Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0344232 (blurred vision)
 2,072 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 71-year-old male with a null cell pituitary macroadenoma was given peripituitary region radiotherapy (4,346 Gy units) over a 1-month-period and 6 weeks later developed the rapid onset of blurred vision, diplopia, ataxia, incoordination, cranial nerve palsy, somnolence, and respiratory distress. His fixed neurologic deficits required ventilatory support, feeding tube placement, and chronic hospitalization until his death 1 year later. At autopsy, necrotic foci with dystrophic axonal calcification were found throughout the brainstem, associated with mild focal vascular hyalinization but without fibrinoid necrosis, telangiectasias or large vessel abnormalities. This unusual case of fatal "early delayed" radiation injury is compared to previous literature cases.
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PMID:Necrotizing brainstem leukoencephalopathy six weeks following radiotherapy. 760 98

The estuarine dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida gen. et sp. nov. produces exotoxin(s) that can be absorbed from water or fine aerosols. Culture filtrate (0.22 microns porosity filters, > 250 toxic flagellated cells/ml) induces formation of open ulcerative sores, hemorrhaging, and death of finfish and shellfish. Human exposure to aerosols from ichthyotoxic cultures (> or = 2000 cells/ml) has been associated with narcosis, respiratory distress with asthma-like symptoms, severe stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and eye irritation with reddening and blurred vision (hours to days); autonomic nervous system dysfunction [localized sweating, erratic heart beat (weeks)]; central nervous system dysfunction [sudden rages and personality change (hours to days), and reversible cognitive impairment and short-term memory loss (weeks)]; and chronic effects including asthma-like symptoms, exercise fatigue, and sensory symptoms (tingling or numbness in lips, hands, and feet; months to years). Elevated hepatic enzyme levels and high phosphorus excretion in one human exposure suggested hepatic and renal dysfunction (weeks); easy infection and low counts of several T-cell types may indicate immune system suppression (months to years). Pfiesteria piscicida is euryhaline and eurythermal, and in bioassays a nontoxic flagellated stage has increased under P enrichment (> or = 100 micrograms SRP/L), suggesting a stimulatory role of nutrients. Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates have been tracked to fish kill sites in eutrophic estuaries from Delaware Bay through the Gulf Coast. Our data point to a critical need to characterize their chronic effects on human health as well as fish recruitment, disease resistance, and survival.
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PMID:Insidious effects of a toxic estuarine dinoflagellate on fish survival and human health. 852 74

Scombroid fish poisoning is a food-borne chemical intoxication caused by certain spoiled fish that contain a large amount of histamine and some biogenic diamines. It has gradually become a world-wide medical problem and probably is the most common cause of fish poisoning. As the data on the incidents of scombroid fish poisoning in Taiwan remains scarce, we report 2 incidents of scombroid fish poisoning in Northern Taiwan. We collected data of the 2 outbreaks of suspected fish poisoning which were reported to us in 1996. An epidemiological investigation was undertaken. Questionnaire interviews were given to persons who ate lunch in the same cafeteria in outbreak 2. The leftover fish were sent for species identification and toxin analysis. The first incident involving 4 women occurred in March 1996. All cases experienced flush, dizziness, blurred vision and skin rashes after eating lunch. A non-scombroid fish of Makaira with histamine levels as high as 84.13 mg/100 g flesh was implicated in this incident. In August 1996, another incident involving some cases who ate lunch at the same cafeteria were investigated. A total of 146 questionnaires were distributed with a return of 132 questionnaires (90.4%). Fifty-five employees reported positive signs or symptoms; 48 persons who ate fish and 7 women who did not eat fish were ill. Fish was the only food associated with the illness with an attack rate of 73.8% (p < 0.001). The incriminated fish was later identified as a scombroid fish of Euthynnus with a histamine content of 271.9 mg/100 g flesh in 1 leftover piece and 118.5 mg/100 g flesh in another piece. Most cases in these 2 outbreaks received treatment with antihistamines and had rapid and complete recovery. The diagnosis of scombroid fish poisoning could be misdiagnosed as food allergy or bacterial food poisoning if physicians are not aware of such poisoning. The nonspecific but characteristic symptomatology of histamine food poisoning and previous consumption of fish should alert physicians to the possibility of scombroid fish poisoning. Unless complicated with shock or respiratory distress, supportive treatment with antihistamines usually concludes with a good prognosis. Toxin analysis of the fish flesh remains the most important step in approaching a confirmed diagnosis.
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PMID:Scombroid fish poisoning: an overlooked marine food poisoning. 925 Nov 76

Scombroid fish poisoning is an acute illness that occurs after eating fish containing high levels of histamine or other biogenic amines. Symptoms typically include facial flushing, sweating, rash, a burning or peppery taste in the mouth, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps and usually resolve within several hours without medical intervention. More severe symptoms (e.g., respiratory distress, swelling of the tongue and throat, and blurred vision) can occur and require medical treatment with antihistamines. In late 2006, two outbreaks of scombroid fish poisoning occurred, one in Louisiana and one in Tennessee. To determine the source of the outbreaks and to implement control measures, CDC and the state health departments in Louisiana and Tennessee conducted epidemiologic investigations, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted traceback investigations of the product. This report describes the results of those investigations, which indicated that the outbreaks in Louisiana and Tennessee were associated with tuna steaks from Indonesia and Vietnam, respectively. The majority of seafood eaten in the United States is imported. FDA programs to identify and prevent seafood hazards such as scombroid fish poisoning have made substantial progress but are able to inspect only a small proportion of seafood entering the United States. The only effective method for prevention of scombroid fish poisoning is consistent temperature control of fish at </=40 degrees F (</=4.4 degrees C) at all times between catching and consumption.
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PMID:Scombroid fish poisoning associated with tuna steaks--Louisiana and Tennessee, 2006. 1770 71

Endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis (AE) is a rare complication of invasive aspergillosis in transplant patients. In this report, we have described a patient who underwent liver transplantation because of drug-induced cholestatic cirrhosis and developed AE at 2 weeks after the surgery. The patient was a 22-year-old man who received a right liver lobe from his father. The operation was uneventful but the patient developed signs and symptoms of small-for-size syndrome after the second day of surgery. The patient received intense immunosuppression with methylprednisolone for 3 days, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil from the first day after the operation, with ceftriaxone and metronidazole as prophylactic antibiotics. Because of signs of respiratory distress with pneumonia, vancomycin and amphotericin B were added empirically to his regimen. Polymerase chain reaction for aspergillus DNA in the blood was positive. The patient received one course of methylprednisolone pulse therapy for signs of acute rejection at day 10, and tacrolimus was changed to sirolimus because of a rising serum creatinine and convulsions. After 2 weeks, the patient's symptoms improved and liver function tests were normal, but the complained of sudden intense pain in the left eye with unilateral blurred vision, redness, and other signs of endophthalmitis upon examination by an ophthalmologists. After 24 hours, visual acuity decreased to light perception. AE was confirmed by microscopy and culture of the vitreous fluid and retinal biopsy. Despite changing amphotericin to intravitreal injection of voriconazole followed by intravenous voriconazole and transient resolution of the symptoms, no improvement was seen in visual acuity. Pain and signs of inflammation in the eye recurred after 2 weeks. At last the patient underwent enucleation for resistant infection and fear of involvement of the other eye by aspergillosis or sympathetic ophthalmia.
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PMID:Endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis occurring after liver transplantation: a case report. 1976 79

Acute onset bulbar symptoms with respiratory failure and descending paralysis may occur in several neuromuscular disorders including variants of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), diphtheria, botulism and toxins. We present a 51-year-old man who presented with complains of ptosis and dyspnea following pyrethroids spraying in an enclosed area for eradication of flea. Within 5-6 days of admission limb weakness, dysphagia, dysarthria, blurred vision, diplopia, tremor and respiratory distress added to previous symptoms. Temporal profile of events after exposure, development of similar symptoms in patient's son, electrodiagnostic findings and exclusion of other etiologies confirms intoxication etiology. We reviewed the literature and provide an extensive electrodiagnostic overview.
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PMID:Clinical and electrodiagnostic findings in cyhalothrine poisoning. 2709 45

BACKGROUND COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The spectrum of disease seen in patients with COVID-19 infection ranges from asymptomatic or mild symptoms to severe pneumonia and even acute respiratory distress syndrome, which often requires invasive ventilation and intensive care. COVID-19-associated infection can be catastrophic, leading to both arterial and venous occlusion, microinfarcts, and multiorgan failure, although retinal vein occlusion has not yet been reported. CASE REPORT We present the case of a 40-year-old man who presented with a 3-day history of shortness of breath, cough, and fever. He also reported right calf pain and blurring of vision in both eyes. His medical history included hypertension and morbid obesity. The patient was found to have severe COVID-19 pneumonia on high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, right leg deep venous thrombosis on Doppler ultrasonography, and bilateral central retinal vein occlusion (RVO) on fundal examination. He was started on full-dose anticoagulation and discharged on rivaroxaban for 3 months. After 2 weeks of therapy, he had fully recovered from his COVID-19 symptoms and had near-normal vision. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 infection can cause RVO. Early full-dose anticoagulation should be considered in high-risk patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Ophthalmologists and other clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for RVO in patients with COVID-19 infection who presenting with blurred vision and severe pneumonia.
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PMID:Bilateral Central Retinal Vein Occlusion in a 40-Year-Old Man with Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pneumonia. 3311 72