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Biomedical subjects

C Marsac

Publications and source records attributed to C Marsac.

88 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Variation in plasma ketone bodies during a 24-hour fast in normal and in hypoglycemic children: relationship to age.

The variations in blood ketone bodies, blood glucose, and insulin were studied in 19 normal and 14 hypoglycemic children, 4 months to 13 years of age, during a 24-hour fast. Except in four patients (two with hyperinsulinism and two with congenital defect in ketogenesis), a significant increase in blood ketone bodies was observed in both controls and patients. A progressive decrease in glucose concentrations was observed up to but not after 20 hours. A highly negative correlation between blood ketone bodies and blood glucose was found, with a large dispersion of blood ketone bodies, especially for those corresponding to the blood glucose between 45 and 65 mg/dl. This dispersion was consistently reduced in a homogenous age group of 4 to 6 years with similar glucose values. There was a positive correlation between age and blood glucose from hour 21 on, and an inverse relationship between age and blood ketone bodies from hour 15 on. The same high inverse relationship between age and blood ketone bodies was again observed when the variable of glucose concentration was factored out, demonstrating that the variation in blood ketone bodies is indeed related to age. These findings need to be taken into account in the interpretation of fasting blood ketone bodies, especially when used as an aid in the diagnosis of the various forms of childhood hypoglycemia, and of hypoketotic states.

Age Factors↗

Fasting hypoglycemia resulting from hepatic carnitine palmitoyl transferase deficiency.

Two sisters developed severe hypoglycemia at 8 months of age, resulting in death in one of them. Metabolic studies of the second revealed decline of blood glucose concentration and low plasma ketone body values during a 20-hour fast, both reversed by administration of medium-chain triglycerides. Carnitine palmitoyl transferase activity was absent in the liver extract of the patient; lack of this enzyme impairs long-chain fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis. Failure of gluconeogenesis could result from decreased production of acetyl-CoA and NADH.

Acyltransferases↗

[Multiple biotin-dependent carboxylase deficiencies (author's transl)].

Two patients presented in early childhood with: 1) alopecia, skin rashs, and candida dermatitis; 2) severe hypotonia, ataxia and motor retardation; 3) frequent episodes of ketoacidosis with hyperlactacidemia. Propionic and methylcrotonic aciduria only appeared on hyperprotidic diet. Mitochondrial biotin-dependent carboxylase activities were decreased in the liver and leukocytes, but were paradoxically normal in cultured fibroblasts whatever the biotin content of the medium. These disorders responded to biotin administration, pointing to multiple biotin-dependent carboxylase deficiencies (MCD). Our report stresses the polymorphism of MCD: major discrepancies concern predominance of carboxylase deficiency, expression of MCD in cultured fibroblasts, and possible involvement of a cytoplasmic biotin enzyme, acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC). Finally, we suggest that MCD could be of two types: impaired biotin metabolism (absorption, transport, activation) might result in generalization MCD involving ACC. Defective holocarboxylase synthetase might lead to a pure mitochondrial MCD with fibroblastic deficiency and presumably skin integrity.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗

[Alopecia, chronic candidodis, mental retardation and repeated ketoacidosic comas curable by biotin administration: multiple carboxylases deficiency (author's transl)].

Multiple carboxylases deficiency, a recently identified metabolic disease in infants, can be cured by the administration of biotine, a cofactor of the carboxylases: pyruvate, propionyl coenzyme A (CoA), methylcrotonyl CoA, and acetyl CoA. The disorder presents as alopecia, associated with chronic candidosis, psychomotor retardation, and frequent episodes of ketoacidosis coma which responded to biotine treatment. Biological signs, related to the deficiency of the individual enzymes, are observed as hyperlactacidemia, propionic aciduria, and methylcrotonylglycinuria. The metabolic basis of this vitamin-dependent size is still obscure, but the research stimulated by this new disease should clarify the still poorly understood physiological role of this vitamin in humans.

Acidosis↗

Neonatal congenital lactic acidosis with pyruvate carboxylase deficiency in two siblings.

The authors report 2 familial cases of neonatal congenital lactic acidosis with pyruvate carboxylase deficiency in the liver. In both cases, disorders started immediately after birth and were characterized by major neurological symptoms, acute metabolic acidosis with hyperketonemia and hyperammonemia. Course was rapidly fatal despite intensive care, bicarbonate therapy and several therapeutic attempts with biotin and thiamine. Hyperlactacidemia was associated with dramatic increase in lactate/pyruvate ratio, without anoxia, in contrast with decreased beta hydroxybutyrate/acetoacetate ratio. This unusual metabolic pattern may be assumed to result from decreased oxaloacetate synthesis as a result of pyruvate carboxylase deficiency, and impairment of oxaloacetate dependent mitochondrial redox shuttles. Post mortem enzymatic study of the liver and kidney showed biotin unresponsive total deficiency of pyruvate carboxylase. Other gluconeogenic enzyme activities were normal.

Acetoacetates↗

[Enzymopathic congenital hyperlactacidemia].

Congenital enzymopathic hyperlactacidemia results from a defect of utilisation of pyruvate either at the level of the pyruvate junction (pyruvate-carboxylase, pyruvate-dehydrogenase and Kreb's cycle), or at the level of the unidirectional enzymes on neo-glucogenesis and of neo-glycogenogenesis, e.g. glucose-6-phosphatase, phosphoenol-pyruvate-carboxykinase and glycogen synthetase. The enzymopathies which affect neoglucogenesis associate hyper-lactacidemia and fasting hypoglycemia and more or less marked hepatomegaly. Type I glycogenesis (von Gierke's disease) is the best known example. Enzymopathies which affect the pyruvate junction and the Krebs cycle, may be manifested in addition by: --either chronic neuropathies, e.g. Leigh's disease, recurrent ataxia, and moderate hyperalactacidemia,--or, as in congenital lactic acidoses, which have a rapid and severe prognosis with major hyperlactacidemia. Functional investigation, in particular, loading tests are of great value in orientation and justify the practice of tissue biopsy which permits the enzyme diagnosis. Recent, still unconfirmed knowledge of the pathogenesis of these diseases emphasizes the considerable importance of estimation of blood lactic acid in the investigation of metabolic acidoses of hereditary origin.

Acidosis↗

[Neonatal lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia due to a congenital hepatic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency].

Famialial defect of hepatic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase. Diagnosis was suspected in a male newborn since a brother was also concerned by the disease. The disease may be therefore diagnosed early, when the onset is neonatal. In the neonatal distress syndromes due to hereditery disorders of metabolism, a semiologic field may be isolated in which symptoms begin after an interval of short duration with hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly, lactic acidosis and ketosis ("enlarged liver hypoglycemia"). This possibility leads first to a symptomatic treatment of hypoglycemia and acidoketosis, then to the feeding with human milk and simple functional tests for the diagnostic approach.

Acidosis↗

Merrf family with 8344 mutation in tRNA (lys). Evidence of a mitochondrial vasculopathy in muscle biopsies.

This article reports a new MERRF family. The mother, regarded as suffering from Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, and her three daughters, had the same clinical pattern: myoclonic epilepsy and ataxia. Two daughters were studied on morphological, biochemical and molecular genetic levels. Muscle biopsies showed ragged-red fibres and mitochondrial vasculopathy. Arterioles were strongly SDH-reactive and COX-negative. By electron microscopy, abnormal mitochondria were observed in skeletal muscle fibres, in smooth muscle fibres of intramuscular vessels and in sweat gland epithelium. The study of the respiratory chain showed complex IV and I + IV deficiency, respectively. Mitochondrial tRNA (lys) mutation at position 8344 was pointed out as previously reported in the MERRF syndrome.

Adolescent↗

[Characteristics of a case of hepatic fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency].

The authors report a new case of hepatic fructose-1.6-diphosphatase deficiency, diagnosed in a 14 month-old girl on the occasion of an episode of prostration associated with acidosis, hyperlactacidemia and hypoglycemia without hepatomegaly. The unusual features of this case, especially the glucagon induced hyperglycemia after a 12 hour fast, emphasize the clinical and biological polymorphism of this enzymopathy.

Female↗