Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0042384 (vasculitis)
 20,525 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the majority of patients with intestinal infarction, it is generally agreed that the occlusion of mesenteric arteries or vein is the primary etiologic factor; however, some showed no evidence of thrombosis, embolization or vasculitis as the causative factor. In many patients, this particular type of infarction is the terminal event of the episode. From October 1977 to December 1986, 24 patients with mesenteric infarction were investigated following cardiovascular surgery in our institute. Among them, 15 were diagnosed with organic vascular occlusion; however, the other 9 showed no evidence of thromboembolism or any other organic vascular occlusive lesion of mesenteric vessels and were diagnosed as non-occlusive mesenteric infarctions. All of these patients were in severe cardiac failure (LOS) postoperatively. There was no typical symptom, although abdominal fullness and diarrhea were the major and consistent findings. In blood chemical analysis, the enzymatic levels such as serum GOT, LDH and CPK were significantly elevated and discrepancy between serum GOT and serum GPT was observed. In this clinical situation, it was difficult to establish a correct diagnosis mainly because of the few signs and symptoms present relating to the mesenteric infarction. On the other hand, when the correct diagnosis was made, these patients were too critically ill to be treated conservatively. The outcome of these patients was grave and all of them died which showed 100% of mortality rate. The conservative management did not produce favorable progress, which accelerated LOS and prevented patients from recovering from cardiac failure. The aggressive surgical approach to this particular type of acute mesenteric ischemia might have offered an improved prognosis from these catastrophic events.
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PMID:[Non-occlusive mesenteric infarction following cardiovascular surgery]. 202 11

A 31-year-old women with chronic active hepatitis B (HBs antigen-positive, HBe antigen-negative) developed a painful petechia rash on both lower legs and the inner surface of the thighs. Histology of a skin biopsy revealed leucocytoclastic vasculitis. The affected skin areas contained HBs antigen and immunoglobulins. Immunosuppressive treatment with initially 60mg/d prednisolone improved the skin condition but activated the chronic hepatitis, GPT rising up to 240 U/l. The steroid treatment had to be discontinued. Subsequently the transaminases became normal but the vasculitis foci recurred. The patient was therefore given alpha-interferon, three times 5 mill. IU weekly subcutaneously for 6 months. The skin lesions disappeared and the circulating HBV-DNA decreased. But the HBs antigen could not be eliminated. It is to be noted that 12 months after the end of the alpha-interferon treatment the vasculitis has not recurred. - This case and published reports indicate that interferon treatment is effective against HBV-associated and immunoglobulin-complex mediated disease.
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PMID:[Hepatitis-B-associated vasculitis. Clinical course with glucocorticoid and alpha-interferon therapy]. 792 48

We report a case of hepatitis C virus-associated glomerulonephropathy presenting with MPO-ANCA-positive, rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis(RPGN). A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of RPGN. Laboratory evaluation revealed microhematuria, proteinuria(800 mg/day), anemia, renal failure(blood urea nitrogen 27 mg/dl, serum creatinine 2.2 mg/dl), cryoglobulinemia, hypocomplementemia, positive MPO-ANCA(232 EU), and hepatitis C virus infection(GOT 58 IU/l, GPT 38IU/l, HCV-RNA(PCR) 1,200 kcopy/ml, serotype 1). After admission, the patient's renal function and anemia deteriorated rapidly, then prednisolone(30 mg/day) was started. After treatment her renal function gradually improved, then a renal and liver biopsy was performed. The renal biopsy revealed six sclerosing fibrous crescentic glomeruli in twelve glomeruli. Immunofluorescent examination revealed granular deposits of IgG, C3, and fibrinogen along the glomerular basement membrane and mesangial matrix. The pathogenesis of RPGN in this case may relate to the deposition of immune complexes in the glomeruli because immunofluorescent examination was revealed to be the immune-complex type, but not pauci immune type nephritis. Liver histology revealed chronic active hepatitis with mild piecemeal necrosis and did not reveal vasculitis. Although her renal function was improved after treatment with prednisolone, she suffered from pulmonary manifestations(dry cough etc.) on the 120th hospital day. Suddenly she died because of pulmonary hemorrhage on the 180th hospital day. These findings suggest that various HCV-induced immunological abnormalities, such as positive MPO-ANCA, cryoglobulinemia and hypocomplementemia, play an important role in the pathogenesis of this RPGN, although we could not demonstrate deposition within glomeruli of immune complexes containing HCV. The effect of interferon therapy on such immunological abnormalities remains to be documented. Since interferon is known to have immunomodulatory effects, we selected corticosteroid therapy. Future studies need to focus on the optimal treatment strategy for hepatitis C virus-associated glomerulonephritis.
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PMID:[A case of hepatitis C virus-associated glomerulonephropathy presenting with MPO-ANCA-positive rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis]. 1089 95