Ophthalmoplegic migraine is characterized by recurrent attacks of migraine-like headache with paresis of ocular cranial nerves. To date, the exact etiology of ophthalmoplegic migraine remains unknown. We report a 9-year-old girl with typical clinical features of ophthalmoplegic migraine. She presented to us shortly after onset of her fi fth episode. The initial episodes of opthalmoplegia used to last for about 2-3 months with gradual and complete recovery. Brain MRI with contrast study revealed a thickened, enhancing right oculomotor nerve in the cisternal segment during the acute phase of ophthalmoplegia. She was treated with steroid for two weeks as well as with divalproex sodium for prophylaxis of migraine. There was complete recovery of ophthalmoplegia after four weeks of treatment with complete resolution of third nerve enhancement on repeat imaging. There were no further episodes of ophthalmoplegia within a follow up period of one year. Steroid therapy may hasten the recovery of ophthalmoplegia and prophylactic treatment of migraine may reduce the episodes and severity of ophthalmoplegic migraine.

The vir genes are antigenic genes and are considered to be possible vaccine targets. Since India is highly endemic to Plasmodium vivax, we sequenced 5 different vir genes and investigated DNA sequence variations in 93 single-clonal P. vivax isolates. High variability was observed in all the 5 vir genes; the vir 1/9 gene was highly diverged across Indian populations. The patterns of genetic diversity do not follow geographical locations, as geographically distant populations were found to be genetically similar. The results in general present complex genetic diversity patterns in India, requiring further in-depth population genetic and functional studies.
Antigens, Protozoan/*genetics ; Humans ; India/epidemiology ; Malaria, Vivax/epidemiology/parasitology ; Phylogeny ; Plasmodium vivax/*genetics ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Protozoan Proteins/genetics/*metabolism

In this study, peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was detected in frozen pooled tissue samples from a dead Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). The samples were negative for canine distemper virus and positive for PPRV nucleic acids when tested with one-step RT-PCR using the appropriate virus-specific primers. Subsequent amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the partial nucleocapsid, matrix, and fusion genes confirmed the presence of PPRV nucleic acid. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the structural genes of the isolated virus confirmed that the virus belonged to Asian lineage IV and was closely related to PPRV circulating in India.
Animals ; Cloning, Molecular ; *Lions ; Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary