Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0085632 (apathy)
 4,089 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hypercalcaemia would seem to be rare during immobilisation, whilst osteoporosis and hypercalciuria are constant. In fact, it often goes unnoticed. The case presented here confirms its predominance in the adolescent male. The reason for immobilisation seems to be irrelevant. The clinical symptoms are very variable: polydipsia, nausea, headache, apathy, anorexia. Blood calcium levels are raised, up to 14 mg%. This hypercalcaemia is due to very marked bone loss in adolescents, secondary to hyper-resorption and a temporary stoppage in osseous formation. The differential diagnosis from primary hyperparathyroidism is sometimes difficult but is aided by laboratory and histological findings. The essential is to consider the possibility of immobilisation hypercalcaemia in the presence of any suggestive symptoms in an immobilised adolescent. Treatment includes a return to weight bearing, adequate water intake and the administration of phosphorus, calcitonin, furosemide, and corticosteroids.
 ...
PMID:[Immobilisation hypercalcaemia (author's transl)]. 59 68

Magnesium is an essential cofactor for many enzymatic reactions, especially those involved in energy metabolism. Deficits of magnesium are prevalent due to inadequate intake or malabsorption and due to the renal loss of magnesium that occurs in certain disease states (alcoholism, diabetes) and with drug therapy (diuretics, aminoglycosides, cisplatin, digoxin, cyclosporin, amphotericin B). Protracted deficits of magnesium in humans and animals result in neurological disturbances, including hyperexcitability, convulsions and various psychiatric symptoms ranging from apathy to psychosis, some of which can be reversed with magnesium supplementation, others requiring correction of the dysregulation mechanism. Although the role of magnesium in neuronal function is not completely understood, a lowering of CSF or brain magnesium can induce epileptiform activity and there is an association between decreased CSF magnesium and the development of seizures. CSF concentrations of magnesium are normally higher than magnesium plasma ultrafiltrate (diffusible) concentrations due to the active transport of magnesium across the blood-brain barrier. Under conditions of magnesium deficiency, CSF concentrations decline, although this decline lags behind and is less pronounced than the changes observed in plasma magnesium concentrations. Decreases in CSF magnesium concentrations correlate with the alterations observed in extracellular brain magnesium concentrations in animals following the dietary deprivation of magnesium. CSF magnesium concentrations can readily be repleted following magnesium supplementation, although high dose magnesium therapy, such as that used in the treatment of convulsions in eclampsia, will only increase CSF magnesium concentrations to a very limited degree (approximately 11-18 per cent) above physiological concentrations. Greater increases in CSF magnesium may occur in neonates since neonatal swine, following treatment with magnesium, have CSF magnesium concentrations that are similar to their plasma concentrations. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in magnesium deficiency and its neurological consequences due to the finding that magnesium, at physiological concentrations, blocks N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in neurones. NMDA receptors are normally activated by glutamate and/or aspartate which represent the principal neurotransmitters for excitatory synaptic transmission in vertebrate CNS. Magnesium deficiency produces epileptiform activity in the CNS which can be blocked by NMDA receptor antagonists. Other mechanisms, including alterations in Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity, cAMP/cGMP concentrations and calcium currents in pre- and postsynaptic membranes, may also be at least partially responsible for the neuronal effects associated with low brain magnesium. Further studies are necessary to increase our understanding of the neurological implications of magnesium deficit in the central nervous system.
 ...
PMID:Brain and CSF magnesium concentrations during magnesium deficit in animals and humans: neurological symptoms. 129 67

Foscarnet (Foscavir) is an antiviral drug for intravenous (i.v.) treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in immunocompromised patients. The drug forms complexes with divalent metal ions such as Ca2+ and serum calcium levels may be affected during its i.v. infusion. In this study, the effect on calcium homeostasis was investigated during daily 8-hr infusions of foscarnet in dogs. After priming infusions of 40 or 80 mg/kg administered during 0.5 hr, maintenance infusion rates were 46 or 91 mg/kg/hr (total daily doses of 410 or 810 mg/kg). At the low infusion rate, foscarnet was administered for 5 consecutive days. The mean plateau serum concentration was 0.56 mmol/liter and the main clinical sign was vomiting. Total serum calcium was reduced from about 2.5 to 2.0 mmol/liter and ionized calcium from 1.3 to 0.9 mmol/liter. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in serum were elevated three to six times while calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3) levels were unaffected. At the high infusion rate, treatment was discontinued after 1-2 days of dosing due to pronounced adverse clinical signs such as extensive vomitings, apathy, ataxia, and muscle spasms. The mean serum plateau concentration of foscarnet at this dose level was 1.2 mmol/liter. Total serum calcium was reduced from 2.5 to 1.6 mmol/liter and ionized calcium from 1.3 to 0.7 mmol/liter. PTH as well as 1,25-(OH)2D3 levels in serum were elevated. Total and ionized calcium levels were normalized within 16 hr after stopping drug treatment. The results showed that foscarnet infusion affects calcium homeostasis and that calcium monitoring might be considered in the clinical use of the drug.
 ...
PMID:Hypocalcemia induced by foscarnet (Foscavir) infusion in dogs. 153 76

The subjects were 42 alcoholic patients (33 males and 9 females) who were treated with lithium orotate during an alcohol rehabilitation program in a private clinical setting for at least six months. They derive from a total number of 105 patients who received this treatment initially, while the remainder discontinued the treatment within six months. The data were collected from a private practice record and the follow-up varied between six months and 10 years. The 42 patients studied displayed a multitude of complaints in addition to chronic alcoholism. These included liver dysfunction, seizure disorders, headaches, hyperthyroidism, affective disorders. Meniere's syndrome, liver and lung cancers. Thirty-six of the 42 patients studied had been hospitalized at least once for the management of their alcoholism. Lithium orotate was given, 150 mg daily, with a diet low in simple carbohydrates and containing moderate amounts of protein and fat. In addition, calcium orotate (for hepatic involvement), magnesium orotate, bromelaine, and essential phospholipids (for cardiac problems), and supportive measures were instituted, if required. Lithium orotate proved useful as the main pharmacologic agent for the treatment of alcoholism. Ten of the patients had no relapse for over three and up to 10 years, 13 patients remained without relapse for 1 to 3 years, and the remaining 12 had relapses between 6 to 12 months. Lithium orotate therapy was safe and the adverse side effects noted were minor, i.e., eight patients developed muscle weakness, loss of appetite or mild apathy. For these patients, the symptoms subsided when the daily dose was given 4 to 5 times weekly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:Lithium orotate in the treatment of alcoholism and related conditions. 371 72

The elderly not only have lower body stores of potassium, but also tend to eat a diet relatively low in potassium content. Loss of muscle strength, constipation and mental apathy are all features of potassium deficiency. In addition, serious arrhythmias have been attributed to hypokalaemia and must therefore be prevented. While potassium supplements may replete body potassium stores, they often require large amounts and may still be ineffective in preventing diuretic-induced hypokalaemia. Thus, several guidelines for the rational and safe use of diuretics in the elderly have been proposed including in addition to potassium supplementation, the determination of dietary and total body potassium sources, dosage of the diuretic and intensity of the diuresis, and the relationship between potassium and calcium and magnesium.
 ...
PMID:Guidelines for rational diuretic use in the elderly. 373 96

Many patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have signs and symptoms of easy fatigability, fluctuating weakness, apathy, dry mouth, and blurring of vision. These symptoms can be confused with disorders of neuromuscular transmission. When present, the physician may want to determine whether the patient has myasthenia gravis--the commonest of all neuromuscular disorders--and administer the edrophonium (Tensilon) test. An unequivocally positive response to the test must be interpreted with caution in ESRD. However, the exact mechanism of a positive response is unclear but may be explained by metabolic abnormalities related to end-stage renal disease, i.e., uremic toxins, disordered calcium metabolism, abnormal neuromuscular mechanism, associated neurological disorders, or myopathic processes in uremia, all of which can affect neuromuscular transmission.
 ...
PMID:Interpretation of positive edrophonium (Tensilon) test in patients with end-stage renal disease. 777 Jun 46

The voluntary intake by male Sprague-Dawley rats of five calcium salts and eight mineral chlorides was assessed. Groups of 12-25 rats received a series of 48-h two-bottle tests with a choice between water and ascending concentrations of a mineral solution. Similar inverted U-shaped concentration-intake functions were obtained with each of the five calcium salts tested (hydroxide, gluconate, phosphate, lactate, and chloride): rats drank more calcium solution than water at concentrations between approximately 0.2 and 5 mM, showed indifference between 5 and 12 mM, and avoided higher concentrations. Inverted U-shaped concentration-intake functions were also obtained for ammonium chloride (peak at 100 mM), magnesium chloride (peak at 10 microM), potassium chloride (peak at 10 mM), ferrous chloride (peak at 4.64 microM), and rubidium chloride (peak at 2.15 mM). Rats drank slightly and nonsignificantly more 2.15 microM aluminum chloride than water and never drank more zinc chloride than water (range tested, 1 microM to 464 mM). These results illustrate that, as is the case for sodium, rats spontaneously ingest low concentrations of calcium and several other mineral solutions in preference to water. In general, the lower the cation's ionic charge, the greater the intake and higher the most accepted concentration.
 ...
PMID:Voluntary intake of calcium and other minerals by rats. 806 56

The authors demonstrated that isradipine reduces the blood pressure assessed at rest in patients with mild to medium severe hypertension. The antihypertensive action was enhanced by administration of beta-blockers. In a loading test the pressor response to strain was reduced in particular as regards diastolic pressure; from this in may be concluded indirectly that a vasodilatating effect is involved. The authors recorded a rise of plasma renin activity which may be associated with previous vasodilatation. Parameters of lipid metabolism were influenced by isradipine. The indifference of isradipine as regards the effect on functions indicated by biochemical screening was again confirmed in the present investigation. The undesirable effects typical for calcium antagonists were manifested in a very small percentage of the investigated subjects and in a small number of repeated examinations. The reason for discontinuation of treatment in one patient was an effects which does not threaten the patient (flush). Isradipine is an effective antihypertensive drug with very good tolerance.
 ...
PMID:[The antihypertensive effect of isradipine and additional pharmacodynamic effects]. 850 74

In 1942, the Norwegian psychiatrist Eitinger drew attention to the fact that acute psychosis may be the presenting and major symptom of primary hyperparathyroidism. A case of this variety is reported. In the course of two months a 77-year old woman developed an acute psychosis characterized by apathy, amnesia, somatic delusions and hallucinations. Initially, the case was misinterpreted as senile dementia. The serum calcium level was 4.3 mmol/l. After parathyroidectomy her mental symptoms were completely relieved.
 ...
PMID:[Acute psychosis--an unusual clinical manifestation of primary hyperparathyroidism]. 863 74

In a study of 1700 members of the UK general public in 1992 in which face-to-face interviews were conducted, factors thought important in a healthy diet were (in descending order) more fiber, less sugar, less fat, less salt, and more starchy foods. Of common nutritional terms there was most confidence in explaining the meaning of fiber and least in the meaning of monounsaturated fatty acids. Most nutritional information came from the media but the credibility of this information was low. Fifty-three percent said that a conversation with their general practitioner (GP) was a source of advice they trusted. In a survey of 150 GPs and 50 practice nurses in 1992, lack of confidence was found to be common concerning the meaning of several nutritional terms, especially extrinsic sugars, NSP (nonstarch polysaccharide), and trans fatty acids. GPs were confident they could explain the link between diet and heart disease but were not sure about the value of starch in the diet. Both GPs and practice nurses were dissatisfied with their training in nutrition, both before and after registration. General practice staff thought that personal ill health was the most important motivator for dietary change among their patients. They thought that apathy and dietary conservatism were the most common barriers to people changing their diet. However, the public positioned lack of knowledge as the biggest obstacle. Surveys reported here showed that people's knowledge of sources of fat, calcium, and iron is often unreliable.
 ...
PMID:Food and nutrition: attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge in the United Kingdom. 917 8


1 2 3 Next >>