Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0000737 (abdominal pain)
 31,184 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Urease of Helicobacter pylori (formerly Campylobacter pylori) is believed to represent a critical virulence determinant for this species. Ammonia generated by hydrolysis of urea may protect the acid-sensitive bacterium as it colonizes human gastric mucosa. An H. pylori strain, cultured from a gastric biopsy of a patient with complaints of abdominal pain and a history of peptic ulcer disease, was isolated on selective medium and cultured in Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with 4% fetal calf serum. Whole cells were ruptured by French pressure cell lysis, and soluble protein was chromatographed on DEAE-Sepharose, phenyl-Sepharose, Mono-Q, and Superose 6 resins. Purified urease represented 6% of the soluble protein of crude extract, was estimated to have a native molecular size of 550 kilodaltons (kDa), and was composed of two distinct subunits of apparent molecular sizes of 66 and 29.5 kDa. On the basis of subunit size, a 1:1 subunit ratio as measured by scanning densitometry of Coomassie blue-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and estimated native molecular size, the data are consistent with a stoichiometry of (29.5 kDa-66 kDa)6 for the structure of the native enzyme. Km for urea was estimated at 0.2 mM. By N-terminal analysis, the 29.5-kDa subunit of H. pylori urease was found to share significant amino acid sequence similarity with the smallest of three subunits of the Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii ureases, as well as to the amino terminus of the unique jack bean subunit. The 66-kDa subunit also shared up to 80% similarity with the largest of three subunits of P. mirabilis, M. morganii, and Klebsiella aerogenes ureases and to internal sequences (amino acids 271 to 285) of the jack bean urease subunit. Thus, the amino acid sequence is conserved among ureases with one, two, and three distinct subunits, suggesting a common ancestral urease gene. Also, urease subunits of M. morganii and jack bean were specifically recognized by antisera raised against the 66-kDa subunit of H. pylori urease, demonstrating that at least some antigenic determinants were conserved among ureases from different species.
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PMID:Purification and N-terminal analysis of urease from Helicobacter pylori. 231 39

In this informal initial study, four female patients with intractable chronic abdominal pain, daily nausea, intermittent vomiting, and altered stool habits due to "functional" disease were investigated. A gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog agonist, leuprolide acetate (Lupron) [D-leu6, Desgly-NH2(10), Proethylamide9], was administered once daily (0.5 mg subcutaneously) for three months. At the end of the three-month period, three subjects were symptom-free and the fourth experienced only mild and intermittent pain. The leuprolide regimen was continued for an additional three months, and estrogen (0.625 mg orally) and calcium (1000 mg orally) were given daily to prevent osteoporosis. The patients remained symptom-free. A challenge with progesterone then induced recurrence of mild symptoms in each subject. Withdrawing leuprolide induced the baseline symptoms in all patients within three to five days. This regimen has now been continued for up to 15 months, and all four patients have remained generally symptom-free. Progesterone has also been given every three months to induce menses. A fifth patient, with Roux-en-Y syndrome, has also been treated with leuprolide. She is symptom-free after six months and has gained weight. In this initial observation period in patients with severe functional (neuromuscular) bowel disease, the GnRH analog agonist leuprolide controlled pain, nausea, and vomiting.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Debilitating "functional" bowel disease controlled by leuprolide acetate, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog. 249 61

Campylobacter pylori, a suspected agent of gastritis and peptic ulceration, rapidly hydrolyzes urea. Because urease serves as the basis of detection of the organism in gastric biopsies and may represent an important virulence factor, biochemical characteristics of the enzyme were determined. C. pylori was isolated from antral biopsies from 10 patients with complaints of abdominal pain or history of peptic ulcer disease. All isolates were urease positive, with an average rate of hydrolysis by cell lysates being 36 +/- 28 mumol of NH3 per min per mg of protein, more than twice that of Proteus mirabilis and 10 times that of other urinary tract isolates. The enzyme had an apparent molecular weight of 625,000 +/- 15,000 by column chromatography, an isoelectric point of 5.9, a Km of 0.8 +/- 0.1 mM urea, an optimal temperature of 45 degrees C, and an optimal pH of 8.2. Ten isolates tested produced ureases with identical electrophoretic mobilities on nondenaturing 5% polyacrylamide activity gels. Acetohydroxamic acid (100 micrograms/ml), hydroxyurea (85 micrograms/ml), flurofamide (0.05 micrograms/ml), and EDTA (8 mM) inhibited enzyme activity by 50%. Cell lysates retained 50% of initial urease activity after 6 days and 40% activity after 18 days when stored at 4 degrees C in 20 mM sodium phosphate, pH 6.8. At -70 degrees C for 18 days, 1 mM EDTA or 15% glycerol preserved 40 or 34%, respectively, of initial activity. The urease of C. pylori appears to be biochemically unique from the enzymes of other common urease-producing species.
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PMID:Characterization of urease from Campylobacter pylori. 338 8

Ten women with endometriosis (stages I to IV) were treated with twice-daily subcutaneous injections of 200 micrograms of (D-Ser[TBU]6-des-Gly-NH2(10] luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone ethylamide (Buserelin) for 5 days followed by 400 micrograms intranasally three times daily for 25 to 31 weeks. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone levels returned to basal values on the second day of treatment, and serum luteinizing hormone levels progressively decreased to normal within 4 weeks. Serum estradiol decreased below early follicular phase levels within 7 to 30 days and continued to decrease to castrate levels. Light to moderate estrogen withdrawal bleeding was followed by amenorrhea with occasional bleeding or spotting in four women. Abdominal pain and dyspareunia disappeared or were ameliorated after 2 months of treatment. Resorption of endometrial implants was demonstrated by laparoscopy, and endometrial biopsy revealed atrophy or weak proliferation. Ovulation returned within 45 days, and two of four sexually active women became pregnant during cycles 3 and 5. The treatment was well accepted in spite of the expected hot flushes and vaginal dryness. Safety laboratory tests during and after treatment did not reveal any abnormalities. Reversible down-regulation of pituitary/ovarian function using repetitive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist administration can be a worthwhile approach to medical treatment of endometriosis.
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PMID:Reversible hypogonadism induced by a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist (Buserelin) as a new therapeutic approach for endometriosis. 642 19

A case with multiple liver abscess accompanied by massive portal venous gas is reported. A 61-yr-old male was admitted because of left lower abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea. Abdominal x-ray examination demonstrated multiple branching lucencies in the liver. Computed tomography revealed multiple liver abscesses and massive gas in the portal system as well as a thickened wall of the sigmoid colon. Enema study using contrast medium revealed a perforation of the sigmoid colon with diverticulitis. The outcome was favorable after sigmoid colectomy in addition to intensive treatment with antibiotics. Bacteroides fragilis, which produces gas (H2 and NH3) by fermentation, was isolated not only from the resected specimen but also from blood samples. Although the presence of portal venous gas is a sign of poor prognosis in patients with intestinal infectious diseases, the sensitive detection of hepatic portal venous gas by computed tomography and the appropriate treatment may improve the patient's prognosis.
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PMID:A successfully treated case of multiple liver abscesses accompanied by portal venous gas. 893 31

Desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT) are highly aggressive tumors typically involving the serosal surfaces of the peritoneum. Patients often present with abdominal pain, an abdominal mass, ascites or signs of intestinal obstruction. Cytogenetic and molecular studies have identified a characteristic t(11;22)(p13;q12) translocation within the tumor cells. The fused gene product apparently aligns the NH2-terminal domain (NTD) of the EWS gene to the zinc finger DNA-binding domain of the WT1 gene. This product could lead to loss of the tumor suppressor effect of the WT1 gene as well as to an increase in EWS driven expression of growth factors normally repressed by WT1. We investigated this latter possibility by performing immunohistochemical studies on formalin fixed tissue from 10 cases of DSRCT and five Wilms' tumors using-antibodies to insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II, the latency associated peptide of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB chain and PDGF-alpha receptor, respectively. In general, tumor cells were strongly positive for these growth factors in DSRCT, while stromal cells were negative for IGF-II and positive for the other growth factors in parallel with the tumor cells. Wilms' tumor cells were essentially negative for PDGF-AB chains, but positive for IGF-II, and the latency associated peptide of TGF-beta 1 and variably positive for PDGF-alpha receptor. These findings support the proposed molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis for DSRCT and may help explain this tumor's poor prognosis.
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PMID:Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor: immunohistochemical evidence for up-regulation of autocrine and paracrine growth factors. 984 6

Desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT) are highly aggressive tumors typically involving the serosal surfaces of the peritoneum. Patients often present with abdominal pain, an abdominal mass, ascites or signs of intestinal obstruction. Cytogenetic and molecular studies have identified a characteristic t(11;22)(p13;q12) translocation within the tumor cells. The fused gene product apparently aligns the NH2-terminal domain (NTD) of the EWS gene to the zinc finger DNA-binding domain of the WT1 gene. This product could lead to loss of the tumor suppressor effect of the WT1 gene as well as to an increase in EWS driven expression of growth factors normally repressed by WT1. We investigated this latter possibility by performing immunohistochemical studies on formalin fixed tissue from 10 cases of DSRCT and five Wilms' tumors using antibodies to insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II, the latency associated peptide of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB chain and PDGF-alpha receptor, respectively. In general, tumor cells were strongly positive for these growth factors in DSRCT, while stromal cells were negative for IGF-II and positive for the other growth factors in parallel with the tumor cells. Wilms' tumor cells were essentially negative for PDGF-AB chains, but positive for IGF-II, and the latency associated peptide of TGF-beta1 and variably positive for PDGF-alpha receptor. These findings support the proposed molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis for DSRCT and may help explain this tumor's poor prognosis.
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PMID:Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor: immunohistochemical evidence for up-regulation of autocrine and paracrine growth factors. 1007 70

Rifaximin has been reported to be effective for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in Europe. However, it is unknown whether Rifaximin is effective for the treatment of HE in Koreans, therefore we conducted a open-label prospective randomized study to evaluate the efficacy of rifaximin versus lactulose in Korean patients. Fifty-four patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy were enrolled. Thirty-two patients were randomized to receive rifaximin and 22 to receive lactulose both over a 7-day periods. Before and at the end of treatment, gradation of blood ammonia, flapping tremor, mental status, number connection test (NCT) were performed and estimation of HE indexes determined. Both rifaximin and lactulose were effective in the majority of patients (84.4% and 95.4%, respectively, p = 0.315). Blood NH3, flapping tremor, mental status, and NCT was significantly improved by rifaximin and lactulose, and the post- treatment levels of these measures were similar for the rifaximin and lactulose-treated groups, as was the HE index (rifaximin group (10.0 --> 4.2, p = 0.000); lactulose group (11.3 --> 5.0, p = 0.000)). One patient treated with rifaximin complained of abdominal pain, which was easily controlled. There was no episode of renal function impairment in either treatment group. Rifaximin proved to be as safe and as effective as lactulose for the treatment of Korean patients with hepatic encephalopathy.
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PMID:Comparison of rifaximin and lactulose for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy: a prospective randomized study. 1598 13

A 6-year-old Quarter Horse stallion was referred to Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for evaluation of abdominal pain that developed after breeding activity earlier in the day. The horse developed diarrhea and progressively worsening neurologic signs (circling, ataxia, head pressing) within 22 hours of presentation and was subsequently euthanized due to severe self-destructive behavior. Antemortem biochemical and hematologic abnormalities included hypocalcemia but no evidence of hepatic disease. Idiopathic hyperammonemia and encephalopathy were suspected; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and aqueous humor were collected 10 hours postmortem for ammonia analysis using a colorimetric assay. Results were compared with those of 6 horses that also had been euthanized, for diseases unrelated to encephalopathy. Ammonia also was measured in plasma samples obtained antemortem. Ammonia concentrations in plasma (958 micromol/L), CSF (1566 micromol/L) and aqueous humor (1018 micromol/L) samples from the stallion were markedly increased compared to those in the 6 unaffected horses (plasma, 9-43 micromol/L; CSF, 370-532 micromol/L; aqueous humor, 70-483 micromol/L). Since the acute nature of hyperammonemic encephalopathy often does not provide sufficient time for an antemortem diagnosis, postmortem analysis of CSF and aqueous humor ammonia concentrations may be a useful alternative for documenting hyperammonemia in horses.
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PMID:Postmortem diagnosis of idiopathic hyperammonemia in a horse. 1752 96