Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0022116 (ischemia)
 91,303 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

One hundred twenty-seven case reports of high-pressure injection injuries have been analyzed, and five patients of our own are reported. The injury usually occurs to young, working males, most often to their nondominant index finger. Without proper surgical intervention, the injected part often progresses to necrosis, debilitating fibrosis, and stiffness. The pathology is that of inflammation and foreign body granulomatous formation. Damage results from impact, ischemia resulting from vascular compression, chemical inflammation, and secondary infection. Recommended treatment has traditionally been early surgical decompression, removal of injected material, and antibiotics. There is some evidence that anti-inflammatory medication is of value. In the patients treated early with steroids and proper antibiotics, infection has not been a problem. We feel that treatment of these injuries should include: 1) Immediate, high-dose, parenteral steroids followed by high-dose oral steroids in tapered doses. Our present regimen consists of initial doses of hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100 mg intravenously every 6 hours until it appears that swelling and erythema have maximized and begun to diminish, then changing to oral prednisone 25 mg twice daily. Prednisone is then slowly tapered in 5- to 10-mg increments per day until stopped. If swelling, pain, and erythema begin to worsen, high-dose steroids are resumed and tapered again. 2) Extensive and complete surgical decompression and drainage of the injured part. 3) Appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage.
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PMID:High-pressure injection injuries of the hand. 698 11

Takayasu's arteritis is an uncommon condition with a unique constellation of clinical findings that continues to fascinate clinicians and researchers. Advances in the techniques used for classifying lymphocytes, recognizing markers of cellular activity, and detecting the presence of cytokines has produced more evidence that Takayasu's arteritis is a cell-mediated immune condition. The etiology(ies) or triggering mechanism(s) of the disease remains elusive. Alternatives to standard angiography for vascular imaging, such as digital subtraction angiography, duplex ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging, have improved the facility with which the diagnosis and management of Takayasu's arteritis can be safely accomplished. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the aorta and renal arteries is a safe and effective means to dilate symptomatic stenoses. In the short term, this technique provides relief from claudication, hypertension, and ischemia. Long-term follow-up suggests that restenosis at the angioplasty site occurs in a substantial number of patients. Whether this represents a fibrotic healing process or continued inflammation is unclear. Attempts to control the inflammation with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents continue to be reported. Prednisone plus methotrexate is a promising combination for use in this life-threatening condition of young people.
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PMID:Takayasu's arteritis. 798 37

North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) reports have shown anti-T cell antibody, OKT3, to be deleterious in pediatric renal transplant recipients treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Unlike OKT3, basiliximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody to the alpha subunit of the interleukin-2 receptor on activated T-lymphocytes. We sought to examine the outcome of MMF with or without basiliximab induction therapy in pediatric renal transplantation. Between January 1998, and June 2001, 49 pediatric renal transplants were performed at our center and 41 met the criteria for this study. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 25 patients who received MMF, Prednisone, CSA or TAC, alone (group I) and 16 patients who received MMF, CSA or TAC, and Prednisone in combination with basiliximab (group II). The two groups were similar with respect to recipient or donor age, gender, ethnicity, donor source (LD vs. CAD), cold ischemia time, and primary diagnosis. The basiliximab group had a shorter follow up period because of its more recent addition to our pediatric immunosuppression protocol, 12.9 +/- 5.9 months vs. 35.5 +/- 7.2 months for group I (p < 0.0001). At 6 months, the acute rejection rate was 16% (group I) compared with 25% (group II) (p = 0.689). The patient and graft survival at 6 and 12 months were 100% respectively for both groups. Basiliximab was well tolerated without significant adverse events. At 6 months, there was no significant difference between the groups in the incidence of urinary tract infection or cytomegalovirus infection. These data suggest that in the short-term, MMF with or without basiliximab induction therapy appears to yield excellent and statistically similar outcomes. However, further controlled studies are necessary to verify these findings as well as to define the role of basiliximab in MMF-treated pediatric renal transplant recipients.
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PMID:Mycophenolate mofetil in pediatric renal transplantation: non-induction vs. induction with basiliximab. 1566 17

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease which is associated with an increased risk of cardio and cerebrovascular pathology. A 48-year old Caucasian female was admitted for diffuse arthralgias. She was diagnosed eight years before with seropositive RA and she received Methotrexate, Prednisone and anti-inflammatory drugs. A week after the admission the patient presented sudden onset of left hemiplegia. Cerebral CT scan was suggestive for acute infarction in the right middle cerebral artery area and an old sequelar infarction in the left posterior artery area. Laboratory tests revealed: erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 40 mm/hour, fibrinogen 656 mg/dL, C-reactive protein of 20 mg/dL, rheumatoid factor 66.83 U/mL, anti CCP3 IgG 213.54 U/mL, ANA 128.126 U/mL. Also, she had high LDL-cholesterol serum concentration (190 mg/dL). The ECG revealed sinus rhythm, QRS axis-45 degrees, antero-lateral ischemia. Ultrasound examination of cervico-cerebral arteries emphasized occlusion of the left internal carotid artery, large atheromas in both carotid and vertebral arteries. A treatment with anti-aggregant and statin was started, and the former treatment for RA was continued with a raised Prednisone dose. The outcome was favorable, the patient's motor deficit improved (3/5 BMRC at the upper limb and 4/5 at the inferior limb) and she was able to walk with a cane support. She also presented an alleviation in the laboratory test status. Ischemic stroke is a possible complication of RA, presenting as principal risk factor precocious atherosclerosis. A better control of inflammation by new anti-rheumatic treatments will protect the RA patients of deleterious effects of ischemic stroke.
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PMID:Rheumatoid arthritis and ischemic strokes in a young woman. Are these conditions interrelated? 2572 31

Toxic leukoencephalopathy (TL) is characterized by white matter disease on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and evidence of exposure to a neurotoxic agent. We describe a case of cocaine-induced TL in which extensive white matter disease did not preclude full recovery. A 57-year-old man with substance abuse disorder presented with a 5-day history of strange behavior. On admission, he was alert but had difficulty concentrating, psychomotor retardation, and diffuse hyperreflexia. Brain MRI revealed confluent subcortical white matter hyperintensities with restricted diffusion in some but not in other areas. Electroencephalography (EEG) showed mild diffuse slowing. Blood tests were normal except for mild hyperammonemia. Urine screen was positive for cocaine and benzodiazepine but quantitative analysis was significant only for cocaine. Prednisone 60-mg qd was initiated on day 4, tapered over a 5-day period, and discontinued on day 9. He was discharged after 3 weeks. Cognitive function returned to normal 2 weeks after discharge. Five months later, neurologic exam and EEG were normal and MRI showed near-100% resolution of white matter lesions. TL has been attributed to white matter ischemia/hypoxia resulting in demyelination/axonal injury. The clinical, EEG, and MRI findings and time course of recovery of our patient suggest that cocaine-induced inflammation/edema resulted in TL but not in ischemic/hypoxic injury. While inflammation/edema may have regressed when cocaine was discontinued, we cannot exclude a role for prednisone in protecting the patient from the ischemic/hypoxic sequelae of inflammation/edema. MRI is indispensable for diagnosing TL but EEG may provide additional useful diagnostic and prognostic information.
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PMID:Full Recovery From Cocaine-Induced Toxic Leukoencephalopathy: Emphasizing the Role of Neuroinflammation and Brain Edema. 3140 55