Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0242429 (sore throat)
 2,760 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Influenza is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease, caused by influenza viruses infecting the host at the respiratory mucosa and repeated annually by appearance of variant viruses with altered surface antigens. To control influenza, a protective immunity must be provided in advance by administration with an inactivated or attenuated virus vaccine. Current inactivated vaccine, licensed for parenteral administration, can induce systemic IgG antibodies, but not highly cross-reactive mucosal IgA and heterosubtypic cytotoxic T lymdhocytes(CTL), to results in lowered protective efficacy against variant virus infection. Current attenuated virus vaccine, licensed for intranasal administration, can induce IgA and CTL, as well as IgG, with coryza, sore throat and febrile reactions and with forbidden use to high-risk patients. To improve shortcomings of the current inactivated or attenuated vaccine, many trials, including the development of DNA vaccine, are still going on.
 ...
PMID:[Present situation of influenza vaccine development]. 1461 44

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause morbidity, hospital admissions, and mortality, and strongly influence health-related quality of life. Some patients are prone to frequent exacerbations, which are associated with considerable physiologic deterioration and increased airway inflammation. About half of COPD exacerbations are caused or triggered primarily by bacterial and viral infections (colds, especially from rhinovirus), but air pollution can contribute to the beginning of an exacerbation. Type 1 exacerbations involve increased dyspnea, sputum volume, and sputum purulence; Type 2 exacerbations involve any two of the latter symptoms, and Type 3 exacerbations involve one of those symptoms combined with cough, wheeze, or symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection. Exacerbations are more common than previously believed (2.5-3 exacerbations per year); many exacerbations are treated in the community and not associated with hospital admission. We found that about half of exacerbations were unreported by the patients, despite considerable encouragement to do so, and, instead, were only diagnosed from patients' diary cards. COPD patients are accustomed to frequent symptom changes, and this may explain their tendency to underreport exacerbations. COPD patients tend to be anxious and depressed about the disease and some might not seek treatment. At the beginning of an exacerbation physiologic changes such as decreases in peak flow and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)) are usually small and therefore are not useful in predicting exacerbations, but larger decreases in peak flow are associated with dyspnea and the presence of symptomatic upper-respiratory viral infection. More pronounced physiologic changes during exacerbation are related to longer exacerbation recovery time. Dyspnea, common colds, sore throat, and cough increase significantly during prodrome, indicating that respiratory viruses are important exacerbation triggers. However, the prodrome is relatively short and not useful in predicting onset. As colds are associated with longer and more severe exacerbations, a COPD patient who develops a cold should be considered for early therapy. Physiologic recovery after an exacerbation is often incomplete, which decreases health-related quality of life and resistance to future exacerbations, so it is important to identify COPD patients who suffer frequent exacerbations and to convince them to take precautions to minimize the risk of colds and other exacerbation triggers. Exacerbation frequency may vary with the severity of the COPD. Exacerbation frequency may or may not increase with the severity of the COPD. As the COPD progresses, exacerbations tend to have more symptoms and take longer to recover from. Twenty-five to fifty percent of COPD patients suffer lower airway bacteria colonization, which is related to the severity of COPD and cigarette smoking and which begins a cycle of epithelial cell damage, impaired mucociliary clearance, mucus hypersecretion, increased submucosal vascular leakage, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Elevated sputum interleukin-8 levels are associated with higher bacterial load and faster FEV(1) decline; the bacteria increase airway inflammation in the stable patient, which may accelerate disease progression. A 2-week course of oral corticosteroids is as beneficial as an 8-week course, with fewer adverse effects, and might extend the time until the next exacerbation. Antibiotics have some efficacy in treating exacerbations. Exacerbation frequency increases with progressive airflow obstruction; so patients with chronic respiratory failure are particularly susceptible to exacerbation.
 ...
PMID:Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 1465 61

Lassa fever is an acute viral illness caused by Lassa virus, which is hosted by rodents in the Mastomys natalensis species complex and rarely imported to countries outside of those areas in Africa where the disease is endemic. Lassa fever is characterized by fever, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and chest and abdominal pain. Approximately 15%-20% of patients hospitalized for Lassa fever die from the illness; however, approximately 80% of human infections with Lassa virus are mild or asymptomatic, and 1% of infections overall result in death. On August 28, 2004, a man aged 38 years residing in New Jersey died from Lassa fever after returning from travel to West Africa. This report summarizes the clinical and epidemiologic investigations conducted by federal, state, and local public health agencies. The findings illustrate the need for clinicians and public health officials to remain alert to emerging infectious diseases and to institute appropriate measures to promptly identify and limit spread of unusual pathogens.
 ...
PMID:Imported Lassa fever--New Jersey, 2004. 1572 58

Infectious mononucleosis should be suspected in patients 10 to 30 years of age who present with sore throat and significant fatigue, palatal petechiae, posterior cervical or auricular adenopathy, marked adenopathy, or inguinal adenopathy. An atypical lymphocytosis of at least 20 percent or atypical lymphocytosis of at least 10 percent plus lymphocytosis of at least 50 percent strongly supports the diagnosis, as does a positive heterophile antibody test. False-negative results of heterophile antibody tests are relatively common early in the course of infection. Patients with negative results may have another infection, such as toxoplasmosis, streptococcal infection, cytomegalovirus infection, or another viral infection. Symptomatic treatment, the mainstay of care, includes adequate hydration, analgesics, antipyretics, and adequate rest. Bed rest should not be enforced, and the patient's energy level should guide activity. Corticosteroids, acyclovir, and antihistamines are not recommended for routine treatment of infectious mononucleosis, although corticosteroids may benefit patients with respiratory compromise or severe pharyngeal edema. Patients with infectious mononucleosis should be withdrawn from contact or collision sports for at least four weeks after the onset of symptoms. Fatigue, myalgias, and need for sleep may persist for several months after the acute infection has resolved.
 ...
PMID:Epstein-Barr virus infectious mononucleosis. 1550 39

A 34-year-old woman was referred to our hospital complaining of sore throat and arthralgia. She had low-grade fever, tachycardia, and goiter with tenderness. Laboratory data revealed thyrotoxicosis and tests for acute inflammatory markers were positive. Thyroidal radioactive iodine uptake was below normal. Ultrasonography of thyroid revealed mild thyroid enlargement and hypoechogenic areas consistent with tenderness. Subacute thyroiditis was diagnosed and prednisone was administered. Two years later, her identical twin sister, who lives separately, was referred to our hospital because of neck pain, low-grade fever, and palpitation. She exhibited the same clinical picture as her twin sister, and was also diagnosed as having subacute thyroiditis. Although the cause of subacute thyroiditis remains unclear, viral infection has been implicated in the onset of subacute thyroiditis in genetically predisposed individuals. We could not identify the viruses, but heterozygotes for HLA-B35, which has been reported to be linked with subacute thyroiditis, were found in the twins. This supports the suspicion that genetic factors, including this HLA haplotype, play a critical role in the onset of subacute thyroiditis.
 ...
PMID:Subacute thyroiditis developed in identical twins two years apart. 1628 33

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) appears to be associated with airway inflammation seen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present authors studied the effects of exacerbation, season, temperature and pollution on eNO. eNO was measured seasonally and at exacerbations in 79 outpatients suffering from COPD (mean forced expiratory volume in one second=42%). The effects of exacerbation symptoms, physiological and environmental parameters were analysed. Stable eNO levels were correlated positively with arterial oxygen tension. Median levels were found to be lower in smokers (5.3 ppb) than in ex- or nonsmokers (6.8 ppb). Levels were higher during October to December (6.9 ppb) than in April to June (4.6 ppb). Levels were also higher during 68 exacerbations in 38 patients (7.4 ppb) than in stable conditions (5.4 ppb), independent of the effects of smoking. The rise in eNO was greater in exacerbations that were associated with colds, a sore throat or dyspnoea combined with a cold. In conclusion, exhaled nitric oxide levels were higher in colder weather and in the autumn, perhaps related to the increased prevalence of viral infection at this time of year. The levels were lower in more severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Exhaled nitric oxide levels were raised at the onset of exacerbation, particularly in the presence of a cold.
 ...
PMID:Effects of exacerbations and seasonality on exhaled nitric oxide in COPD. 1631 29

The Common Cold remains the most frequent symptomatic viral infection in man. Current best therapies are all symptomatic. New pharmacological therapies are likely to be prescription-bound, and as most Common Cold infections are successfully treated without the intervention of a Physician, there is a need for effective non-prescription therapy options. Aim of this study is to propose a new type of approach, based on the concept of making a hostile biological environment for virus survival and spreading at the point of infection, the nasopharynx. The hypothesis was advanced that infections could be controlled using a physical biological approach to create an environment at the point of infection, that is inhibitory to the survival, and persistence of infecting virus, and of viruses newly released from infected mucosal epithelial cells. A nasal irrigation spray, designed to deliver a low pH gel to the nasal cavity, was developed and tested in this study. The study was a randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of three formulations of irrigation nasal spray in 441 subjects. The objective was to test whether the formulations reduced Cold severity and Cold duration compared to a placebo nasal spray. Subjects were recruited, and supplied with the product when healthy, and were instructed to begin treating and recording symptom severity once they experienced the "first signs" of a Common Cold. To qualify, subjects had to volunteer that they had at least one of the symptoms: sore/scratchy throat, runny nose or congested nose. The product was used 4 times daily, with at least 4 hours separating each dose, for a maximum of 7 days. Efficacy was assessed by an Interactive Voice Recall System whereby subjects were required to contact the investigation site, by telephone, twice daily when they were asked to assess the severity of their symptoms using a four point ordinal scale where 0 = "absent", and 3 = "severe". The symptoms assessed were sore throat, runny nose, blocked nose, cough and tired/run-down feeling. Two formulations demonstrated significant effects. A hydroxy methyl propyl cellulose based formulation reduced symptom severity compared with placebo by 17% and a Poloxamer based formulation reduced severity by 21%. Duration of illness was reduced with a hydroxy methyl propyl cellulose based formulation by 1.5 days to 2.4 days (according to the dose) and by a Poloxamer based formulation by 2.5 days. Results of this study suggest that the creation of a non virus-specific, inhibitory environment in the nasopharynx holds promise as an effective method of controlling the severity and duration of the Common Cold.
 ...
PMID:Effects of creating a non-specific, virus-hostile environment in the nasopharynx on symptoms and duration of common cold. 1760 34

A 54-year-old woman had an episode of sudden oral bleeding and generalized petechiae 1 week after a sore throat and diarrhea. On admission, the platelet count was 0.1 x 10(4)/microl, and the platelet-associated IgG level was elevated. Hyperplasia of megakaryocytes in a bone marrow specimen and aberrant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody patterns led to a diagnosis of EBV-associated idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Prednisolone (PSL) promptly restored her platelet count; however, she developed disorientation and affective lability soon after PSL was tapered. Subsequently, she ran a high fever and developed convulsive seizures. T2-weighted MRI demonstrated a high signal area in the subcortical white matter, and no abnormal findings were found on examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. The diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) was made and steroid pulse therapy was started, which resulted in remission of the symptoms without recurrence in the following months. This is the first reported case of ADEM following EBV infection during treatment for ITP. Administration of PSL for ITP might mask the presenting clinical picture of ADEM. The possibility of ADEM should be investigated in patients of ITP following viral infection who develop acute encephalopathy.
 ...
PMID:[Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis during treatment for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura]. 1870 83

A sore throat (also known as pharyngitis or tonsillitis) is most commonly caused by a contagious viral infection (such as the flu, cold, or mononucleosis), although more serious throat infections can be caused by a bacterial infection (such as strep, mycoplasma, or Haemophilus). Bacterial sore throats respond well to antibiotics, whereas viral ones do not. However, strep throat remains a leading cause for physician visits, and researchers have long struggled to determine how best to treat it. The current practice guidelines offer different management options for adult patients presenting with a sore throat. Thus, when a physician treats a patient with acute pharyngitis, the clinical decision that usually needs to be made is whether the pharyngitis is attributable to group A streptococci. The key concern is the degree to which the clinical possibility of a group A streptococcal infection should affect clinician's decisions. To determine the best treatment of pharyngitis, we conducted a multicriteria decision analysis using fuzzy reasoning for remote health service delivery between a healthcare provider and patients. The approach can be adopted for interactive phone use or online system application. Five alternative treatment options were considered, particularly: (a) no test no Rx, (b) rapid strep, (c) culture, (d) rapid strep and culture, and (e) empiric Rx. Fuzzy reasoning is used to examine the signs/symptoms and their ratings. The study includes seven criteria factors that can be rated according to each alternative clinical treatment using linguistic statements. The model shows that no test no Rx is the best option for the cases of low prevalence of group A streptococcal infection. Two strategies--culture and treat if positive and rapid strep with culture of negative results--are equally preferable for patients with moderate prevalence likelihood. Rapid strep and culture of negative results is the best management strategy for patients with high population prevalence of group A streptococcal infection. In conclusion, the best clinical management of patients with sore throat depends on both the clinical probability of group A streptococcal infection and clinical judgments that incorporate the importance ratings of the individual patients as well as practice circumstances.
 ...
PMID:A remote fuzzy multicriteria diagnosis of sore throat. 1881 94

A 66-year-old woman complained of fever, sore throat, and neck pain due to pharyngitis and painful lymph node swelling. CBC revealed severe pancytopenia and markedly hypocellular marrow. The administration of antibiotics and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) successfully ameliorated the inflammatory lesions, and hematopoiesis recovered. Causes for pancytopnenia was unlikely to be virus infection or drugs, and aplastic anemia was also unlikely since only the plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was markedly elevated, erythropoietin (EPO) was slightly elevated, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was normal, and flow cytometric analysis for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)-type cells was negative. These results suggested that the cause of impaired hematopoiesis in the present patient might have been due to elevated TNF-alpha in overwhelming infection, although the pathogen was not identified.
 ...
PMID:Transient severe pancytopenia due to elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha in overwhelming infection. 1929 48


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>