Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0085693 (acute appendicitis)
 3,606 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A case of acute appendicitis in a 26-year-old woman apparently caused by a Copper-T IUD inserted 4 years previously is reported. Only 6 previous cases of this rare complication are recorded in the world literature. The woman was admitted as an emergency with a 12 hour history of epigastric pain radiating to the right iliac fossa and right lumbar region and associated with nausea and vomiting. The woman had had 2 children and 1 miscarriage. At admission her axillary temperature was 37.6 degrees Centigrade and her rectal temperature was 38.8 degrees Centigrade. She was tender in the right iliac fossa. On vaginal examination she was noted to have an IUD in situ. The woman had become pregnant and an abortion was performed. The IUD was not recovered. The possibility that the IUD had perforated the uterus was not considered, and 1 month following the termination a 2nd IUD (a Lippes Loop) was inserted. A diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made. The abdomen was opened through a McBurney incision. There was an inflammatory mass which included omentum involving the appendix with dense adhesions to the caecum. After dissection, a short and inflamed appendix was found with an IUD emerging from its proximal third. An appendectomy was performed. The right tube and ovary were noted to be mildly inflamed. The uterus appeared normal. No perforation site was observed, and the abdomen was closed. In this case it seemed likely that the IUD had perforated the uterus at the time of its initial insertion. The manner in which the device reached the appendix is unknown. In any instance of a "missing" IUD, an abdominal X-ray, ultrasound, or hysterography is indicated to exclude perforation and/or migration. If perforation of the uterus has occurred, the IUD should be recovered either by laparoscopy or, if necessary, laparotomy.
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PMID:Appendicitis caused by an intrauterine contraceptive device. 379 Sep 29

Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are involved in inflammatory process. This study was to investigate the clinical significance of Cu and Zn homeostasis alterations in acute appendicitis (AA). One hundred twenty-two AA patients and 102 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Of which, 85 patients' appendixes were collected after appendectomy. Another six appendixes from colon cancer patients were collected as tissue controls. The contents of Cu and Zn in serum or appendix were detected, and the Cu to Zn ratio (CZr) was calculated. The concentrations of serum ceruloplasmin (CP), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-22 in serum were measured, as well as the activity of CP and SOD1. The serum Zn concentration and SOD1 activity, appendix contents of Cu and Zn significantly decreased in AA patients, compared with those of controls, while serum CZr, concentrations of CP, SOD1, and IL-6, as well as CP activity increased significantly in AA patients. Additionally, serum concentrations of Zn, CP, CZr, or SOD1 activity varied in different pathological types of AA. Indicators such as serum SOD1 activity might serve as predictors for pathological classification before surgery. The serum Zn and CZr may be helpful for diagnosis of pure AA. The Cu and Zn homeostasis was altered in AA patients, which might contribute to inflammatory process of AA.
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PMID:The Alterations of Copper and Zinc Homeostasis in Acute Appendicitis and the Clinical Significance. 3077 Nov 40