Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027121 (myositis)
 4,538 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The etiologies of most autoimmune diseases are not completely understood. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARS) are a family of heterogenous enzymes responsible for protein synthesis and whose secondary functions include a role in autoimmune myositis. A subset of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies demonstrate autoantibody against specific cytoplasmic AARS and the human asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (AsnRS) has been shown to be a potent chemokine that interacts with CCR3 chemokine receptors. One way in which a chemotactic cytoplasmic enzyme might contribute to tissue inflammation is if it were abundant in a specific injured tissue and thereby released to the microenvironment at times of cellular damage. To test this hypothesis, the relative levels of AsnRS mRNA were studied in six human tissues. A 1.6 kbF RNA probe identified highly variable levels of the corresponding mRNA in Northern blot analysis of human lung, brain, heart, skeletal muscle, pancreas and liver. The highest levels of signal were noted in muscle and pancreas. Polyclonal antibody raised against recombinant human AsnRS identified abundant antigenic material in the pancreas, in particular in islet cells. Thus, the local abundance of an endogenous pro-inflammatory autoantigen may provide one explanation for perpetuation or exacerbation of tissue specific immune-mediated pathologies.
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PMID:Do tissue levels of autoantigenic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase predict clinical disease? 1608 68

A 1-yr-old female Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) presented for sudden onset of rapidly progressive bilateral pelvic limb paralysis. The lynx was chemically immobilized to perform a physical examination but expired shortly thereafter. On postmortem radiographs, there were myriad small irregular, round-to-spherical gas densities within the skeletal muscle of the right thigh and epaxial musculature. At gross necropsy, the muscles of the right thigh, right lateral abdominal wall, and epaxial region were emphysematous and necrohemorrhagic, with subcutaneous and muscular crepitant swelling. Multiple skin puncture wounds, consistent with bites, were present over the affected tissues. Clostridium septicum was isolated in pure anaerobic culture from the musculature of the right hind limb. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of acute, severe necrohemorrhagic and gangrenous myositis and cellulitis. Gram stains demonstrated large gram-positive bacilli with subterminal spores. This is the first known documented case of C. septicum myonecrosis in a nondomestic felid.
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PMID:Fatal clostridium septicum myonecrosis in a captive canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). 2531 33

A 1.5 year old neutered male pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was presented with a sudden onset of severe weakness. The ferret was kept with three healthy mates, was vaccinated against distemper regularly and was never ill before presentation. Clinically, the ferret was depressed, had a hyperthermia of 40.3 degrees C, tachypnea and ocular as well as nasal discharge. Blood work revealed a mild neutropenia, blood chemistry a hyperglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypocalcemia and hyponatremia. Despite intensive therapy including fluid replacement, antibiosis, analgesia and antipyretics, the overall condition of the ferret deteriorated and the animal was euthanized two days later. Necropsy revealed a pyogranulomatous myositis, fasciitis and steatitis of the long hyoid muscles, the esophagus and intestine. Lesions were consistent with the disseminated idiopathic myositis of ferrets. This is the first reported case of this disease in a ferret originated in Germany.
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PMID:[The first report of a disseminated idiopathic myofasciitis in a ferret (Mustela putorius furo) from Germany]. 2587 87