Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Our previous studies showed that herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV1) is present in a high proportion of the brain of elderly normal people and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. We subsequently discovered that the combination of HSV1 in brain and carriage of the type 4 allele of the gene for apolipoprotein E (apoE-epsilon 4) is a strong risk factor for AD, and also that apoE-epsilon 4 is a strong risk factor for herpes labialis. In this study we have examined apoE genotypes of sufferers from another disorder caused by HSV1, namely, herpes simplex keratitis (HSK), to find if an apoE allele is involved in the disorder. In 46 HSK patients the apoE-epsilon 4 allele frequency was 15%-the same as that found in 238 unaffected controls. The apoE-epsilon 2 allele frequency was 13%-higher than the value of 7% for unaffected people, but the difference is not statistically significant.
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PMID:Apolipoprotein E and herpes virus diseases: herpes simplex keratitis. 1023 19

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common cause of mental retardation in North America, yet little information is available on the natural history of DS in adults. We report on significant medical problems of adults with DS (DS adults) residing in a British Columbia provincial residential center, Woodlands, over the 12-year period from 1981 through 1992. Prospective, yearly health care reviews on 38 DS adults are summarized according to age. Group 1 consists of 18 middle-aged DS adults less than 50 years old, and group 2 comprises 20 elderly DS adults 50 years and older. Significant health problems in all DS adults include untreated congenital heart anomalies (15. 8%), acquired cardiac disease (15.8%), pulmonary hypertension (7.8%), recurrent respiratory infections/aspiration leading to chronic pulmonary interstitial changes (30%), complications from presenile dementia/Alzheimer-type disease (42%), adult-onset epilepsy (36.8%), osteoarthritic degeneration of the spine (31.6%), osteoporosis with resultant fractures of the long bones (55%) or vertebral bodies (30%), and untreated atlantooccipital instability (7.9%). Acquired sensory deficits are significant problems including loss of vision due to early onset of adult cataracts (50%), recurrent keratitis (21%) or keratoconus (15.8%), and significant hearing loss (25%). Behavioral problems (50%), loss of cognitive abilities, and onset of symptoms of Alzheimer disease (group 1: 5.5%; group 2: 75%) pose ongoing challenges for care. In conclusion, the quality of life for adults with DS can be improved by routine, systematic health care screening to identify treatable diseases that may be missed because of poor communication or confusion due to Alzheimer disease.
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PMID:Health care concerns and guidelines for adults with Down syndrome. 1055 65

Presenilin (PS1) and (PS2) are the centers of gamma-secretase that release Abeta from APP in Alzheimer's disease (AD). They cleave signaling proteins like Notch and downregulate beta-catenin to modulate Wnt signaling. Inactivation of PS1 or PS1 and PS2 causes a prenatally lethal 'Notch phenotype,' which has hampered investigation of PS function in adulthood seriously. We have thus turned towards PS1+/-PS2-/- mice which carry the most severe reduction of PS alleles compatible with survival, to analyze the consequences of impaired PS function especially in adulthood. In these 'partial deficient' mice, PS1 protein concentration is considerably lowered, functionally reflected by reduced gamma-secretase activity and impaired beta-catenin downregulation. Their phenotype is normal up to approximately 6 months, when the majority of the mice develop an autoimmune disease characterized by dermatitis, glomerulonephritis, keratitis and vasculitis, as seen in human systemic lupus erythematosus. Besides B-cell dominated infiltrates, we observe a hypergammaglobulinemia with immune complex deposits in several tissues, high-titer nuclear autoantibodies and an increased CD4+/CD8+ ratio. The mice further develop a benign skin hyperplasia similar to human seborrheic keratosis as opposed to malignant keratocarcinomata observed in skin-specific PS1 'full' knockouts. A partial reduction of PS function in PS1+/-PS2-/- mice causes a novel phenotype in adulthood unrelated to the developmental defects of full knockouts. As PS1+/-PS2+/- mice remain healthy, this points towards a sharply defined minimum of PS function. Skin and immune system appear to be especially sensitive targets of impaired PS function and may need careful monitoring if gamma-secretase inhibitors are envisaged for treating AD.
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PMID:Partial loss of presenilins causes seborrheic keratosis and autoimmune disease in mice. 1512 3

Nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) belong to the protein family of neurotrophins. They both display profound neuromodulatory functions and are essentially involved in the survival and homeostatic maintenance of central and peripheral neurons during development and adulthood. Moreover, NGF and BDNF are known to modulate immune cell function and thus serve as mediators in the reciprocal cross talk between neurons and immune cells. Neurotrophic factors have been implicated in pathophysiological mechanisms of many diseases of the nervous and the immune system, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD), neuropathy, pain, allergic bronchial asthma (BA) and neurotrophic keratitis. For all these diseases research has reached the point of creating strategies for therapeutic intervention with neurotrophins. In this review, we present an overview of the pathophysiology, therapeutic interventions and strategies concerning NGF and BDNF in the mentioned diseases.
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PMID:Neurotrophic factors--a tool for therapeutic strategies in neurological, neuropsychiatric and neuroimmunological diseases? 1789 80

Microglia, as brain-resident macrophages, are the first line of defense against brain invading pathogens. Further, their dysfunction has been recognized to be closely associated with mounting CNS diseases. Of note, chronic HSV-1 infection leads to the persistent activation of microglia, which elicit a comprehensive response by generating certain factors with neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects. CNS infection with HSV-1 results in herpes simplex encephalitis and herpes simplex keratitis. Microglial immune response plays a crucial role in the development of these diseases. Moreover, HSV-1 infection is strongly associated with several CNS diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. These CNS diseases can be effectively ameliorated by eliciting an appropriate immune response, such as inhibition of microglial proliferation and activation. Therefore, it is crucial to reassess the positive and negative roles of microglia in HSV-1 CNS infection for a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the relationship between microglia and CNS diseases. Hence, the present review focuses on the dual roles of microglia in mediating HSV-1 CNS infection, as well as on the strategy of targeting microglia to ameliorate CNS diseases. Further research in this field can help comprehensively elucidate the dual role of the microglial immune response in HSV-1 CNS infection, providing a theoretical basis for identifying therapeutic targets against overactive microglia in CNS diseases and HSV-1 infection.
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PMID:Roles of HSV-1 infection-induced microglial immune responses in CNS diseases: friends or foes? 3151 33