First version using NULL as an end-of-list indicator
The for-loop contains two tests (yellow lines) per iteration:

node != NULL;
if (node->key == search_key). Second version using a sentinel node
The globally available pointer sentinel to the deliberately prepared data structure Sentinel is used as end-of-list indicator. Note that the pointer sentinel has always to be kept at the end of the list. This has to be maintained by the insert and delete functions. It is, however, about the same effort as when using a NULL pointer. The for-loop contains only one test (yellow line) per iteration:

node->key != search_key;. Python implementation of a circular doubly-linked list
Linked list implementations, especially one of a circular, doubly-linked list, can be simplified remarkably using a sentinel node to demarcate the beginning and end of the list. The list starts out with a single node, the sentinel node which has the next and previous pointers point to itself. This condition determines if the list is empty. In a non-empty list, the sentinel nodes next pointer gives the head of the list, and the previous pointer gives the tail of the list.Following is a Python implementation of a circular doubly-linked list:

Notice how the add_node() method takes the node that will be displaced by the new node in the parameter curnode. For appending to the left, this is the head of a non-empty list, while for appending to right, it is the tail.
Some of the rarer auto-antibodies (e.g., NMDAR) have no commercially available assay and can only be measured by a very small number of research laboratories worldwide, further delaying diagnosis by weeks or months. Most patients with limbic encephalitis are initially diagnosed with herpes simplex encephalitis, because the two syndromes cannot be distinguished clinically. HHV-6 (human herpes virus 6) encephalitis is also clinically indistinguishable from limbic encephalitis.There are two sets of diagnostic criteria used. The oldest are those proposed by Gultekin et al. in 2000. A revised set of criteria were proposed by Graus and Saiz in 2005. The main distinction between the two sets of criteria is whether or not the detection of a paraneoplastic antibody is needed for diagnosis. Antibodies against intracellular neuronal antigens
The main antibodies within this group are those against Hu, Ma2, CV2, amphiphysin and Ri. The syndrome of anti-Ma2 encephalitis may be clinically mistaken for Whipples disease. Antibodies against cell membrane antigens
The main antibodies within this group are those against N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) and the voltage-gated potassium channel-complex (VGKC-complex). Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is strongly associated with benign tumours of the ovary (usually teratomata or dermoid cysts). Anti-VGKC-complex encephalitis is most often not associated with tumours.Patients with NMDAR encephalitis are frequently young women who present with fever, headache and fatigue. This is often misdiagnosed as influenza, but progresses to severe behavioural and personality disturbance, delusions, paranoia and hallucinations. Patients may therefore initially be admitted to a psychiatric ward for acute psychosis or schizophrenia. The disease then progresses to catatonia, seizures and loss of consciousness.