A decrease in leptin levels with the onset of starvation triggers a myriad of physiological responses including immunosuppression and hypometabolism/hypothermia, both of which can counteract the fever response to pathogens. Here we examined the role of leptin in LPS-induced fever in rats that were fasted for 48 h prior to inflammation with or without leptin replacement (12 μg/day). The preinfla...

Fever in haemodialysis patients is usually attributed to infection, with less frequent causes including malignancy and autoimmune disorders [1]. Sometimes, fever persists despite empirical treatment, and investigations towards the above mentioned diagnoses fail to reveal the cause. Thus, rarer aetiologies need to be considered, which may appear rather unexpected, especially in patients under pr...

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is defined as the occurrence of thrombosis, recurrent miscarriage, or both in association with laboratory evidence of persistent antiphospholipid antibodies. Owing to protean manifestations and laboratory studies, the diagnosis may be difficult. Because the other signs and symptoms of thrombosis are predominant, prolonged fever is not usually the main clinical fi...

An overlap in the distribution of the 2 diseases (leishmaniasis and malaria) was reported in endemic areas, and it can cause significant delay in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. Here, an 8-year-old Yemeni boy who was initially diagnosed as malaria and schistosomiasis, and later on as leishmaniasis is reported. He presented with prolonged fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and diarrhea. His blood film w...

Primary hepatic lymphoma is a rare malignancy usually presenting withsymptoms of fever, hepatomegaly, jaundice and weight loss. This picture mimicsinfectious and inflammatory disorders and thus delays the diagnosis. Here,we present a 47-year old man with prolonged fever who underwent several investigationsand, in the meantime, developed fulminant hepatic failure beforethe diagnosis could be rea...

A 74-year-old man with silicosis was admitted to the hospital because of prolonged fever. After referral to internal medicine for persistent fever and renal dysfunction, workup revealed antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) positivity. He was diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). After treatment with immunosuppressive therapy, his condition improved. Herein, we discuss silica ex...

We obtained data recorded in the Danish medical birth registry on all women with a prolonged pregnancy in the first delivery and in a subsequent delivery, during 1980-94, and a 5% sample of all women with two or more pregnancies recorded in the period 1980-92 (only the first two deliveries were used for analysis). The information on gestational age in the registry was obtained from birth record...

There has been a decline in the incidence of acute rheumatic fever in recent decades in developed countries and in Taiwan. Sydenham's chorea, a major manifestation of rheumatic fever, was the most common cause of chorea in children in the past. But the incidence of Sydenham's chorea has declined in recent years in concert with the decline in rheumatic fever. Sydenham's chorea is usually bilater...