Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0036572 (seizures)
 80,221 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The report contains some results of a study of 18 patients where in 17 cases the authors believe that the convulsive syndrome was due to an infestation by ascarides, soatworms or by a combination of helminths with other enteral helminthosis. In one case intestinal parasitism aggravated the development of frontal epilepsy. It was demonstrated that the removal of helminths leads to an arrest of convulsive seizures, while a new infestation--to their appearance. The authors have attemped to give characteristics of the epileptical syndrome, provocated by ascarides and seat-worms.
 ...
PMID:[Epileptic syndromes in ascariasis and enterobiasis]. 64 14

A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with the history of epileptick attack of six years' duration. The seizure was associated with Jacksonian march starting in the right hand and then generalized. Todd's paresis of the right arm followed occasionally to the seizure. He was admitted to neurosurgical unit of other hospital in 1968 and 1971, but on each occasion no tumor or vascular abnormality was detected by extensive examiniations such as brain angiography, pneumoencephalography or brain scanning. He continued his hob as an engineer with anticonvulsant. He once lived in Manchuria in 1930s and had history of pulmonary tuberculosis. He was suffering from diabetes mellitus and chronic otitis media. Recentry he developed headache, forgetfulness, speech disturbance and right hemiparesis and was admitted to our department through psychiatric unit. On examination he was fully conscious but showed typical Gerstmann's syndrome and conduction aphasia. He also revealed bilateral choked disc, right hemiparesis, right hemihypesthesia and right homonymous hemianopsia. The cerebral angiograms and peneumoencephalogram suggested a left parietal cystic tumor. Brain scan with technetium 99m was negative. The spinal fluid was clear but showed slight pleocytosis (99/3/ml). Leucocyte count in the peripheral blood was 6600 per cubic meter with eosinophils of 3%. On craniotomy, small white patches were scattered at the subarachnoidal space suggesting of history of some meningitis. In the left parietooccipital region at Brodmann's area 19, a greyish yellow transparent cystic tumor was found in the subarachnoidal space which was confirmed to be one of the multilocular grape-like cystic tumors extending from area 19, gyrus angularis towards the arcuate fasciculus without continuity with the left lateral ventricle. Microscopic examination showed the racemosal type of cysticercus but no scolex was found. The fluid of the cysts was similar to the spinal fluid. He is totally symptome-free after five months' lapse from the operation except for sporadic spikes on the electroencephalogram. Although some neurosurgeons are against direct operation of the cerebral cysticercosis, we are sure it is possible to cure these patients suffering from chronic cysticercosis with tumor-like symptoms i.e. the tumor type of Stepien. But it is essential not to rupture the cysts during the operative procedure to avoid dissemination of worms which might lead to acute severe cerebral edema. Besides, echinococcus cysts harbouring many worms are often hardly differenciated macroscopically from the cysts of cysticercosis.
 ...
PMID:[A case of brain cysticerosis]. 98 76

We report the isolation, characterization, and total synthesis of a small peptide ligand for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). It is highly active against the neuromuscular receptor in frog but not in mice. In contrast, it induces seizures when injected centrally in mice and rats, suggesting that it may target neuronal nAChRs in mammals. Although such receptors may be important in both normal cognition and the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, there are few ligands to discriminate between the multiple receptor subtypes. The new peptide is a highly divergent alpha-conotoxin from the snail Conus imperialis, which preys on polychaete worms. In this article, the purification, structural analysis, synthesis, and preliminary physiological characterization of alpha-conotoxin ImI (alpha-CTx-ImI) are reported. The sequence of the peptide is: Gly-Cys-Cys-Ser-Asp-Pro-Arg-Cys-Ala-Trp-Arg-Cys-NH2. The peptide shows striking sequence differences from all alpha-conotoxins of fish-hunting Conus, but its disulfide-bridging is similar: [2-8; 3-12]. We suggest that cone venoms may provide an array of ligands with selectivity for various neuronal nAChR subtypes.
 ...
PMID:A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ligand of unique specificity, alpha-conotoxin ImI. 820 95

Cerebral sparganosis is a rare parasitic disease caused by infestation by the plerocercoid larva of Spirometra mansoni. The authors retrospectively analyzed 17 cases of cerebral sparganosis treated at Seoul National University Hospital between 1986 and 1994. The patients' ages at diagnosis ranged from 6 to 57 years (median 32 years) and the male/female ratio was 13:4. Diagnosis was based on radiological findings, serological test results, operative findings, and histopathological examinations. Characteristic magnetic resonance (MR) findings consisted of widespread white matter degeneration and cortical atrophy, mixed-signal lesion (low in the central and high in the peripheral regions on T2-weighted images) with irregular dense enhancement of central foci and changes in the location and shape of the enhancing lesion in follow-up studies. Ten patients underwent surgical removal of the parasitic lesion, six received medical treatment alone (five with praziquantel and one with antiepileptic drugs), and one underwent insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt and a course of praziquantel. Follow-up periods ranged from 13 to 111 months (mean 49 months). Seven patients who underwent complete removal of the lesion, live worm, or degenerative worm with surrounding granuloma showed a favorable course. Patients who received medical treatment alone or incomplete removal exhibited progression in their neurological deficits and their seizures could not be controlled. Medication with praziquantel seemed to have no killing effect on live worms. The authors conclude that MR imaging is the most valuable modality for the early detection of cerebral sparganosis and that complete surgical removal of granuloma together with worms, whether they are alive or degenerative, is the treatment of choice.
 ...
PMID:Cerebral sparganosis: clinical manifestations, treatment, and outcome. 892 96

Neurocysticercosis is a helminthiasis of the central nervous system produced by the encysted larvae of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. We report 4 cases of neurocysticercosis observed in immigrants from endemic areas (India and Latin America). Three of the patients were diagnosed because of new onset of seizures, all of the no received anthelmintic therapy with favourable outcome. The fourth case was a form known as racemose cysticercosis. She was admitted because of CNS sensorial symptoms with later development of severe intracranial hypertension that required surgical treatment. All the cases had a positive result in the ELISA test for cysticercosis. In only one patient chronic epilepsy persisted thus needing long-term anticonvulsant therapy as a sequelae. Our report helps to familiarize clinicians with the characteristic radiological findings from cysticercosis and em s the fact that epidemiological suspicion and serological data are usually enough to get the diagnosis and avoid unnecessary probes.
 ...
PMID:[Neurocysticercosis in Spain. Apropos 4 cases seen in immigrant patients from endemic countries]. 1019 2

Epilepsy is a major public health threat in the developing world, with much higher prevalence and incidence rates than those observed in developed countries. At present, one of the most common causes for epilepsy worldwide is the parasitic worm, Taenia solium, and the associated neurocysticercosis (NCC) that may often result from this infestation. Worm infestation was already recognized as a cause of epilepsy by the middle of the 18th century. Helminths and their effects on health were a daily medical concern in the 18th and 19th centuries--with prevailing views ranging from the beneficial effects of the presence of adult worms in the gut, to considering them as culprits for a wide variety of diseases. A number of cases followed longitudinally by various nineteenth-century French physicians showed that there was good reason to believe that the verminous influence on seizures was real, as the expulsion of the T. solium often coincided with a notable amelioration of symptoms. Several theories were proposed to account for how the worms could lead to Epilepsia nervosa, including notions of competition for nutritional resources between the host and the parasite, and irritation of the medulla and of peripheral nerve endings predisposing to epileptiform episodes. Recently, after almost a century of quiet, interest in the neurological effects of helminths has been rekindled, due in part to the growing number of cases in the United States with NCC-related neurological disorders. In this article, we review the history of our understanding of the relationship between seizure disorders and parasitic worms, and we relate this history to contemporary epidemiologic and public health issues in developing countries.
 ...
PMID:Epilepsia Verminosa. 1151 27

A survey of 100 rural households in a village in the Chaco region of Bolivia revealed a serious problem of Taenia solium cysticercosis, with a seroprevalence of 99/447 (22%) in humans and 102/273 (37%) in pigs. Risk factors for humans were being in older age groups, absence of sanitary facilities, poor formal education and inability to recognise infected pork. Significant risk indicators were a history of seizures and the reported elimination of worms in the faeces. Risk factors for pigs were being in older age groups and absence of sanitary facilities in the owner's house. The proportion of households with evidence of human cysticercosis was similar for those who owned pigs (48%) and those that did not (55%). This unexpected finding was attributed to the high overall prevalence of cysticercosis in pigs and the probability that everyone, regardless of pig-ownership, had ample opportunity to become infected in such communities. The main recommendation for reducing the prevalence of human cysticercosis was to provide more effective education campaigns, aimed at preventing both T. solium infection and cysticercosis.
 ...
PMID:An epidemiological study of Taenia solium cysticercosis in a rural population in the Bolivian Chaco. 1170 Jan 80

Aging is characterized by widespread degenerative changes in tissue morphology and function and an increase in the incidence of human diseases such as cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer disease. Findings from recent genetic studies suggest that molecular mechanisms that influence life span are evolutionarily conserved, and interventions that extend the life span of model organisms such as worms and flies are likely to have similar effects on vertebrates such as humans. However, little progress has been made in identifying drugs that delay aging. We identified 3 pharmacologic compounds, ethosuximide, trimethadione, and 3,3-diethyl-2-pyrrolidinone, that extend lifespan and delay age-related degenerative changes in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. All 3 compounds are anticonvulsants that modulate neural activity in vertebrates, and ethosuximide and trimethadione are used to treat absence seizures in humans. We discuss existing evidence that these drugs might also delay vertebrate aging and suggest experiments that could test this hypothesis. Genetic and cell ablation studies conducted with model organisms have demonstrated connections between the nervous system and aging. Our studies provide additional support for the hypothesis that neural activity plays a role in lifespan determination, since ethosuximide and trimethadione regulated neuromuscular activity in nematodes. Our findings suggest that the lifespan extending activity of these compounds is related to the anticonvulsant activity, implicating neural activity in the regulation of aging. We also discuss models that explain how the nervous system influences lifespan.
 ...
PMID:Effects of anticonvulsant drugs on life span. 1660 60

Epilepsy is estimated to affect 1-2% of the world population, yet remains poorly understood at a molecular level. We have previously established the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for investigating genetic susceptibilities to seizure-like convulsions in vivo. Here we investigate the behavioral consequences of decreasing the activity of nematode gene homologs within the LIS1 pathway that are associated with a human cortical malformation termed lissencephaly. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the nud-2 gene, encoding the worm homolog of mammalian effectors of LIS1, termed NDE1 and NDEL1. Phenotypic analysis of animals targeted by RNA interference (RNAi) was performed using a pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) exposure paradigm to induce convulsions. Worms depleted for LIS1 pathway components (NUD-1, NUD-2, DHC-1, CDK-5, and CDKA-1) exhibited significant convulsions following PTZ and RNAi treatment. Strains harboring fluorescent markers for GABAergic neuronal architecture and synaptic vesicle trafficking were employed to discern putative mechanisms accounting for observed convulsion behaviors. We found that depletion of LIS1 pathway components resulted in defective GABA synaptic vesicle trafficking. We also utilized combinations of specific genetic backgrounds to create a sensitized state for convulsion susceptibility and discovered that convulsion effects were significantly enhanced when LIS-1 and other pathway components were compromised within the same animals. Thus, interactions among gene products with LIS-1 may mediate intrinsic thresholds of neuronal synchrony.
 ...
PMID:Genetic interactions among cortical malformation genes that influence susceptibility to convulsions in C. elegans. 1699 38

Involvement of nervous system by toxocariasis is rare and can produce a spectrum of pathology that includes eosinophillic meningoencephalitis, meningomyelitis, space occupying lesions, vasculitis causing seizures or behavioral abnormalities posing diagnostic dilemmas. We describe a 38-year-old man who presented with multiple intracranial and intramedullary abscesses caused by visceral larva migrans. Neurohelminthiasis as a cause of multiple abscesses, though rare, should be entertained as a differential diagnosis particularly in tropical South-east Asian countries where helminthiasis is still an epidemiological concern prevalent in the pediatric age group.
 ...
PMID:Visceral larva migrans presenting as multiple intracranial and intraspinal abscesses. 1789 91


1 2 3 4 Next >>