Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
 42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Disorders of the central nervous system were found in 150 rats five monthds after en-to-side-porta-caval anastomosis consisting of vacuolisated cytoplasma of gangliacells and reactions of the glia comparable with the Alzheimer-glia-type II. Since these disorders are consistent with those in patients with liver cirrhosis but induced in these experiments by a porta-caval anastomosis alone, they are proposedly independent from liver disease itself. It is discussed whether disorders in glucose homeostai may be of pathogenetic relevance. Atrophy of tests, found in the late postoperative phase and erosions or ulcers of gastric mucosa as well as nephrolithiasis with hydronephrosis as consequence, the latter occuring independently from the time after operations, are proposedly due to the porta-caval anastomosis, too.
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PMID:[Morphological investigations of extrahepatic disorders after porta-caval end-to-side-anastomosis in rats (author's transl)]. 89 4

A 68-year-old man, after having been diagnosed as having hepatic disease at about the age of 41 years, had been hospitalized frequently until his death. Blood sugar, iron, and copper had not increased during his illness. Although the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis had been made and he had been receiving therapy, various neurologic symptoms without disturbances of consciousness appeared six months before his death. Autopsy revealed hemochromatosis, liver cirrhosis, and pancreatic fibrosis. A large amount of iron had accumulated in the liver, the pancreas, and the thyroid gland, while considerable numbers of ceroid and lipofuscin pigment granules had accumulated diffusely in the brain. Abnormal astrocytes of the Alzheimer II type were diffusely distributed in the brain and contained no intranuclear glycogen which stained positive with the carmine stain. No spongy changes were seen in the deeper layers of the cerebral cortex. Chemical analyses for trace metals in the brain, liver, and kidneys revealed a large amount of iron and increased copper in the liver, and considerable quantities of copper, manganese, calcium, and mercury in the brain. Because of changes in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and marked thymol turbidity seen before and after the occurrence of the neurologic symptoms, this man was suspected of having disorders of the trace-metal binding proteins and/or of their polymers.
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PMID:Hemochromatosis associated with brain lesions--a disorder of trace-metal binding proteins and/or polymers? 92 21

Neuropsychological deficits including dementia in some alcoholics may potentially result from progressive, submicroscopic loss of synaptic receptors in the absence of morphological lesions. The densities of two types of synaptic receptors were determined in autopsy brain homogenates from several brain regions of not grossly demented alcoholics and non-alcoholic controls. In alcoholics, muscarinic cholinergic receptors were decreased by 40% in frontal cortex, temporal cortex and putamen and by 30% in hippocampus. Benzodiazepine receptors were decreased by 30% in hippocampus and by 25% in frontal cortex but not in temporal cortex or putamen. These changes occurred in histologically normal brains in the absence of Wernicke's encephalopathy, coma, liver cirrhosis and cholinergic or benzodiazepine medications. A computer data base matched for differences in death-autopsy time intervals, age and hypoxia. We conclude that chronic exposure to alcohol results in a loss of synaptic receptors with their synapses. To what extent such receptor losses could result in impairment of cognitive function is currently unknown but will depend on other factors such as the availability of spare receptors and what subtypes of receptors are involved. A rationale may emerge for using in alcoholics the cholinergic treatments currently being developed for the cognitive deficits of Alzheimer's disease.
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PMID:Loss of synaptic receptors can precede morphologic changes induced by alcoholism. 166 10

In the last years, considerable advances have been made in the study of the proteins and polypeptides of the cytoskeleton, and its three main components: microfilaments (MF), intermediate filaments (IMF) and microtubules (MT). The principal properties of these elements and those of many associated proteins are recalled. The actin MF are mainly involved in cell contractility, the IMF in cell shape, while the MT and their associated proteins are involved in intracellular transport. Some pathological modifications of the cytoskeleton will be considered. In the liver, accumulations of keratin result in the formation of Mallory's hyalin, found in several types of cirrhosis and hepatomas. In muscle, accumulations of desmin are observed in various myopathies. An accumulation of alpha-actinin at the Z bands characterizes nemalin myopathy. In several forms of hemolytic anemias, alterations of the membranous cytoskeletal components of the red blood cells--spectrin, ankyrin, actin--may explain their abnormal shape and excessive fragility. In the nervous system, many pathological conditions are related to abnormal cytoskeletal components. In Parkinson's disease, Lewy bodies are an accumulation of neurofilaments (IMF). In Alzheimer's disease, and some related conditions, the intraneuronal tangles are associated with modifications of MT and neurofilaments. The role of MT and in particular of the MT-associated protein tau, as demonstrated recently, confirms the involvement of the MT. The observed disturbances of MT-related axonal flow may explain some of the known functional changes in these forms of dementia.
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PMID:[Pathology of the cytoskeleton]. 329 78

Immunocytochemical staining patterns for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S-100 protein (S100P) were compared in cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and white matter of eight cases with hepatic encephalopathy (HE), including four cases of Wilson's disease and four of liver cirrhosis, and of eight age-matched controls, using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method on adjacent paraffin sections. The majority of Alzheimer type II glia (Alzg II) showed prominent immunoreactivity for S100P but not for GFAP, resembling normal astrocytes of protoplasmic type; Alzg II might be interpreted as being peculiar types of reactive astrocytes retaining characteristics of protoplasmic astrocytes. A small number of Alzg II cells showed slight perinuclear immunoreactivity for GFAP; some lacked both markers. This suggests a spectrum of metabolic changes in these two proteins in Alzg II. GFAP-positive Alzg II cells were restricted to basal ganglia and white matter adjacent to grey matter, indicating that expression of GFAP in Alzg II might be modulated by local factors. Alzheimer type I cells and Opalski cells in Wilson's disease were immunoreactive for both proteins, confirming their astroglial origin and different character from that of Alzg II. In morphometric comparison, the proportion of GFAP-positive glial cells decreased in the cortex (P less than 0.001) but not significantly in the white matter (0.05 less than P less than 0.1), confirming earlier data that the prominent reduction of GFAP in HE brains is restricted to the grey matter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Glial fibrillary acidic protein and S-100 protein in human hepatic encephalopathy: immunocytochemical demonstration of dissociation of two glia-associated proteins. 372 31

The clinicopathological aspects of a case of myelopathy that followed the creation of a surgical porto-caval shunt for hepatic cirrhosis and oesophageal varices are presented. Degeneration of the lateral corticospinal tracts associated with diffuse bilateral ischaemic changes of the spinal gray matter and proliferation of Alzheimer type 2 glia in the brain and brain stem were the most prominent findings. The association of corticospinal tract degeneration and ischaemic lesions of spinal gray matter in absence of any anatomical cause of spinal cord infarction suggests that a modification of the spinal blood flow caused by creation of portosystemic shunts might be the basic pathogenetic mechanism of this complication of severe liver disease.
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PMID:Degeneration of the corticospinal tract following portosystemic shunt associated with spinal cord infarction. 392 20

Optimum health management indicates the suspicion of dementia in every elderly person with altered environmental-social interactional skills, multiple physical complaints in the absence of objective disease, or vague and unclear history. A high level of suspicion is justified in light of the high prevalence of the syndrome. Despite the large numbers of mentally and physically impaired elderly people, detailed mental state examinations and assessment of functional capacity are rarely incorporated in health records, which suggests that physicians are probably aware of only the most obvious deficits. Such practice habits are inculcated in medical school and graduate training where these issues are rarely comprehensively addressed. The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease during life can be made only after careful evaluation of neurobehavioral and physiologic parameters. Like cryptogenic cirrhosis and idiopathic cardiomyopathy, Alzheimer's disease has no known etiology or definitive treatment. Therapeutic energies must be directed at long-term management rather than cure. Such care includes management of behavioral and psychological symptoms, treatment of intercurrent illnesses, and maximization of functional ability. Knowledge of brain-behavior correlates is essential in the management of any cognitively impaired person. Care for people with Alzheimer's disease also includes evaluation and ameliorization of difficulties experienced by caregivers.
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PMID:Diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. 636 32

Morphological features of three models of portal-systemic encephalopathy in the rat were studied and compared with plasma ammonia levels and clinical observations. Carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis with terminal coma produced a wide variety of structural changes in the brain whose severity was related to plasma ammonia levels at the time of death. These changes included diffuse gliosis, Alzheimer cells and focal neuronal necrosis but did not include spongiform changes in cerebral or cerebellar cortex. Porta-caval anastomosis (PCA) did not appear to produce any significant neurological symptoms. Rats with PCA of durations 1-30 weeks were studied and over this time the structural changes included astrocytic nuclear swelling, swelling of perivascular astrocytic foot-processes and spongiform change in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. No evidence of Alzheimer cells or gliosis was seen and plasma ammonia levels at no stage exceed twice the normal levels. Porta-caval anastomosis followed by gavage feeding with ammoniated cationic exchange resin produced severe neurological symptoms and marked hyperammonaemia. In these animals not only astrocytes but oligodendrocytes and neurons showed nuclear and cytoplasmic swelling and numerous Alzheimer type II cells were seen, together with a diffuse gliosis, but no evidence of spongiform change in the cerebral or cerebellar cortex was seen. It is concluded that ammonium ions are important in the genesis of morphological changes in the brain in rat models of portal-systemic encephalopathy, but the relevance of these changes to neurological dysfunction is uncertain.
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PMID:The brain in experimental portal-systemic encephalopathy. I. Morphological changes in three animal models. 687 6

Alcohol and drug abuse are the two main addictions in the elderly subject. Prevalence of alcohol dependency is 14% in those over 65 years of age and 17% in elderly psychiatric patients. The distribution of alcoholism between the sexes becomes equal with age. After 65 years of age, the sex-ratio is 1 female to 1.3 male subjects. The elderly alcoholic population consists of both subjects having become alcoholics at a young age and those in whom alcoholic behaviour appeared at a late age. In one third of elderly alcoholics such dependency appeared after 60 years of age. The main risk factors for alcoholism in the elderly subject are lonliness, death of the spouse and the presence of an invalid or bedridden spouse. In the elderly, tolerance to and dependence on alcohol are rare and appear late. Somatic complications are particularly severe (cirrhosis, liver cancer, gastritis, acute pancreatitis and myocardial involvement). Psychiatric complications include anxiety, depression and especially suicide. Alcoholism is the third most frequent cause of organic cerebral dementia, following Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Drug dependency is very often linked to alcoholism and consists of tranquillizers and less often of antalgics.
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PMID:[Addictive behavior in the elderly]. 793 9

Proteoglycans are macromolecules containing a core protein to which glycosaminoglycan chains are covalently attached. The family contains several members with different structures and various functions. Some of them are elements of the extracellular matrix, while others are located to the cell surface playing important role in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Present paper discusses the possible consequences of the alterations of proteoglycans observed in liver cirrhosis and liver tumors. It has to be emphasized however, that they are also involved in the pathomechanism of arteriosclerosis, Alzheimer-disease, immune diseases, arthritis, tumor progression and metastasis formation.
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PMID:[Proteoglycans (their structure, function and role in liver diseases)]. 841 46


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