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

We describe the clinicopathological features of gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumours in nine patients where the diagnosis was confirmed by electronmicroscopy. Most patients presented with abdominal pain. At laparotomy, large intra-abdominal tumour masses were found which tended to be cystic and haemorrhagic. The predominant histological patterns were nests, sheets and fascicles of spindle and epithelioid cells. Immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for neuron specific enolase (9/9), PGP 9.5 (9/9), NKI/C3 (7/9), vimentin (7/9), alpha-smooth muscle actin (5/9), vasoactive intestinal peptide (3/9) and CD34/QBend10 (2/9). Grimelius staining was positive in two of nine cases. All tumours were negative for CAM 5.2, chromogranin, synaptophysin, Leu 7, neurofilament protein, muscle-specific actin (HHF-35) and desmin (D33). Ultrastructural examination showed cellular processes and dense-core granules in all cases. Three tumours had microtubules and/or intermediate filaments, particularly in cell processes. Skeinoid fibres were seen in three cases. No convincing synapses or small (synaptic-type) vesicles were identified. There was no evidence of epithelial, smooth muscle or nerve sheath differentiation. Two patients died due to tumour, two died of unknown causes and the remainder are alive 2-44 months after presentation. Four of the five survivors have recurrent/residual intra-abdominal tumour. So-called gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumours are apparently slow-growing malignant tumours showing neuronal differentiation. Four cases arose in the mesentery/retroperitoneum or omentum rather than bowel wall and therefore a more appropriate nomenclature might be intra-abdominal stromal tumour with neuronal differentiation.
 ...
PMID:Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumours: a report of nine cases. 887 44

Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve sarcomas are rare tumours. A 36-year-old man presented with abdominal pain, distension and constipation. Abdominal ultrasound and CT scanning demonstrated a giant cystic intra-abdominal mass. Laparotomy confirmed a large cystic mass arising from the ileum with multiple metastases. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for vimentin, neuronal-specific enolase and PGP9.5. This is the first reported case to present as a giant intra-abdominal cyst. Specialist histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis is essential to establish the diagnosis of this rare tumour.
 ...
PMID:Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve sarcoma presenting as a giant intra-abdominal cyst. 1105 53

We describe a 60-year-old male patient with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) who presented with initial abdominal pain and subsequent quadriplegia and respiratory failure. Small fiber neuropathy was demonstrated by measuring intra-epidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) using protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) immunostaining on three consecutive skin punch biopsies of the distal lower limb. The biopsy findings demonstrated some correlation with progression of the patient's clinical condition. Neuropathy in AIP can have a small-fiber component rather than being solely a large-fiber neuropathy.
 ...
PMID:Acute intermittent porphyria with peripheral neuropathy complicated by small-fiber neuropathy. 1749 14

Diverticulitis causes recurrent abdominal pain associated with increased mucosal expression of mucosal galanin and substance P (SP). We studied changes in mucosal and myenteric plexus neuropeptides in adult rats using a model of colonic inflammation, trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid colitis. We assessed the effects on the pan-neuronal markers protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) and neurofilament protein, as well as specific neuropeptides at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14 weeks. Following the acute injury there was macroscopic resolution of inflammation but minor microscopic abnormalities persisted. Percent area stained of mucosal PGP9.5 fell initially but average levels on days 21 and 28 levels were significantly elevated (P < 0.001), returning to normal by day 42. Percent area staining of PGP9.5 in the muscle rose immediately and remained significantly elevated at 70 days (P < 0.001). SP, neuropeptide K and galanin followed a similar overall pattern. SP to PGP9.5 ratio was significantly increased in the muscle both acutely (days 1-28) and in the long term (days 70 and 98), whereas the galanin to PGP9.5 ratio was significantly increased in the mucosa throughout the study. Low-grade chronic inflammation after an acute initial insult causes a persistent increase in the expression of galanin in the mucosa and SP in muscle layer.
 ...
PMID:Prolonged elevation of galanin and tachykinin expression in mucosal and myenteric enteric nerves in trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid colitis. 1820 79

Some patients with colonic diverticula suffer recurrent abdominal pain and exhibit visceral hypersensitivity, though the mechanism is unclear. Prior diverticulitis increases the risk of being symptomatic while experimental colitis in animals increases expression of neuropeptides within the enteric nervous system (ENS) which may mediate visceral hypersensitivity. Our aim was to determine the expression of neuropeptides within the ENS in diverticulitis (study 1) and in patients with symptomatic disease (study 2). Study 1 - Nerves in colonic resection specimens with either acute diverticulitis (AD, n = 16) or chronic diverticulitis (CD, n = 16) were assessed for neuropeptide expression recording % area staining with protein gene product (PGP9.5), substance P (SP), neuropeptide K (NPK), pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and galanin. Study 2 - Seventeen symptomatic and 15 asymptomatic patients with colonic diverticula underwent flexible sigmoidoscopy and multiple peridiverticular mucosal biopsies. Study 1- Neural tissue, as assessed by PGP staining was increased to a similar degree in circular muscle in both AD and CD. The CD specimens showed significant increases in the immunoreactivity of SP, NPK and galanin in both mucosal and circular muscle layer compared with controls. Study 2 - Mucosal histology was normal and PGP9.5 staining was similar between groups however patients with symptomatic diverticular disease demonstrated significantly higher levels of SP, NPK, VIP, PACAP and galanin within the mucosal plexus. Patients with symptomatic diverticular disease exhibit increased neuropeptides in mucosal biopsies which may reflect resolved prior inflammation, as it parallels the changes seen in acute and chronic diverticulitis.
 ...
PMID:Post inflammatory damage to the enteric nervous system in diverticular disease and its relationship to symptoms. 1945 15