Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.1.7 (acetylcholinesterase)
 28,390 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Microinjections of myoneural blocking agents are effective in the treatment of strabismus and have been proposed as a possible technique to treat spastic dysphonia. The success of such a technique would rely on a precise knowledge of the neuromuscular junction distribution in the laryngeal muscle to be injected. In view of the possibility of an involvement of the cricothyroid muscle in spastic dysphonia or other neuromuscular disorders, we determined the three-dimensional distribution of neuromuscular junctions in the human cricothyroid muscle. Cricothyroid muscles obtained from autopsy cases were fixed, sectioned, and processed for the histochemical localization of neuromuscular junction acetylcholinesterase. Using serial sections and a computer interfaced X-Y digitizer, the neuromuscular junctions were referenced to various anatomic landmarks and the neuromuscular junction distribution and reconstructed in three dimension using computer graphics.
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PMID:Three-dimensional distribution of neuromuscular junctions in human cricothyroid. 397 24

A 27-year-old man was bitten by a coral snake in Mexico. Within 24 hours he had ptosis, dysphonia, difficulty chewing, and limb weakness. His symptoms peaked at 72 hours with loss of ambulation. Neurologic examination was consistent with severe myasthenia. Repetitive stimulation of the median nerve showed a postsynaptic defect that was not corrected by edrophonium. He was monitored in an intensive care unit, but received no antivenom globulin or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. The syndrome abated in 3 weeks.
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PMID:Neurologic complications of a coral snake bite. 398 52

Microinjections of botulinum toxin have recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of strabismus, and it has also been suggested that microinjections of this myoneural blocking agent might be of value in the treatment of spastic dysphonia. The success of such a microinjection technique would rely on a precise knowledge of the distribution of myoneural junctions in the thyroarytenoid muscle. In view of this potential application as well as the need for such information in reinnervation procedures, we have used computer graphics to reconstruct the three-dimensional distribution of motor end-plates in the thyroarytenoid muscle. Three cat and one human (fresh autopsy specimen) larynges were frozen and sectioned on a cryostat. Serial sections were then processed for the histochemical localization of acetylcholinesterase activity to demarcate the neuromuscular junctions. An X-Y digitizer was used to reference the position of the motor end-plates in each serial section, and the three-dimensional distribution of the neuromuscular junctions was reconstructed on a computer graphics terminal. The results are discussed in regard to their applicability to clinical treatment of spastic dysphonia and other disorders of phonation.
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PMID:Three-dimensional computer reconstruction of the distribution of neuromuscular junctions in the thyroarytenoid muscle. 662 38

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission, usually recognized with ocular complaints or generalized muscle weakness. However, among the 1520 MG cases that had been diagnosed and treated in our hospital in the last 15 years (1990-2005), we have identified 7 MG patients whose initial and prominent complaint was dysphonia and all had been misdiagnosed elsewhere. The diagnoses were confirmed with fibrolaryngoscope and voice analysis employed before and after a positive neostigmine (anticholinesterase) test. Electromyography with repetitive stimulations, single-fiber electromyography, and laboratory and radiographic evaluations were also conducted for diagnosis. A surprisingly low seropositivity rate of anti-acetylcholine-receptor antibodies (1/7) and anti-MuSK (Muscle Specific Kinase) antibodies (0/6) were found in these dysphonia MG patients. A cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) and immunosuppressive therapy were applied for treatment. Extended thymectomy was applied to MG patients with thymus hyperplasia or thymic tumor. Significant improvement was found in all 7 cases after these treatments. We have developed a sere of diagnostic protocol for this rare type of laryngeal MG, and discussed the clinical implication of our data. In summary, dysphonia or laryngeal disorder can be the only prominent manifestation of MG in rare cases, which should be taken into consideration during the diagnosis to patients with exclusive laryngeal complaints.
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PMID:Dysphonia as a primary manifestation in myasthenia gravis (MG): a retrospective review of 7 cases among 1520 MG patients. 1746 37

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease. While its cause remains elusive, much progress has been made regarding its treatment. Available drugs have a good symptomatic effect, but none has yet been shown to slow the progression of the disease in humans. The most efficacious drug is levodopa, but it remains unclear whether the symptomatic benefit is associated with neurotoxic effects and long-term deterioration. The long-term problem associated with levodopa is the appearance of dyskinesias, which is significantly delayed among patients treated with dopamine agonists as initial therapy. Less clear is the role of other drugs in PD, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), including selegiline and rasagiline, the putative N-meihyl-o-aspartaie (NMDA) receptor antagonists amantadine and memantine, and the muscarinic receptor blockers. All these may be used as initial therapy and delay the use of dopaminergic drugs, or can be added later to reduce specific symptoms (tremor or dyskinesias). Advanced PD is frequently associated with cognitive decline. To some extent, this can be helped by treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors such as rivastigmine. Similarly, hallucinations and delusions affect PD patients in the advanced stages of their disease. The use of classical neuroleptic drugs in these patients is contraindicated because of their extrapyramidal effects, but atypical drugs, and particularly clozapine, are very helpful. The big void in the therapy of PD lies in the more advanced stages. Several motor symptoms, like postural instability, dysphagia, and dysphonia, as well as dyskinesias, are poorly controlled by existing drugs. New therapies should also be developed against autonomic symptoms, particularly constipation.
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PMID:Drug treatment of Parkinson's disease. 2203 79