This study aimed to analyse the levels of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines in children with seizures during acute infection. The study was conducted in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences from 19 January 2017 to 5 December 2020. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in 64 patients with febrile seizures and 11 patients after an epileptic seizure in generalised epilepsy. The control group comprised 46 patients with delayed development. Serum pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined using the BioLegend’s ELISA MAX™ Deluxe Set. Pathogens were detected by standard diagnostic methods. Total white blood cell count, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were determined using standard diagnostic methods. 

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. Despite strenuous research and numerous clinical trials, no registered causal treatment exists in Europe; however, such pharmacotherapy is already available in the United States (aducanumab and lecanemab). Positive results of immunotherapy clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease, both completed and still ongoing, give hope for finding safe substances that would effectively inhibit the development of Alzheimer’s disease (donanemab pending registration or remternetug in the research phase).

Multiple sclerosis is a common autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system in women of reproductive age. The average age of onset is around 30 years. A few decades ago, women with multiple sclerosis were often advised to avoid pregnancy, but this has changed. Discontinuation of treatment due to pregnancy is often associated with clinical and radiological progression of multiple sclerosis. According to current expert recommendations, if a patient presents with highly active multiple sclerosis, continuation of treatment with natalizumab may be considered even during pregnancy. Treatment can be continued until 30–34 weeks of gestation and resumed as soon as possible after delivery, 2–3 weeks after childbirth or 8–12 weeks after the last infusion, to reduce the risk of disease reactivation. The dosing interval should be extended to 6 weeks. This article presents the case of a patient with multiple sclerosis who has been successfully treated with natalizumab for several years and decided to continue her treatment during pregnancy, with an emphasis on the impact of the drug on the newborn’s laboratory parameters.

The aim of the study was to assess the suggested biomarkers’ usefulness in diagnosing central nervous system infections in order to optimise treatment and minimise adverse outcomes. The study included a comprehensive comparison of the known parameters and a search for correlations with proposed biomarkers. The data of 73 hospitalised children were reviewed. According to their final diagnoses, 42 participants were assigned to the control group, 13 to the cohort with bacterial and 18 to the cohort with viral neuroinfections. The children underwent clinically indicated blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests. The serum interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and neopterin concentrations, and S100B protein and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid were determined. The results were compared between the groups and correlations were sought.

To compare the serum levels of IL-12 and IL-23 between healthy volunteers and patients with multiple sclerosis with regard to their cognitive function. A total of 21 patients with multiple sclerosis and 21 healthy individuals were enrolled into the study. The individuals were age- and sex-matched. Each participant was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to assess the serum levels of IL-12 and IL-23. The results obtained indicate that IL-12 and IL-23 may not play a role in the development of cognitive impairment. The assessment of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis may have a screening value in preventing their cognitive deterioration.

The aim of the study was to assess early outcomes of manual therapy in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. In this study, patients diagnosed with electrophysiologically confirmed carpal tunnel syndrome received manual therapy. The therapy was used in 41 individuals who received one session in line with IFOMPT (International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists) standards per week for 5 weeks. We observed significant change in DASH score and quality of life. Grip strength tended to improve, but the effect was statistically significant only in patients over 50 years of age. Symptom severity (Carpal Tunnel 6 score, Douleur Neuropathique 4 score and peripheral cutaneous threshold assessed with Semmes–Weinstein monofilament) improved significantly. There was no significant correlation between changes in DASH score and grip strength.

SARS-CoV-2 virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan (China) and is responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Although the virus causes mild, transient symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection in most cases, it can also lead to severe pneumonia, respiratory failure and/or death. Approximately 85% of patients experience central and peripheral neurological symptoms. In the acute phase of the disease, ischaemic strokes, intracranial haemorrhages, meningitis and encephalitis, acute demyelinating diseases and acute inflammatory polyneuropathies may occur. However, mild neurological symptoms that can persist for months and significantly affect daily functioning are much more common. These include headache and dizziness, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, mild cognitive disturbances, as well as depressive, anxiety, and sleep disorders. In the following review, we would like to present the current knowledge on epidemiology, pathology, pathogenesis and treatment of neurological complications after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SCN1A-related diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders with an expanding spectrum of phenotypes. Until recently, mutations in this gene were associated with epileptic syndromes and epileptic and developmental encephalopathy – Dravet syndrome, which was contrasted with a new group of early-onset syndromes, non-Dravet developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs; OMIM: PS308350). The aim of this paper is to review published data on the phenotypic variability of SCN1A-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, particularly non-Dravet syndromes. These are disorders with very early onset, polymorphic, drug-resistant epileptic seizures, impaired psychomotor development and intellectual disability, as well as the presence of additional symptoms such as arthrogryposis, osteopenia, and hyperkinetic movement disorders.

Flammer syndrome, which has been described in literature only recently, combines two basic components: primary vascular dysregulation and symptoms not directly related to vascular function (prolonged sleep onset time, low pain threshold or specific personality traits). Some health-protective effects, such as a reduced risk atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome, have also been noted. Flammer syndrome most often coexists with ocular diseases, normal tension glaucoma in particular, as well as with neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis. Diagnosis is based on a detailed physical examination; however, standardised diagnostic methods are missing. A three-component therapeutic strategy, including appropriate lifestyle, proper nutrition and pharmacotherapy in the form of magnesium preparations or low-dose calcium channel blockers, is used for Flammer syndrome.