title: Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and partial cytochrome c oxidase deficiency.
abstract: A 52-year-old man had slowly progressive weakness and wasting of limb-muscles, sensorineural hearing loss, and complex partial seizures. CT showed cerebral atrophy, but he was not demented. Muscle biopsy showed ragged-red fibers and decreased histochemical stain for cytochrome c oxidase. Biochemical studies showed decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity in crude muscle extracts and in isolated mitochondria (44 and 30% of normal), while other mitochondrial enzymes were normal. A comparable decrease of immunologically reactive enzyme protein was shown by immunotitration with antibodies against human heart cytochrome c oxidase. Partial defects of cytochrome c oxidase may cause adult-onset, slowly progressive mitochondrial encephalomyopathies.
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D030401:Cytochrome-c Oxidase Deficiency; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008931:Mitochondria, Muscle / Q000201:enzymology*; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000201:enzymology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed