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Biomedical subjects

T Papapetropoulos

Publications and source records attributed to T Papapetropoulos.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Reduced brain stem excitability in mitochondrial myopathy: evidence for early detection with blink reflex habituation studies.

Blink reflex (BR) was studied in 17 patients with histochemically and genetically confirmed mitochondrial myopathy (MM). Fourteen patients had chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) associated with a mild to moderate craniosomatic myopathy without any symptoms or signs of central nervous system (CNS) involvement, 2 myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers syndrome, and 1 Kearns-Sayre syndrome. The mean latencies of the early (R1) and late (R2) responses were prolonged (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively), and the corresponding amplitudes decreased (P < 0.001). Increased habituation of the reflex was clearly observed in 10 out of 14 patients tested (71.4%), 9 of whom presented CPEO. These findings suggest that the brain stem reticular network is in a state of basal inhibition which is presumably due to a subclinical impairment of the cerebral cellular metabolism. Multimodal evoked potentials revealed abnormalities suggestive of CNS involvement in 7 out of 17 patients (41.2%), 4 of whom had CPEO. These observations document the validity of BR in detecting clinically silent brain stem impairment in patients with apparently pure MM and provide important clues for a further understanding of the underlying pathophysiology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Spontaneous esophageal rupture in adult dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis is a chronic inflammatory myopathy with severe prognosis. A 57-year-old woman suffering from dermatomyositis is presented who, in the course of the disease, developed acute spontaneous esophageal rupture due to dermatomyositis involvement of the esophagus. She was successfully treated with total esophagectomy and stomach interposition. This is the first report of spontaneous rupture of esophagus in dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis↗
PubMed1995

Manganism.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗
PubMed1994

D-penicillamine induced myasthenia gravis in rheumatoid arthritis: an unpredictable common occurrence?

Five patients out of 71 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who received D-penicillamine, developed myasthenia gravis (MG) within a two-year period. They all responded promptly to discontinuation of the drug and pyridostigmine administration. None of the patients had anti-Ro(SSA) antibodies or features of Sjögren's syndrome, whereas three of the five had the HLA-DR1 phenotype. The relatively high frequency of MG observed in our population, along with its unpredictability and potentially serious sequelae, necessitates its inclusion in the list of side effects of D-penicillamine routinely discussed with the patient, prior to initiation of the treatment. Full alertness of both the patient and the physician to even minor initial myasthenic symptoms, that dictate immediate discontinuation of the drug, is of obvious importance.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Pattern reversal visual evoked potentials in minor head injury.

Pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs) have been recorded in 50 patients with minor head injury (MHI) on days 1 and 30 after trauma and the data compared to 20 normals. None of the patients had visual complaints. The aim was to investigate a possible visual pathway affection in MHI and test the usefulness of PR-VEPs as an objective noninvasive tool in the detection of a possible subclinical affection of the visual system in MHI. P100 latency and amplitude had no significant difference compared to normals. Comparison of patient data on days 1 and 30 after trauma showed a significant latency decrease and amplitude increase on day 30, compared to day 1. These alterations were not age dependent. Our data suggest affection of the human visual pathway in MHI. PR-VEP recording seems to be a useful, objective, noninvasive tool, helping to identify possible subclinical affections of the visual pathway in MHI.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Sarcoidosis in a patient with myasthenia gravis. Case report and review of the literature.

The case of a 38-year-old white female, with a long history of myasthenia gravis, who developed sarcoidosis is presented. The diagnosis of myasthenia gravis had been established on the basis of typical clinical symptoms with severe myastenic crises necessitating respiratory support, characteristic electromyographic findings, positive anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies and response to appropriate medications. After 9 years of disease and while in apparent remission, she presented with ankle arthritis and bilateral hilar adenopathy. A transbronchial lung biopsy showed noncaseating granuloma, typical of sarcoidosis. To our knowledge, the combination of myasthenia gravis and sarcoidosis is extremely rare and emphasizes the intriguing tendency of some immunologic disorders to appear together in certain individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Peripheral neuropathy in patients with beta-thalassaemia.

As some patients with beta-thalassaemia manifested neurological signs, clinical and electrophysiological investigations were carried out on 53 thalassaemic patients and 29 healthy control subjects. Twenty per cent of the patients showed clinical and electrophysiological findings of a mild peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy, mainly of the lower limbs. The clinical symptoms were numbness, pins and needles sensations, muscular cramps, myalgia and muscle weakness. The electrophysiological abnormalities were manifested by decreased motor conduction velocity (MCV) and prolonged F-wave latencies of the tibial and the peroneal nerves. Borderline increase in the latencies of the sensory potentials of the median nerve was also observed. The electromyographic findings of the patients with diminished MCVs were compatible with a predominantly motor peripheral neuropathy. This neuropathy appears during the second and third decade of life.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1989

Myotonic dystrophy: hypotheses and facts about the illness of the Ypsilante brothers.

A study was undertaken in order to determine the state of health of the Ypsilante brothers, leaders of the Greek revolution. Available data, which are considered reliable, indicate that the Ypsilante brothers were affected by a chronic hereditary degenerative disease. A comparison of the symptoms of the illness of the Ypsilante brothers with those of myotonic dystrophy discloses many similarities between the two diseases. Also, myotonic dystrophy has been diagnosed in a female descendant of the family, examined in 1932 in London.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The neurological content of general practice.

Of examined patients in medical practice in this study 12.3% presented with neurological disease or health problems involving neurological questions or approach. In acute cases neurological problems (15.5%), occurred more often than in chronic ones. This high neurological workload in general practice has to be taken seriously into consideration in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence rate of cerebrovascular disease in the rural population of northwest Peloponnese, Greece. A direct epidemiological study.

In a direct (door-to-door) epidemiological study, the prevalence rate of cerebrovascular disease in the rural population of northwest Peloponnese, Greece, was found to be 995 strokes per 100,000 inhabitants over 20 years of age. This number is considerably lower than the prevalence rate (1,417 strokes per 100,000 inhabitants over 20 years of age) found in the urban population of the same county (Patras, Greece).

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Myopathy due to juvenile acid maltase deficiency affecting exclusively the type I fibres.

The clinical and laboratory findings of a patient with juvenile acid maltase deficiency are presented. The patient died from respiratory muscle weakness at age 31 years. Muscle biopsy shortly prior to his death showed remarkable vacuolation affecting exclusively type I fibres and mild myopathic changes of both types of muscle fibres, while the muscle biopsy at age 26 years had shown no evidence of acid maltase deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy of late onset (Kennedy-Stefanis disease?).

X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy of late onset is a rare variety of motor neuron disease. In this report a Greek family with 2 affected brothers is described. It is interesting that all Greek cases of this disease originate from a small group of Greek islands. Transient fatigue is an additional feature of the disease which is manifested sometimes before other symptoms are apparent. The progression of the disease appears to be faster than in spinal muscular atrophy of Wohlfart-Kugelberg-Welander. Regarding the name of this disorder, we propose the descriptive term, 'X-linked spinal and bulbar atrophy of late onset' or 'Kennedy-Stefanis disease.

Brain Diseases↗