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Biomedical subjects

L Corbella

Publications and source records attributed to L Corbella.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

[3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase deficiency as a cause of severe neurological damage].

This paper describes the first Argentine case of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria, a genetic defect of ketogenesis and leucine catabolism step. At the age of 4 months, the patient presented a life-threatening episode of hypoglucemia, metabolic acidosis and hyperammonemia resembling Reye syndrome. The lack of urinary ketone bodies, normal levels of plasma aminoacids and normal urinary excretion of p-hydroxyphenolic acids, led us to look for a ketogenic defect. An abnormal profile of urinary organic acids detected by thin layer chromatography and later characterized and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Figs. 1, 2; Table 1), showed a marked increase in the acidic metabolites typical of the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric, 3-methylglutaconic, 3-methylglutaric and 3-hydroxyisovaleric acids. The activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A lyase was absent in white cell pellets and between 2-5% of the control values in skin fibroblasts (Table 2). Treatment of the disorder, mainly restricted leucine or low-protein diet and addition of L-carnitine had no significant effect on the severe neurological injuries present since the first illness. MRI of the brain, at the age of 1 year and 8 months, showed images in T1 suggestive of marked cerebral atrophy and in T2 hyperintensive images predominating in the right frontal and posterior parietal areas and of the punctiform lesions in the basal ganglia, particularly in the heads of both caudate nuclei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acids↗

[Phenotypic expression variation of isovaleric acidemia in Argentinian patients. A long term follow-up].

In this paper we discuss the first five Argentinean patients presenting isovaleric acidemia (IVA), an alteration of leucine catabolism due to a genetic defect of isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase. Belonging to unrelated families, one from native (H. Fam.) and the other from Italian ancestry (M. Fam.); the patients presented the clinical pattern highly suggestive of the disease: they were siblings, had disease-free intervals, vomiting, ketoacidosis crises, "sweaty feet" odor and progression of the neurologic involvement from somnolence and stupor to profound coma. In the four children of H. Fam. the disease had a late but severe beginning; one of the girls died (N.H.). The boy from M. Fam. presented a neonatal form of clearly benign course. The disease was confirmed by gas-chromatography (GC) of volatile acids in serum and also by the typical urinary acid GC-profiles (Fig. 1, A and B); the isovalerylglycine quantitative evaluation in urinary samples collected during crises is shown in Table 1. The morphological findings in liver and brain of N.H. showed at the ultrastructural study, an extensive fatty degeneration and greatly marked mitochondrial alterations in the liver and edema, neuronal karyorrhexis and karyolysis in the brain (Fig. 2). The therapeutic protocol based on a low leucine or low protein diet and use of glycine is described. The evolutionary follow up, more than 10 years for the first case, showed a normal mental development in three of them and retardation in the first child of H. Fam., who had a late diagnosis. IVA is still valuable as a paradigm in the acquisition of a highly clinical suspicion and for its introduction in the study of genetic organic acidemias.

Acidosis↗

[Intra-lesion administration of beta-interferon in the treatment of CIN associated with HPV infection].

Thirty-two women with histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection were treated with intralesional beta-interferon. At 12 months from the end of the treatment, 60% of the patients showed complete regression, histologically assessed, of CIN. Considering separately the different CIN grades, the regression for CIN I was 71%, 64% for CIN II and 45% for CIN III. Side-effects were rather frequent (84%) but they did not require discontinuation of the treatment. On the basis of these data the Authors believe that intralesional beta-interferon, in selected cases, can play a role, as a conservative modality, among the different techniques of CIN therapy.

Adult↗

Multiple familial seborrheic keratoses.

The early occurrence of seborrheic keratoses is described in 3 members of a family. The autosomal dominant transmission of seborrheic keratoses in this family provides further evidence for a genetic (polygenic) predisposition to seborrheic keratoses.

Adult↗