Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0085437 (bacterial meningitis)
 4,038 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Marked differences in body composition and organ function development have been demonstrated among neonates, infants, and children versus adults. Specific dosage guidelines for the paediatric population, however, are still not available for the majority of marketed drugs. Much needs to be learned about the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, comparative efficacy and safety of drugs in infants and children. Recent developments in paediatric therapeutics include the availability of several new antibiotics for the treatment of infections including, streptococcal pharyngitis, otitis media, bacterial meningitis, herpes encephalitis, neonatal herpes, and AIDS. Corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin have become important adjunctive treatments for certain infections. A variety of drugs are available to treat asthma but the mortality due to this disease is still increasing. The identification of a gene defect in patients with cystic fibrosis could lead to more effective treatment in the future. Ondansetron, marketed for use in adults only, shows promise as a more effective and safer antiemetic in children receiving cancer chemotherapy. Numerous drugs are not available in suitable dosage forms for paediatric use and extemporaneous formulations are required. Documentation on the stability of the reformulated drugs is therefore needed. Studies have shown that the methods used for intravenous delivery can influence the serum concentrations of drugs in infants and children. Large numbers of children could be saved worldwide solely with improved vaccination and control of diarrhoea. Despite this, it is encouraging to witness the continued advances being made in paediatric pharmacotherapy.
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PMID:Advances in paediatric pharmacotherapy. 163 75

To determine the importance of intracranial hypertension in central nervous system acute infections, we studied intracranial pressure (ICP) in 27 patients, aged 45 days to 13 years. Fourteen had meningitis and 13 had encephalitis; all were in deep coma with a Glasgow Coma Scale 7 or less. Intracranial hypertension defined by a mean ICP above 15 mm Hg was observed in 12 patients with meningitis (86%) and in 9 with encephalitis (69%). Patients with meningitis exhibited a very early and severe intracranial hypertension. A striking difference is noted between survivors and non-survivors who had a very high maximal ICP with a severe reduction in cerebral perfusion pressure. Intracranial hypertension occurred in all patients with acute primitive encephalitis but only in 3/7 patients with post-infectious encephalitis. ICP monitoring seems to be important in the comatose forms of bacterial meningitis in the early period, herpes encephalitis and postinfectious encephalitis with severe status epilepticus.
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PMID:[Intracranial pressure in comatose meningitis and encephalitis in children]. 318 25

To determinate the importance of intracranial hypertension in central nervous system (CNS) acute infections, we studied intracranial pressure (ICP) in 27 patients, age 45 days to 13 years. Fourteen had meningitis and 13 had encephalitis; all were in deep coma with Glasgow Coma Scale 7 or less. Intracranial hypertension defined by a mean ICP above 15 mmHg, was observed in 12 patients with meningitis (86%) and in 9 with encephalitis (69%). Patients with meningitis exhibited a sudden and severe intracranial hypertension. A striking difference was noted between survivors and non survivors who had a very high maximal ICP with a severe reduction of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). Intracranial hypertension occurred in all patients with acute primary encephalitis but in only 3/7 patients with post-infectious encephalitis. ICP monitoring seems to be important in the comatose forms of: (1) bacterial meningitis in the early period (2) herpes encephalitis (3) post-infectious encephalitis with severe status epilepticus.
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PMID:Intracranial pressure in childhood central nervous system infections. 322 Oct 7

The diagnosis on the exclusion of infectious diseases of the central nervous system, especially of bacterial infections still is one of the most important issues in clinical microbiology. In bacterial meningitis, where lethal courses as well as severe sequelae are still frequent, there should be a rapid diagnosis not only with microscopy but also with Limulus test and antigen detection tests because a specific therapy should be initiated as soon as possible. But also viral infections caused by varicella or herpes virus are increasingly susceptible to chemotherapy. The indication for the examination of cerebrospinal fluid, the minimal volume for exhaustive laboratory tests and the possibilities of a stepwise diagnostic procedure are given with reference data from literature for the various techniques. In our experience the synopsis of laboratory results and clinical symptoms yielded in 75% of all cases the exclusion of an infectious etiology of the disease. In 17% a bacterial meningitis or the infection of a hydrocephalus shunt could be diagnosed. Viral infections could be proven in 4% either by antibody or by antigen detection. Only in 1% of all patients the clinical symptoms and the laboratory parameters remained unclear.
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PMID:[Microbiologic-immunologic laboratory diagnosis in suspected meningitis/encephalitis]. 331 73

A highly sensitive and specific immunoradiometric assay, based upon a monoclonal antibody, was used to measure interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with central nervous system infections and in controls with non-infectious neurological disorders. IFN-alpha was detected in all 21 patients with viral meningitis but in only one of four patients with non-viral aseptic meningitis. It was also present in the CSF of three of four patients with herpes encephalitis and five of seven patients with acute bacterial meningitis. By contrast, IFN-alpha was present in the CSF in low concentrations in only five (7%) of 71 neurological controls. This rapid test is positive in viral meningitis and may help in distinguishing viral infection from other causes of aseptic meningitis. It is usually negative in non-infective disorders but will not distinguish between viral and bacterial infections.
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PMID:Assessment of an immunoassay for interferon-alpha in cerebrospinal fluid as a diagnostic aid in infections of the central nervous system. 366 70

We observed 37 patients (mean age at onset, 48.5 years; range, 13 to 84 years) with segmental myoclonus (18 branchial, 19 spinal). Etiologies for branchial myoclonus included brain-stem demyelination, cerebrovascular disease, Meige's syndrome, cerebral arteritis secondary to bacterial meningitis, central nervous system Whipple's disease, acute cervicomedullary trauma, and cerebellar degeneration. Spinal myoclonus was associated with laminectomy, remote effect of cancer, spinal cord injury, post-operative pseudomeningocele, laparotomy, thoracic sympathectomy, poliomyelitis, herpes myelitis, lumbosacral radiculopathy, spinal extradural block, and myelopathy due to demyelination, electrical injury, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and cervical spondylosis. The latency between the predisposing condition and the onset of myoclonus ranged from immediate to 33 years (mean, 2.9 years). In six patients, the myoclonus was the presenting symptom of a serious underlying disease. Treatment with clonazepam, tetrabenazine hydrochloride, or other medications provides a satisfactory control in most patients.
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PMID:Segmental myoclonus. Clinical and pharmacologic study. 375 63

Acid phosphatase staining is performed on cerebrospinal fluid cells of 365 samples from 105 patients with various types of meningitis. This enzyme activity is strongly positive in the early samples of bacterial meningitis, as far as the patients had not received a pretreatment with antibiotics for more than 24 h. It allows monitoring the response to therapy in subsequent samples. Acid phosphatase activity is positive in 2 cases of cryptococcus meningitis. It is negative in all cases of aseptic and Mycoplasma pneumoniae meningitis. The results in herpes encephalitis are variable, depending on the clinical state and the degree of brain destruction. Acid phosphatase staining is a useful and rapid cytological technique for determination of the nature of the meningitis and for monitoring the therapeutical response.
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PMID:Acid phosphatase activity of cerebrospinal fluid cells in bacterial and abacterial meningitis. 378 Jul 80

The three main immunoglobulin classes obey the basic principles of passive protein transfer at the blood-CSF barrier and the serum-derived portions could therefore be quantified with the help of the permeability marker albumin. The Ig fractions secreted into the CSF by sessile plasma cell clones have been determined in various inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. The humoral immune response in multiple sclerosis and chronic encephalitis of unknown cause was dominated by IgG antibodies. In most other inflammatory diseases IgA and IgM were concomitantly synthesized, e.g. in neurosyphilis and meningoencephalitis caused by viruses of the herpes group. In tick-borne meningopolyneuritis Bannwarth, only IgM and in bacterial meningitis only IgA may be produced locally. The detection of a secretory immunoglobulin fraction in the CSF may be the sole laboratory parameter in chronic inflammatory processes of the nervous system.
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PMID:Differentiation of the humoral immune response in inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. 618 10

The EEG of the newborn consists of a mixed activity which varies from 1 to 22/s. Waves in the alpha band may occur, but they indicate cerebral dysfunction if they are seen in a rhythmic uninterrupted sequence. Eight newborns who showed rhythmic alpha activity in their EEG are included in our study. This activity occurred together with rhythmic theta waves or was followed by them as part of ongoing electrographic seizure activity. All newborns studied were very sick. Three suffered from severe perinatal asphyxia with persistent fetal circulation; in addition one of them had bacterial meningitis. Two infants suffered from herpes encephalitis. In those cases the rhythmic alpha activity temporarily showed a certain periodicity. This EEG pattern was also seen in a small for gestational age premature infant who had septicemia and subarachnoid hemorrhage and in two extremely premature babies with intraventricular hemorrhage. Four infants were curarized. All of the others also had clinically observed seizures. Rhythmic alpha-activity in the neonatal EEG represents an electrical seizure discharge. It may also occur in premature infants who suffer from intraventricular hemorrhage. Obviously it does not have a diagnostic value. The prognostic value depends upon the underlying disease and the grade of background suppression in the EEG. Anticonvulsant therapy should be administered early using a sufficient dosage.
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PMID:[Rhythmic alpha activity in the EEG of premature and newborn infants]. 640 15

Several patients with herpes simplex encephalitis developed a prolonged humoral immune reaction within the central nervous system, which was evaluated by the measurement of locally synthesized immunoglobulin fractions in cerebrospinal fluid. Such phasic immune responses seem to occur predominantly in CNS infections with herpes and myxo/paramyxo viruses. In many cases the B-cell response follows a primary neutrophilic and a secondary mononuclear phase. Most benign viral encephalomeningitis cases lack this type of strong local B-cell activity. This is also true in most cases of bacterial meningitis, that recover after a strong neutrophilic attack and a minor mononuclear reaction. The initial phase of a purulent meningitis is characterized by a complete breakdown of the blood-CSF barrier. This occurs also in some cases of "apurulent bacterial meningitis", that are characterized by very low CSF-cell counts in spite of a totally broken barrier. The "compartmental leucopenia" is interpreted as an imbalance between the supply from the blood and an intense phagocytic consumption within the CSF space. The influence of the hydrodynamic size of viruses on the mode of entry into the central nervous system and on the dynamics of the inflammatory reactions is discussed.
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PMID:The process dynamics of viral and bacterial diseases of the central nervous system. 696 52


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