Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0019209 (hepatomegaly)
 5,798 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The clinical and immunological features of fifteen cases of cryptogenic pulmonary eosinophilia are reported. There were ten women (mean age 35.4 years) and five men (mean age 42 years). Eight gave a previous history of asthma and seven had none. Thirteen of the fifteen patients had negative skin test to common allergens. Many features of a systemic illness were present in the asthmatic and non-asthmatic groups including anaemia, weight loss, fever and a grossly raised ESR. An absolute polymorphonuclear leucocytosis was frequent as well as the obligatory increase in blood eosinophils used as one of our criteria for inclusion. Hepatomegaly (three cases), splenomegaly (four cases) and hilar node enlargement (one case) were seen in the group without asthma. Evidence of renal involvement or necrotizing vasculitis was notably absent and the response to small doses of corticosteroids was dramatic. Immunologically the striking feature was a disproportionate increase in blood eosinophils compared with only minor elevations in the total serum IgE levels. This stands in contrast to patients with bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and helminth infestation. Studies of cytophilic antibodies using histamine liberation after challenge with antibodies to immunoglobulin sub-classes in six patients showed a marked increase in IgG2 and lesser increases of IgE and IgG3. No evidence of antibodies specific to A. fumigatus was found. The amount of cytophilic antibody was also in contrast to that found in bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
 ...
PMID:Cryptogenic pulmonary eosinophilia. 5 41

Avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) caused significant mortality in wild-caught Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) in 1986 at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa (USA). In early winter, wild birds were captured off the southern coast of Chile and flown to Detroit, Michigan for a 38 day quarantine. After quarantine, 18 birds were dispersed to Lansing, Michigan, six to a facility in Maine, and 46 to Des Moines, Iowa. Upon arrival in Des Moines, several penguins became weak and inactive, had to be force-fed, and died after 2 days. Gross lesions at postmortem included splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and pulmonary edema. Histopathological examination revealed numerous intraendothelial schizonts in spleen, lung, liver, heart and kidney. Schizonts were generally 16 to 28 micron by 11 to 16 micron and contained merozoites of two distinct sized (macromerozoites, nuclei 1.0 micron; micromerozoites, nuclei 0.5 micron). Based on the morphology of the abundant exoerythrocytic forms, a tentative diagnosis of avian malaria (Plasmodium sp.) was made. Subsequent transmission electron microscopic examination of schizonts in formalized tissue revealed merozoites with tear-shaped rhoptries. Antimalarial therapy was initiated early but deaths continued for 5 mo. Mortality, which eventually totaled 83%, occurred in three distinct waves, each separated by a hiatus of approximately 1 mo. Despite examinations of repeated blood smears, intraerythrocytic Plasmodium relictum was not detected until late in the outbreak. Diagnosis was based on morphologic characteristics including schizonts with eight to 12 merozoites/segmenter and round gametocytes that displaced and turned the infected erythrocyte nucleus. In addition to malaria, penguins showed evidence of aspergillosis, bacterial enteritis (Escherichia coli; Proteus sp.; and Edwardsiella sp.), and helminthiasis (Contracaecum sp. and Tetrabothrius sp.). Based on gross and histological lesions, disease prevalence in this group of penguins was malaria 58%, aspergillosis 61%, enteritis 60%, helminthiasis 26%. Epidemiologic investigation including group transport history, disease prevalence in co-quarantined birds not sent to Des Moines and climatological data implicated Des Moines as the likely site for initial exposure, although information is not conclusive. Stress and concurrent disease certainly contributed to the severe mortality in this group of penguins infected with P. relictum.
 ...
PMID:Plasmodium relictum as a cause of avian malaria in wild-caught magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus). 319 55

Aspergillosis is an uncommon perinatal infection diagnosed with increasing frequency in recent years. We report a premature infant who required both nutrition and ventilation artificially assisted and developed a disseminated invasive nosocomial infection from Aspergillus flavus. Autopsy revealed marked hypotrophy of the thymus and multisystem invasive aspergillosis chiefly involving the vascular and alimentary systems and also the respiratory tract, the central nervous system, and the skin. From what we know, this is the first case of the literature with a misleading initial clinical presentation involving the alimentary tract (hepatomegaly, ingravescent cholestatic icterus) and evolving in intestinal occlusion.
 ...
PMID:Fatal Aspergillus flavus infection in a neonate. 2059 48