTICAL NEUROLOGY","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144334091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}