Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038220 (status epilepticus)
 7,272 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Despite recent advances in the treatment of status epilepticus (SE), the mortality and morbidity associated with this condition remains high. Although the reasons for this excessive mortality are not known, several factors are suspected, including cerebral ischemia, cardiovascular collapse, toxic stimulation by neurotransmitters and hormones, or toxic products of intermediary metabolism. Cerebral lactic acidosis can cause cortical injury and has been shown to occur with seizures in experimental animals and in a limited number of human studies. We determined cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma lactate in 29 patients with generalized SE of diverse etiology. CSF was obtained within 12 h of termination of clinical seizure activity. The mean CSF lactate for all SE patients was elevated (3.74 +/- 0.31 mM) as compared with that of normal controls (1.60 +/- 0.10 mM) from non-neurologic patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. In patients who died or had a poor neurologic recovery, CSF lactate level was 5.36 +/- 0.58 mM (9 patients), whereas in 20 patients who showed good recovery CSF lactate level was 3.01 +/- 0.22 mM (p less than 0.005). The results demonstrate that SE causes a significant increase in CSF lactate and suggest that the magnitude of lactate elevation may serve as a predictive indicator of morbidity and mortality.
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PMID:Cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels and prognosis in status epilepticus. 174 53

The MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) can be difficult to identify. We report MRI abnormalities that we believe are specific to this disorder in three patients with complete or partial MELAS syndrome. The patients all showed an unusual pattern on T2-weighted MRI with multifocal areas of hyperintense signal confined to the cortex of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and adjacent white matter. Some images suggested selective cortical involvement of deeper layers only. Deep white matter was relatively spared, distinguishing this from usual cerebrovascular disease or the edema after status epilepticus. Specificity of these findings is further suggested by a good correlation of these findings with the previously described unique postmortem brain pathology of MELAS.
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PMID:Magnetic resonance imaging shows specific abnormalities in the MELAS syndrome. 206 32

We studied the efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and brain entry of lorazepam in the treatment of status epilepticus (SE) using a rat model of secondarily generalized convulsive SE. Lorazepam entered the bloodstream rapidly following intraperitoneal injection. Brain concentrations peaked 10 minutes after peak serum levels were achieved. Lorazepam remained in brain longer than in serum, leading to increasing brain: serum ratios over time once peak serum levels had been reached. Free lorazepam was 9.1% of the total concentration in serum, a fraction similar to that which has been reported for humans. The median effective dose for control of generalized tonic-clonic seizures in this model was 0.94 mg/kg, which would produce a serum concentration of 196 ng/ml. Rats in SE had higher serum lorazepam concentrations than controls given the same doses, but lower brain: serum ratios, perhaps due to lactic acidosis during SE. Our data confirmed clinical reports of lorazepam's effectiveness as a treatment for SE and suggest that a target serum concentration of 200 ng/ml should be effective in most cases and provide seizure protection for 24 hours following treatment.
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PMID:Lorazepam treatment of experimental status epilepticus in the rat: relevance to clinical practice. 234 20

A 26 year old man with no previous history of convulsions presented in status epilepticus and severe lactic acidosis. He regained consciousness and the acidosis resolved after several hours of conservative management without intravenous bicarbonate, but he developed severe myalgia associated with marked elevation of creatine kinase and moderate raised plasma creatinine levels which resolved spontaneously after 3 days. Severe lactic acidosis and rhabdomyolysis may accompany status epilepticus, although they appear to be self-limiting without important sequelae.
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PMID:Severe, self-limiting lactic acidosis and rhabdomyolysis accompanying convulsions. 251 19

Severe prolonged migrainous symptoms and prolonged partial status epilepticus are characteristic features of the MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes). Maternal transmission previously found in myoclonus epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF), another mitochondrial disease, is suggested in this disorder as well.
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PMID:MELAS syndrome: characteristic migrainous and epileptic features and maternal transmission. 336 73

Two cases of congenital lactic acidosis associated with pyruvate carboxylase deficiency are described. One 2-mo-old infant had a fulminant clinical course with extremely severe intractable acidosis and died after 48 h in hospital. The second infant, aged 2 1/2 mo, had a milder clinical course, characterized by moderate acidosis and frequent convulsive episodes. He died at the age of 3 mo due to respiratory arrest following prolonged status epilepticus. Pyruvate carboxylase activity in liver biopsy specimens obtained from the two patients was 1 and 50% of normal, respectively. Both patients failed to respond to treatment, including massive doses of thiamine and high serum levels of lactate and pyruvate were found throughout their illnesses. Cerebral autopsy performed in both cases was unremarkable. Absence of neuropathological findings ruled out the possibility of Leigh's disease.
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PMID:Congenital lactic acidosis associated with pyruvate carboxylase deficiency. 679 24

A 16-year-old female presented with clinical, morphologic and molecular features of mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). Her early development was normal. Starting from the age of 14 years, she experienced recurrent episodes of headaches, with vomiting, seizures, transient right hemiparesis and decreased visual acuity. Computed tomographic brain scans revealed calcification in the bilateral basal ganglia. Biopsied specimens from her left biceps brachii and rectus femoris muscles revealed ragged-red fibers and strong succinate dehydrogenase-reactive blood vessels. Electron microscopy revealed paracrystalline inclusions in muscle mitochondria. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from blood, hair follicles and muscle specimens showed an A to G point mutation at nucleotide position 3,243 in the transfer RNA(Leu(UUR)). The proportion of mutant mtDNA in the patient's blood was 43%, in hair follicles 62% and in muscle 82%. The patient was followed up for 4 years and had progressive mental deterioration and died of an episode of status epilepticus. This patient and 5 other MELAS patients reported in Taiwan are compared.
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PMID:Heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA mutation in a patient with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes. 761 32

Patients with mitochondrial disease may present to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a variety of neurological and general medical disorders. Eleven patients were admitted to a neurological ICU between 1970 and 1992 because of respiratory insufficiency, status epilepticus and/or metabolic encephalopathy associated with mitochondrial disease. Respiratory impairment occurred in eight patients and was associated with nocturnal hypoventilation due to respiratory muscle weakness, aspiration due to bulbar weakness and abnormalities of central control leading to a reduced CO2 drive, irregular respiratory patterns and sleep apnoea. Seven patients received continuous respiratory support during the acute illness; three were subsequently weaned to domiciliary ventilation, and four died. Five patients had stroke-like episodes, which in two were recurrent. Four patients developed tonic-clonic grand mal epilepsy associated with myoclonic fits (2 patients), absences (2), focal fits (1) and status epilepticus (2). Encephalopathy was associated with recurrent lactic acidosis (2 patients), cardiac failure (2), hyponatraemia (2), renal abnormalities (3) and complete heart block (1). Although rare, mitochondrial disease should be considered in any patient with unexplained respiratory failure, intractable epilepsy, lactic acidosis or recurrent stroke.
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PMID:Management of mitochondrial disease on an intensive care unit. 776 70

Human status epilepticus (SE) is consistently associated with cognitive problems, and with widespread neuronal necrosis in hippocampus and other brain regions. In animal models, convulsive SE causes extensive neuronal necrosis. Nonconvulsive SE in adult animals also leads to widespread neuronal necrosis in vulnerable regions, although lesions develop more slowly than they would in the presence of convulsions or anoxia. In very young rats, nonconvulsive normoxic SE spares hippocampal pyramidal cells, but other types of neurons may not show the same resistance, and inhibition of brain growth, DNA and protein synthesis, and of myelin formation and of synaptogenesis may lead to altered brain development. Lesions induced by SE may be epileptogenic by leading to misdirected regeneration. In SE, glutamate, aspartate, and acetylcholine play major roles as excitatory neurotransmitters, and GABA is the dominant inhibitory neurotransmitter. GABA metabolism in substantia nigra (SN) plays a key role in seizure arrest. When seizures stop, a major increase in GABA synthesis is seen in SN postictally. GABA synthesis in SN may fail in SE. Extrasynaptic factors may also play an important role in seizure spread and in maintaining SE. Glial immaturity, increased electronic coupling, and SN immaturity facilitate SE development in the immature brain. Major increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) protect the brain in early SE, but CBF falls in late SE as blood pressure falters. At the same time, large increases in cerebral metabolic rate for glucose and oxygen continue throughout SE. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion and lactate accumulation are associated with hypermetabolic neuronal necrosis. Excitotoxic mechanisms mediated by both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA glutamate receptors open ionic channels permeable to calcium and play a major role in neuronal injury from SE. Hypoxia, systemic lactic acidosis, CO2 narcosis, hyperkalemia, hypoglycemia, shock, cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary edema, acute renal tubular necrosis, high output failure, aspiration pneumonia, hyperpyrexia, blood leukocytosis and CSF pleocytosis are common and potentially serious complications of SE. Our improved understanding of the pathophysiology of brain damage in SE should lead to further improvement in treatment and outcome.
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PMID:Pathophysiological mechanisms of brain damage from status epilepticus. 838 2

We report on the age and the causes of death in 16 patients with mitochondrial diseases. Nine patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) died at a mean age of 34 years and three patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia at a mean age of 56 years. The causes of death were cardiopulmonary failure (n = 5), status epilepticus (n = 4), aspiration pneumonia (n = 2), pulmonary embolism (n = 2), renal failure (n = 1), metabolic disturbance (n = 1), and unknown causes (n = 1). Thus, many patients in this series died of medical complications, some of which may be prevented.
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PMID:Age and cause of death in mitochondrial diseases. 1048 54


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