Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014118 (endocarditis)
 15,629 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Some particular features of the cardiomyopathies (CM) observed in the tropics, especially in Africa, are emphasized in this study. Chronic parietal endocarditis is excluded from the CM group. The author presents facts that justify the linking of that affection to endocardial diseases. Myocardiopathies are acute ailments presenting with congestive lesions, reversible under etiological therapy. Anemic and beri-beri myocardiopathies are not unusual in the tropics and present a hyperkinetic syndrome before the stage of advanced cardiac insufficiency. Infectious or parasitic myocarditis seem frequent in the tropics. The author recalls the characteristics of the myocarditis in the human african trypanosomiasis which he opposes, particularly, to the american trypanosomiasis. The reality of bilharzial myocarditis is more debatable while bilharzial pulmonary hypertension is well documented. Chronic congestive CM presents a few specific characteristics in the tropics. The features, well described in temperate regions, are found in the tropics with a particularly unfortunate prognosis. Some alcoholic myocardiopathies have been observed. The rare occurrence of hypertrophic CM in the tropics results, seemingly, from a lack of exploratory means. The author studies briefly a recent series of 31 cases in Abidjan. Post-partum myocardiopathy seems to be the clinical appearance of a latent myocardial insufficiency of the normal post-partum in women presenting with associated risks factors (anemia, malnutrition, overwork, excessive sodium intake, etc.). An early diagnosis enables a cure only by resting, but it is sometimes necessary to associate a medical treatment. Death by embolism or the passing to chronicity are however possible. Drepanocytic CM is debatable and in many cases, seems hardly differentiated from anemic myocardiopathy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Cardiomyopathies in tropical areas]. 377 21

Methylphenidate, a psychostimulant drug from the group of amphetamines is, among others, established in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. It is also known to have a certain potential of abuse. In combination with alcohol, the metabolite ethylphenidate was detected in human plasma in small amounts. However, ethylphenidate is sold as "research chemical" via the Internet. It was put under German narcotics law in July 2013. In a recent case, where a deceased person was found in his apartment, the police seized a plastic bag with the inscription "ethylphenidate". An autopsy of the 32-year-old man yielded a mitral valve endocarditis, which must have persisted a while before death, in combination with a pneumonia. At the Forensic Toxicological Centre (FTC) in Munich femoral blood, liver, pericardium fluid, urine, stomach content and hair of the deceased were analyzed for ethylphenidate after sample preparation by an LC-Triple TOF 5600. Calibration curves were spiked with a methanolic 1mg/mL solution of ethylphenidate (substance provided by the State Office of Criminal Investigation in Munich) in whole blood in comparison to liver and femoral blood, in serum in comparison to pericardium fluid and in urine in comparison to urine and stomach content, respectively. Ethylphenidate was detected in all analyzed matrices. The spectrums of the human specimen were compared to those obtained from the calibration curves and identified as ethylphenidate. The measured concentrations were for femoral blood 110ng/mL, for liver 180ng/g, for pericardium fluid 131ng/mL, for urine 987ng/mL and for stomach content 20.7ng/mL, respectively. The stomach contained 200mL of a brownish-coloured liquid, resulting in a total amount of 4000ng ethylphenidate. The lowest calibrator for whole blood and serum was 1ng/mL and for urine 10ng/mL. As far as it is known to the authors, these are the first ethylphenidate levels measured in a case of ethylphenidate intake. Therefore these results can only be compared to methylphenidate concentrations with therapeutic levels ranging from 5 to 60ng/mL in serum. As the toxic levels for methylphenidate start from approximately 500ng/mL serum, we estimate that ethylphenidate in the concentrations mentioned above is not in a directly lethal range. But it has to be considered, that amphetamine-like drugs as methylphenidate are known for their cardiovascular side effects (like tachycardia and arrhythmia) and might therefore have contributed to death, which was attributed to endocarditis in combination with pneumonia.
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PMID:First detection of ethylphenidate in human fatalities after ethylphenidate intake. 2516 Nov 62