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)

We retrospectively studied 42 patients hospitalized for Stevens-Johnson syndrome at the Veterans General Hospital-Taipei between 1979 and 1991. Twenty-seven patients were males and 15 females; the ages ranged from 7 months to 82 years old with a mean age 50. The most common precipitating factor was drugs among which diphenylhydantion was the leading offender followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and allopurinol. Sixteen cases might be etiologically associated with infection, including 13 with upper respiratory infection, one with acute hepatitis B, one with pulmonary tuberculosis, and one with fever of unknown origin that was suspected to be viral infection. Although mycoplasma infection was thought in the literature to be a common etiologic factor of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, it was scarcely found in our study. Four patients were not treated with systemic steroids but still recovered uneventfully. Systemic steroid as a whole was not proved to be necessary, but early large-dose steroid therapy might abbreviate the course of the disease. The mortality rate was 11.9% which differs unremarkably from the reported rate (5-15%). Two patients died of pneumonia with sepsis, one of hemorrhagic shock (bleeding of adenocarcinoma of stomach), one of aspiration pneumonia, and one of sepsis with disseminated intravascular coagulation, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic coma.
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PMID:[Stevens-Johnson syndrome: a review of 42 cases]. 849 Jul 98

A case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) associated with pulmonary cryptococcosis which was successfully treated with fluconazole (FCZ) and flucytosine (5-FC) is described. A 63-year-old woman who had been treated with steroid for SLE and low dose methotrexate (MTX) for RA was admitted to Jichi Medical School Hospital because of abnormal shadow in the chest X-ray film. Physical examination revealed no abnormality. A chest CT film showed multiple nodular shadows localized in the right lower lobe. An ultrasonically guided trans-cutaneous lung biopsy performed on 10th hospital day established a diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis. Following the treatment with FCZ and 5-FC for a month, her abnormal lung shadows improved and serum cryptococcal antigen level was decreased. A survey of the literature from 1955 to 1990 revealed 44 cases of SLE associated with cryptococcosis in Japan, in addition to our case, most of whom were on corticosteroid therapy. The majority of patients were young women, representing the usual population of patients with SLE. 34 of these patients had cryptococcal meningitis; 22, pulmonary cryptococcosis; 6, sepsis; 6 cutaneous cryptococcosis. Twenty patients died. Deep fungal infections should be considered whenever patients with SLE have fever of unknown origin, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, or unexplained CNS symptoms.
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PMID:[A case report--pulmonary cryptococcosis associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and review of 44 cases in Japan]. 849 85

The management of a pregnancy complicated by uterus myomatosus remains being controversially discussed. Myomectomy early in pregnancy is opposed by exspectative management with myomectomy subsequent to the post partum period. Therapeutic abortion and exstirpation of the gravid uterus represent only hypothetical but not reasonable alternatives. Complications like ureteral obstruction, sepsis, and torsion of the uterus with subperimetrial bleeding as a cause of fever of unknown origin may occur. Rapid growth of a fibromatous uterus in pregnancy may call for a biopsy. Two cases are presented to demonstrate that with intensive pregnancy surveillance exspectative management is justified and may lead to successful confinement of the pregnancy.
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PMID:[Pregnancy and extreme myomatous uterus--conservative management]. 899 21

The variable and nonspecific presentations of psoas abscess, as well as its infrequent incidence in the emergency department (ED), can result in delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Previous reports have not discussed the diagnostic difficulties of psoas abscess from the viewpoint of emergency physicians (EPs), especially in light of the widespread use of ED ultrasonography. This report describes a 1-year experience between November 1993 and October 1994, during which 10 ED patients were diagnosed to have psoas abscess; in 7 cases, diagnoses were established in the ED. Patients' mean age was 64.6 years (range, 46 to 76). Pain was the most frequently encountered symptom (80%), with 5 patients (50%) complaining of flank pain. The triad of fever, flank pain, and limitation of hip movement, which is specific for psoas abscess, was present only in 3 patients (30%). The mean duration of symptoms was 10.6 days (range, 1 to 30 days). The mean time spent to establish the diagnosis was 1.7 days (range, 0 to 7 days). The diagnosis of psoas abscess was established by ultrasound in 6 patients, by computed tomography (CT) in 3 patients, and by surgery in 1 patient. Four patients who presented with either sepsis and nonspecific abdominal/flank pain or sepsis and thigh swelling were diagnosed to have psoas abscess by ultrasound performed by EPs. Only 3 patients were admitted to the ED with an initial diagnosis of psoas abscess. The remaining 7 had the following initial ED diagnoses: 2, fever of unknown origin; 2, septic shock; 1, shock; 1, sepsis; and 1, peritonitis. All but one had manifestations of sepsis. Two patients died of septic shock; these two patients had failed to be drained well. This report also includes a discussion of the role of EPs and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of psoas abscess. With their alertness and their expertise in ultrasonographic techniques, EPs can make an immediate diagnosis and arrange an early drainage procedure. For patients with sepsis of unknown origin, prolonged fever of unknown origin, and some specific manifestations suggestive of psoas abscess, the screening ultrasound should scan not only abdominal solid organs but also peritoneal cavity and retroperitoneal space. In addition, a flow chart is presented for facilitating the diagnosis of psoas abscess in the ED.
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PMID:Psoas abscess: making an early diagnosis in the ED. 900 79

We present the first, probably autocton, case of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in Rio de Janeiro State. The patient presented initially with fever of unknown origin and severe eosinophilia developing acute abdomen due to small bowel perfuration, peritonitis, hepatic necrosis and sepsis. At the laparotomy a segment of small bowel was ressected and a liver biopsy was performed. Histopatology revealed the presence of an intra-arterial nematode, eosinophilic arteritis and granuloma. It is discussed the clinicopathological aspects of this rare and potentially severe disease that has not an established drug treatment since oral anti-helmintics are contra-indicated. The authors emphasize the importance of avoiding indiscriminate use of oral anti-helmintic drugs based only in blood eosinophilia.
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PMID:[Abdominal angiostrongyliasis: report of a potential autochthonous case from Rio de Janeiro]. 971 15

Accessory spleens are not infrequent and occur in 11 to 44 per cent of the population with a greater incidence in those with hematological disease. They may remain clinically silent or result in a number of pathologic processes. Abscess of an accessory spleen is rare but must be considered in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin or sepsis in select groups of patients. Computerized tomography is the imaging modality of choice and may also be used in the percutaneous drainage of select cases. Laparoscopic splenectomy in the hands of the experienced laparoendoscopic surgeon is a viable treatment option.
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PMID:Abscess of an accessory spleen. 1069 57

In this study, we evaluated the role of 67Ga whole-body and single photon emission tomographic (SPET) imaging in the early diagnosis and lesion localization of spinal epidural abscess before confirmation by gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Six patients with fever of unknown origin had a 67Ga whole-body scan, four of whom also underwent SPET imaging. For further confirmation of a spinal epidural abscess, gadolinium-enhanced MRI was performed in all patients. All patients had increased 67Ga uptake in a spinal or paraspinal area on the whole-body scan. They were later confirmed to have a spinal epidural abscess after gadolinium-enhanced MRI. Of these six patients, five underwent surgical drainage plus parenterally administered antibiotics, and had complete or partial recovery. One died before operation due to sepsis. In conclusion, we suggest performing a 67Ga whole-body survey as early as possible in patients with fever of unknown origin, fever and back pain and/or the spinal syndrome, before MRI is performed. If a spinal epidural abscess is strongly suspected, SPET is needed for further confirmation of spinal versus non-spinal and contiguous versus non-contiguous lesion(s). If MRI is unavailable, then 67Ga scintigraphy is a satisfactory method for investigating spinal epidural abscesses.
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PMID:The role of 67Ga in the early detection of spinal epidural abscesses. 1075 12

Topotecan is a topoisomerase I inhibitor with significant activity in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Pre-clinical data suggest a synergistic activity with DNA damaging agents such as cyclophosphamide, where topotecan might prevent the repair of cyclophosphamide-induced DNA damage. We thus designed a combination including cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 every 12 hours given on days 1 to 3; topotecan 1.25 mg/m2/day by continuous infusion on days 2 to 6, and cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) 2 g/m2 over 4 hours daily for 5 days on days 2 to 6 (CAT). Sixty six (63 evaluable) patients were treated. Fifty two patients had refractory (n=12) or relapsed (n=40) acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and eleven had acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) (refractory n=3, relapsed n=8); their median age was 57 years (range, 18 to 79 years). Eleven patients (17%) achieved a complete remission (CR), and two patients (3%) had a hematologic improvement (HI; met all criteria for CR except for platelets < 100x10(9)/L), for an overall response rate of 20%. Responses occurred in 12 of 52 AML patients (23%), including 10 CR (19%) and 2 HI (4%), and in 1 of 11 patients with ALL (9%). Myelosuppression was universal; there were 23 episodes of pneumonia or sepsis and 18 episodes of fever of unknown origin complicating 74 courses of CAT. Non-hematologic toxicity was mostly gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and mucositis, but was severe in only 8%. In summary, the CAT regimen is well tolerated and has significant anti-leukemia activity which warrants further investigation.
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PMID:Cyclophosphamide, ara-C and topotecan (CAT) for patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia. 1078 92

Host immune responses strongly control the outcome of infectious disease, and the resistance to bacterial infections in humans is in part genetically determined. Responses to Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin are affected by the concentration of plasma lipoproteins and lipid transport proteins that are genetically controlled. Alterations of plasma lipid profiles by genetic manipulation in mice indeed strongly modify resistance to bacterial infections. Recently, the TLR-4 receptor has been identified as the endotoxin receptor, and TLR-4 mutations are the cause of endotoxin resistance in mice. It is probable that such defects also exist in humans, although they must be rare. The capacity of monocytes to produce TNFalpha varies more than tenfold, and several polymorphisms within the TNFalpha gene have been associated with increased TNFalpha production and increased mortality of sepsis. However, these associations most likely result from linkage disequilibrium with other immune response genes on chromosome 6. Polymorphisms within the IL-1beta and the IL-1RA genes (located on chromosome 2) are associated with altered protein production rates, and certain haplotypes have been linked to inflammatory disease (no studies in bacterial infectious disease have been published). Mutations in the receptors for IL-12 and IFNgamma, both critical for clearance of intracellular infectious pathogens, occur in consanguineous populations and are associated with severe recurrent infections with Salmonella species and mycobacteria. In conclusion, no human cytokine deficiency syndromes are known, and it remains uncertain whether genetically determined differences in the production rate of pro-inflammatory cytokines alter the outcome of sepsis. In contrast, mutations in the IL-12 and IFNgamma receptor (and possibly the endotoxin receptor) genes are associated with recurrent bacterial infections, whereas TNFR1 mutations cause fever of unknown origin.
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PMID:Cytokine and cytokine receptor polymorphisms in infectious disease. 1078 65

Inflammation is a complex reaction of the organism which develops as a response to invasion of an infectious subject or as a response to injury to cells or tissues. Correct and early localization of infection or an inflammatory lesion allows removing the inflammatory cause quickly. Over the recent thirty years, a wide range of radiopharmaceuticals, more or less applicable in scintigraphic imaging of inflammatory and infectious diseases, have been developed. The aim has been to develop new substances that are non-toxic, do not provoke immune reactions, and produce a minimal absorbed radioactive dose. Furthermore, these substances should accumulate significantly in the target tissue (i.e. in inflammation), while the accumulation in non-target tissues should be minimal or the elimination of radiopharmaceuticals from non-target tissues must be quick. The goal is that these substances may also be easily available and inexpensive. Another purpose is to develop such substances that could possess not only sufficient sensitivity but also specificity in relation to certain types of inflammation and infection. The main indications for radionuclide imaging are as follows: inflammatory bowel disease, soft tissue sepsis, predominantly abdominal sepsis, musculoskeletal infection, and fever of unknown origin.
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PMID:[A review of radiodiagnosis of inflammations]. 1124 30


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