Tetanus

In all cases the patient should be transferred to hospital or to a doctor, for further treatment of the wound, and also for a course of anti-tetanus toxoid, which is indicated if the patient is not already fully immunised. 

During the early 1900s, vaccines against major human epidemic diseases such as pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, and tuberculosis were developed. Vaccines for many animal diseases were also available. In the early 1950s, the development of cell culture techniques byj. E. Enders at Harvard was followed by another series of major advances in vaccine development. Vaccines against poHo, mumps, measles, and mbeUa were Hcensed during the 1960s. 

Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. These vacciaes Hi combiaatioa (DTP) have beea routiaely used for active immunization of Hifants and young children sHice the 1940s. The recommended schedule calls for immunizations at 2, 4, and 6 months of age with boosters at 18 months and 4—5 years of age. SHice 1993 these vacciaes have beea available Hi combination with a vacciae that protects agaiast Haemophilus disease, thus providing protectioa agaiast four bacterial diseases Hi oae preparatioa. A booster immunization with diphtheria and tetanus only is recommended once every 10 years after the fifth dose. 

Composition and Methods of Manufacture. The diseases of diphtheria and tetanus are caused by toxHis synthesized by the organisms CoTynebacterium diphtheriae and Clostridium tetanic respectively. Diphtheria and tetanus vacciaes coataHi purified toxHis that have beea iaactivated by formaldehyde to form toxoids. 

Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Pertussis Waccine Mdsorbed, USP Package Insert, Coimaught Laboratodes, Surftuster, Pa., revised 1994. 

The simpler substance apoharmine according to Flury causes increased reflex excitability in the dog. In the frog it produces a like effect which with larger doses goes on to tetanus. Esterification of harmol with methylcarbamic acid induces affinities with the physostigmine type of drug. ... 

Strychnicine. This alkaloid, isolated from nux-vomica leaves grown in. lava, forms needles, m.p. 240° dec.), and is characterised by the following colour reaction. When sodium hydroxide solution is added drop by drop to a solution of a salt of the alkaloid in water, the precipitate formed dissolves on addition of more alkali, forming an orange-coloured liquid which develops a violet colour on addition of hydrochloric acid. Strychnicine is scarcely poisonous, but is said to produce tetanus in frogs. 

Several alkaloids have been recorded for plants of this sub-order. From Nymphoea alba Linn., Bures and Plzik isolated nymphoeine, C14H23O2N it is amorphous, has m.p. 76-7°, gives a hydrochloride, m.p. 230° (dec.), contains a hydroxyl group, appears to be a secondary base, and to contain a pyrrole ring. It is toxic to frogs and produces tetanus-like symptoms. 

Tentacle-type modification 165, 166 Tetanus antigen 144 Tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) 150 Tetrafluoroethylene 161 Thrombin 145 Trains 148... 

Botulinum neurotoxins (A-G), tetanus toxin Synaptic peptides a) Synapto-brevin b) Syntaxin c) SNAP25 Zinc dependent endoprotease Cleavage of synaptic peptides Inhibition of transmitter release (tetanus, botulism)... 

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a synaptic plasticity phenomenon that corresponds to an increase in the synaptic strength (increase in the post-synaptic response observed for the same stimulation of the presynaptic terminals) observed after a high frequency stimulation (tetanus) of the afferent fibres. This increased response is still observed hours and even days after the tetanus. The phenomenon is often observed at glutamatergic synapses and involves, in most cases, the activation of the V-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors. 

The most ingenious exocytosis toxins, however, come from the anaerobic bacteria Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani. The former produces the seven botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) A-G the latter produces tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT). All eight toxins consist of a heavy (H) chain and a light (L) chain that are associated by an interchain S-S bond. The L-chains enter the cytosol of axon terminals. Importantly, BoNT L-chains mainly enter peripheral cholinergic terminals, whereas the TeNT L-chain mainly enters cerebral and spinal cord GABAergic and glycinergic terminals. The L-chains are the active domains of the toxins. They are zinc-endopeptidases and specifically split the three core proteins of exocytosis, i.e. the SNAREs (Fig. 1 inset). Each ofthe eight toxins splits a... 

Tetanus is a disease caused by the release of neurotoxins from the anaerobic, spore-forming rod Clostridium tetani. The clostridial protein, tetanus toxin, possesses a protease activity which selectively degrades the pre-synaptic vesicle protein synaptobrevin, resulting in a block of glycine and y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release from presynaptic terminals. Consistent with the loss of neurogenic motor inhibition, symptoms of tetanus include muscular rigidity and hyperreflexia. The clinical course is characterized by increased muscle tone and spasms, which first affect the masseter muscle and the muscles of the throat, neck and shoulders. Death occurs by respiratory failure or heart failure. 

Twitch is a muscle contraction caused by a single action potential, whereas tetanus is a sustained muscle contraction caused by a series of repetitive action potentials. The amplitude of tetanus contraction is larger than that of twitch, due to mechanical summation. 

Diphtheria and tetanus Diphtheria and Immunization against Sfee adverse reactions for See package inserts... 

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