Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0086543 (cataract)
 29,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Although hyperthermia is teratogenic in birds, all the common laboratory animals, farm animals, and primates and satisfies defined criteria as a teratogen, its study as a human teratogen has been neglected. Homeothermic animals, including humans, can experience body temperature elevations induced by febrile infections, heavy exercise and hot environments which exceed the thresholds (1.5-2.5 degrees C elevation) which are known to cause a syndrome of embryonic resorptions, abortions, and malformations in experimental animals. Hyperthermia is particularly damaging to the central nervous system, and if a threshold exposure occurs at the appropriate stages of embryonic development, exencephaly, anencephaly, encephalocoele, micrencephaly, microphthalmia, neurogenic talipes, and arthrogryposis can be produced in a high proportion of exposed embryos, the incidence and type of defect depending on the species and strain within species, the stage of development, and the severity of hyperthermic exposure. Other defects which can be induced experimentally include exomphalos, hypoplasia of toes and teeth, renal agenesis, vertebral anomalies, maxillary hypoplasia, facial clefting, cataract, coloboma, and heart and vascular defects. Proliferating cells are particularly sensitive to temperature elevations, resulting in arrest of mitotic activity and immediate death of cells in mitosis with threshold elevations (1.5-2.5 degrees C) and delayed death of cells probably in S phase with higher elevations (3.5 degrees C). In general, lower temperature elevations (2.5 degrees C) require longer durations of elevation to cause defects than a simple spike at a higher elevation (4.5 degrees C). The death of cells is largely confined to the brain and in the day 21 guinea pig embryo to the alar regions of the brain. Cell death probably accounts for most of the defects in the central nervous system, but microvascular disturbances leading to leakage, oedema and haemorrhage, placental necrosis, and infarction are other known effects of hyperthermia; and these are probably involved in the pathogenesis of many defects of the heart, limbs, kidneys, and body wall. Recent experiments have demonstrated protection of rat embryos in culture against a known teratogenic exposure by a brief nonteratogenic exposure given at least 15 min earlier. This protection is associated with the synthesis of heat-shock proteins, and temporary arrest of the cell proliferative cycle. Hyperthermia appears to be capable of causing congenital defects in all species and may act alone or synergistically with other agents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Teratog Carcinog Mutagen 1986
PMID:Hyperthermia as a teratogen: a review of experimental studies and their clinical significance. 288 71

The epithelial cells of the vertebrate lens have an unique character and a probable involvement in cataract formation, which could be initiated by exogenous stimuli. Individual rat lenses were organ-cultured, and the effects of mitomycin C and gamma rays on sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), chromosomal aberrations, and cellular kinetics assessed in cells from the epithelial monolayer. SCE showed about a 5.5-fold increase over the mitomycin C dose range (0, 17, 83, 170 nM), while chromosomal aberrations increased 38-fold. In cells from untreated lenses, SCE were 1,600 times more frequent than aberrations and at a level consistent with in vivo assessments in other cell types. Gamma rays (up to 4 Gy) had a greater inhibiting effect on cellular progression, while 17 nM mitomycin C and 1 Gy induced similar clastogenic responses. This first demonstration of such changes in lens epithelial cells expands on the cell types available for monitoring potential mutagen-carcinogens. Additionally chromosomal changes resulting from lens cellular challenge could be the basis of later cytopathological changes in the lens, of which cataract is the primary concern to humans. Potential cataractogens warrant monitoring, and the study outlined may aid in this endeavor, as well as contributing to an understanding of cataract etiology.
Environ Mutagen 1987
PMID:The lens and cataract: clastogenic responses in epithelial cells of the organ-cultured rat lens. 310 22

High-performance liquid chromatography on a Supelcosil LC-HN2 analytical column in weak anion exchange mode has allowed separation of ascorbic acid, in less than 5 min, from other interfering substances in serum and aqueous humour. UV monitoring at 254 nm enables ascorbic acid to be detected at 20 pmol level. A method for determination of ascorbic acid concentration in serum and aqueous humour is described, and values from 10 cataract patients are reported.
 ...
PMID:Ascorbic acid determination in serum and aqueous humour by high-performance liquid chromatography. 399 43