Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0023380 (lethargy)
 5,697 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In garden dormouse protein deficiency leads to reversible hypothermic torpor, comparable with that provoked by starvation or occuring naturally during hibernation, whether the diet consists wholly of apples or of synthetic protein-free food. Torpor induced by protein deficiency occurs even though the energy requirements of the animal are amply satisfied. These phases of lethargy occur after a certain delay and with a variable frequency, both of which vary with the ambient temperature.
 ...
PMID:[Lethargic hypothermia induced by a protein free diet in a hibernating rodent, the dormouse (Eliomys quercinus L.)]. 15 12

In winter, hibernating mammals enter a long phase of lethargy which is characterized by low body temperature, depressed metabolism and minimal release of metabolic substrates from endogenous fuel stores. Periodically, they spontaneously warm themselves to regain the euthermic state. These arousals are, by contrast, times of high release and consumption of endogenous substrates. Insulin and glucagon may contribute to the control of both contrasting metabolic periods. The secretion and metabolic effects of these two hormones were investigated in two hibernators: the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and the edible dormouse (Glis glis). During lethargy, blood glucose, insulin and glucagon concentrations were low. In vivo and in vitro studies showed that the secretion of both hormones was markedly depressed by low temperatures. Insulin secretion was not stimulated by glucose, although glucagon secretion remained reactive to arginine. Blood glucose was not regulated by insulin but pharmacological doses of glucagon increased blood glucose concentrations. The tissues were found to be highly insulin-resistant, preventing the fall of blood glucose and consequently limiting the depletion of glucidic substrates during the long periods of starvation. During arousal, blood glucose, insulin and glucagon levels increased at the end of rewarming while glucose turnover gradually increased above a body temperature of 15 degrees C. The effects of glucagon and insulin on glucose metabolism increased markedly beyond this stage. Thus the metabolic effect of both hormones are temperature-dependent. Insulin and glucagon allow an increase in glucose availability for the active metabolic processes which occur during arousal.
 ...
PMID:[Regulation of endocrine pancreas secretions (insulin and glucagon) during the periodic lethargy-waking cycle of the hibernating mammal]. 330 41

Consumption of Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) needles causes reproductive dysfunction in mice during early and late gestation. Consumption during early gestation results in considerable embryotoxicity which is not a result of starvation. Temporary loss of coordination and lethargy are observed in the females. Consumption of the pine needle diet results in a weight loss which persists throughout gestation. Feeding the pine needle diet from the tenth day of gestation results in spleen atrophy observable by day twelve and adrenal hypertrophy by day thirteen. The adrenal hypertrophy is characterized by an increase in the medullary component of the gland from the normal 12% medulla present on day ten to approximately 35% medulla present in the glands of those females surviving past day fourteen. Few fetal deaths are observed prior to day fifteen but the incidence of fetal death reaches 80% by day sixteen of gestation. If the dead fetuses are not aborted, maternal death follows fetal death by approximately two days; however, if the dead fetuses are aborted the females survive.
 ...
PMID:Pathological effects of pine needle ingestion in pregnant mice. 708 61

Nutritional support of patients with HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has many similarities to other disease states in that the same nutritional products and techniques are used. Some patients with HIV, and many with AIDS without secondary infection, experience a metabolic milieu similar to patients with cancer cachexia. In providing dietary counselling to the HIV patient, we encounter many of the obstacles that must be overcome to improve nutrition in cancer: anorexia, gastrointestinal discomfort, lethargy, and poor nutrient utilization, which limit the ability for nutritional repletion. When a secondary infection is superimposed on HIV, patients resemble more highly catabolic trauma patients or patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), where, despite aggressive efforts to feed, there is usually a net nitrogen wasting leading to the more rapid development of cachexia. However, even in this setting, feeding will limit substantially net catabolism when compared to total starvation. Because the nutritional needs of HIV patients vary greatly, individual strategies have to be designed as the patient moves through the stages of disease. Patients are generally able to consume adequate nutrition either as regular food or dietary supplements during the latency period of viral replication. Once secondary infections become prevalent, artificial diets administered by tube or by vein may be required during the period of active secondary infections, with dietary supplements often helpful during more quiescent periods. Patients with HIV are among the most challenging for clinicians providing nutritional support. Knowledge from treatment of patients with other diseases may be useful, but more data must be gathered on the unique aspects of aetiology and treatment of the anorexia, malabsorption, and ultimate wasting associated with AIDS.
 ...
PMID:Nutrition support and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 811 86

Mortalities and abortions associated with starvation occurred at Cape Cross, Namibia, in Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus). Affected seals showed lethargy and emaciation, and the most common pathological signs were those of a respiratory infection, both in adults and offspring. Streptococcus phocae was isolated from adult seals, a cub and aborted foetuses.
 ...
PMID:Streptococcus phocae infections associated with starvation in Cape fur seals. 1085 31

Zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) have become an important model system for studying vertebrate embryonic development and gene function through manipulation of genotype and characterization of resultant phenotypes. An established research zebrafish colony without substantial disease problems for more than 7 years of operation began experiencing appreciable mortalities in November of 1997. Young fish (fry), from five to 24 days after hatching, spontaneously developed elongate strands of organic material protruding from the mouth, operculum, and anal pore, leading workers in the laboratory to describe the infected fish as "bearded." Unlike typical freshwater fish fungal infections, the skin surface did not have evidence of fungal colonization. The disease was associated with progressive lethargy, reduced feeding, and subsequent mortality. From 10 to 100% of the fry in a given tank were affected. Initial examination indicated that the biofilm around the head of affected fry consisted of bundles of septate fungal hyphae, large numbers of mixed bacterial populations, and protozoans. Environmental samples of air and water in the laboratory were obtained to ascertain the source of the infective agent and to isolate and identify the fungus. A fungus identified as Lecythophora mutabilis was isolated repeatedly from infected fish and water samples from infected fish tanks, and from the main laboratory water supply tanks, but not from laboratory air. Some biofilm beards on fish were found to consist of relatively pure bacterial populations, and beards on occasional fish examined in the later part of the study consisted of hyphae and spores of the oomycete genus Aphanomyces. Lecythophora mutabilis did not invade tissues; however, elimination of the epizootic correlated with reduction in the number of L. mutabilis conidia in the water following modification of the laboratory water system by use of new filtration and sterilization systems. We conclude that the dense hyphal strands of L. mutabilis composing the predominant biofilm type, along with mixed bacteria and protozoa, contributed to the die-off in young fry by occluding the oral cavity and/or gills, leading to starvation and/or asphyxiation.
 ...
PMID:High mortality in a large-scale zebrafish colony (Brachydanio rerio Hamilton & Buchanan, 1822) associated with Lecythophora mutabilis (van Beyma) W. Gams & McGinnis. 1192 96

Health monitoring of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, revealed Hepatozoon infection in all of 11 immature individuals examined following death from natural causes. Hepatozoon infection was probably an important factor contributing to mortality in two cases that exhibited clinical signs of ataxia, lethargy, ocular discharge, retching, and labored breathing before death. Whether Hepatozoon infection contributed to six deaths from fire, probable lion predation and unknown causes could not be determined. Four deaths from infanticide and starvation were unlikely to be associated with Hepatozoon infection. Histologic examination revealed lung tissue infected with cyst-like structures containing protozoan stages in all eight cases examined and interstitial pneumonia in most cases. Systemic spread of infection to several organs was found in three cases. Alignment of a 426 bp sequence from the parasite's 18s rRNA gene revealed a Hepatozoon species identical to that recently described from two domestic cats in Spain and only 7 bp substitutions when a 853 bp sequence was aligned to this cat Hepatozoon species. Previous reports of infection of wild carnivores in eastern and southern Africa with an unspecified Hepatozoon species similar in appearance to H. canis may have involved the species described in this study.
 ...
PMID:A Hepatozoon species genetically distinct from H. canis infecting spotted hyenas in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. 1826 20

Introduced mosquito-borne avian disease is a major limiting factor in the recovery and restoration of native Hawaiian forest birds. Annual epizootics of avian pox (Avipoxvirus) and avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) likely led to the extinction of some species and continue to impact populations of susceptible Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae). The introduction of a novel pathogen, such as West Nile virus (WNV), could result in further population declines and extinctions. During September and October 2004, we infected Hawai'i' Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) with a North American isolate of WNV by needle inoculation and mosquito bite to observe susceptibility, mortality, and illness in this endemic passerine, and to determine the vector competence of the co-occurring, introduced mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. All experimentally infected Hawai'i ;Amakihi became viremic, with a mean titer >10(5) plaque-forming units (PFU)/ml, and they experienced clinical signs ranging from anorexia and lethargy to ataxia. The fatality rate among needle-inoculated Hawai'i' Amakihi (n=16) was 31.3%, but mortality in free-ranging birds is likely to increase due to predation, starvation, thermal stress, and concomitant infections of avian malaria and pox. Surviving Hawai'i' Amakihi seem to clear WNV from the peripheral blood by 7-10 days postinfection (DPI), and neutralizing antibodies were detected from 9 to 46 DPI. In transmission trials, Hawaiian Cx. quinquefasciatus proved to be a competent vector and Hawai'i Amakihi an adequate amplification host of WNV, suggesting that epizootic WNV could readily become an additional limiting factor of some native Hawaiian bird populations.
 ...
PMID:Experimental infection of Hawai'i 'Amakihi (hemignathus virens) with West Nile virus and competence of a co-occurring vector, culex quinquefasciatus: potential impacts on endemic Hawaiian avifauna. 1939 35

We report the first documented case of morbillivirus infection in a wild, free-ranging Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). The tigress entered a small village in the Russian Far East in an ambulatory but stuporous state with no apparent recognition or fear of humans. Her condition progressed rapidly with neurological signs, anorexia, and ultimately death. Histologic lesions included vacuolated to malacic white matter in the brain stem, cerebellum, and thalamus, with associated lymphocytic meningoencephalitis. Large, intranuclear, eosinophilic inclusions were within regional astrocytes, and the brain lesions were immunohistochemically positive when stained for canine distemper viral antigen. Hematologic and blood chemistry results were consistent with overwhelming systemic infection and starvation. The animal also was antibody-positive for canine distemper virus, feline panleukopenia, and feline coronavirus.
 ...
PMID:Morbillivirus infection in a wild siberian tiger in the Russian Far East. 2096 75

West Nile virus (WNV) disease can be fatal for high-risk patients. Since WNV or its antigens have been identified in multiple anatomical locations of the central nervous system of persons or rodent models, one cannot know where to investigate the actual mechanism of mortality without careful studies in animal models. In this study, depressed respiratory functions measured by plethysmography correlated strongly with mortality. This respiratory distress, as well as reduced oxygen saturation, occurred beginning as early as 4 days before mortality. Affected medullary respiratory control cells may have contributed to the animals' respiratory insufficiency, because WNV antigen staining was present in neurons located in the ventrolateral medulla. Starvation or dehydration would be irrelevant in people, but could cause death in rodents due to lethargy or loss of appetite. Animal experiments were performed to exclude this possibility. Plasma ketones were increased in moribund infected hamsters, but late-stage starvation markers were not apparent. Moreover, daily subcutaneous administration of 5% dextrose in physiological saline solution did not improve survival or other disease signs. Therefore, infected hamsters did not die from starvation or dehydration. No cerebral edema was apparent in WNV- or sham-infected hamsters as determined by comparing wet-to-total weight ratios of brains, or by evaluating blood-brain-barrier permeability using Evans blue dye penetration into brains. Limited vasculitis was present in the right atrium of the heart of infected hamsters, but abnormal electrocardiograms for several days leading up to mortality did not occur. Since respiratory insufficiency was strongly correlated with mortality more than any other pathological parameter, it is the likely cause of death in rodents. These animal data and a poor prognosis for persons with respiratory insufficiency support the hypothesis that neurological lesions affecting respiratory function may be the primary cause of human WNV-induced death.
 ...
PMID:Respiratory insufficiency correlated strongly with mortality of rodents infected with West Nile virus. 2271 20


1 2 Next >>