A 67-year-old woman with a progressive movement disorder and a left-upper-quadrant mass
Article Abstract:
A 67-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital when she became dizzy, unable to swallow and had difficulty holding onto things and walking. She had also lost weight. A CT scan of her abdomen revealed two masses in her left upper abdomen. Her doctors suspected cancer but no brain tumor was found despite extensive investigation. At that point, she was diagnosed with a paraneoplastic syndrome, which is a set of symptoms caused by cancer. Her symptoms seemed to be localized to her cerebellum, which is a part of the brain. Her spleen was removed and microscopic examination of the tissue revealed that she had Hodgkin's disease.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 1997
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The prevalence of antibodies against desmoglein 1 in endemic pemphigus foliaceus in Brazil
Article Abstract:
An unknown environmental agent may cause pemphigus foliaceus. This skin disease is caused by antibodies against a skin protein called desmoglein 1, which causes severe blistering. Researchers discovered that 59 of 60 people with this disease in Limao Verde, Brazil, had these antibodies. Only 2 of 126 healthy people from the US and Japan had the antibodies. However, 55% of the residents of Limao Verde had the antibodies and 19% of the residents of surrounding areas had the antibodies. Blood samples taken from five patients before they developed the disease also tested positive for the antibodies.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 2000
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Paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia due to autoantibodies against a glutamate receptor
Article Abstract:
Two cases are described of patients in remission from Hodgkin's disease who developed cerebellar ataxia. This is a movement disorder that also involves tremors and difficulty walking. Analysis of blood samples revealed an antibody against the glutamate receptor in the brain. When these antibodies were injected into the brains of mice, they blocked glutamate formation and the mice developed cerebellar ataxia. These autoantibodies were considered to be a result of the cancer, even though both patients continued to be in remission. Both patients were treated with plasma exchange.
Publication Name: The New England Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0028-4793
Year: 2000
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