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Query: UMLS:C0042963 (vomiting)
 31,883 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We describe the full history and postmortem findings in one of the first identified cases of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with stroke-like episodes (MELAS). To clarify diagnostic criteria, we analyzed 69 reported cases. The syndrome should be suspected by the following three invariant criteria: (1) stroke-like episode before age 40 yr; (2) encephalopathy characterized by seizures, dementia, or both; and (3) lactic acidosis, ragged-red fibers (RRF), or both. The diagnosis may be considered secure if there are also at least two of the following: normal early development, recurrent headache, or recurrent vomiting. There are incomplete syndromes in relatives of patients with the full syndrome and incomplete syndromes might also be encountered in sporadic cases. Some MELAS patients have features of the Kearns-Sayre syndrome (KSS) or myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF), but none had the full KSS syndrome. In partial or confusing cases, analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may point to the correct diagnosis; however, not all patients with clinical MELAS have had the typical mtDNA point mutation and some patients with the mutation have clinical syndromes other than MELAS.
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PMID:Melas: an original case and clinical criteria for diagnosis. 142

A 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy had ptosis, progressive external ophthalmoplegia, pigmentary retinopathy, and sensorineural hearing loss. The girl had diabetes mellitus and the boy had hypoparathyroidism. Both children also developed recurrent vomiting and cerebral infarcts with lactic acidosis. Muscle biopsy specimens showed ragged-red fibers and Southern analysis demonstrated a distinct heteroplasmic deletion of muscle mitochondrial DNA in each patient but no evidence of the point mutation in the transfer RNALeu(UUR) gene recently identified in mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). These 2 children had combined features of Kearns-Sayre syndrome and MELAS, suggesting that mitochondrial DNA deletions occasionally can have pleomorphic clinical expression.
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PMID:Deletion of mitochondrial DNA in patients with combined features of Kearns-Sayre and MELAS syndromes. 189 71

A case of 25-year-old woman with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) was reported. She had short stature, episodic vomiting with headache, several episodes with homonymous hemianopsia, progressive intellectual decline, generalized convulsion, muscular atrophy, sensory disturbance on the left side of the body, and primary amenorrhea. Lactate, pyruvate and the lactate to pyruvate ratio were elevated in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Muscle biopsy revealed ragged-red fibers. On electron microscopy there were subsarcolemmal aggregations of abnormal mitochondria with proliferation of crista and inclusions. Activities of the respiratory chain enzymes of the muscle mitochondria were normal. She showed a failure of GH response to arginine and levodopa and delayed response of serum GH to growth hormone releasing factor (GRF). She also showed decreased gonadotropin levels and delayed response of the hormone to LH-RH. In this case, a dysfunction of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis may be related to the short stature and primary amenorrhea. It is suggested that the hypothalamo-pituitary hypofunction may be one of the characteristic features in MELAS.
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PMID:[Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) associated with hypothalamo-pituitary hypofunction--a case report]. 206 Feb 43

A 17-year-old boy who had mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with focal deficiency of cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity is described. He experienced 3 episodes of muscle weakness, fatigability, nausea, vomiting and concomitant increase of serum creatine kinase activity, at the age of 13, 15 and 17 years. During interval there was no muscle weakness and the serum creatine kinase activity was within normal range. Increased levels of lactic acid and pyruvic acid were observed in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. After an aerobic exercise test, lactic acid and pyruvic acid in the blood increased to an abnormally high level, and the arterial blood became acidic (pH 7.297). On EEG, occasional intermittent irregular theta activities were observed in the anterior region, but there were no abnormalities on CT and MRI in the central nervous system. In the biopsied muscle, ragged-red fibers comprised 20% on modified Gomori-trichrome staining and a number of fibers with no CCO activity were scattered throughout. The CCO activity in the mitochondria isolated from the biopsied muscle was reduced to 49.2 nmol/min/mg protein (normal range 144.7-355.8), while other mitochondrial enzyme activities in the electron transport system were normal. From these data, the patient was considered to have a unique form of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. By the administration of a large amount of coenzyme Q10, episodes of muscle weakness and nausea, and an increase of lactic acid and pyruvic acid in the blood after aerobic exercise test were no longer observed.
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PMID:[Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (focal cytochrome c oxidase deficiency) with transient episodes of muscle weakness and elevation of serum creatine kinase activity]. 216 88

A 12-year-old boy with corticosteroid-responsive mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is described. His mother proved to have an asymptomatic mitochondrial myopathy on examination of a muscle biopsy specimen. Three weeks after the onset of vomiting, headache, ataxia and visual and speech impairment, he presented with a background of somatic growth retardation, deafness and school failure. Examination revealed disorientation, dysphasia, dyspraxia, optic atrophy, hemianopia, hemiparesis and sensory inattention. A cranial computed tomographic scan disclosed a large, low-density area, which was consistent with infarction, in the left posterior hemisphere and marked calcification of the basal ganglia bilaterally. Within two weeks of the commencement of corticosteroid treatment, the neurological dysfunction resolved. Attempts to decrease the dosage of dexamethasone caused an exacerbation of symptoms repeatedly. Two weeks after ceasing corticosteroid therapy, the patient developed a serious neurological relapse and a new, large, low-density area, which resembled an infarction, in the right posterior hemisphere on a computed tomographic scan. The reintroduction of corticosteroid therapy again resulted in the rapid resolution of all symptoms. It became evident that the patient had an exquisitely sensitive corticosteroid dependency, whereby a reduction in the dexamethasone dosage of even 0.25 mg a day caused confusion, headaches and increasing lactic acidaemia. Although it is difficult to assess the impact of various therapies in MELAS because of the episodic natural course of the disease, this remarkable corticosteroid responsiveness also has been noted in four previously reported patients with MELAS syndrome; therefore, it would seem reasonable to suggest that corticosteroid therapy now should be considered as standard treatment for this condition. However, corticosteroid therapy in other forms of mitochondrial disorders still awaits careful evaluation.
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PMID:Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with corticosteroid dependence. 273 98

We describe a 16-year-old Japanese girl with a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy who presented with progressive dementia, limb weakness and atrophy, episodic vomiting, generalized convulsions, myoclonic seizures, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. CT scan revealed transient focal low density areas in her occipital and parietal lobes, and cerebellar atrophy. The clinical features were consistent with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes (MELAS). Microscopically, most of muscle fibers in the skeletal muscles and heart were occupied by markedly increased mitochondria. Polarographic studies on mitochondria isolated from postmortem heart muscle showed severe impairment of oxidation of NADH-linked substrates in contrast to normal succinate oxidation. The rotenone-sensitive NADH-coenzyme Q reductase activity was markedly decreased in heart, skeletal muscle and liver mitochondria. The biochemical investigations have led to the identification of a defect of complex I in the respiratory chain. Reported cases of a defect of complex I have revealed pure myopathy, encephalopathy or encephalomyopathy. The reason for a varied clinical expression of a single defect remains to be clarified.
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PMID:A mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with cardiomyopathy. A case revealing a defect of complex I in the respiratory chain. 310 81

A case of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis, a stroke-like episode (MELAS) without ragged red fiber, diagnosed by mitochondrial DNA testing, is reported. A 37-year-old woman experienced a sudden and recurrent headache with vomiting and stroke-like episodes. Brain CT and MRI showed multiple infarction in the temporal lobes, not corresponding to artery distribution. However, the plasma levels of lactate and pyruvate were normal, and showed no increased after aerobic exercise. Biopsied muscle showed no evidence of ragged red fibers and deficient activity of mitochondrial enzymes in the respiratory chain. The final diagnosis was made by mitochondrial DNA testing. A southern blot analysis after Apa I digestion revealed the A-to-G mutation in the tRNA(Leu(UUR)), which is specific to MELAS.
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PMID:MELAS without ragged red fibers or lactic acidosis diagnosed by mitochondrial DNA testing. 830 80

A case of MELAS (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) which presented as migraine complicated by stroke is reported. Strokes associated with migraine have often been reported, but the mechanism remains unclear and may include a variety of pathologies. MELAS also presents with migrainous headache, vomiting, and stroke-like symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates characteristic findings. MELAS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infarct-like lesions with migrainous headaches in young adults, especially if the symptoms fluctuate and are accompanied by a homonymous hemianopia.
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PMID:MELAS presenting as migraine complicated by stroke: case report. 940 3

The syndrome of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is an uncommon neuromuscular disorder caused by mitochondrial dysfunctions that result in headaches, seizures, and progressive dementia. The authors describe a clinical case study of gastrointestinal manifestations in a pedigree with MELAS, in which all three children, ages 11, 8, and 6, demonstrated acute onset of intestinal obstruction. They unexpectedly showed severe abdominal distension and vomiting. Their parents had no clinical manifestation. The first female sibling underwent an emergent laparotomy because she was diagnosed to have intestinal strangulation. She had postoperative complications caused by progressive lactic acidosis and died the next day. The second and third sisters had similar onsets of the disease and were treated with gastrointestinal decompression and intravenous administration of lactate-free fluid and coenzyme Q10. Genetic testing using blood samples showed an A-to-G point mutation at nucleotide position 3243 in the tRNALeu(UUR) region in the mitochondrial DNA. In MELAS children who demonstrate acute onset of gastrointestinal manifestations, a careful review of family history and an elevation of serum lactate and pyruvate levels may enable a differential diagnosis to be made of acute abdomen to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention.
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PMID:Familial occurrence of intestinal obstruction in children with the syndrome of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). 986 67

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome has various presentations. We report on a case of MELAS in which alternate-sided homonymous hemianopia was the main symptom of recurrent neurological defects. A 19-year-old woman suffered from blurred vision, headaches, vomiting, and fever that subsided within days. The ophthalmic examination demonstrated right homonymous hemianopia. One month later a similar episode occurred again. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of her brain revealed an infarct in the left temporo-occipital lobes. Exercise tests showed lactic acidosis, and a muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of mitochondrial myopathy. Half a month later, a third episode occurred. Visual field examination demonstrated left homonymous hemianopia and partial recovery of the right visual field. The infarct in the brain, as revealed by CT and MRI, was compatible with the visual field changes. MELAS should be ruled out in young patients who present with homonymous hemianopia accompanied by recurrent headaches or other recurrent symptoms.
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PMID:Alternate-sided homonymous hemianopia as the solitary presentation of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, stroke-like episodes syndrome. 1279 Feb 25


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