Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0021051 (immunodeficiency)
 71,517 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Histopathologic findings in the central nervous system in 100 autopsy cases of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) gave evidence of a variety of opportunistic infections and probably of infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Gliomesenchymal cell nodules (47 per cent of cases) and spongiform alterations with demyelination were common. Vasculitides (8 per cent) and lesions such as acute hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis may be attributable partly to hypersensitivity reactions. Multinucleated cells, including giant cells that could be a hallmark of HIV encephalitis, were common in normal neuropil, in gliomesenchymal cell nodules, near blood vessels, and in cavitating lesions. Degeneration in long tracts (13 per cent) included posterior column demyelination and spongiform change with or without corticospinal tract degeneration. Some long tract degeneration appeared to originate from bilateral degeneration of the internal capsule, and this may be part of the origin of subacute combined degeneration-like changes in AIDS vacuolar myelopathy. Prominent brainstem inflammatory infiltration suggests that the brainstem is a relatively prominent site of infection or immunopathologic activity. Early ependymal lesions in infants and frequent healed ependymal lesions in adults (16 per cent) could be related to the origin and pathogenesis of HIV lesions in the brain. Some characteristic lesions in AIDS encephalitis may result from immune-mediated responses to HIV antigens on neural cell receptors or from cross-reactivity occurring against epitopes common to neural constituents and to hematopoietic cells, with the latter being under direct antiviral attack.
 ...
PMID:Histopathology of the central nervous system in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. 359 83

Since 1990 we have treated 60 patients with standard-dose fludarabine for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), on a compassionate basis. Three patients developed grade IV neurologic complications after treatment, with demyelination of white matter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patient # 1, diffuse demyelination, abnormal oligodendroglia and enlarged astrocytes at brain biopsy in patient no 2, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) with JC virus on brain biopsy in patient # 3. The neurotoxicity of fludarabine was often observed after administration of high doses (90-120 mg/m2). At standard doses (18-25 mg/m2) neurologic complications were observed in very few cases (0.2%). PML was observed in only 0.52% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), particularly those with advanced CLL. Our findings are consistent with the results of published studies and show an increase in neurologic complications in patients with advanced CLL treated with fludarabine. This increased vulnerability is probably multifactorial, but may be secondary to the immunodeficiency.
 ...
PMID:Progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML) in three patients treated with standard-dose fludarabine (FAMP). 1054 75

Polymerase chain reaction assays are a powerful tool for detecting the presence of infectious genomes in the cerebrospinal fluid. Positive results always mean a current or pending infection of the central nervous system. Subacute (>7 days) or chronic infections induce an intrathecal humoral immune response and the appearance of oligoclonal IgG antibodies directed against the causal infectious agent. This local synthesis may be observed even in cases of severe systemic immunodeficiency. The use of polymerase chain reactions in combination with the detection of a specific intrathecal immune response should represent the most reliable strategy for the diagnosis of viral and chronic infections of the central nervous system. The authors describe their experience, using this approach, in herpetic encephalitis, acute and recurrent herpetic meningitis, varicella zoster-induced neurological diseases, cytomegalovirus encephalitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis and tuberculous meningitis.
 ...
PMID:Clinical relevance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and antigen-driven immunoblots for the diagnosis of neurological infectious diseases. 1290