oa Editorial [Hot Topic: Tropical Neurology (Guest Editor: Terezinha C.B. Montelli)]

Failures in the control of infectious diseases in tropical and developing countries are a major challenge for research, such as, diseases that are not preventable by vaccination and which depend on successfully health and social policies. Some of these uncontrolled diseases are now reaching the developed world. Increasing temperatures of the world facilitate conditions for new vectors establishment and disease pathogens transmission, such as malaria, arbovirus and cysticercosis. Neglected infectious diseases have a higher prevalence in tropical regions, where temperature ranges from 15°C to 40°C. Populations living in these regions are considered the poorest people in the world and poverty is associated with infectious disease prevalence. Tropical infections that may compromise Central Nervous System, beyond human suffering and death, cause disability, economic, social and political impact. In this hot issue, we focus neurological infectious diseases in which control strategies have failed and therapy is still an unresolved question. First, Prof. Dr. Jorge Casseb (Institute of Tropical Medicine of Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil) and coworkers, give an update on HTLV-1-associated myelopathy. The pathogenesis and therapies with histone deacetylase inhibitor, interferon-alpha, vitamin C and glucorticoids are in depth discussed. In recent years, neurotuberculosis has become a formidable challenge, showing high morbidity and mortality. Prof. Dr. Thais Soares Cianciarullo Minett (Public Health and Primary Care, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK and Department of Preventive Medicine - Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil), wrote an up-to-date and complete review about this common and dangerous disease. This article may help physicians to decide when to initiate specific therapy even without a definitive diagnosis. The wide variety of clinical manifestations and lesions to the Central Nervous System is described and thoroughly demonstrated in MRI scans. Indicators of prognosis, such as ages, clinical staging at admission and also the prevention with BCG vaccine, are critically described and discussed. Prof. Dr. Svetlana Agapejev (Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil) made a full review about Neurocysticercosis that indeed describes all the main aspects of this terrible disease. Several important and less known findings of the own author research, are exposed, such as: the existence of asymptomatic forms; the importance of clinical polymorphisms; the presence of chronic brain edema that may cause psychic alterations; the standardization of the normal values of the fourth ventricle size and comparison with patient's values; the association of clinical findings with these altered indexes; proved the existence of re-infections; recommendations of high dosages of drugs for treatment and the presence of “glucose zero” in CSF, associated with cysts and diffuse edema. Prof. Dr. Antonio Lucio Teixeira et al. (Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil) provide a complete overview of the current literature and of his own researches about Cerebral Malaria. Cognitive dysfunctions in experimental and in human clinical studies are described. Therapy with neuroprotective drugs, that is a recent research focus, in order to improve cognitive outcome, is also discussed. Indeed, it is a review paper with a translational scientific feature. Prof. Dr. Mauricio L. Nogueira et al. (Laboratorio de Pesquisa em Virologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil) wrote an overview about arboviral encephalitis, mainly Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine Encephalitis Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis Virus, West Nile Fever Virus, Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus and Dengue Virus. West Mile virus, Dengue Virus and Japanese Encephalitis Virus have spread worldwide in recent years. Moreover, they discussed the potential therapeutic applications of RNA interference technology in order to inhibit viral replication. We hope that this hot-topic issue on Tropical Neurology may be useful to improve research and clinical attendance in tropical and developed countries.