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

We report a 37-year-old African-American man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosed in May 2001 when he presented with biopsy-proven nephritis. He had been treated intermittently from May 2001 to November 2004 with intravenously (i.v.) administered cyclophosphamide and high doses of prednisone due to unrelenting proteinuria. In November 2004, he was admitted to the hospital because of deterioration of renal function and massive proteinuria (21 g dl(-1) 24 h(-1)) and treated with pulses of methylprednisolone and two courses of i.v. administered cyclophosphamide. His hospital course was complicated by cellulitis and bacteremia with Pseudomonas spp. and Streptococcus bovis. He was discharged on prednisone 60 mg daily, ciprofloxacin, augmentin, and hemodialysis. He was readmitted a week later with new onset of seizure activity, slurred speech, and left-sided hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed multiple ringlike enhancing foci in the frontal and occipital lobes. Brain biopsy was performed, and Gram stain and initial cultures were negative. Empiric tobramycin, cefepime, and metronidazole were administered. Diagnosis was delayed for several months, but culture eventually grew Nocardia asteroides. Trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazole and linezolid therapy was begun. This was followed by slow, but steady, clinical improvement. Risk factors, diagnostic clues, and treatment are reviewed.
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PMID:Nocardia brain abscesses in a male patient with SLE: successful outcome despite delay in diagnosis. 1668 77

Many factors that are not fully understood may influence the effectiveness of sanitizer treatments for eliminating pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in food or detergent residues or in biofilms on food contact surfaces. This study was done to determine the sensitivities of Pseudomonas cells and Bacillus cereus cells and spores suspended in a liquid dishwashing detergent and inoculated onto the surface of stainless steel to treatment with chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and a commercial produce sanitizer (Fit). Cells and spores were incubated in a liquid dishwashing detergent for 16 to 18 h before treatment with sanitizers. At 50 microg/ml, chlorine dioxide killed a significantly higher number of Pseudomonas cells (3.82 log CFU/ml) than did chlorine (a reduction of 1.34 log CFU/ml). Stainless steel coupons were spot inoculated with Pseudomonas cells and B. cereus cells and spores, with water and 5% horse serum as carriers. Chlorine was more effective than chlorine dioxide in killing cells and spores of B. cereus suspended in horse serum. B. cereus biofilm on stainless steel coupons that were treated with chlorine dioxide or chlorine at 200 microg/ml had total population reductions (vegetative cells plus spores) of > or = 4.42 log CFU per coupon; the number of spores was reduced by > or = 3.80 log CFU per coupon. Fit (0.5%) was ineffective for killing spot-inoculated B. cereus and B. cereus in biofilm, but treatment with mixtures of Fit and chlorine dioxide caused greater reductions than did treatment with chlorine dioxide alone. In contrast, when chlorine was combined with Fit, the lethality of chlorine was completely lost. This study provides information on the survival and sanitizer sensitivity of Pseudomonas and B. cereus in a liquid dishwashing detergent, on the surface of stainless steel, and in a biofilm. This information will be useful for developing more effective strategies for cleaning and sanitizing contact surfaces in food preparation and processing environments.
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PMID:Lethality of chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and a commercial produce sanitizer to Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas in a liquid detergent, on stainless steel, and in biofilm. 1713 5

We describe a girl with sepsis-associated encephalopathy complicating biliary atresia. At 4 months of age, decreased consciousness and repetitive seizures of the left upper and lower extremities occurred in association with fever. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was cultured from blood, while bacterial culture was negative and cell counts were normal in cerebrospinal fluid. The interleukin-6 level in the cerebrospinal fluid was markedly elevated. MRI revealed unilateral subcortical white matter lesions in the right hemisphere. She was diagnosed as having sepsis-associated encephalopathy and was treated with dexamethasone and midazolam. She achieved normal psychomotor development until the last follow-up at 19 months of age, whereas mild atrophic changes were observed in the right hemisphere.
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PMID:Sepsis associated encephalopathy in an infant with biliary atresia. 1842 24

Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 and the related strain Pf-5 are well-characterized representatives of rhizosphere bacteria that have the capacity to protect crop plants from fungal root diseases, mainly by releasing a variety of exoproducts that are toxic to plant pathogenic fungi. Here, we report that the two plant-beneficial pseudomonads also exhibit potent insecticidal activity. Anti-insect activity is linked to a novel genomic locus encoding a large protein toxin termed Fit (for P. fluorescensinsecticidal toxin) that is related to the insect toxin Mcf (Makes caterpillars floppy) of the entomopathogen Photorhabdus luminescens, a mutualist of insect-invading nematodes. When injected into the haemocoel, even low doses of P. fluorescens CHA0 or Pf-5 killed larvae of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta and the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella. In contrast, mutants of CHA0 or Pf-5 with deletions in the Fit toxin gene were significantly less virulent to the larvae. When expressed from an inducible promoter in a non-toxic Escherichia coli host, the Fit toxin gene was sufficient to render the bacterium toxic to both insect hosts. Our findings establish the Fit gene products of P. fluorescens CHA0 and Pf-5 as potent insect toxins that define previously unappreciated anti-insect properties of these plant-colonizing bacteria.
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PMID:Molecular analysis of a novel gene cluster encoding an insect toxin in plant-associated strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens. 1848 97

Meropenem is a new beta-lactam antibiotic belonging to the carbapenem class. It differs structurally from imipenem, the first carbapenem to be marketed, by possessing a 1-beta-methyl group on the carbapenem moiety and a substituted 2' side chain. Meropenem is relatively stable to human dehydropeptidase-I (DHP-I), and therefore, unlike imipenem, it does not need to be administered with a DHP-I inhibitor such as cilastatin. Meropenem has an ultra-broad spectrum of antibacterial activity which encompasses Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobes and anaerobes, including many strains resistant to other antibacterials. Compared to imipenem, meropenem is more active against Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a little less active against some Gram-positive cocci. Meropenem is susceptible to few clinically important beta-lactamases. Meropenem exhibits a linear pharmacokinetic profile which shows predictable age and disease-related changes. Elimination is primarily renal with a half-life of approximately 1 h after intravenous (IV) administration. Meropenem monotherapy has proved efficacious in the treatment of a variety of infections in adults and children and can be administered by bolus IV injection, as well as IV infusion and intramuscular (IM) injection. Prospective, randomised clinical trials have shown it to be as efficacious as comparator regimens in the treatment of lower respiratory tract, intra-abdominal, urinary tract and skin and soft tissue infections, meningitis and septicaemia. Furthermore, meropenem monotherapy has demonstrated efficacy in the empirical treatment of febrile neutropenic cancer patients. Meropenem is well tolerated by the CNS in clinical studies, which reflects animal data, suggesting a low propensity to cause seizures. Thus, meropenem is an important new antibacterial which should prove particularly useful in severe and polymicrobial infections and those caused by organisms resistant to other agents.
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PMID:Meropenem: evaluation of a new generation carbapenem. 1861 86

Carbapenems are a class of antimicrobials structurally related to penicillin. Doripenem, the newest agent in this class, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections. Its spectrum of activity is similar to that of meropenem and imipenem/cilastatin. Some studies indicate that approximately 29% of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates may remain sensitive to doripenem, although the clinical relevance of that finding has not been determined. Clinical studies, which have been published only in abstract form to date, have found doripenem to be similar to comparator agents. The most common adverse effects related to doripenem therapy were headache, nausea, diarrhea, rash, and phlebitis. Doripenem, like the other carbapenems, may also cause seizures. Because of the lack of published data, the lack of clear advantages over meropenem, and the increased cost compared with meropenem, doripenem will not be available for use at Baylor University Medical Center except by infectious diseases specialists.
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PMID:Doripenem (Doribax): the newest addition to the carbapenems. 1862 35

Carbapenems play a significant role in the current antibiotic armamentarium. Doripenem is the newest carbapenem to be commercially released. Its antimicrobial spectrum more closely resembles those of meropenem and imipenem than that of ertapenem. Thus, it has significant in vitro activity against streptococci, methicillin-susceptible staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae (including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing strains), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter species, and Bacteroides fragilis. Doripenem does not have clinically useful activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and the majority of gram-negative bacilli that are resistant to meropenem or imipenem. In vitro, resistant P. aeruginosa mutants appear to be harder to select with doripenem than with other carbapenems. Doripenem has been approved for use in treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infection and complicated urinary tract infection. Studies of hospital-acquired pneumonia have also been completed, including one that used a 4-h infusion to enhance the pharmacodynamic profile. In vitro, doripenem lacks the propensity to cause seizures, and a low risk of seizures has been demonstrated in clinical studies. Currently unanswered questions regarding doripenem include the utility and dosing in neonatal, pediatric, and cystic fibrosis populations and specific dosage recommendations for patients receiving hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or continuous renal replacement therapies. The longevity of doripenem will depend on our ability to curtail the spread of carbapenem-resistant organisms, which are already a significant problem at some institutions.
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PMID:Doripenem. 1952 73

Several 2,4-dimethylphenyl substituted semicarbazones were synthesized in three steps involving aryl urea and aryl semicarbazide formation. The structures were confirmed by spectral and elemental analyses. All the compounds were evaluated for anticonvulsant activity by using a series of test models, including maximal electroshock seizure, subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole and subcutaneous strychnine seizure threshold tests. The compounds were also evaluated for behavioural impairement and depression activity. In the neurochemical investigation, potent compounds were evaluated for their effects on rat brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels and in vitro gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase (Pseudomonas fluorescens) activity. Preliminary studies suggest that these compounds exhibit anticonvulsant activity via a GABA-mediated mechanism.
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PMID:Synthesis of N4-(2,4-dimethylphenyl) semicarbazones as 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase inhibitors. 1983 Dec 76

A series of 1,2,4-dithiazole were synthesized from 1,2,4-thiadiazoles in the presence of CS(2) and evaluated for their antimicrobial, anticonvulsant, analgesic and neurotoxicity potential. The compounds provided significant protection against maximal electroshock-induced seizures and seizures induced by 300 mg/kg of subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole administration. The designed compounds (3a-g) were screened in vitro for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antifungal activity in fungal strains of Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Synthesized compounds exhibited moderate antibacterial and antifungal activity. N,N -Di-naphthalen-1-yl-N -(thioxo-5H -[1,2,4]dithiazol-3-yl)-guanidine and N,N -Bis-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-N -(5-thioxo-5H -[1,2,4]dithiazol-3-yl)-guanidine showed analgesic activity by tail flick method.
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PMID:Synthesis, Anticonvulsant, Antimicrobial and Analgesic activity of Novel 1,2,4-Dithiazoles. 2004 91

Birth under water has become a widely disseminated technique that is promoted to improve the quality of labor. The case of a 42-week gestation male infant is reported who died of respiratory and multiorgan failure secondary to florid pneumonia and sepsis due Pseudomonas aeruginosa following a water birth. Other infants who have been delivered underwater have drowned or have had near-drowning episodes with significant hyponatremia and water intoxication. Local and disseminated sepsis has been reported, with respiratory distress, fevers, hypoxic brain damage, and seizures. There have also been episodes of cord rupture with hemorrhage. The postmortem investigation of such cases requires a complete autopsy of the infant, with examination of the placenta. Full details of the pregnancy and delivery and inspection of the birthing unit are also needed. A septic workup of the infant and placenta should be undertaken along with sampling of water from the birthing unit and microbiological swabbing of the equipment. Vitreous sodium levels may reveal electrolyte disturbances. While fatal cases appear rare, this may change if water births gain in popularity.
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PMID:Forensic issues in cases of water birth fatalities. 2043 37


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