Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.16.2 (PCP)
 3,761 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The AIDS epidemic continues to spread in Georgia. Almost every medical specialty is affected in some manner by the increased number of patients being diagnosed and treated with AIDS or the AIDS-related complex. Radiology has a pivotal role in documenting various opportunistic complications so that further testing and therapy may be instituted. Because of the large number of AIDS patients that develop thoracic disease, we have reviewed many of the potential pulmonary complications and their radiographic findings. Certain patterns of disease may suggest etiologies, though admittedly the chest radiograph is nonspecific. Diagnosis must be confirmed with sputum culture, bronchial lavage, and biopsy or open lung biopsy. There are key features that should be kept in mind. P. carinii, the most common pathogen, and several other opportunistic agents usually present with a fine bilateral interstitial or ground glass appearance. The presence of mediastinal adenopathy and/or pleural effusion suggests an etiology other than PCP. These findings are indicative of mycobacterial infection, KS, or lymphoma. PCP can present as a focal pulmonary consolidation, but this is unusual, and bacterial pneumonia must be considered. Finally, a small percentage of persons will present with a normal chest x-ray despite the presence of pulmonary infection or neoplasm. In those cases gallium lung scanning can help identify the affected individuals.
 ...
PMID:Pulmonary complications in AIDS: the radiographic manifestations. 271 44

The clinical features of our cases demonstrated some of the already known characteristics of the variable spectrum of HIV infection. DA are the most important risk category in Italy. 10% of the ARC cases evolved into AIDS during a 12-month follow-up, on average. The most frequent OI in our AIDS cases were PCP, C. albicans esophagitis and chronic mucocutaneous ulcers. An high percentage of neurologic involvement from HIV was observed, and malignancies were encountered in AIDS (3 KS and 1 undifferentiated B lymphoma) as well as in ARC (1 Hodgkin's lymphoma). Statistically, significant worsening of the immunologic situation is evident as the disease progresses from LAS to AIDS. Activated B lymphocytes represent most of the cells of the germinal center during the hyperplastic stage of lymphadenopathy. Reversal of the T4/T8 ratio appears early during the initial stage of lymphadenopathy and is due to a decrease of CD4 and a relative increase of CD8. Also, destruction of the follicular dendritic cells is an early feature which becomes more evident as the disease advances and the lymph node evolves toward progressive involution. Activated B-lymphocyte augmentation with polyclonal Ig secretion appears to be related to T-independent B stimulation by coinfection such as CMV, EBV and HBV. The increase of cytotoxic/suppressor lymphocytes seems to be partly related to the excessive activation of B lymphocytes and partially directed to the cells infected by HIV or coated with its proteins (6,7,8,9). The destruction of follicular dendritic cells has been interpreted not only as a killer effect of the virus but also as a result of the intervention of CTL sensitized to the cells containing the virus (10,11). Their destruction may contribute to the impaired recognition of soluble antigen which is one of the main features of the immune deficiency of HIV infection (9,13,16).
 ...
PMID:A clinical-immunological evaluation of AIDS cases and related syndromes. 348 82

AIDS is a reliably diagnosed disease that is indicative of an underlying cellular immunodeficiency with no other cause for the disorder. To date over 2000 cases have been reported in North America and Europe and the number is rising. Patients fulfilling the definition for AIDS have included male homosexuals, IV drug abusers of both sexes, people from Haiti, heterosexual partners of AIDS patients, hemophiliacs, and some patients who fit no particular pattern. The etiology has been attributed to factors acting singly or in synergy namely that repeated exposure to CMV, semen, or other antigens results in progressive cellular immunodeficiency, or alternatively, a novel virus has an etiologic role. The epidemiology of the syndrome suggests a horizontally transmissible agent. The spectrum of opportunistic infections observed in AIDS patients is well documented. A higher incidence of KS as well as squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity, cloacogenic carcinoma of the rectum, primary lymphomas of the brain, and systemic Burkitt's-like lymphoma has been noted. Seventy-one patients with AIDS were examined and followed during the course of their disease. Forty-one patients had definite retinal lesions at the time of examination. The most common intraretinal finding was CMV retinitis which displayed the typical white, crumbly areas of retinal necrosis and hemorrhage. Optic nerve involvement was quite common. The development of retinitis was a harbinger of eventual death as it was a progressive and a nontreatable disorder, lasting about 6 months. The second most common retinal finding was cotton wool spots, the lesions were usually present during the course of PCP and were due to microvascular damage in the retina from circulating immune complexes. No organisms were demonstrated in the retina. One AIDS patient who had been an IV drug abuser developed fungal retinitis due to Candida albicans. The patient eventually died from Candida sepsis. One patient had acquired toxoplasmosis retinochoroiditis. Examination revealed a large active intraretinal focus of infection. No other retinal lesion was noted. The patient, a homosexual, died from a toxoplasmosis brain abscess. The patient with AIDS is in a continuing struggle for survival against a myriad assortment of opportunistic infectious agents. Careful initial ophthalmological examination and long-term follow-up are mandatory.
 ...
PMID:The retinal lesions of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. 610 Jan 47

Mouse lymphoma cells were shown to be unresponsive to prostaglandin E1 in terms of cAMP production. The endogenous ATP concentration was shown to be low. Addition of ATP in the presence of IMBX into the incubation medium resulted in elevation of the intracellular pool of ATP and the cells responded to PGE1 by increasing cAMP production. The ATP effect is specific and cannot be substituted by GTP. ATP analogue (AMP-PCP) can, however, produce a similar effect to ATP. The intracellular ATP concentration can be lowered by incubation with iodoacetate and potassium cyanide. This caused a drastic decrease of the cAMP level. Ethionine on the other hand had no effect on the intracellular ATP level.
 ...
PMID:ATP uptake by mouse lymphoma cells. 618 Jun 74

Because AIDS patients frequently present with minimal symptomatology, radionuclide imaging with its ability to survey the entire body, is especially valuable. Gallium-67 citrate, the most commonly performed radionuclide study for localizing infection in these patients, is most useful for detecting opportunistic infections, especially in the thorax. A negative gallium scan, particularly when the chest X-ray is unremarkable, rules strongly against pulmonary disease. A negative gallium scan in a patient with an abnormal chest X-ray and Kaposi's sarcoma, suggests that the patient's respiratory distress is related to the neoplasm. Diffuse pulmonary parenchymal uptake of gallium in the HIV (+) patient is most often associated with PCP. While there are other causes of diffuse pulmonary uptake, the more intense or heterogeneous the uptake, the more likely the patient is to have PCP. Focal pulmonary uptake is usually associated with bacterial pneumonia although PCP may occasionally present in this fashion. Lymph node uptake of gallium is usually associated with Mycobacterium avium complex, tuberculosis, or lymphoma. When corresponding abnormalities are present on thallium scintigraphy lymphoma is likely. Gallium positive, thallium negative, studies suggest mycobacterial disease. Labeled leukocyte imaging is not useful for detecting opportunistic infections probably because of the inflammatory response incited by these organisms. Leukocyte imaging is, however, more sensitive for detecting bacterial pneumonia. In the abdomen, gallium imaging is most useful for identifying lymphadenopathy, while labeled leukocyte imaging is superior for detecting AIDS-associated colitides. In summary, radionuclide studies are valuable diagnostic modalities in AIDS. Their success can be maximized by tailoring the study to the individual's needs.
 ...
PMID:The role of gallium and labeled leukocyte scintigraphy in the AIDS patient. 755 45

Epidemiological studies can help to understand the effects of medical treatment of HIV infections. Accordingly, this study was designed to discuss the most important parameters in Frankfurt/Main and other big German cities from 1984 to 2000. The number of HIV tests performed by Frankfurt's Virology has been decreasing continually since 1991. A decrease of new infections in men could be registered, whereas the number of HIV infected women rose. From 1985 to 2000 an annual mean value of 478 HIV infected men and 121 HIV infected women was registered in Frankfurt. The gender proportion was followed up for Frankfurt and Hamburg since 1985, for Berlin, Munich, and Cologne since 1993. All but one city showed a significant decline of infected males, only Berlin did not show any obvious changes in this proportion. Over the last twelve years the average age of men and women tested positive for the first time increased. An obvious shift could be discerned during the last two years concerning the distribution of risk groups. The percentage of HIV infected homosexuals and female i.v. drug addicts sank significantly over the last two years, the number of women infected by heterosexual contacts is still increasing when compared to data compiled from 1988 to 1992, and varies between 44% and 33%. During the same time-span a significant shift in first onset of AIDS-defining illnesses was observed. PCP (pneumocystis carinii pneumonia)--formerly represented with 35.5%--decreased and is now surpassed by tuberculosis with 25.5%. The general gender proportion (3:1) could not be reflected by AIDS-defining diseases of which NHL (non-Hodgkin-lymphoma) seems to have the shortest time-span (6.5 months) between the occurrence of illness and death.
 ...
PMID:An epidemiological study of HIV-infections in Frankfurt/Main and other major cities in Germany. 1155 43

Rituximab enhances treatment efficacy of B-lineage lymphoma by targeting CD20+ B-cells. Such target therapies may compromise the immune system and render patients susceptible to opportunistic infections. We report 2 cases of lymphoma complicated with Pneumocystis jiroveci (previously known as P. carinii) pneumonia (PCP) while being treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy regimens. In both cases, PCP developed during the neutropenic period. With timely diagnosis and proper management, both were treated successfully. We searched the literature and found that such opportunistic infection occurred only infrequently in lymphoma patients, and it has not been reported in the large-scale clinical trials of rituximab. Such cases demonstrate the importance of taking PCP into diagnostic consideration in lymphoma patients receiving similar therapies.
 ...
PMID:Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma receiving chemotherapy containing rituximab. 1901 57