Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.15.1 (ACE)
 18,300 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

When captopril was first introduced, it was used in high doses for severe hypertension, often in the presence of renal insufficiency, and side effects such as proteinuria, rash, neutropenia, and altered taste sensation were noted. Upon analysis, these effects were most commonly seen in patients with renal disease, autoimmune disease, or collagen vascular disease. These complications usually reversed rapidly upon discontinuation of treatment. In contrast, the growing use of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, captopril and enalapril, for treating mild to moderate hypertension and the trend toward the use of lower doses has shown these agents to be well tolerated with a low frequency of troublesome adverse effects. In fact, the original spectrum of adverse effects has virtually disappeared with the use of lower doses in patients with uncomplicated hypertension. In low doses, the converting enzyme inhibitors produce remarkably few incidences of symptomatic discomfort; the most common is skin rash, which often responds to dosage reduction. Cough and rare occurrences of angioedema have also been reported. Moreover, evidence is evolving that indicates that the converting enzyme inhibitors may sometimes decrease proteinuria and improve renal function; these effects may be especially important in diabetic hypertensive patients. Of note, these drugs can also attenuate the unwanted metabolic side effects of concurrent diuretic treatment.
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PMID:Safety issues during antihypertensive treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. 306 5

Cough is probably the most frequent symptom in chest diseases. Hence, a rational and economical diagnostic procedure is essential to prevent unnecessary costs to the health services, i.e. acute bronchitis, a self-limiting disease, which is the most frequent cause for cough should not involve extensive per case costs. History, physical examination, chest X-ray and lung function testing--which constitute both the first and second, i.e. the basic level of a stepwise approach--allows to diagnose causes in most patients with cough. Without evidence of the cause after completing this basic diagnostic procedure patients with acute cough may require blood gases analysis, electrocardiography, echocardiography, lung perfusion study, spiral CT angiography, bronchoscopy or laboratory examinations for diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, aspiration or (seldom) pleuritis sicca. Chronic persistent cough (CPC) is diagnosed if the basic standard approach to chronic cough fails to lead to final diagnosis. Patients will then need further subtle diagnostic management, i.e. bronchial provocation testing, 24 hour pH probe, ENT- or neurological examination, high resolution CT of the thorax and bronchoscopy. We present two algorithms for the rational diagnostic approach to acute (figure 1) and chronic (figure 2) cough. Each algorithm considers spectrum and frequency of causes on the one hand, the positive predictive value, costs and patient discomfort due to the examination on the other. Nonetheless, despite extensive examination up to 20% of patients suffering from CPC the cause remains unclear [11]. Frequently, the capsaicin cough challenge test can reveal an idiopathic upregulation of the cough reflex as the hypothesised underlying condition. Psychogenic cough however, a rare condition in adults should not coincide with hypersensitivity of the cough reflex. Inconsistency and low reproducibility of results of the capsaicin challenge in patients with psychogenic cough preclude his routine clinical use. In conclusion, the very common acute bronchitis and the ACE inhibitor-induced cough do not require any other diagnostic procedure except patient history and physical examination. A simple basic diagnostic approach will usually allow to evaluate acute and chronic cough. In the remaining cases the proposed algorithm should be used for best results and to prevent excessive costs.
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PMID:[Proposals for a rationale and for rational diagnosis of coughs]. 1078 50

Cardiac involvement in pheochromocytoma is rare but may be associated with serious clinical deterioration. A 70-year-old woman arrived at our Emergency Department because of chest discomfort, blood pressure lability, mild dyspnea and electrocardiographic signs suggesting an acute myocardial infarction. However two-dimensional echocardiogram did not show any segmental wall motion abnormalities but diffuse and severe left ventricular hypokinesia. The patient was treated with ACE-inhibitors and diuretics and did not receive thrombolytics or beta blocking agents. Creatine kinase-MB and troponin I were normal. Electrocardiogram and echocardiogram completely returned to normal within 1 week and a coronary angiography demonstrated normal coronary arteries. An increase in the catecholamine concentration in a 24-hour urinary sample suggested a pheochromocytoma that was confirmed by abdominal computerized tomography. During surgery, marked hypertension developed treated with sodium nitroprusside and labetalol, and after removal of the tumor severe hypotension required infusion of norepinephrine for several days.
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PMID:[Acute myocardial damage from a pheochromocytoma]. 1083 35

A 52 year old hypertensive Malay man, a smoker who presented with a one month history of mild chest discomfort not related to exertion and had a positive stress test with ST segment depression in the lateral leads. Coronary angiography showed stenosis in the right coronary artery and a coronary aneurysm in the proximal segment of his left anterior descending. The aneurysm was situated just distal to a stenotic lesion. The aneurysm is most likely related to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. The patient was treated with oral nitrates, aspirin, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and warfarin to prevent thromboembolism related to the coronary aneurysm. He remains asymptomatic one year after diagnosis.
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PMID:Solitary focal coronary artery aneurysm in a middle aged male with atypical chest pain. 1107 79

Cough assessment is an important component in the clinical evaluation of patients with respiratory and cardiovascular disorders (asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, congestive heart failure, etc.). A dry bothersome cough is the most common adverse class effect of all angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I). The present study was aimed to determine the feasibility of a new combined frequency/severity cough scoring method in patients with ACE-I induced cough before and after their modification with aspirin addition. The study was designed to compare two different regimens of active treatment: intermediate (500 mg) versus low (100 mg) dose aspirin in ACE-I cough suppression (self-matched control data) and comprised 21 patients (14 men, 7 women; mean age 62 +/- 11 years) on ACE-I treatment. ACE-I treatment was discontinued and the dry cough completely disappeared, but returned in all patients within one week (rechallenge period) after ACE-I reintroducing. Severity of cough was defined as follows: 0--no cough at all; 1--occasional hems; 2--mild, isolated cough, without additional symptoms; 3--moderate, paroxysmal cough, without additional symptoms; 4--severe, strenuous cough, accompanied by chest discomfort. In addition to cough severity score, cough frequency score (0-10) was obtained using a visual analog scale: 0 = I never cough; 10 = I cough all day. Low doses of aspirin were ineffective to suppress ACE-I induced cough. In contrast, intermediate doses completely abolished cough in 14 patients and reduced coughing in all but one patient. Cough severity and cough frequency scores decreased, respectively, from 2.6 +/- 1.1 to 0.7 +/- 1.0 (p<0.001) and from 6.9 +/- 2.2 to 2.1 +/- 2.4 (p<0.0001). Overall, the cough frequency score method alone could identify a beneficial modification of cough in 17 (81%) patients and cough severity score method alone in 17 (76%). Using the combined cough frequency/severity scoring, a beneficial modification of cough could be identified in 20 (95%) of patients. The new combined cough frequency/severity scoring is suitable for clinical practice and can improve the identification of dynamic cough modifications during treatment period as compared with the conventional frequency score method. It may have important implications in the evaluation of patients with respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.
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PMID:The combined cough frequency/severity scoring: a new approach to cough evaluation in clinical settings. 1156 16

Herpes simplex virus induced oral and genital ulcerating lesions will fluoresce brightly yellow and yellow-orange, respectively, if treated with a chlorinated solution of neutral red and exposed to ultraviolet-A light. An orange to red fluorescence is seen with similarly treated and illuminated Herpes zoster virus induced shingles; while treated human papillomavirus induced genital warts display more of a purplish fluorescence. Pain and discomfort commonly disappear soon after the treatment and all lesions undergo expedited healing that is readily observable within 24 h. The mechanism of healing is thought to involve an interaction between neutral red and alternative cellular energy pigments (ACE pigments) present within the viral lesions that enhances responsiveness to ultraviolet light energy. The healing effects are not restricted to the treated lesions and may involve transmission of a biological energy throughout the body. Beyond its obvious clinical and diagnostic utility, this model system may help usher in a new era of energy-based medicine.
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PMID:Symptomatic relief of herpetic skin lesions utilizing an energy-based approach to healing. 1571 38

A 64-year-old man presented with chief complaints of exertional dyspnea and palpitation. He had previously undergone left nephrolithotomies twice. A chest roentgenogram showed pleural effusion on both sides with cardiac dilation, and electrocardiography showed a frequent occurrence of ventricular premature contractions. An echocardiogram showed diffuse hypokinesis of the left ventricular wall motion (ejection fraction, 45%) and dilation of the left ventricle (left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, 61 mm). We administered diuretics, ACE inhibitors and a beta-adrenergic blocking agent after making a diagnosis of cardiac insufficiency. Because coronary angiography showed 90% stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery (No. 7), we performed coronary angioplasty in this locus. Though both the left ventricular wall motion and ejection fraction improved, and the clinical symptoms disappeared, the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and arrhythmia did not improve. Furthermore, the brain natriuretic peptide increased despite these treatments. Thereafter, a left renal artery aneurysm (extrarenal aneurysm measuring 5 cm in diameter and an intrarenal aneurysm measuring 3 cm in diameter) and a left renal arteriovenous fistula were discovered when abdominal echography was performed because of epigastric discomfort. As a result, a left total nephrectomy was performed. Subsequently, the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and arrhythmia improved, and the brain natriuretic peptide returned to a normal value. We herein report a case that developed cardiac insufficiency due to a renal aneurysm and renal arteriovenous fistula after undergoing left nephrolithotomies twice.
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PMID:Two giant renal aneurysms and renal arteriovenous fistula associated with cardiac insufficiency and a sustained elevation of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide. 1750 74

Colonoscopy constitutes the principal investigation for colo-rectal neoplasms due to its ability to detect and remove most of precancerous lesions; due to the ongoing or planned colon cancer screening programs in many European countries we should expect an enormous increase in colonoscopic demand over the next few years. Diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic safety of colonoscopy strictly depends upon the quality of bowel cleansing which is often perceived as the most unpleasant part of the procedure in individuals undergoing this examination. The ideal preparation for colonoscopy should reliably empty the colon from all faecal material allowing the optimal visualization of the entire colonic mucosa without causing great patient's discomfort nor significant shifts in fluids or electrolytes. Standard PEG solutions and sodium phosphate (NaP) compounds are the most frequently used preparations; both are accepted and relatively well tolerated by the majority of patients undergoing colonoscopy; however, NaP compounds should be avoided in elderly subjects as well as in those with congestive heart failure, renal and hepatic insufficiency or taking diuretics, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, since they can induce severe electrolyte and/or fluid disturbances. Standard PEG solutions are often taken incompletely due to the low palatability and the high volume of liquids required which induce nausea and vomiting with negative consequences in terms of colon cleansing. Reduced volume and better palatability of PEG solutions, such as those obtained with the newest PEG formulations, as well as improved patient education concerning the importance of bowel cleansing could undoubtedly increase compliance with oral bowel preparations and promote adherence to colo-rectal cancer screening programs.
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PMID:Bowel preparation before colonoscopy in the era of mass screening for colo-rectal cancer: a practical approach. 1867 11

Agina pectoris is a discomfort in the chest or adjacent areas caused by myocardial ischemia. It is most commonly caused by the inability of narrowed atherosclerotic coronary arteries to supply adequate oxygen to the heart under conditions of increase demand. This review article will focus in the medical treatment of chronic stable angina, with a focus in new strategies or medications. Treatment by revascularization techniques will not be discussed in this article. The goal of treatment is to improve quality of life, decrease cardiovascular events and mortality. All patients should be evaluated for reversible causes of their angina, such as anemia, hyperthyroidism, sympathomimetic drugs and hypertension. Sublingual nitroglycerin should be used for immediate relief of symptoms. In general, all patients should be on aspirin (ASA) unless they are allergic or other contraindications, if so; clopidogrel should be added to the therapy. In addition to the antiplatelet therapy, which decreases mortality, patients should be started on beta blockers and nitrates. If there is no improvement in symptoms then a calcium channel blockers of the dihydropyridine family should be added. Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and/or left ventricular systolic dysfunction should be also started on angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. If the patient continues with limiting angina, ranolazine should be started and finally enhanced external counterpulsation should be considered in those patients who have not responded to maximal drug therapy.
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PMID:Management of chronic stable angina pectoris. 1940 May 28

Gaucher's disease is not commonly considered in the differential diagnosis of adult patients with hepatosplenomegaly and increased serum ACE. A 19-year-old girl presented with recurrent epigastric and left hypochondrial pain over a period of 9 years, associated with episodes of nausea and diarrhoea. She was extensively investigated and found to have splenomegaly and raised serum ACE. A screen for haematological disorders was negative. She reported an insect bite during an overseas holiday preceding her symptoms. She was therefore also screened for infectious causes of hepatosplenomegaly but without success. Later on in life, she reported joint pain and discomfort. Sarcoidosis was thought to be the putative cause on more than one occasion. However, the presence of splenomegaly and her relatively young age, led the rheumatologist to the correct diagnosis.
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PMID:An ACE diagnosis. 2341 80


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