Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0243026 (sepsis)
 52,417 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Infection, trauma, and injury result in a stereotypical response that includes loss of food appetite, increased sleepiness, muscle aches, and fever. For thousands of years fever was considered a protective response, and fevers were induced by physicians to combat certain infections. But with the advent of antipyretic drugs, physicians started to reduce fevers, and fever therapy was virtually abandoned. As a result of (1) studies on the evolution of fever, (2) further understanding of just how tightly the process of fever is regulated, and (3) detailed studies on how fever affects host morbidity and mortality, the view of fever as a host defense response has reemerged. However, data indicate that not all fevers are protective and that high fevers are maladaptive. These issues are discussed in the context of the evolution of host defense responses versus modern medical technology. In short, we speculate that patients who would not have survived severe sepsis in the past are now being kept alive and that the occasionally high fevers seen in these patients may be maladaptive.
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PMID:Role of fever in disease. 991 81

Meningitis and meningococcal sepsis are emergency conditions associated with high mortality. The outcome is worsened by the onset of disseminated intravascular coagulation. This may present, particularly in children, with the clinical picture of purpura fulminans, characterized by extensive necrotic-hemorrhagic skin lesions, ischemia of the extremities and multiorgan failure. It has been observed that depletion of coagulation inhibitors, particularly protein C, plays a key role in the development of this severe complication. We describe the case of a woman who presented in the Emergency Room with signs of meningitis, drowsiness, hypotension and petechie. Bacterioscopic examination of the cerebrospinal fluid evidenced characteristic gram-negative diplococci. Laboratory data disclosed initial disseminated intravascular coagulation with low levels of proteins C and S. Following intravenous infusion of antibiotics, fluids and fresh frozen plasma, the patient's condition rapidly improved. However, multiple skin lesions appeared on her fingers, toes and heels. It is likely that the infusion of coagulation inhibitors contained in fresh frozen plasma, prevented evolution to full-blown purpura fulminans. The first choice treatment for purpura fulminans in meningococcal sepsis is infusion of protein C concentrate, which is not, however, currently available on the market.
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PMID:[Meningococcal meningitis in the adult complicated by cutaneous necrosis: description of a clinical case]. 1120 31

A report of 19 cases of serologically-proven dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in infants aged 3-12 months who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Chon Buri Regional Hospital, Thailand, during 1995 to 1998. Subjects were 8 males and 11 females, with the peak age of 8 months. Four cases (21%) had DHF and other common co-infections ie pneumonia (2 cases), Staphylococcus aureus sepsis (1 case) and Haemophilus influenzae meningitis (1 case). The clinical manifestations of the 15 DHF cases were high fever (100%), coryza (93.3%), hepatomegaly (80%), drowsiness (53.3 %), and vomiting (46.7%); rash was observed in only 27%; one-fifth developed febrile convulsions. Sites of bleeding were the skin (petechiae) 58%, gastrointestinal system (melena) 16%, and mucous membrane (epistaxis) 5%; thrombocytopenia and increased hematocrit (> or =20%) were noted in 95% and 84% respectively. The majority of the patients (18 cases, 95%) had primary infection; only one (5%) had secondary infection. The clinical severity of the DHF was Grade I, II, and III (dengue shock syndrome) in 21%, 47% and 32% of cases respectively. After appropriate and effective management, all the infants recovered fully.
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PMID:Dengue hemorrhagic fever in infants. 1211 60

Severe sepsis and septic shock are among the most complex and challenging conditions treated by critical care practitioners. Although the pathophysiology of severe sepsis and septic shock is not fully understood, bacteria and immune responses are known to trigger the release of cytokines. These cytokines initiate a cascade of events that lead to illness behaviors such as fever, anorexia, and sleepiness, as well as a host of physiologic events such as activation of the coagulation cascade, vasodilation, hypotension, and increased vessel permeability. As research advances the understanding of severe sepsis and septic shock, practitioners must become aware of the cellular basis of events so that treatments can be implemented knowledgeably and evaluated.
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PMID:The cellular basis of septic shock. 1259 36

We present a case of an 81-year-old diabetic man with anaerobic sepsis due to acalculous cholecystitis. The patient was admitted to our hospital with a seven-day history of severe abdominal pain accompanied with fever and somnolence. Blood cultures taken during the initial procedure developed Clostridium perfringens. The patient was immediately treated with parenteral penicillin. The ultrasonography pointed out the case: the gall bladder was found to be distended and slightly thickened. This result was interpreted as an acute non-emphysematous cholecystitis. The material obtained by needle aspiration and therapeutical emptying of the gall bladder revealed large gram positive rods, that also proved to be Clostridium perfringens. The patients course afterwards was uneventful. Antibiotics were continued and he was discharged after 13 days in a stable condition.
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PMID:[Generalized pain syndrome, fever and somnolence in an 81-year-old patient]. 1473 45

Concerning major causative organisms of purulent meningitis, i. e., Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, a questionnaire was sent to medical institutions all over Japan with the aim of investigating the patient background factors, sequelae and causal relationship with the causative organisms. Responses from 84 institutions in various parts of Japan were summarized and the following conclusions were drawn. 1. The diagnostic names of 227 patients for whom the questionnaire could be recollected were as follows: Purulent meningitis 138 cases (patient under 15 years old; 134 cases); purulent meningitis and sepsis, 58 cases; sepsis, 28 cases; and others, 3 cases. The causative organisms for the patients with meningitis and meningitis + sepsis were as follows: Haemophilus influenzae, 132 patients; and Streptococcus pneumoniae, 44 patients. 2. With respect to age distribution among the patients with meningitis and those with meningitis + sepsis, the number of the patients of the age younger than 1 year old was more than twice larger than that of one-year-old patients. The percentage of the cases in which sequelae remained was 35.9% among the cases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and 13.4% among the cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae. A significant difference was observed between the bacterial strains (p=0.0025). 3. The major initial symptoms observed were high fever, vomiting, consciousness disorder, drowsiness and poor sucking. The percentage of the patients with remaining sequelae was significantly high among the patients who exhibited convulsion in the early stage after the onset. 4. As to the relationship with administration of dexamethasone, sequelae remained in 40.0% (10/25) of the patients who did not receive dexamethasone, and 17.3% (23/133) of the patients who received the drug. The percentage of the patients with remaining sequelae was significantly low among the patients who received dexamethasone (p=0.0043).
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PMID:[Analysis by questionnaire survey concerning example such as purulent meningitis and severe infectious diseases--relation among patient background factor, sequelae, and infecting organism]. 1691 2

Infection of an intrathecal pump system is a rare but serious complication and usually leads to the removal of the pump. The authors report the first case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) meningitis in a patient with such a pump successfully treated with linezolid without the need for removal of the intrathecal pump. A 77-year-old woman with cervical myelopathy underwent implantation of an intrathecal pump system for baclofen administration. Two weeks after the procedure she developed meningitis caused by MRSA as isolated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures, blood samples, and serum obtained from the pump pouch. Clinically she presented with meningism, somnolence, and signs of sepsis. When a combined intravenous antibiotic treatment regimen of vancomycin and rifampicin resulted in no clinical improvement, that regimen was discontinued and linezolid was administered intravenously as monotherapy. Within 3 days clinical and laboratory findings showed significant improvement. After 1 week of linezolid treatment, blood and CSF cultures were sterile. Intravenous treatment was administered for a total of 3 weeks, after which the patient was treated with oral linezolid for 3 months. During 18 months of follow-up, no new clinical or laboratory signs of infection were observed. These results confirm previous reports of the efficacy of linezolid for the treatment of severe infections of the central nervous system caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria, especially postneurosurgical infections.
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PMID:Successful treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus meningitis using linezolid without removal of intrathecal infusion pump. Case report. 1788 67

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare inborn error of metabolism, caused by a deficiency in activity of the branched chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase impairing the degradation of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine). Classic MSUD usually manifests in the neonatal period with poor feeding, vomiting, lethargy, muscular hypertonicity, seizure, coma and death. Thirteen cases of classic MSUD were diagnosed from 1997-2007 at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health. All cases presented in the neonatal period. The onset of symptoms ranged from 3 to 20 days (median 8 days). The time taken to make the diagnosis ranged from 18 to 356 days (median 55 days). The diagnosis was accomplished by clinical diagnosis and confirmed by detecting abnormal levels of amino acids in the blood and organic acids in the urine. Clinical manifestations were non-specific such as poor suck, weak cry, drowsiness and seizures. Majority of cases were initially diagnosed as sepsis and/or meningitis. All patients had neurological sequelae and psychomotor retardation. This results show the need for increase awareness of metabolic disorder such as MSUD and the requirement for early detection and treatment to ensure a better outcome.
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PMID:Maple syrup urine disease in Thai infants. 1925 91

An 80-year-old man who had undergone total gastrectomy and splenectomy for gastric cancer 13 years ago presented with headache, drowsiness, and high fever 1 month after a traffic accident. Brain CT scans revealed bilateral subdural fluid collections. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) showed mixed high and low signal intensities in the left subdural fluid, and contrast-enhanced MR imaging revealed capsule enhancement of the left subdural fluid collection. The patient was diagnosed with left subdural empyema, and 2 burr-holes were drilled for drainage and irrigation. Operative findings revealed a neomembrane underneath the dura mater. Old hematoma and yellowish-white purulent fluid were present within the neomembrane. This confirmed the diagnosis of infected subdural hematoma (ISH). Abscess culture results were positive for Escherichia coli. The patient's symptoms resolved postoperatively with subsequent antibiotic therapy. However, 4 months after the operation, he suddenly died of severe sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation following cholecystitis, which was possibly associated with splenectomy. The clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of an unusual case of ISH have been discussed. We emphasize that DWI and enhanced MR imaging may be useful for diagnosing ISH, and serial DWI evaluations may help in monitoring the therapeutic response in ISH.
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PMID:[Case of infected subdural hematoma diagnosed by diffusion-weighted imaging]. 1930 4

Lemierre syndrome refers to necrotizing infections of the head due to Fusobacterium necrophorum and has been called the 'forgotten disease' due to its rarity in the antibiotic era. Recently, however, more cases have been documented in the literature suggesting that there has been an increase in incidence. A 10-year-old boy is reported who had a five-day history of ear infection, with the development of fever, drowsiness and ipsilateral neck swelling. Unexpected cardiac arrest occurred soon after medical assessment. At autopsy, right otitis media was demonstrated with extension of suppurative infection into subcutaneous tissues behind the ear and also into the extradural space at the lateral end of the petrous temporal bone. There was also septic thrombophlebitis of the adjacent sigmoid sinus, but no evidence of meningitis. This case demonstrates yet another infectious condition that may be associated with rapid deterioration and unexpected death in childhood. An autopsy approach to suspected sepsis in childhood is outlined.
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PMID:Lemierre syndrome and unexpected death in childhood. 1978 21


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