Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

GM1-gangliosidosis is a rare neurovisceral storage disease caused by an inherited deficiency of acid beta-galactosidase. The characteristic neurological feature of type 3 (adult or chronic) GM1-gangliosidosis is usually a slowly progressive dystonia with dysarthria due to predominant involvement of basal ganglia. About 20 adult patients with this disorder have been reported in the literature. However, there are no reports of 3 brothers with type 3 GM1-gangliosidosis, and MRI findings. Case 1 (proband): A 28-year-old man was hospitalized because of facial grimace, dysarthria, and generalized dystonia. He was born after normal pregnancy and delivery. His development was normal until 3 years of age when the difficulties of speaking and walking were noticed by his parents. These neurological abnormalities progressed slowly and facial grimace and dystonic movements occurred 7 years later. He could not walk at 22 years of age. On admission, he was bedridden with marked scoliosis and subluxation of the mandibule. The communication was possible only by pointing the words written on the board. Case 2: A 33-year-old man, elder brother of case 1, showed the similar neurological features and clinical course. Slit-lamp examination revealed corneal opacities which were located in the deep stroma. Case 3: A 33-year-old man, elder brother of case 1 or case 2. At age 10-11, he noted similar symptoms as case 1 or case 2. The severity of dystonia was milder than his brothers. A diagnosis of GM1-gangliosidosis in three patients was made on the basis of the following data.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Three siblings with type 3 GM1-gangliosidosis--pathophysiology of dystonia and MRI findings]. 212 60

Intervertebral discs demonstrate degenerative changes relatively early in life. Disc degeneration, in turn, is associated with back pain and disc herniation, both of which cause considerable clinical problems in the western world. Cell senescence has been linked to degenerative diseases of other connective tissues such as osteoarthritis. Thus we investigated the degree of cell senescence in different regions of discs from patients with different disc disorders. Discs were obtained from 25 patients with disc herniations; from 27 patients undergoing anterior surgery for either back pain due to degenerative disc disease (n = 25) or spondylolisthesis (n = 2) and from six patients with scoliosis. In addition, four discs were obtained post-mortem. Samples were classified as annulus fibrosus or nucleus pulposus and tissue sections were assessed for the degree of cell senescence (using the marker senescence-associated-beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-Gal)) and the number of cells present in clusters. There were significantly more SA-beta-Gal positive cells in herniated discs (8.5% of cells) than those with degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, or cadaveric discs (0.5% of cells; P < 0.001). There was more senescence of cells of the nucleus pulposus compared to those of the annulus fibrosus and in herniated discs a higher proportion of cells in cell clusters (defined as groups of three or more cells) were SA-beta-Gal positive (25.5%) compared to cells not in clusters (4.2%, P < 0.0001). This study demonstrates an increased degree of cell senescence in herniated discs, particularly in the nucleus where cell clusters occur. These clusters have been shown previously to form via cell proliferation, which is likely to explain the increased senescence. These findings could have two important clinical implications: firstly, that since senescent cells are known to behave abnormally in other locations, they may lead to deleterious effects on the disc matrix and so contribute to the pathogenesis and secondly, cells from such tissue may not be ideal for cell therapy and repair via tissue engineering.
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PMID:Senescence in human intervertebral discs. 1677 79

Morquio B disease (MBD) or Mucopolysaccharidosis type IV B (MPS IV B) is caused by particular GLB1 mutations specifically affecting the affinity of beta-galactosidase to keratan sulphate, resulting in dysostosis multiplex resembling Morquio A (MPS IV A) disease (GALNS deficiency). Additional neuronopathic features of GM1 II/III (juvenile/adult) gangliosidosis have been reported in some patients. Our patient/caregiver online survey was aimed at elucidating the clinical manifestations of this ultra-rare condition. Comparing to previously published data on MPS IV A, the 30 respondents in our MBD group presented with greater growth chart values (weight and height) and with lesser effects of odontoid hypoplasia. The most common concerns are: (1) mobility issues - 84% having difficulty walking; (2) chronic pain - 96%; (3) surgeries - average 3 per person, 80% for hip problems; (4) hip dysplasia, knee/ankle concerns, and scoliosis. Approximately 50% of MBD participants live independently and actively contributing to society. Evidence from our survey results supports the notion that skeletal manifestations in MBD are milder than in the majority of patients with MPS IV A. The data collected will help with the establishment of clinically meaningful outcomes for future therapeutic trials, and with the counseling of newly diagnosed patients about their health expectations.
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PMID:Morquio B patient/caregiver survey: First insight into the natural course of a rare GLB1 related condition. 3009 86