Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0085584 (encephalopathy)
 18,178 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A comparative study of urinary excretion of octopamine, dopamine, and noradrenaline catabolic products, respectively parahydroxymandelic acid (PHMA) homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanylmandelic acid (VMA) was carried out in 27 cirrhotic patients with (11) and without (16) porto-systemic encephalopathy (P.S.E). PHMA, HVA and VMA were significantly higher in patients with PSE, and there was a positive correlation between PHMA and HVA, and between PHMA and VMA. Higher excretion of PHMA in patients with PSE strongly suggests an increased metabolism of octopamine. HVA and VMA increased excretion, and the positive correlations could be explained by the depletion of stored dopamine and noradrenaline. These observations support the hypothesis that octopamine acts as a false neurotransmitter, and the resulting depletion of dopamine and noradrenaline could explain the neuropsychic phenomena of PSE, and the awakening effect of L. Dopa treatment.
 ...
PMID:Comparative study of urinary excretion rates of para-hydroxy-mandelic acid, homovanillic acid, vanylmandelic acid in cirrhotic patients with and without encephalopathy. 85 13

Two cases of infantile myoclonic encephalopathy with opsoclonus and neuroblastoma are reported. One of them was observed in a 16-month-old boy and the remaining one in a 13-month-old girl. In both cases the tumour was a stade III abdominal neuroblastoma. Urinary catecolamine excretion was increased in the girl and that of VMA in both patients. Treatment of the tumour with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy resulted in a immediate disappearance of the neurologic picture in the girl. The same measures were equally successful in the boy implemented with a course of ACTH. Both children are free of tumour three years later, and they do not bear any psychomotor sequelae. The main features of this rare association are briefly commented.
 ...
PMID:[Infantile myoclonic encephalopathy with opsoclonus and neuroblastoma. Apropos of 2 cases]. 688 34