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

A 44-year-old maniacodepressive woman developed acute encephalopathy due to the association of lithium carbonate and haloperidol. She was treated with lithium salts for many years and the serum level of lithium was within the therapeutic range. The encephalopathy was worsened by hyperthermia, dehydration, and reintroduction of haloperidol, 5 days after the first discontinuation of the neuroleptic. The clinical features were characterized by a persistent cerebellar syndrome, more than one year after the interruption of these medications.
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PMID:[Acute encephalomyopathy and persistent cerebellar syndrome after lithium salt and haloperidol poisoning]. 929 46

The authors, by means of documental research, study the possibility that the physical and psychic symptoms of Vincent van Gogh may have been due to chronic lead poisoning. The technique and materials used by Van Gogh are analysed as the cause of repeated exposure to lead as well as the possible means of penetration of the metal. Through historical-biographical analysis, the progressive symptoms of the illness are compared with those of lead poisoning. The authors conclude that the excessive and continuous use by Van Gogh of pigments which were highly toxic due to their high lead content, such as white lead (lead carbonate) and yellow chrome (lead chromium), could have penetrated his organism by digestive system (primarily) in minimal daily amounts, giving rise to a clinical condition of chronic lead poisoning. This type of poisoning coincides with the clinical symptoms Van Gogh describes in his autographed letters: initial debilitation, stomatitis with loss of teeth, recurring abdominal pains, anaemia (with a "plumbic" skin tone), neuropathy of the radial and saturnine encephalopathy including epileptic crises, progressive character changes and periods of delirium. The clinical symptoms shown by Van Gogh meet present criteria for diagnosis of Organic Mental Disorder due to cerebral lesion or somatic illness (F.06; CIE-10) (DSM-IV-R), and Organic Character Disorder (F.07; CIE-10) (DSM-IV-R).
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PMID:[Implication of lead poisoning in psychopathology of Vincent van Gogh]. 942 66

The author reported eleven patients with brainstem edema on cranial CT. Nine had acute encephalopathy or Reye syndrome and the other two had acute encephalitis. Seven cases died and four cases survived. Dead cases showed brainstem edema significantly faster than the survivors. Laboratory examinations revealed significant differences of LDH, platelet and HCO3(-) between the two groups. Six patients died in the winter. The duration of convulsion was more than 30 minutes in all the dead cases.
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PMID:[Brainstem edema in patients with acute encephalopathy and encephalitis]. 978 Jul 39

Hyperphosphataemia in haemodialysis patients is associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism and more importantly with an increased cardiovascular mortality in dialysed patients. Removal of phosphate during dialysis is less than net intestinal uptake. This imbalance results in a positive phosphate balance. To control serum phosphate concentration oral phosphate binders have to be taken to reduce net intestinal uptake. The use of classical phosphate binders such as calcium carbonate, calcium acetate and aluminium-containing phosphate binders is limited by their side effects. Hypercalcaemia aggravates vascular calcification and cardiovascular risk. Aluminium intoxication causes aluminium osteopathy, anaemia and encephalopathy. Therefore, the development of calcium- and aluminium free phosphate binders has become a challenge to clinical nephrology. Polyallylamine hydrochloride (sevelamer) is one of the new alternative compounds which has been shown to effectively bind phosphate in dialysis patients. A promising approach in the development of alternative phophate binders are trivalent-iron (Fe(III)) containing phosphate binders. They were not only successfully tested in experimental animals but have also been shown to reduce urinary phosphate excretion and serum phosphate concentrations in patients with preterminal failure and those on maintenance haemodialysis. This review outlines the experimental and clinical data on Fe-III based phosphate binders providing evidence that they will be as effective and safe as phosphate binders without the major side effects of classical phosphate-binding compounds.
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PMID:Compounds in development to combat hyperphosphataemia. 1177 14

Hemodialysis(HD) patients are at risk for thiamine deficiency because of low intake and accelerated loss of thiamine during HD. We report here an HD patient, an 82-year-old woman, who developed acute encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency with hyperammonemia. She was admitted to Nishikawa Town Hospital due to pneumonia and was treated with ABPC/SBT for one week. While she was cured of pneumonia, she had a persistently poor appetite. On the twenty-fourth day after admission, HD with intradialytic parenteral nutrition(IDPN), which consisted of 10% glucose 500 ml, in order to correct her malnutrition, was started. She suddenly presented confusion, speech disturbance and ophthalmoplegia. HD with IDPN was stopped after two hours because of her symptoms. Laboratory studies disclosed plasma glucose of 186 mg/dl and serum ammonium of 155 micrograms/dl. Arterial blood gas analysis(inhaling 3 l/min O2) showed severe metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis (pH 7.138, pCO2 44.8 mmHg, pO2 108.9 mmHg, HCO3- 15.1 mmol/l). Her malnutrition, unexplained metabolic acidosis and neurological presentation raised the suspicion of acute encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency. Fursultiamine 100 mg was administered intravenously. After two hours, metabolic acidosis disappeared (pH 7.437, pCO2 33.9 mmHg, pO2 161.0 mmHg, HCO3- 22.9 mmol/l), and she regained her clear consciousness and serum ammonium decreased at 16 micrograms/dl on the next morning. Serum lactate and thiamine level were shown later to be 57.5 mg/dl and 27 nmol/l, respectively. Her clinical course suggests that the glucose load including IDPN may have caused deterioration of the neurological disorder under the condition of thiamine deficiency. Furthermore, it is possible that a relationship exists between thiamine deficiency and hyperammonemia.
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PMID:[Acute encephalopathy due to thiamine deficiency with hyperammonemia in a chronic hemodialysis patient: a case report]. 1280 78

Phosphate (Pi) retention is a common problem in patients with chronic kidney disease, particularly in those who have reached end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In addition to causing secondary hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy, recent evidence suggests that, in ESRD patients, high serum phosphorus concentration and increased calcium and phosphorous (Ca x P) product are associated with vascular and cardiac calcifications and increased mortality. Dietary phosphorus restriction and Pi removal by dialysis are not sufficient to restore Pi homeostasis. Reduction of intestinal Pi absorption with the use of Pi binders is currently the primary treatment for Pi retention in patients with ESRD. The use of large doses of calcium-containing Pi binders along with calcitriol administration may contribute to over-suppression of parathyroid hormone secretion and adynamic bone disease as well as to a high incidence of vascular calcifications. When used in patients with impaired renal function, aluminium salts were found to accumulate in bone and other tissues, resulting in osteomalacia and encephalopathy.Sevelamer, an aluminium- and calcium-free Pi binder can reduce serum phosphorus concentration and is associated with a significantly lower incidence of hypercalcaemia, while maintaining the ability to suppress parathyroid hormone production. An additional benefit of sevelamer is its ability to lower low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and total cholesterol levels. Sevelamer attenuates the progression of vascular calcifications in haemodialysis patients, which may lead to lower mortality. The use of sevelamer in non-dialysed patients might aggravate metabolic acidosis, common in these patients. Several other calcium-free Pi binders are in development. Lanthanum carbonate has shown significant promise in clinical trials in ESRD patients. Magnesium salts do not offer a significant advantage over currently available Pi binders. Their use is restricted to patients receiving dialysis since excess magnesium must be removed by dialysis. Iron-based compounds have shown variable efficacy in short-term clinical trials in small numbers of haemodialysis patients. Mixed metal hydroxyl carbonate compounds have shown efficacy in animals but have not been studied in humans. Major safety issues include absorption of the metal component with possible tissue accumulation and toxicity.
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PMID:Safety of new phosphate binders for chronic renal failure. 1464 Jul 73

Brain injury from inorganic Pb(2+) is considered the most important environmental childhood health hazard worldwide. The microvasculature of the developing brain is uniquely susceptible to high level Pb(2+) toxicity (ie, Pb(2+) encephalopathy) characterized by cerebellar hemorrhage, increased blood-brain barrier permeability, and vasogenic edema. However, the specific molecular mediators of Pb(2+) encephalopathy have been elusive. We found that Pb(2+) induces vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor (VEGF) in cultured astrocytes (J Biol Chem, 2000;275:27874-27882). The study presented here asks if VEGF dysregulation contributes mechanistically to Pb(2+) encephalopathy. Neonatal rats exposed to 4% Pb-carbonate develop the histopathological features of Pb(2+) encephalopathy seen in children. Cerebellar VEGF expression increased approximately twofold (p < 0.01) concurrent with the development of cerebellar microvascular hemorrhage, enhanced vascular permeability to serum albumin, and vasogenic cerebellar edema (p < 0.01). No change in VEGF expression occurred in cerebral cortex that does not develop these histopathological complications of acute Pb(2+) intoxication. Pb(2+) exposure increased phosphorylation of cerebellar Flk-1 VEGF receptors and the Flk-1 inhibitor CEP-3967 completely blocked cerebellar edema formation without affecting microhemorrhage formation or blood-brain barrier permeability. This establishes that Pb(2+)-induced vasogenic edema formation develops via a Flk-1-dependent mechanism and suggests that the vascular permeability caused by Pb(2+) is Flk-1 independent.
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PMID:Vascular endothelial growth factor mediates vasogenic edema in acute lead encephalopathy. 1512 6

Aluminium- or calcium-based phosphate-binding agents traditionally have been used to treat hyperphosphataemia in patients with end-stage renal disease. Although these agents effectively lower serum phosphorus levels, they are associated with serious side effects. Aluminium-based agents are associated with bone toxicity, renal osteodystrophy and encephalopathy, and calcium-based agents increase the risk of hypercalcaemia and cardiovascular calcification. Consequently, there remains a need for new, safe and effective non-calcium-, non-aluminium-based alternative treatments. Fortunately, several new agents are now available or are in the late stages of development, including sevelamer hydrochloride and lanthanum carbonate. Although sevelamer hydrochloride represents a step forward in the management of hyperphosphataemia, it has several drawbacks and is far from being the ideal phosphate binder. Lanthanum carbonate is the most recent non-calcium, non-aluminium phosphate binder to be developed for the treatment of hyperphosphataemia. Animal studies have shown it to be as effective as aluminium, without the associated toxicity. In clinical studies, lanthanum carbonate significantly reduced serum phosphorus levels, compared with placebo. It shows a similar efficacy to calcium carbonate in controlling serum phosphorus levels, but requires lower doses. In addition, lanthanum carbonate is at least as well tolerated as calcium carbonate, but is not associated with hypercalcaemia. Importantly, it has a positive effect on bone histology, with no evolution towards low bone turnover. Lanthanum carbonate, therefore, moves closer to the ideal phosphate binder.
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PMID:Improving phosphate-binder therapy as a way forward. 1512 50

Several cases of Parkinsonian syndrome, cognitive impairment or hyperammonemia induced by sodium valproate have been described in the literature. We report the first case presenting an association of the three adverse effects occurring with divalproate sodium prescribed for bipolar disorder: a 58-year-old man with a history of bipolar type I disorder presented with Parkinsonian syndrome and cognitive impairment of insidious onset. This patient had been treated for several years with lithium carbonate, with a successful effect on mood swings, but with distressing adverse effects such as hand tremor and diarrhoea. Lithium therapy was progressively withdrawn while sodium divalproate was initiated. Associated medications, unchanged for several years, were amisulpride (daily dose: 100 mg), liothyronine, ciprofibrate and benfluorex. The patient was treated with sodium divalproate for seven months (daily dose: 1,000 mg), and with trihexyphenidyle for one month for extrapyramidal symptoms. At hospital admission, he presented with temporal disorientation, slowed thinking, severe anterograde memory deficits, and Parkinsonian syndrome. The minimal mental state (MMS) score was 16 (maximum: 30). The patient was anxious but did no present with mood symptoms. He also developed hyperammonemia (124 micromol/liter, normal range: 15 to 60 micromol/liter) without signs or biochemical evidence of hepatic failure. Valproate concentrations were within the therapeutic ranges (79 mg/l, normal range: 50 to 100 mg/l). The CT-scan showed cerebral and cerebellar atrophy with enlarged ventricles. The electroencephalogram showed generalized slowing waves. All the symptoms resolved within one month after the withdrawal of divalproate: the extrapyramidal hypertonia resolved, the MMS score was 29. The CT-scan and the electroencephalogram returned to normal. The divalproate was replaced by lithium. After a one-year follow-up, the cognitive and neurological symptomatology did not reappear at the exception of the pre-existing hand tremor. The pathophysiology of valproate induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy remains unclear. A possible mechanism is neuronal toxicity induced by increased intracellular concentrations of glutamate and ammonium in astrocytes. Indeed, these abnormal intracellular concentrations increase the intracellular osmolarity and thus induce rise in intracranial pressure and cerebral oedema. Reversible dementia could be due to a direct toxic effect of valproate on the central nervous system or to an indirect effect mediated through valproate-induced hyperammonemia. It has been suggested that the occurrence of extrapyramidal syndrome could be explained by a disturbance in the GABAergic pathways inducing reversible dopamine inhibition. A drug adverse reaction should always be considered when a patient treated with valproate presents with extrapyramidal symptoms and cognitive disorders even when valproate concentrations are within standard therapeutic ranges.
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PMID:[A case of Parkinsonian syndrome, cognitive impairment and hyperammonemia induced by divalproate sodium prescribed for bipolar disorder]. 1597 46

(1) In dialysis patients with chronic renal failure, hyperphosphataemia can cause osteorenal dystrophy, leading to bone pain, fractures and excess cardiovascular mortality. In addition to a low-phosphorus diet and dialysis, phosphorus chelators are usually needed to control blood phosphorus levels. The first choice is calcium carbonate, and sevelamer is an alternative. (2) Lanthanum carbonate, a phosphorus chelator, is now also licensed for the treatment of hyperphosphataemia in dialysis patients with chronic renal failure. (3) In addition to three dose-finding placebo-controlled studies, clinical evaluation includes 2 comparative randomised unblinded trials: one 6-month trial versus calcium carbonate and a 2-year trial versus other phosphorus chelators. During these trials, lanthanum was no more effective than the comparators in terms of effects on the mortality rate, incidence of fractures, or blood phosphorus level. (4) During these trials, adverse events attributed to treatment were more frequent with lanthanum than with the other phosphorus chelators. The main problems were gastrointestinal disorders (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal pain), headaches, seizures, and encephalopathy. (5) The accumulation of lanthanum in the bones and brain is troubling. The known long-term adverse effects of aluminium, another trivalent cation with weak gastrointestinal absorption, suggest that caution is also required with lanthanum. (6) In practice, when a phosphorus chelator is needed to treat hyperphosphataemia in dialysis patients with chronic renal failure, calcium carbonate is the first choice and sevelamer remains the best alternative.
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PMID:Lanthanum: new drug. Hyperphosphataemia in dialysis patients: more potential problems than benefits. 1745 39


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