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

We describe our 10 years experience in assaying over 15,000 clinical specimens for immune complexes (IC) using the C1q binding assay. Normal ranges were initially established using a large panel of blood donor sera and precision of the assay was optimized by inclusion of heat aggregated IgG (HAGG) as standards. Nevertheless some variability was observed due to variation in C1q binding from batch to batch and with aging of this reagent. In an empirically selected 2 year period involving over 3,000 clinical specimens, 25% had elevated concentrations of IC. Of these the majority were from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), other connective tissue disorders, infective endocarditis (IE), diffuse interstitial lung disease (DILD) and vasculitis (VASC). In RA, IE and VASC, significant correlations were observed between concentrations of IC and rheumatoid factor (RF) and the addition of a purified monoclonal RF to normal serum caused increased C1q binding. Longitudinal studies in RA and IE demonstrated a striking decline in IC in response to effective treatment. We conclude that the measurement of IC provides little additional useful diagnostic information in those diseases associated with high levels of RF but appears more useful in disorders such as SLE, IE and DILD in which RF is absent or present in low concentration. Sequential monitoring of IC in RA and IE reflects response to treatment.
Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 1987 Dec
PMID:Measurement of immune complexes with the liquid phase C1q binding assay: ten years experience in a routine diagnostic laboratory. 350 89

Valvular involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not uncommon but patients rarely present with it. The mitral valve is most commonly involved. We report a 36-year-old man who had an episode of acute fever, arthritis, and acute aortic insufficiency with a small vegetation at the tip of the aortic valve mimicking infective endocarditis, proven later to be due to SLE. SLE should be considered as one of the uncommon causes of acute aortic insufficiency.
Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 1999 Jun
PMID:Acute aortic valvulitis as an initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus. 1046 48

Candida endocarditis is extremely rare in term neonates, and gall bladder involvement due to candidemia has never been reported amongst neonates and infants. A term, appropriate for gestational age neonate developed Candida tropicalis blood stream infection in second week of life. He was started on conventional amphotericin B. However, he failed to show any clinical improvement, and candidemia keep on persisting. Repeat sanctuary sites screening revealed multiple echogenic masses in heart (vegetations) and gall bladder. On changing the treatment to liposomal amphotericin B and fluconazole, he recovered clinically, echogenic masses in gall bladder disappeared, and intracardiac vegetations decreased in size.
Asian Pac J Trop Med 2012 May
PMID:Candida tropicalis infection in a term neonate with gall bladder masses and infective endocarditis. 2254 61