Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0149958 (complex partial seizures)
 2,563 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Blood mercury was raised to levels exceeding 1,000 ng/gm by weekly oral doses of methylmercury hydroxide to squirrel monkeys. Operant behavior tests were employed and neurological signs were recorded on film. Sudden visual disturbance occured with subacute exposure. Prolonged exposure resulted in impaired coordination with impairment of scotopic vision and possibly also sensory disturbances. Scotopic vision was tested by determining the critical fusion intensity (cfi) at 10 cps. An increase in cfi was the earliest neurological sign appearing in some monkeys months before other signs could be detected. Poisoned monkeys exhibited typical cerebral cortical lesions. The visual cortex was invariably involved. Extension to adjacent cortical areas increased with increasing duration of exposure and increasing brain mercury. The microgram per gram brain tissue was the lowest concentration of methylmercury seen wiht morphological lesions.
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PMID:Neurotoxicity of methylmercury in squirrel monkeys. Cerebral cortical pathology, interference with scotopic vision, and changes in operant behavior. 114 98

Breathing activity of six mature lamb fetuses (greater than 135 days of gestation) in utero was monitored from recordings of intraesophageal pressure, intratracheal pressure, and tracheal circumference from a mercury strain gauge before, during, and after stimulation of the central end of a cut sciatic nerve. Stimuli were either low (0.5-2.0 cps) or high (66 cps) frequency, 6-15-V square wave pulses of 0.6-1.25 msec duration. The fetuses remained in utero throughout the experiments in which ambient temperature, paO2, paCO2, arterial pH, mechanical stimulation, and spontaneous respiratory center activity could be ruled out as primary stimuli of the breathing movements observed. In one-third of the trials a "somatic-respiratory reflex" was elicited in which breathing coincided with the period of stimulation: in over 85% of these trials with low frequency stimulation, breathing movements were synchronous with the stimuli; in the rest the synchrony was broken during the period of stimulation. In two-thirds of the trials the "reflex" response was followed by spontaneous regular breathing movements ("onset of regular breathing") which continued for 1 min to 2 hr 30 min after the stimulation was stopped. Thiopental administration to the ewe (5 mg/kg) seemed to depress respiratory responsivity for about 60 min. Changes of tracheal circumference reflected both transmural pressure gradients and possibly also rhythmic vagal activity associated with breathing.
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PMID:Somatic-respiratory reflex and onset of regular breathing movements in the lamb fetus in utero. 119 4

A method for the direct multi-element determination of Cl, S, Hg, Pb, Cd, U, Br, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn in powdered coal samples has been developed by applying inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ICP-IDMS) with laser-assisted introduction into the plasma. A sector-field ICP-MS with a mass resolution of 4,000 and a high-ablation rate laser ablation system provided significantly better sensitivity, detection limits, and accuracy compared to a conventional laser ablation system coupled with a quadrupole ICP-MS. The sensitivity ranges from about 590 cps for (35)Cl+ to more than 6 x 10(5) cps for (238)U+ for 1 microg of trace element per gram of coal sample. Detection limits vary from 450 ng g(-1) for chlorine and 18 ng g(-1) for sulfur to 9.5 pg g(-1) for mercury and 0.3 pg g(-1) for uranium. Analyses of minor and trace elements in four certified reference materials (BCR-180 Gas Coal, BCR-331 Steam Coal, SRM 1632c Trace Elements in Coal, SRM 1635 Trace Elements in Coal) yielded good agreement of usually not more than 5% deviation from the certified values and precisions of less than 10% relative standard deviation for most elements. Higher relative standard deviations were found for particular elements such as Hg and Cd caused by inhomogeneities due to associations of these elements within micro-inclusions in coal which was demonstrated for Hg in SRM 1635, SRM 1632c, and another standard reference material (SRM 2682b, Sulfur and Mercury in Coal). The developed LA-ICP-IDMS method with its simple sample pretreatment opens the possibility for accurate, fast, and highly sensitive determinations of environmentally critical contaminants in coal as well as of trace impurities in similar sample materials like graphite powder and activated charcoal on a routine basis.
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PMID:Development of an accurate, sensitive, and robust isotope dilution laser ablation ICP-MS method for simultaneous multi-element analysis (chlorine, sulfur, and heavy metals) in coal samples. 1765 33

Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common type of seizure that occurs during early childhood. It has been proposed that atypical FS (prolonged, multiple, or lateralized) results in the development of recurrent complex partial seizures accompanied by Ammon's horn sclerosis or mesial temporal sclerosis, which is the most common of the intractable epilepsy. To elucidate the characteristics of epileptogenesis or acquired epilepsy following FS, we performed prospective long-term studies using hyperthermia-induced seizure model. Rat pups (postnatal 11 day old) were induced to hyperthermia (41-43 degrees C in core temperature) by exposure to a 175 W mercury vapor lamp. Six-nine weeks after hyperthermic seizure, the dentate gyrus showed impairments of paired-pulse inhibitions and excitability ratio. In addition, newly generated granule cells and synaptogenesis were observed in this region. Ten-twelve weeks after hyperthermic seizure, animals (approximately 68%) showed electroencephalographic seizure activity with increased VGLUT-1 immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus. Parvalbumin immunoreactivity was markedly reduced in the hilus. These findings indicate that in this model the epileptogenic changes in the dentate gyrus may be based on the persistent alterations in excitability via neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and impaired GABA(B) receptor-mediated inhibition.
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PMID:Hyperthermic seizure induces persistent alteration in excitability of the dentate gyrus in immature rats. 1849 95

The Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a term applied to altered bizarre perceptions of size and shapes of a patient's body and illusions of changes in the forms, dimensions, and motions of objects that a patient with this syndrome encounters. These metamorphopsias arise during complex partial seizures, migraine headaches, infections, and intoxications. The illusions and hallucinations resemble the strange phenomena that Alice experienced in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, whose nom de plume was Lewis Carroll, experienced metamorphopsias. He described them in the story that he wrote for Alice Liddell and her two sisters after he spun a tale about a long and strange dream that the fictional Alice had on a warm summer day. The author of this chapter suggests that Dodgson suffered from migraine headaches and used these experiences to weave an amusing tale for Alice Liddell. The chapter also discusses the neurology of mercury poisoning affecting the behavior of Mad Hatter character. The author suggests that the ever-somnolent Dormouse suffered from excessive daytime sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea.
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PMID:The Alice in Wonderland syndrome. 2429 Apr 80

The increase in urbanization and industrialization has contributed to the contamination of different environments by means of xenobiotic compounds, such as heavy metals, causing changes in microbial communities. Among these metals, the Mercury (Hg2+) is one the most prevalent toxic metals for the environment The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mercury on the formation of biofilm by environmental (collected from urban stream water) and clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. In addition, antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, and genetic diversity were investigated. Taxonomic identity of eight isolates (one reference, two clinical, and five environmental isolates) was performed by MALDI-TOF-MS, while the antibiotic susceptibility profile was assessed by the disc diffusion method. The ability to form biofilms was evaluated by culture on Congo red agar and by crystal violet staining. Biofilm structure was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophobicity profile and the presence of the virulence genes cps, fimH, and mrkD was investigated. The presence of merA and its relationship with antimicrobial resistance were also assessed. The identity of all isolates was confirmed by MALDI-TOF-MS, and different profiles of resistance to mercury and antibiotics as well as of biofilm formation were identified for the clinical and environmental isolates. All isolates were hydrophilic and positive for the virulence genes cps, fimH, and mrkD; only the clinical isolate K36-A2 was positive for merA. The diversity of the isolates was confirmed by ERIC-PCR, which revealed high heterogeneity among the isolates. In conclusion, the data demonstrate that the investigated isolates present different responses to exposure to Hg2+ and correspond to distinct populations of K. pneumoniae disseminated in the investigated environment. The data obtained in this work will aid in understanding the mechanisms of survival of this pathogen under adverse conditions.
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PMID:In vitro evaluation of mercury (Hg2+) effects on biofilm formation by clinical and environmental isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae. 3050 Jul 36