Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026838 (spasticity)
 6,471 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 13-month-old white girl was the product of a normal pregnancy and delivered by caesarean section for breech presentation. Regression of motor milestones started by 11 months, when delayed language development was also noted. She was normocephalic without major dysmorphic features or organomegaly. Fundus examination disclosed a subtle cherry red spot bilaterally. No startle response was elicited. By 17 months she was extremely irritable and unable to tolerate liquids; there was symmetrical spasticity and florid cherry red spots. She died at 18 months of age. A systematic search for conditions associated with a cherry red spot was unrevealing. The absence of galactosylceramide galactosidase activity was unexpected and was confirmed on three occasions in two laboratories. Lactosylceramide I content, an enzyme thought to be identical to galactosylceramide-beta-galactosidase, was significantly decreased. The presence of a cherry red spot in Krabbe's disease, indicative of neuronal storage, has not been previously recognized. The existence of this variant has implications for genetic and biochemical studies.
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PMID:Galactosylceramide-beta-galactosidase deficiency in association with cherry red spot. 336 11

Sphingolipidoses are an heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of lipid metabolism affecting primarily the central nervous system. These disorders occur chiefly in the pediatric population, and the degenerative nature of the disease processes is generally characterized by diffuse and progressive involvement of neurones (gray matter) with psychomotor retardation and myoclonus or of fiber tracts (white matter) with weakness and spasticity. Biochemical research has identified the defects in the sphingolipidoses to specific lysosomal enzymes. For example, Niemann-Pick disease lacks sphingomyelinase; Krabbe's disease lacks galactocerebrosidase; Gaucher's disease lacks beta-D-glucosidase; metachromatic leukodystrophy lacks sulfatase; Tay-Sachs disease lacks hexosaminidase A; and generalized gangliosidosis lacks beta-galactosidase. Although there are no currently available modes of rendering corrective therapy in these disorders, a definitive diagnosis is possible both antepartum as well as postpartum. This information provides a sound and accurate basis for genetic counseling.
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PMID:Sphingolipidoses. 555 2

Progressive spasticity, blindness, loss of skills, and neuropathy developed in a 4.5-month-old boy. When examined at 13 months, galactocerebrosidase and galactosylceramide-beta-galactosidase activities were deficient in leukocytes. Intramuscular nerves and a sural nerve biopsy specimen showed loss of nerve fibers, interstitial fibrosis, and axonal degeneration, rather than the segmental demyelination that predominates in most cases. A muscle biopsy specimen showed congenital muscle fiber-type disproportion (CMFTD). This case confirms a previous report of CMFTD in Krabbe's disease and supports a neurogenic mechanism as the basis for CMFTD.
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PMID:Congenital muscle fiber-type disproportion in Krabbe's leukodystrophy. 727 38

We report a case of lysosomal storage disease diagnosed by lysosomal enzyme assay in a two year old boy with a history of gradual onset of weakness of body, poor vision, flaccid neck and spasticity in all four limbs with hyper-reflexia. On fundus examination cherry red spots were noted at macula. On performing lysosomal enzyme assay, beta-galactosidase level was considerably low. This indicates that the child is affected by lysosomal storage disease most likely GM1 gangliosidosis. The diagnosis is important because the disease is rare and it may be missed as the symptoms are similar to other neurological conditions and the diagnosis can help with future conception.
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PMID:Lysosomal storage disease. 2079 66