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Background: POEMS syndrome is a debilitating paraneoplastic disorder associated with plasma cell neoplasia. Clinically, it is characterized by predominantly demyelinating peripheral neuropathy that often starts in the pelvic limbs, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, skin changes, and elevated serum M protein. Diagnosis requires meeting a set of clinical criteria in which polyradiculoneuropathy and plasma cell disorder are the two mandatory criteria. The aim of this article is to describe 3 clinical cases, their diagnostic approach, and therapeutic management. Clinical cases: In this study, three clinical cases with features compatible with POEMS syndrome are presented. Nerve conduction studies revealed demyelinating involvement with sensory-motor impairment, and evidence of a monoclonal spike was found. Treatment was successful in two cases and partially effective in one, although the latter was associated with delayed diagnosis. Conclusion: Despite significant advancements in understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of this disease, diagnosis remains challenging, especially in locations lacking the necessary resources for accurate diagnosis. It is essential to emphasize that it requires a multidisciplinary approach. The prognosis of this disease is closely linked to early diagnosis. Here, we describe three cases from a reference center in Mexico to increase awareness of the disease›s diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Argentinian Journal of Respiratory & Physical Therapy (AJRPT) is the property of Asociacion Civil Cientifica de Difusion y Promocion de la Kinesiologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an uncommon metabolic disease, being the most common of the acute porphyrias. The most frequent symptom is acute abdominal pain, although can be accompanied by seizures, neuro-psychiatric alterations or symmetrical motor neuropathies, which in some patients can progress to respiratory musculature paralysis. Objective: Describe an atypical presentation of acute porphyria to be considered as differential diagnoses in abdominal pain. Clinical case: We present a case of a patient with AIP, presenting acute abdomen, seizures, later developed neuropsychiatric compromise and symmetrical motor neuropathy, and was admitted to mechanical ventilation. Due to the severity of the neurological involvement, he received hemin arginate, presenting with transient hypertransaminemia, an adverse event not previously reported. The evolution was favorable, with mechanical ventilation and hospital discharge withdrawn. Conclusions: The diagnosis of AIP should be considered in cases of acute abdominal pain associated with neurological and/or psychiatric symptoms, particularly young women. The administration of hemin is considered the standard of treatment, and even late could have beneficial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Late-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is rare and affects older adults. Case report: A 71-year-old woman is reported with generalized weakness and muscle strength loss, which increased suddenly after a hemorrhagic stroke. The patient presented a torpid evolution for six months. The diagnosis of late-onset SLE was confirmed with antinuclear antibodies (+) and compliance with criteria for SLE and neurolupus, with significant improvement after two weeks of treatment. We made a rapid systematic review and found few similar cases with peripheral neuropathy. Conclusion: It is necessary to consider late-onset SLE with peripheral neuropathy in older adults with muscle weakness, as an atypical clinical presentation and the need for confirmatory tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic neuropathy represents a polyneuropathy with electrophiosiological alterations. Electroneuromyography (NMD) plays an important role in the evaluation of patient with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) and doubtful neuropathy. Objective: To determine clinical manifestations in patients with distal symmetrical sensory polyneuropathy (DSSP) and to correlate them with electromyographic alterations. Material and methods: Transversal, analytical study. 138 patients over 18 years old, with DM2 and PSSD were selected. They underwent physical examination, laboratory studies and electromyography (EM) with 4-channel Nicolet electromyograph. Measures of central tendency and their dispersion were analyzed; data normality with Kolmogorov-Smirnov; Student's t test and Spearman's correlation. Results: Thalar hyperkeratosis was the most frequent clinical finding in 103 (74%) patients. The most frequent symptoms were paresthesia in 132 (95.7%) patients and tingling in 93 (67.4%) patients. Exploration of superficial sensitivity determined neuropathy in 42 (30.4%) patients finding greater insensitivity in the medial plantar nerve territory. In the EM, the nerve with the greatest absent response was the left lateral plantar nerve in 51 (59%) patients. A significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between the variables of EM with age, years of evolution and levels of glycated hemoglobin A1c. Conclusions: The higher the lack of glycemic control, the chronobiology of the patient and the time of illness, the greater the electromyographic affection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The porphyrias come from the Greek porphyra. These are a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorders caused by enzymatic deficiency for the biosynthesis of the Hem group. Acute intermittent porphyria is caused by a deficiency of the porphobilinogen deaminase enzyme. A 40-year-old woman with 10 days of abdominal pain evolution (required laparotomy without finding surgical pathology), severe hydroelectrolytic disorder due to hyponatremia and resistant hypokalemia, maintained tachycardia and hypertension. 7 days later, acute flabby quadriparesis development and presented a single generalized tonic-clonic convulsive crisis. Neurophysiological studies supported mixed axonal polyneuropathy and urine results of porphobilinogen and porphyrins were elevated. After Acute Intermittent Porphyria was diagnosed, hemin was administered, which stabilized the patient's clinic and showed normalization of the porphobilinogen. The prevalence of this entity is 1/2000 people. An autosomal dominant disease, which manifests mainly in women between the ages of 20 and 40 years. This entity manifests with neurological and visceral symptoms. Management is given with hematin and dextrose, avoiding hypotonic solutions because of the risk of exacerbating hyponatremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Currently, type 2 diabetes mellitus is considered a global epidemic. It is one of the most transcending problems due to its high prevalence and huge social and economic repercussion; for this reason, the purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate foot sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Materials and Methods: The study design was descriptive correlational; the sample was comprised of 198 participants. The Michigan Neuropathy Screening test was used with Semme-Weinstein monofilament testing, diapason, cold/hot temperature testing, and Achilles reflex. Results and Discussion: Females prevailed with 70.2% and 29.8% for men; mean age was 56.44 years and an average of 12.34 years with the disease. Moderate neuropathic symptoms were registered in 46%, 26.3% severe; 65.7% showed risk of positive neuropathy (40.9% women and 24.8% men), 41.1% with moderate loss of sensitivity and 29.3% normal sensitivity; 74.7% have deficient glycemic control. The risk factors detected with greater prevalence were helomas, hyperkeratosis, and deformities. Conclusions: Significant correlation exists between sensitivity loss with years with the disease and hyperglycemia and neuropathy symptoms; sensitivity loss in women is from moderate to severe and in men it is moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has a cosmopolitan distribution. Its course is usually mild and tends to limit itself, but in severe cases it can cause death. The aim of this article is to describe the characteristics of a group of adults with GBS diagnosed and treated at a university hospital. Methods: All cases of GBS that occurred between January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009 were analyzed. The clinical records were reviewed through the implementation of a structured survey that included the following sections: patient identification, clinical data, history of infection, season of occurrence, rates of electrophysiological variants, and lethality. Results: A total of 45 patients were included; the male to female ratio was 1.4: 1 and the mean age was 48.2 ± 16.0 years. The season with the highest number of cases was the summer. History of intestinal infection was present in 40% of patients, and respiratory infection in 24.4%. The lethality associated with GBS was 11.1% (95% CI, 4.4-23.9), fatal cases occurred in patients older than the survivors (65.2 ± 15.0 versus 46.0 ± 14.9, p = 0.01). The most common variant was acute motor axonal neuropathy (64.4%); there were four cases of Miller Fisher syndrome. Conclusions: The most common electromyographic variant of GBS was acute motor axonal neuropathy. The highest number of cases was observed during the summer season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Multiple myeloma is a B-cell malignant and progressive tumor, associated with osteolytic lesions, immunodeficiency and renal dysfunction, that has been treated since 2008 with Bortezomib, which achieved an increase in patients survival, however its use was limited due to dose dependent adverse effects, especially painful peripheral neuropathy, it has recently come into use Carfilzomib (a second generation proteasome inhibitor agent) approved by the FDA in 2012 as the only agent for treatment of refractory disease and relapsing of multiple myeloma. Objective: To conduct a literature review and determine the Colombian experience with the drug Carfilzomib, considering national statistics contained in the individual records of health service delivery, plus the status of a case is described. Methodology: for the review was considered literature indexed in PubMed, as an inclusion criterion was considered clinical studies Phase 2 and 3 that reviewed Carfilzomib in handling multiple myeloma. Regarding the Colombian experience, taking information provided by Biotoscana, 37 multiple myeloma Colombian patients diagnosed between 2003 and 2012 and who had been prescribed Carfilzomib were identified. Results: A total of eight randomized trials shown on hematologic adverse effects such as fatigue (367 of 678 patients, 54%), and nausea (323 patients, 48%). For the RIPS of 37 patients, 22 patients received 1 to 8 cycles Carfilzomib (3.0 average, median 3). Clinical response in 9 of them, 4 patients (22%) very good partial response, 4 patients (22%) partial response, 1 patient (6%) with stable disease was assessed. Conclusions: We found difference between the side effects reported in Colombia from the ones who have been reported globally, fatigue prevails in our patients, also experience with new drugs has not been sufficiently documented. [Castañeda C, Pantoja MC, Montaño L, Rosselli D. Carfilzomib for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma: Systematic Review of the Literature and Colombian Experience Based on RIPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

INTRODUCTION: Miller Fisher syndrome is the most common variant of Guillain Barré syndrome, reaching a prevalence of 5% among all its variants. It was described by Charles Miller Fisher in 1956, who exposed him as an unusual variant of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. It is characterized by acute onset of polyneuropathy, associated with the triad of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia, and may progress to life-threatening respiratory compromise. CASE REPORT: The following article presents a case of a patient researched in a retrospective review of the hospital discharges of the department of neurology of Hospital Clínico Herminda Martin, who was diagnosed as Miller Fisher syndrome. This is the case of a 77 years old male patient with a history of unspecified coronary heart disease, and hypercholesterolemia, who was presented in the emergency unit with dysarthria, ataxia, paraparesis and ophthalmoplegia. DISCUSSION: We will make an analysis contrast between the presentation, treatment and data collected made during his stay, in relation to the handling and features found in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]