Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028738 (nystagmus)
 7,431 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fifty-three patients with Wilson's disease were studied with regard to ophthalmologic abnormalities. Of the 35 symptomatic patients initially seen and treated at the Mayo Clinic, 34 (97%) had Kayser-Fleischer rings and 6 (17%) had sunflower cataracts at the time of diagnosis. In patients followed for a year or more, penicillamine therapy resulted in improvement of the Kayser-Fleischer rings in 18 of 20 (90%) patients and total clearing of the sunflower cataracts in 4 of 5 patients. The specific pattern of copper deposition in Kayser-Fleischer rings and the improvement with treatment occurred along four reproducible stages. None of five asymptomatic siblings of patients with known Wilson's disease had Kayer-Fleischer rings at the time of initial study. In one (untreated) of the five, Kayser-Fleischer rings developed 20 months after the initial normal slit-lamp examination. The presence of Kayser-Fleischer rings, and the absence of other ophthalmologic signs (such as nystagmus, cranial nerve palsies, and other movement disorders), can be of great assistance in the diagnosis of Wilson's disease. Once the condition has been diagnosed, specific medical therapy with penicillamine and low-copper diet dramatically improves what would otherwise be an inevitably fatal course.
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PMID:The ophthalmologic manifestations of Wilson's disease. 87 62

Hepatolenticular degeneration (Wilson's disease) is a hereditary disease in which metabolic disorder of copper leads to its accumulation in the liver, brain, cornea and kidneys with consequent pathologic changes in those organs. Hereditary mechanism of the disease is autosomal recessive with prevalence of 30-100 per 1,000,000 inhabitants. Etiology of this disease is not yet explained. There are two hypotheses. The first one is that it is the disorder of ceruloplasmine metabolism caused by insufficient synthesis of normal ceruloplasmine, or synthesis of functionally abnormal ceruloplasmine. The second one is: the block of copper biliar excretion which is the consequence of the liver lysosomes functional defect. Pathogenetic mechanism of disease is firstly long-term accumulation of copper in the liver, and later, when the liver depo is full, its releasing in circulation and accumulation in the brain, cornea, kidneys and bones, which causes adequate pathologic changes. Toxic activity of copper is the consequence of its activity on enzymes, particularly on those with -SH group. There are two basic clinical forms of the disease: liver disease or neurologic disease. Before puberty the liver damage is more frequent, while in adolescents and young adults neurologic form of the disease is usual. The liver disease is nonspecific and characterized by symptoms of cirrhosis and chronic aggressive hepatitis. The only specificity is hemolytic anemia which, in combination with previous symptoms, is important for diagnosis of the disease. Neurologic symptoms are the most frequent consequence of pathologic changes in the basal ganglia. In our patients the most frequent symptoms were tremor (63%); dysarthria, choreoathetosis and rigor (38%); ataxia and mental disorders (31%); dysphagia and dystonia (12%), diplopia, hypersalivation, nystagmus and Babinski's sign (6%). Among pathologic changes in other tissues and organs the most important is the finding of Kayser-Fleischer ring in the cornea as a result of copper accumulation. Its importance for precise diagnosis is great. The diagnosis of the disease is based on anamnesis, clinical examination, specific and nonspecific laboratory tests. The therapy of choice is penicillamine. If we use it early, the result will be good remission in the majority of patients. Late diagnosis or delay in treatment cause death which is the result of bleeding from esophageal varices or basal ganglia disease. Immunologic damages caused by penicillamine demand interruption of therapy and substitution by three-ethyl-tetra-amine (TETA). We also use zinc salts and tetratiomolibdate in therapy of this disease. Pathogenesis, clinical picture and therapy of the disease are based on our own results.
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PMID:[Hepatolenticular degeneration]. 226 49

Sixteen (16) patients of Leber's congenital amaurosis diagnosed with ERG all had nystagmus since infancy; 9 cases showed the digito-ocular sign and 15 had axial hyperopia on cycloplegic refraction and/or A-scan ultrasonography. The common ophthalmoscopic findings were narrow vessels, grayish coloration and pigmentation in the retina. The average serum zinc level of 12 cases was significantly lower than that of the controls, while the copper level differed not much. The results suggest that it is advisable for the child patients to receive cycloplegic refraction and proper spectacle correction as early as possible, and zinc therapy.
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PMID:[Clinical findings and trace metals (zinc & copper) in Leber's congenital amaurosis]. 237 32

Copper deficiency was diagnosed in piglets from a farm in the Transvaal. The mortality rate among 5 to 8-week-old piglets had been sporadic but considerably high over a 12 month period. Affected animals showed signs of ataxia, posterior paresis, horizontal nystagmus, inability to stand and front and hind limb paddling movements. Death ensued from 3-5 days after the onset of clinical signs. A paucity of myelin in the spinal cord and degenerative lesions involving elastic fibres of the aorta and pulmonary artery were detected. Tissue copper levels were low in both clinically affected and unaffected piglets on the farm, and the copper content of the diet fed to sows and growing piglets was considered inadequate. The lesions related to copper deficiency are described with emphasis on those in the spinal cord and great blood vessels, and the pathologic processes resulting in hypocupraemic lesions are considered.
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PMID:Copper deficiency in piglets characterized by spongy myelopathy and degenerative lesions in the great blood vessels. 663 90

The effect of welding fumes on ocular readaptation time (RAT) has been investigated. Objective measurements of RAT were obtained from a determination of the recovery time for optokinetic nystagmus following a bright flash of light. Welding electrodes of different types and chemical compositions were used. Welding fumes and the breathed gases were analyzed for particles, and the blood concentration of certain trace elements was determined. The results show that fumes from basic electrodes, containing high amounts of calcium and fluorides, and sometimes copper, produced a marked increase in RAT. The fumes from rutile electrodes, containing only low amounts of these substances, produced no demonstrable prolongation or RAT. Nor was RAT affected by the copper content of the electrodes. Thus the results appear to indicate that fluorides in the fumes produced by the basic electrodes cause the prolongation of RAT. The substances causing this prolongation seem to be bound to fume particles greater than 0.3 micron. Discomfort--nausea and headache--correlated with increased RAT prolongation. But analyses of the ambient air and of trace elements in the blood did not reveal any changes that could be correlated with the effect on RAT. RAT changes measured in conjunction with the inhalation of fumes from basic electrode welding are comparable to those seen after the intake of a therapeutic dose of oxazepam.
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PMID:The effect of welding fumes on ocular readaptation time. 743 49

Wilson's disease is a hereditary autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism. The corresponding gene locus has been localized on the long arm of chromosome 13. Three different clinical variants of the disease can be distinguished: hepato-cerebral, abdominal/hepatic, and central nervous type. The heterogeneity of symptoms can cause problems in differential diagnosis, especially when another concordant disorder can also explain the pathogenesis of symptoms. The case report of a young man who suffered from brainstem contusion demonstrates the possibilities of misinterpretation because presenting symptoms could be attributed either to traumatic brain injury followed by adjustment disorder or Wilson's disease. Clinical signs included leftsided hemiparesis, bilateral gaze direction nystagmus, marked dysarthria with consecutive pervasive mutism, choreo-athetoid movements, spasmodic torticollis and diplopia dependent on gaze direction. Slit lamp examination showed Kayser-Fleischer's corneal ring. EEG- and computer assisted tomography investigations revealed non-specific findings. The patient was treated with D-Penicillamine. Alternative treatment with oral zinc preparations is discussed.
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PMID:Case report: concordant traumatic brainstem contusion delayed diagnosis in a young man with Wilson's disease. 778 83

The Lowe syndrome, or oculocerebrorenal syndrome, is a rare X-linked recessive hereditary disease which typically involves three major systems including ocular defects (congenital cataracts, glaucoma, searching nystagmus), central nervous system defects (generalized hypotonia with decreased or absent deep tendon reflex and severe mental retardation), and renal dysfunction (progressive renal tubular dysfunction with acidosis and hyperaminoaciduria). Less than 200 cases have been reported in the English literatures since 1952. This article presents the first case of Lowe syndrome in Taiwan. Patient was a newborn who was born with congenital cataracts, glaucoma, generalized hypotonia with areflexia. In following laboratory studies showed early manifestations of renal tubular dysfunction with metabolic acidosis, proteinuria, glycosuria, phosphaturia and generalized hyperaminoaciduria (19 types). CT of brain showed an arachnoid cyst about 4.5 x 5 cm in size below the cerebellar tentorium. Large amount of copper, about 20-30 times above normal range, was detected in the urine. To our knowledge, Lowe syndrome associated with hypercupriuria and arachnoid cyst has not been reported in the past. Whether hypercupriuria is a part of the entity of this disease or prodromal stage of Wilson's disease is obscure. Further investigation and long-term observation are necessary to draw any conclusion.
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PMID:[Lowe syndrome: report of one case]. 833 87

Functional activity of the vestibular system in relation to behavioral state of fetal sheep in utero was studied by cooling and heating of the fetal middle ear and skin (control) with implanted copper-tube heat exchangers. Eye movements and fetal cortical activity were assessed before, during, and after 2 min irrigations with water at 6, 46, or 39.5 degrees C (isothermic). Cold water induced slow-phase eye movements toward the irrigated ear followed by saccades toward the opposite ear after a delay of several seconds. The direction of the response reversed with warm water, and saccades were absent during irrigation with body-temperature water. Cold-water irrigations of the skin over the jaw did not result in nystagmus. Arousal-like responses were elicited with thermal stimulation of the ear or facial skin while the fetus was in either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM states. Circulation of 39.5 degrees C water through the ear also produced arousal-like responses, possibly due to turbulence-induced noises in the heat exchanger or slight deviations between the irrigation temperature and the actual fetal inner ear temperature. These results suggest that mechanisms responsible for saccade suppression during depressed levels of consciousness (i.e. sleep) are inactive in utero. Fetal behavioral state responsiveness to vestibular and somatosensory thermal stimulation may be of great significance, especially in the premature neonate.
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PMID:Vestibular caloric responses and behavioral state in the fetal sheep. 980 21

We report a 49-year-old female with hereditary ceruloplasmin deficiency with hemosiderosis. There was a family history of the same symptoms; her brother showed hypoceruloplasminemia and decrease of the serum copper content. On physical examinations, dementia, dysarthria, downbeat nystagmus, sensorineural hearing disturbance, orthostatic hypotension, retinitis pigmentosa, diffuse goiter, and cerebellar ataxia were noted. Laboratory examinations disclosed leukopenia, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, decrease of copper content in the serum and urine. Serum ferritin concentration was remarkably increased. Serum ceruloplasmin could not be detected. Biopsy of the liver showed that iron content in the liver was increased. On MRI study, dentate nucleus of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and the liver showed low intensity in both T1 and T2 weighted images. A nonsense mutation in the ceruloplasmin gene was found in this patient. Systemic iron deposition and tissue damage were considered as caused by deficiency of function of ceruloplasmin as ferroxidase. To our knowledge, the characteristic combination of the clinical signs in this patient has not been reported.
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PMID:[A case of hereditary ceruloplasmin deficiency with hemosiderosis]. 1039 Oct 79

Phenytoin is indicated for tonic clonic seizures and status epilepticus. Phenytoin is known to deplete vital nutrients such as calcium, folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin K, biotin, carnitine, copper, selenium and zinc. Depletion of nutrients is known to cause adverse effects such as ataxia, nystagmus, lethargy, slurred speech and hematological disturbances. Spirulina is a rich source of vital nutrients including iron. It is proposed to study the effect of spirulina on the hematological disturbances induced by phenytoin. Seven groups of male albino rats weighing 130-150g were used. Each group consisted of six animals. Phenytoin at a dose of 20mg/kg/day dissolved in water, spirulina 50, 100, 200 mg/kg/day suspended in 1% tween 80 alone or in combination with phenytoin was administered for 30 days. Hemoglobin content, total leucocyte and erythrocyte count were determined on 30(th) day. Phenytoin significantly decreased the hemoglobin content, total erythrocyte and leukocyte count. Spirulina did not show any effect at the lower dose of 50 and 100mg/kg and higher dose of 200mg/ kg significantly elevated hemoglobin content. Spirulina at a dose of 200mg/kg/day in combination with phenytoin reversed the phenytoin induced decrease in hemoglobin content, total erythrocyte and leukocyte count. The results of this study indicates that supplementation of phenytoin with spirulina may reverse the hematological disturbances induced by phenytoin.
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PMID:Influence of spirulina on the phenytoin induced haematological changes. 2255 35


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