Dynamin is a GTPase that plays a vital role in clathrin-dependent endocytosis and other vesicular trafficking processes by acting as a pair of molecular scissors for newly formed vesicles originating from the plasma membrane. Dynamins and related proteins are important components for the cleavage of clathrin-coated vesicles, phagosomes, and mitochondria. These proteins help in organelle division, viral resistance, and mitochondrial fusion/fission. Dysfunction and mutations in dynamin have been implicated in the pathophysiology of various disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, heart failure, schizophrenia, epilepsy, cancer, dominant optic atrophy, osteoporosis, and Down's syndrome. This review is an attempt to illustrate the dynamin-related mechanisms involved in the above-mentioned disorders and to help medicinal chemists to design novel dynamin ligands, which could be useful in the treatment of dynamin-related disorders.
Objective: Detailed studies of Addison's disease resulting from disseminated adrenal histoplasmosis (AH) are not available. We describe the presentation and prognosis of AH and cortisol status before and after antifungal therapy.Design: Single-centre retrospective hospital-based study of 40 consecutive adults with AH [39 males; age (mean ± SD) 53 ± 11 years] was conducted between 2006 and 2018. The median duration of follow-up was 2.5 years (range 0.2-12 years).
Patients and methods: AH was diagnosed by bilateral adrenal enlargement on CT scan and presence of Histoplasma by histology and/or culture of biopsied adrenal tissue. All patients received oral itraconazole and, if required, amphotericin B as per guidelines. ACTH-stimulated serum cortisol (normal > 500 nmol/L) was measured in 38 patients at diagnosis and re-tested after one year of antifungal therapy in 21 patients. Results: Seventy-three per cent of patients had primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) and one-third had an adrenal crisis at presentation. HIV antibody was negative in all patients. Of the 29 patients who completed antifungal therapy, 25 (86%) were in remission at last follow-up. Overall, 8 (20%) patients died: three had a sudden death, four had severe histoplasmosis and one died due to adrenal crisis. No patient with PAI became eucortisolemic on re-testing after one year of antifungal therapy. Of the eight patients with normal cortisol at diagnosis, two developed adrenal insufficiency on follow-up.Conclusion: All patients with AH tested negative for HIV antibody. While patients achieved a high rate of clinical remission after antifungal therapy, overall mortality was significant. Cortisol insufficiency did not normalize despite treatment.
K E Y W O R D SAddison's disease, adrenal insufficiency, cortisol, histoplasmosis | 535 SINGH et al.
Histamine H3 receptors are found mostly in central nervous system involved in the regulation of release of various neurotransmitters in brain. They have been implicated in diverse potential therapeutic applications such as sleep-wake disorders, attention-deficient hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, cognitive impairment and obesity. This review is an attempt to elucidate the function of H3 receptors and their role in various CNS disorders. Also, it is aimed at collating the information on efforts of various medicinal chemists to synthesize the H3 receptor agonists and antagonists in single article.
Purpose: To assess the prevalence of post-COVID symptoms in patients with recovered COVID-19 (nasopharyngeal RT PCR negative) who were discharged from an acute COVID care facility at a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India. Methods: This study was an observational study with retrospective data collection, conducted in the COVID follow-up clinic, a combined clinic of medicine and endocrinology. Patients discharged from the acute COVID care facility were recruited after 14 days of discharge if they fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria. The retrospective data was collected from the hospital records/EMR and analysed by the SPSSv23. Results: Fifty patients, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in the study. The Mean age of patients was 53.4±13.8 years (range 28-77). Seventy six percent were male, and 38% had type 2 diabetes. Fever (94%), cough (78%) and breathlessness (68%), were the most common symptoms at presentation to acute care facility. Oxygen saturation at presentation had a negative correlation with D-Dimer, age, and C reactive protein. When patients were evaluated clinically, after 14 days (range 15 to 50 days) of the discharge, 82% of patients had at least one persistent symptom. Fatigue (74%) was the most common symptoms in follow-up followed by breathlessness (44%), and muscle weakness (36%). Two patients had persistent fever, even after negative RT PCR status. Conclusion: Patients discharged from the acute COVID care facility had a high prevalence of post-COVID symptoms even after 14 days.
Disseminated histoplasmosis is a systemic disease caused by the dimorphic fungus
Histoplasma capsulatum
. Here, we are presenting a case of shock who was diagnosed to have primary adrenal insufficiency. This 68-year-old man had bilateral adrenal mass and later presented with chronic fever and ulcerated anal mass in the oncology clinic. The oncologist made a provisional diagnosis of anal carcinoma with adrenal metastasis. He was suspected of having an adrenal crisis and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He also had granulomatous hepatitis and acute kidney injury. The working diagnosis was changed to systemic inflammatory/infective pathology. The biopsy of the anal tissue done to look for the aetiology showed
Histoplasma
. He was started on oral itraconazole therapy. He improved symptomatically (resolution of fever, improvement in pain) when assessed after seven days. His anal ulcer healed after 21 days of itraconazole therapy.
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