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)

Only a few agents with antiviral activity are available for routine clinical use. Amantadine hydrochloride is effective in the prophylaxis of influenza A. In addition, accumulated evidence shows that amantadine has some therapeutic effect when used early in the course of an influenza A infection. Idoxuridine and adenine arabinoside have found application as topical agents in the treatment of herpes simplex keratitis. Adenine arabinoside has also been approved for the treatment of disseminated infections due to herpes zoster and herpes simplex. Acyclovir sodium has been approved as a topical agent in the treatment of limited mucocutaneous herpes simplex viral infections in immunosuppressed patients and of initial episodes of genital herpes simplex infections in patients with normal immunity. Ribavirin, an experimental agent with a wide spectrum of activity in vitro, has not fulfilled expectations in clinical trials. Because of the eradication of smallpox, methisazone has become obsolete as a prophylactic agent in smallpox.
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PMID:Antiviral agents. 633 31

The effect of intravenous acyclovir (at a dosage of 30 mg/kg per day for five days) on uncomplicated herpes zoster was investigated in 51 patients in a double-blind study. Although existing herpes zoster lesions tended to heal more rapidly and new lesions ceased to appear somewhat earlier in the acyclovir group, these differences were not statistically significant. During treatment, patients on acyclovir had significantly lower pain scores than placebo-treated patients. At follow-up, however, there was no difference between the two groups. Complications of herpes zoster occurred only in the placebo groups (generalization in two and keratitis in two cases). With the possible exception of trigeminal zoster or severe pain, acyclovir seems to offer little benefit for immunocompetent patients with herpes zoster.
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PMID:Limited value of acyclovir in the treatment of uncomplicated herpes zoster: a placebo-controlled study. 639 5

Preclinical as well as clinical studies with fibroblast interferon (IFN) are still lagging behind on those with leukocyte interferon. Its side-effects seem to be less pronounced than those of human IFN-alpha, yet it may be slightly pyrogenic after intravenous injection. Pyrogenicity of current impure preparations might for the larger part be due to impurities. Higher doses of HuIFN-beta than of HuIFN-alpha are required to obtain measurable blood titers by intramuscular injections. Since there is concern about this being due to destruction of the interferon before it has reached its target organ(s), most current clinical studies use either local (e.g. intratumoral) treatment or intravenous infusions. A study of topical treatment for acute rhinovirus infection has indicated that there is very little if any chance for fibroblast interferon to be a clinically useful substance to prevent or cure common cold. In herpetic dendritic keratitis eye drops of fibroblast interferon may be useful as such or in combination with debridement. Topical treatment of warts (multiple intralesional injections) has been shown to yield a high success rate, especially in the case of verrucae vulgares, but less so in the case of verrucae planae juveniles. Studies on condyloma accuminatum are not so far advanced as to permit a documented conclusion. Topical (intralesional) treatment of neoplastic diseases has been investigated, especially in Japan, to demonstrate that fibroblast interferon does have an antineoplastic effect in vivo. While there seems to be little doubt that local delivery does indeed cause tumor nodules to regress, the question is whether this procedure can offer a true clinical benefit to the patient. Systemic (intravenous) administration for chronic hepatitis B has been investigated further: given alone or in combination with adenine-arabinoside, fibroblast interferon seems to be able to reduce the level of viral activity. Whether this will lead to a generally accepted treatment of chronic active hepatitis is difficult to say at this moment. In treating herpes zoster in cancer patients, results have been obtained which are comparable to those found for leukocyte interferon. The practical significance of this finding must be seen in the perspective of recent developments in the chemotherapy of herpes zoster. In breast cancer patients given intramuscular injections, metastases in the skin, but not in other organs, showed alterations suggestive of an effect on tumor progression. Yet there was no true clinical benefit for the patient. In other tumors, e.g. head and neck epithelioma, no effect was seen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:The clinical application of fibroblast interferon--an overview. 640 34

The authors describe a young patient with herpes zoster and discuss the etiopathogenesis of the complications which included unilateral inferior altitudinal hemianopsia, Argyll Robertson pupil and dendritic keratitis.
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PMID:Unilateral inferior altitudinal hemianopsia, Argyll Robertson pupil and dendritic keratitis in a young patient with herpes zoster. 697 13

A 72-year-old man developed bullous skin lesions two months before he was discovered to have malignant lymphoma. Herpes zoster virus grew from the skin bullae. He developed encephalitis, keratitis in the left eye, and bilateral retinitis 18 months later. Herpes simplex virus type 1 grew from cultures of the eyelid vesicles and corneal scrapings from the left eye. The patient died two years after the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma. Virus particles believed to be herpes simplex virus were demonstrated on electron microscopy in the necrotic retinal cells.
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PMID:Herpes simplex type 1 retinitis in an adult with systemic herpes zoster. 727 Jun 36

Ophthalmologist with a 4-year history (1993-1997) of practice at the Russian Red Cross Hospital in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) shares his experience. More than 30,000 patients were examined and treated. Interesting cases are described: cytomegalovirus retinitis in the presence of AIDS, AIDS-associated involvement of the eyes (uveitis, keratitis, Kaposi's sarcoma), herpes zoster involvement of the eyes, phlyctenar keratoconjunctivitis, vernal conjunctivitis, trachoma, diseases of the eyes concomitant with syphilis, a case with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada. Clinical course and therapy of these diseases under local conditions are described.
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PMID:[Features of the course and treatment of several eye diseases in Eastern Africa]. 972 Apr

Ocular virus infections remain an important cause of corneal and external disease. Herpes simplex, the most important, is easily treated when it is confined to the epithelium. New studies indicate that herpetic stromal disease and iritis are effectively treated with a combination of corticosteroid and antiviral without additional risk. Recurrences of ocular herpetic disease can be reduced with acyclovir given orally; the benefit seems to be greatest in patients who have had at least one episode of stromal keratitis. Herpes zoster can be treated with either acyclovir or famciclovir, but to be effective, treatment must be initiated within 72 hours of onset. Early treatment reduces the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia and may reduce the risk of ocular complications. Adenovirus infection (epidemic keratoconjunctivitis) is often spread by the ophthalmologist. New medications such as cidofovir appear to be effective against the adenoviruses in non-human systems and may have some effect in man, although previously, drugs that appeared to have an effect in vitro have proven to be ineffective in the clinical setting.
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PMID:Treatment of viral diseases of the cornea and external eye. 1061 81

Although herpes simplex virus type 1 or herpes zoster virus is generally considered to cause ocular infection among alpha herpesviruses, herpes simplex virus type 2(HSV-2) retinitis has been recently reported. Acute retinal necrosis(ARN) syndrome is associated with herpesviruses, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The representative ocular infection by alpha herpesviruses is herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1) keratitis. The clinical types, ocular symptoms and therapy are reviewed in herpetic ocular infections(HSV-1 blephalitis, conjunctivitis, keratitis, retinitis). In addition, ocular infections caused by herpes zoster virus are reviewed.
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PMID:[Ophthalmic area]. 1077 13

Diabetes is associated with many emergent ophthalmologic conditions. The management of patients with diabetes requires careful monitoring for visual symptoms and frequent physical examination for signs of retinopathy. Randomized studies have documented a significant reduction in the development of new retinopathy and the progression of existing retinopathy with tight control of diabetes. Photocoagulation laser therapy is helpful in preserving vision in severe nonproliferative retinopathy, for proliferative retinopathy, and for clinically significant macular edema. Vascular events include arterial and venous occlusions and cranial nerve palsies; important diagnostic clues are visual symptoms and the findings of ocular and neurologic examinations. Life-threatening infections associated with diabetes include endophthalmitis and mucormycosis, which require prompt diagnosis to prevent blindness or systemic infection. Herpes zoster infection, which is common in older patients and in patients with immunosuppression, may affect the trigeminal nerve and cause anterior uveitis and keratitis. Patients with zoster and skin vesicles on the face need emergent ophthalmologic evaluation and treatment because untreated ocular infection and inflammation may lead to scarring and synechiae formation in the anterior chamber, resulting in vision loss.
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PMID:Ophthalmologic emergencies in the patient with diabetes. 1114 64

People living with HIV/AIDS are more prone to ocular conditions due to their weakened immune systems. The symptoms of HIV-related ocular conditions, such as cotton wool spots from cytomegalovirus infections, ocular hemorrhage, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), keratitis, conjunctivitis, ocular toxoplasmosis, lymphoma, and herpes Zoster, are presented. References are provided for people with ocular problems.
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PMID:[Ocular troubles and HIV/AIDS]. 1136 97


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