How is it possible that lychee, a deliciously sweet tropical fruit, could induce a fatal hypoglycemic encephalopathy in children? The answer is straightforward: the edible fruit (aril) of lychee or litchi (Litchi sinensis or Litchi chinensis), and other members of the Soapberry family (Sapindaceae), contains unusual amino acids that disrupt gluconeogenesis and β-oxidation of fatty acids. (Comment)

Original Source

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection is one of the major public health problems in Nepal because of its increasing disease morbidity and mortality. The main purpose of this study was to determine the anti-JEV IgM positivity among acute encephalitis syndromic cases from all over Nepal. The present study was conducted at National Public Health Laboratory, Kathmandu, Nepal from April 2015 to October 2015. A total of 671 (418 CSF and 253 serum) samples were collected from 625 patients with acute encephalitic syndrome, admitted to different hospitals from all over Nepal.

Outbreaks of unexplained illness frequently remain under-investigated. In India, outbreaks of an acute neurological illness with high mortality among children occur annually in Muzaffarpur, the country's largest litchi cultivation region. In 2014, researchers aimed to investigate the cause and risk factors for this illness.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus (JEV) causes severe epidemic encephalitis across Asia, for which the live attenuated vaccine SA14-14-2 is being used increasingly. JEV is a flavivirus, and is closely related to dengue virus (DENV), which is co-endemic in many parts of Asia, with clinically relevant interactions. There is no information on the human T cell response to SA14-14-2, or whether responses to SA14-14-2 cross-react with DENV.