Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036690 (sepsis)
 59,461 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A survey of all laboratory blood specimens with a plasma potassium concentration greater than or equal to 5.5 mmol/L was conducted over a three month period. Of 331 specimens with hyperkalaemia, 71 were excluded because the specimens was haemolysed, old or contaminated. The laboratory served a population of 348,561 and during this time measured the plasma potassium on 25,016 occasions. Sixty-six outpatients and 20 neonates were not evaluated. The survey was undertaken on 86 of 102 inpatients (46 males), 48 of whom were over 66 years of age. Fifty-seven patients were admitted under a medical service and 29 under a surgical service. Fifty-nine had a single episode of hyperkalaemia. Thirty-two underwent a surgical procedure. The commonest contributing factor was impaired renal function which was present in 71 (83%) patients. Although a definitive causative role for drugs could be identified in only five patients, in 52 (60%) patients drugs were a contributing factor (potassium supplements 24, ACE inhibitors 16, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs 12). Thirty-five of the 86 (41%) patients died during their hospital admission. Nineteen of the 35 deaths occurred within three days of the hyperkalaemia being recorded. A normal plasma potassium was eventually documented in 50 of the 86 patients. Of the remaining 36 patients, 25 (69%) subsequently died. In general the treatment of patients with hyperkalaemia focused on identifying and treating the underlying cause. Hyperkalaemia must always be considered seriously and regard given to the overall clinical status of the patient, with particular attention to drug therapy, renal and cardiac function, acid base status and the possibility of sepsis.
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PMID:Hyperkalaemia in patients in hospital. 281 82

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme (serum ACE) levels and plasma fibronectin levels were measured daily in 46 septic patients during a ten day period. Thirty-eight patients developed ARDS; 28 survived (group 1), ten died (group 2), eight patients had no features of ARDS and survived (group 3). Sequential measurements of ACE and fibronectin levels were compared and plotted against indexes of respiratory impairment: PaO2 max Qs/Qt, static compliance and VD/VA ratio. These indexes were taken as criteria of weaning from controlled ventilation. During ARDS (groups 1 and 2), serum ACE levels decreased and were closely correlated with the severity of lung injury. Persistently decreased levels after eight days were consistent with continuing injury or lack of endothelial repair. On the other hand, plasma fibronectin levels increased throughout the study in survivors (group 1 and 3) and decreased in the group with fatal ARDS only (group 2). These results indicate that serum ACE levels might be a good index of endothelial injury and repair during ARDS and fibronectin a better index for evolution of sepsis and vital prognosis.
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PMID:Compared evolution of plasma fibronectin and angiotensin-converting enzyme levels in septic ARDS. 298 57

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) can be a late complication of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). A patient is described in whom the haemolytic uraemic syndrome developed 10 months after BMT and who died of E. coli sepsis while on maintenance haemodialysis. The literature is reviewed, regarding clinical presentation, incidence, pathogenesis and therapy. TMA can be observed, after an interval of 3-12 months, in about 6-26% of patients following BMT. Reported cases vary considerably in clinical severity, from mild presentations to severe TMA with high mortality rates despite intensive therapy. Important pathogenetic roles are ascribed to the conditioning total body irradiation and the use of cyclosporin A, but other factors may be involved as well. Next to supportive therapy, plasma exchange and the use of ACE inhibitors may be of value in treating BMT-associated TMA.
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PMID:Haemolytic uraemic syndrome following bone marrow transplantation. Case report and review of the literature. 867 33

HIV-infected patients may present with a variety of patterns of renal involvement. Acute renal failure is common and most often a result of sepsis, hypotension, and nephrotoxic agents. It is potentially avoidable, and support through the period of renal failure may lead to resolution of the renal dysfunction. HIV-associated nephropathy is a unique pattern of sclerosing glomerulopathy that ranges in prevalence from 1 to 10% of the HIV-infected population in different geographic locales. This complication of HIV infection will likely present a growing challenge to the medical community as HIV infection continues to spread worldwide. Deciphering the pathogenetic mechanisms of this most rapidly progressive form of focal segmental sclerosis is not only clinically relevant, but will hopefully provide valuable insights into the mediation of the more common idiopathic form of the disease. The potential for improved renal survival of patients with HIV-associated nephropathy has become more realistic with the development and use of antiretroviral agents, as well as studies on the role of immunosuppression and ACE inhibition in this population. An awareness of other glomerular lesion and tubulointerstitial lesions has broadened our understanding of populations with renal disease who have been infected by HIV. Moreover, as prolonged survival of HIV-infected individuals is being achieved with modern antiviral therapy, the percentage of patients surviving with nephropathy will likely grow in coming years. Awareness of the growth of this population and those requiring short- and long-term hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis will allow appropriate planning for ESRD in the HIV-infected population.
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PMID:HIV infection and the kidney. 901 59

Mediastinal germ cell tumours (MGCT) are rare and most published series reflect the experiences of individual institutions over many years. Since 1979, we have treated 16 men (12 non-seminomatous germ cell tumours and 4 seminomas) with newly diagnosed primary MGCT with POMB/ACE chemotherapy and elective surgical resection of residual masses. This approach yielded complete remissions in 15/16 (94%) patients. The median follow-up was 6.0 years and no relapses occurred more than 2 years after treatment. The 5 year overall survival in the non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) is 73% (95% confidence interval 43-90%). One patient with NSGCT developed drug-resistant disease and died without achieving remission and 2 patients died of relapsed disease. In addition, 4 patients with bulky and/or metastatic seminoma were treated with POMB/ACE. One died of treatment-related neutropenic sepsis in complete remission and one died of relapsed disease. Finally, 4 patients (2 NSGCT and 2 seminomas) referred at relapse were treated with POMB/ACE and one was successfully salvaged. The combination of POMB/ACE chemotherapy and surgery is effective management for MGCT producing high long-term survival rates.
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PMID:POMB/ACE chemotherapy for mediastinal germ cell tumours. 929 97

Plasmapheresis is a general term involving extracorporeal plasma separation by centrifugation or primary membrane plasma separator (MPS). Further plasma processing can be accomplished by the use of secondary membrane plasma fractionation (PF), as in double filtration plasmapheresis, also called cascade filtration, low-density lipoprotein pheresis, thermofiltration, and cryofiltration apheresis. Otherwise, the separated plasma is replaced by colloid solution as in plasma exchange (PE). PE is used, unselectively, to treat patients with immunological, neurological, hematological, renal, and metabolic disorders. Secondary PF may be a more selective alternative. In general, the primary MPS and secondary PF are safe, effective, and biocompatible. The advantages of the primary MPS include its simplicity to use with blood pumps and no observed white blood cell or platelet loss, compared with centrifugation. The disadvantages are lack of versatility, the need to monitor transmembrane pressure to prevent hemolysis, and possible biocompatibility issues such as use of polyvinyl alcohol membranes. The advantages of secondary PF, compared with PE, include selective removal of macromolecules according to molecular weight and filter pore size. No deficiency syndromes or sepsis are observed, nor is replacement solution required. More than 1 plasma volume may be processed, and it is less expensive than PE. Cryofiltration apheresis, using the cryoglobulin filter, selectively removes cryoproteins and is a specific treatment for cryoprecipitate-induced diseases. The disadvantages of PF include biocompatibility, especially with concomitant ACE inhibitor use, and membrane plugging. An important disadvantage is that most PFs are investigational in the United States. This article reviews the availability, safety, efficacy, and biocompatibility of primary MPSs and secondary PF in the United States.
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PMID:Membrane plasmapheresis in the United States: a review over the last 20 years. 1172 18

Despite major advances in nutritional support, membrane technology and dialytic techniques, the mortality of patients with acute renal failure (ARF) who require dialysis is still almost 50% (1). Increased patient age and co-morbidity confer a poorer prognosis, and the condition is certainly commoner in this patient group. Hence, one study showed that the age-related annual incidence of ARF increased from 17 per million in adults under 50 years to 949 per million in the 80-89 age group (2). Over 60% of cases of ARF ultimately result from renal hypoperfusion and consequent intra-renal ischaemic damage, which leads to acute tubular necrosis (ATN) (3). Ischaemic ARF may thus result from a diversity of systemic and intra-renal circulatory stresses including acute losses of blood and extra-cellular fluids, from low cardiac output states such as following ischaemic or toxic myocardial damage, and even from drug-induced renal perfusion shutdown (ACE inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents). Many cases of ARF have a multi-factorial aetiology (e.g. post-surgical sepsis with hypovolaemia, hypotension and injudicious antibiotic use), and these patients, who often have other organ failure, fit into the poorer prognostic category. A large number of patients with ischaemic ARF pass through a phase of potentially reversible pre-renal oliguria; early recognition and prompt, appropriate treatment of these pre-renal factors can prevent progression to established ARF, with the genuine prospect of improved patient morbidity and mortality, and this is the main scope of this article. Early diagnosis in other patients with ARF, such as those with acute inflammatory renal disease (e.g. vasculitis) or urinary tract obstruction, will allow appropriate prompt treatment and the possibility for reversal of the ARF. The following account, which is composed of personal experience, that of colleagues, and the literature (1,4), is not intended to provide a comprehensive guide to the management of ARF, but seeks to highlight important common pitfalls and fundamental principles in the recognition and subsequent preventive treatment of these patients.
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PMID:Early management and prevention of acute renal failure. 1237 20

The angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) enalapril has been shown to lower elevated levels of circulating adhesion molecules (cAM) in critically ill patients. To delineate the mechanisms of this possibly beneficial effect of enalapril, we studied the acute effects of enalapril in a well-defined model of endotoxin-triggered, cytokine-mediated cAM up-regulation. In a randomized, controlled trial, 30 healthy male volunteers received 2 ng/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after pretreatment with placebo or 20 mg/day enalapril for 5 days or with a single dose of 20 mg of enalapril 2 h before LPS infusion. LPS infusion increased TNF levels 300-fold above normal, circulating (c) E-selectin levels by 425% (CI, 359%-492%), and P-selectin, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and von Willebrand factor levels by 47%-74%. LPS infusion also enhanced ICAM-1 and CD11b expression 2- to 3-fold on monocytes. However, no differences were seen between treatment groups (P > 0.05), despite 95% inhibition of ACE activity by enalapril. Inhibition of ACE activity by enalapril does not influence plasma indices of endothelial activation after endotoxin infusion in healthy individuals. Our results do not support the concept of a beneficial clinical effect of enalaprilat in septicemia.
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PMID:Enalapril does not alter adhesion molecule levels in human endotoxemia. 1274 88

Despite advanced techniques of renal replacement therapy the overall mortality of patients with ARF is still high. The majority of patients with ARF requiring dialysis are those with nontraumatic ARF. In a retrospective study we compared the causes of nontraumatic ARF, the risk factors for the development of renal failure and the mortality rates in patients with and without diabetes mellitus who received dialysis therapy in the years 1991-2000. A total of 232 patients were included in the study, 34 (14.6%) of them with and 198 patients (85.4%) without diabetes. The predominant causes of nontraumatic ARF like congestive heart failure (26.4 vs. 13.6, p < 0.05) and hypotension/hypovolemia (20.6 vs. 7.6%, p < 0.05) occurred more frequently in diabetic patients. The prevalence of sepsis (8.8 vs. 10.1%, NS), malignancy/ hypercalcemia (5.8 vs. 11.6%, NS) and other causes of nontraumatic ARF were similar in both groups. The prevalence of hepato-renal syndrome (5.8 vs. 13.6%, p < 0.05) and acute kidney graft failure (2.9 vs. 15.1%, p < 0.05) was higher in the nondiabetic individuals. Patients with diabetes showed more often chronic predictors for the onset of ARF like pre-existing hypertension (93.6 vs. 51.0%, p < 0.05), congestive heart failure (44.1 vs. 14.6%, p < 0.005), pre-existing renal insufficiency (76.4 vs. 46.9%, p < 0.05) and ACE-inhibitor therapy (32.3 vs. 9.6%, p < 0.005). Additionally, the prevalence of multiple organ failure (MOF) as prognostic factor was significantly higher in the diabetic patients (47.0 vs. 21.7%, p < 0.05). The mean number of dialyses therapy was 4.7 vs. 4.5 per patient. The overall mortality was 41.1 vs. 44.% (NS). In conclusion, the prevalence of the most common causes of nontraumatic ARF was different between the patients with and without diabetes. The diabetic individuals had more frequently predictors for the onset of ARF. The overall mortality was approximately the same in both groups.
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PMID:Causes and prognosis of nontraumatic acute renal failure requiring dialysis in adult patients with and without diabetes. 1508 20

Perfusion of the abdomen is determined by cardiac function and circulation. Intestinal ischemia can be caused by Non occlusive bowel ischemia (NOD) that is important in internal as well as surgical intensive care medicine. Cardiac medication can influence perfusion of the bowel: 1) digitalis increases muscular tonus and decreases perfusion regulation b) diuretics lead to hypovolemia, hypotonia and malperfusion, c) antihypertensive medication can cause intraoperative hypotension that demands catecholamines, d) catecholamines can reduce perfusion by pathologic vasoconstriction in the splanchnicus area. Preoperative medication should respect 1) preoperatively taken ACE-inhibitors should be given postoperatively, as they have protective influence on the microcirculation of the bowel, 2) beta-blockers stabilize the myogenic tonus of the abdominal vessels, reduce an overshot of the parasympatheticus and diminish the risk of neurogenic abdominal shock, 3) catecholamines should be used with respect to ischemia of the bowel. Therapy of NOD should be focused on the primary vascular and hemodynamic causes and also take care for bacterial translocation and consecutive sepsis.
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PMID:[Influence of cardiac circulation and medication on the perfusion of the intestine]. 1596 73


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