Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0009952 (febrile convulsions)
 1,215 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Because previous work showed that in the newborn brain, but not in the adult brain, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is notably susceptible to heat, we have studied the possible involvement of GAD inhibition in febrile convulsions and the related changes in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content. Rats of different ages were subjected to hyperthermia, and GAD activity was determined in brain homogenates by measuring the release of 14CO2 from labeled glutamate and by measuring the formation of GABA. The latter method gave considerably lower values than the former in the youngest rats, and was considered more reliable. With this method, we found a 37-48% inhibition of GAD activity in rat pups 2-5 days old, which showed febrile seizures at progressively higher body temperatures, whereas in 10- and 15-day-old animals, which did not show convulsions, GAD activity was not affected by hyperthermia. Whole-brain GABA levels, however, did not change at any age. In contrast to GAD, choline acetyltransferase and lactic dehydrogenase activities were not altered by hyperthermia at any of the ages studied. These results suggest that a decreased efficiency of the inhibitory neurotransmission mediated by GABA, consequent to the inhibition of GAD activity, may be a factor related to febrile convulsions.
 ...
PMID:Inhibition of brain glutamate decarboxylase activity is related to febrile seizures in rat pups. 172 43

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid levels in 62 patients suspected of having meningitis was performed. Lactic acid was measured enzymatically using lactic acid dehydrogenase with the liberation of NADH. In a control (no meningitis) group, 46 children had a mean cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid level of 14.7 +/- 2.2 mg/dl; 3 with febrile seizure had a mean lactic acid level of 33.5 +/- 0.98 mg/dl. In 9 cases of bacterial meningitis, the mean lactic acid level was 54.8 +/- 16.8 mg/dl. In 3 patients of aseptic meningitis, the mean lactic acid level was 34.5 +/- 1.0 mg/dl. Serial lactate determination was done in three patients and they were well correlated with the clinical response and other cerebrospinal fluid findings. These data suggest that the determination of cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid may be of diagnostic value in differentiating between bacterial and aseptic meningitis.
 ...
PMID:Diagnostic use of cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid levels in meningitis. 658 98