Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0155339 (Brown)
 12,436 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Octacalcium phosphate (OCP, Ca8H2(PO4)6 . 5H2O) has been found in kidney stones and dental calculi and proposed by Brown et al. [1] to be a precursor of hydroxyapatite in bone and teeth formation. As saliva and urine often have acidic pH which favors OCP formation, the question remains then whether OCP can form in the more basic extracellular fluid in the bone milieu. This paper shows that calcium phosphate crystal phases obtained from neutral and pH 7.4 solution mixtures containing [CaCl2] = 0.1-10.0 mM and [Na2HPO4] = 0.1-90.0 mM with 100-300 mosM at 37 degrees C include brushite (CaHPO4 . 2H2O), OCP, and hydroxyapatite (Ca5(OH)(PO4)3). In some solutions OCP transforms into hydroxyapatite after 1 or more days, but brushite has not been observed to transform into OCP. Assuming the extracellular bone fluid has [Ca2+] = 1.0 mM, 300 mosM, and pH 7.4, this work suggests that hydroxyapatite crystals would only form when the ambient [Pi] greater than 5 mM, and that octacalcium phosphate may be a precursor.
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PMID:Octacalcium phosphate formation in vitro: implications for bone formation. 392 3

Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid is a particular form of mucous membrane pemphigoid and it is characterized by a chronic bilateral conjunctivitis with relapsing-remitting periods. Without therapy 75% of the cases develop visual loss due to major ocular complications (e.g. severe dry-eye syndrome, corneal erosions, corneal keratinization, entropion, symblepharon). Pathogenesis remains uncertain and probably linked to an autoimmune type II hypersensitivity response in patients with a genetic predisposition and exposure to different environmental triggers. With a worldwide distribution, no racial predilection and an estimated incidence that largely varies from 1/10,000-1/60,000, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid predominantly affects women aged ~60 years. Conjunctival biopsy with direct immunofluorescence is the gold standard in diagnosis confirmation, but up to 40% of the patients have a negative biopsy result that does not rule out the diagnosis. The skin and many other mucous membranes (e.g. oral, trachea, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, urethra, vagina and anus) may be involved. The disease grading relies on Foster staging system (based on clinical signs) and Mondino and Brown system (based on the inferior fornix depth loss). The differential diagnosis includes atopy, allergies, trauma, chemical burns, radiation, neoplasia, infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune etiologies. The main goals of the treatment are to stop disease progression, to relieve symptoms and to prevent complications. With long-term systemic therapy 90% of the cases can be efficiently controlled. While Dapsone is the first-line treatment in mild to moderate disease in patients without G6PD deficiency, more severe cases require immunosuppressant therapy with azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate or cyclosporine. Cyclophosphamide, biologics (etanercept or rituximab) and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy are usually reserved for recalcitrant disease and unsatisfactory results to conventional therapy. Dry eye syndrome requires constant lubricating medication and topical steroids, cyclosporine-A and tacrolimus. Surgery should be planed only in quiescent phase as minor conjunctival trauma can significantly worsen the disease.
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PMID:Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (Review). 3290 66