Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 21-year-old woman with recurrent epidsodes of pruritus and jaundice since childhood was diagnosed as having benign recurrent cholestasis, a rare and poorly understood disease. Plasmaperfusion was successfully employed for therapy of the severe pruritus, and various studies of copper metabolism were performed in an attempt to clarify the pathophysiology of this obscure syndrome.
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PMID:Plasmaperfusion and studies of copper metabolism in benign recurrent cholestasis: novel procedures in a rare syndrome. 738 55

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) remains a disease of unknown etiology. The close association of PSC and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially ulcerative colitis (UC), has been reconfirmed in numerous studies. Much has been learned about the pathogenesis, although the specific cause remains unknown. Copper overload and chronic hepatic bacterial infection have virtually been excluded as causes of PSC. Cytomegalovirus and reovirus remain under investigation. Familial clustering and HLA subtype similarities are seen in PSC with and without IBD. The finding of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in patients with PSC and those with UC suggests immunological features in the pathogenesis of PSC. Collected series of patients have better characterized clinical features of PSC. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) have provided both diagnostic features and means of therapeutic intervention. Treatment of PSC is symptomatic (pruritus control and vitamin deficiency correction); or experimental (D-penicillamine, ursodeoxycholic acid [UDCA], methotrexate, or corticosteroids). Liver transplantation remains the ultimate treatment for end-stage PSC. Statistical analyses of clinical and laboratory variables in PSC help to determine prognosis and proposed timing for transplantation to achieve maximal longevity and quality of life. PSC affects middle-aged people and is expensive to treat over the natural course of the disease, making it an economically and medically important disease.
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PMID:Primary sclerosing cholangitis. 805 38

We have investigated the ability of humans to localise noxious stimuli on the dorsum of the hand. Pin-prick (non-penetrating needle prick), noxious heat (round 1 cm2 copper probe heated to 50 degrees C), mustard oil (100% applied topically in a small cotton ball, diameter 5 mm) and histamine (iontophoresis of 20 mC delivered to an area of 75 mm2) were applied to skin with intact innervation and during a differential nerve compression block of the superficial radial nerve when only C-fibres were conducting. The mean mislocalisation (+/- S.E.M.; n = 8) of all stimuli was 9.5 +/- 0.8 mm with normal nerve conduction and 8.9 +/- 1.2 during the differential nerve block. There was no significant difference between the noxious submodalities. By contrast, when nerve conduction was intact, purely tactile stimulation (7 mN von Frey hair) was significantly better localised having a mean error of 5.5 +/- 0.4 mm. We conclude that focal stimuli evoking itch or pain can be localised with high precision which is only marginally worse than for tactile stimuli. This suggests the existence of a somatotopical representation for noxious inputs in the brain similar to that found for tactile stimuli.
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PMID:The ability of humans to localise noxious stimuli. 846 25

Three Saudi siblings, two girls and one boy, presented at the ages of 7, 6 and 2.5 years, respectively, and were diagnosed as having features of Indian childhood cirrhosis (ICC). The two girls presented at a late stage of the disease and the boy was diagnosed during routine examination of the family. The initial presenting complaint was abdominal distention and pruritus. All three had a rapid and fatal course. There was no evidence of increased copper ingestion by the families, supporting the suggestion of a hereditary metabolic role in the aetiology of ICC. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of ICC in Saudi Arabian children.
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PMID:Indian childhood-like cirrhosis in three Saudi Arabian siblings. 1082 16

A 44-year-old patient died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after nine years of heavy exposure to cadmium (Cd) in a nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery factory. Two years after starting work he and co-workers had experienced pruritus, loss of smell, nasal congestion, nosebleeds, cough, shortness of breath, severe headaches, bone pain, and proteinuria. Upper back pain and muscle weakness progressed to flaccid paralysis. EMG findings were consistent with motor neuron disease. Cd impairs the blood-brain barrier, reduces levels of brain copper-zinc (Cu-Zn) superoxide dismutase (SOD), and enhances excitoxicity of glutamate via up-regulation of glutamate dehydrogenase and down-regulation of glutamate uptake in glial cells. High levels of methallothionein, a sign of exposure to heavy metals, have been found in brain tissue of deceased ALS patients. The effects of Cd on enzyme systems that mediate neurotoxicity and motor neuron disease suggest a cause effect relationship between Cd and ALS in this worker.
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PMID:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a battery-factory worker exposed to cadmium. 1137 40

A method, which allows the automated registration of the scratching activity of the hind legs of a mouse for periods longer than 24 h, has been developed and validated. Aluminium rings are placed around the hind limbs of mice just above the ankle. Mice are housed individually in cages placed on the scratch detection unit (SDU), which contains ferrite rods fitted with copper coils. The movement of the metal rings in the field generated by the coils elicits a signal that can be transformed into peaks of different frequencies. Scratching was defined as a regular waveform with a frequency of > 15 Hz and with an amplitude of < 200 mV. Quantification of spontaneous scratching by chronic proliferative dermatitis mice or histamine and Compound 48/80-treated C57BL/Ka mice was performed visually (using a video recording showing both the mice and the computer-generated signal) and using the pruritus detection system (PDS = SDU plus computer program). The correlation between visual and automatic quantification of spontaneous cpdm mouse scratching was 81.7+/-2.5% (mean +/- S.E.M.). For histamine, the correlation was 85.6+/-3.6% (mean +/- S.E.M.) and for Compound 48/80, 85.8+/-3.1% (mean +/- S.E.M.). The PDS routinely detected less than 5% false-positive signals.
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PMID:An automated method for registering and quantifying scratching activity in mice: use for drug evaluation. 1139 22

The efficacy, tolerance and suitability of the combined use of an IUD and a vaginal spermicide has been studied. The Copper-T IUD was chosen because of the authors' wide experience with this model. The spermicide used was benzalconium chloride (0.0189 g) in the form of vaginal suppositories. 103 women from the outpatient family planning clinic of Hospital Clinico Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Barcelona, were selected at random from women who elected to have an IUD. The women had 1-3 children, were engaged in sexual intercourse at least once a week, and were 18-36 years. They were instructed on how the suppositories should be used to achieve maximum efficacy. They were also advised to use suppositories whenever they had sexual intercourse. 57 of the 103 women used combined method for 12 months, 26 used it for 6 months, whereas 17 only completed 3 months of therapy. 14% of the women complained of pruritus or vaginal discomfort while using the suppositories. The women used the method for 1978 months. Using the life tables of Tietze, the failure rate was 0.8/100 women/year at 6 months of use, and 1.6/100 women/year at 12 months.
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PMID:Combined use of copper-T and benzalkonium chloride spermicide. 1226 14

The article documents a clinical case involving allergy to the copper IUD. A 28-eight year old woman, with a normal family medical history, received a copper-medicated IUD (MLCu250) in March 1985, that initially was well tolerated both gynecologically and psychologically. After approximately 2 months, palpebral and perioral edema occurred that regressed following antihistamine treatment. After 5-6 months, erythema and an intense itching along with pruriginous symptoms spreading all over her body occurred at menstruation time. These symptoms responded to antihistamine and cortisone, but reappeared after discontinued treatment. The patient received the patch test revealing a pronounced positivity to copper sulphate. Other clinical tests revealed that cupremia during the acute phases was 110g/100 ml. (fully within the normal limits). A direct allergic, but nontoxic connection to the presence of IUD was established. Numerous studies have revealed that the copper contained in IUD is liberated in the uterine cavity in the form of ions and it is hypothesized during menstruation released into the blood stream, which is supported by the fact that allergic episodes were verified during menstrual bleeding. However, skin complications could also be the result of absorption and diffusion of plasmatic proteins in the blood stream whose molecular configurations are altered in the endometrium as a result of the copper ions, thus causing allergic reactions. Allergies should be considered a possibility with the IUD, but it is not advised to perform allergometric tests in all patients who receive one.
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PMID:[Allergy to a copper-medicated IUD: a case report]. 1234 87

Based on results from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, female sterilization is viewed by married women as the most preferred method of contraception and should be promoted as an effective method of family planning. Demand currently far exceeds the availability of services, particularly in rural areas where 70% of the population lives. Surgical sterilization is not desired by women and carries with it a certain amount of morbidity. A promising approach is transcervical insertion of active agents to produce tubal occlusion. The historical background and description of how quinacrine acts in the uterus are provided. The results of use of the nonsurgical procedure of quinacrine introduction into the uterine cavity for female sterilization in Pakistan are discussed. From January to December 1990, in rural and urban Failsalabad, Pakistan, 2100 women received a single insertion of 7 pellets (252 mg) of quinacrine hydrochloride through a Copper-T IUD inserter. The procedure was performed by the author and other doctors and traditional birth attendants (TBA). Patients were instructed to return if there was severe pain, bleeding, or a missed period, and TBAs were to maintain regular contact with their clients and report complications immediately. Other patients (167) accepted transabdominal tubal ligation and transvaginal tubal ligation (235); these small numbers show the popularity of the quinacrine procedure. In a sample of 450 patients, 7% showed minor side effects. Vaginal discharge for 5-10 days was reported by all women. Also reported was 1-6 days of pain in the lower abdomen, amenorrhea for 2-3 months, and irregular menstruation, menorrhagia, backache, feelings of heaviness, dyspareunia, and itching. 4% became pregnant in varying periods after insertion. 36/47% continued the pregnancy and the remainder had dilatation and curettage (D and C) with vaginal tubectomy, D and C, or unknown actions. The rates of ectopic pregnancy are one third to one sixth of those with surgical procedures (.24/1000 procedures versus .75/1000 for surgical methods), but the pregnancy rate is higher (4-5% versus .5% for surgical procedures). Reduction of the failure rate to 1% is possible with insertion of 400 mg of Brufen a half hour before quinacrine insertion.
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PMID:Quinacrine: non surgical female sterilization. 1234 34

To investigate causes of contact dermatitis in the metal spray process in a film-condenser factory, we developed a questionnaire survey for workers exposed to metal dust, analyzed the metal dust, and conducted patch tests with the metal dust and its constituents. In the questionnaire survey, we identified 12 workers (12/26, 46.2%) who had had dermatitis. The main symptoms were itching, itchy red skin and itchy papules. Analysis of the metal dust showed that there was no copper oxide, but nickel, not contained in the materials of the metal spray, was detected. One worker with dermatitis had a positive reaction to 2.5% nickel sulphate. Some of the workers showed primary irritant reactions to 5% copper sulphate. As a result, we considered that these cases of dermatitis involved irritant contact dermatitis due to copper and/or allergic contact dermatitis due to nickel. To prevent dermatitis, we recommended improvement in ventilation, reducing the room temperature to reduce sweating, and to educate workers on the importance of frequent hand washing. Thereafter, the incidence of dermatitis decreased, and there were no cases requiring medication.
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PMID:[Investigation of the cause of contact dermatitis due to heavy metal in a metal spray process in a film-condenser factory]. 1502 39


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