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M M Hunt

Publications and source records attributed to M M Hunt.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Phenylketonuria, adolescence, and diet.

The decision to continue treatment for phenylketonuria (PKU) patients into adolescence and adulthood presents a challenge to nutritionists and other professionals who must motivate patients to maintain the diet and give them support. Nutrition needs must be assessed and then met by commercial low-phenylalanine formula and low-protein foods, while at the same time the amount of phenylalanine in the diet is severely limited. Combinations of products can be used to tailor the diet to individual needs, e.g., weight reduction. The objective is to allow the intellectually normal PKU patient to develop as socially normal a life-style as possible.

Adolescent↗

Comparative diagnostic value of phenylalanine challenge and phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in phenylketonuria.

Serum phenylalanine (phe) concentrations during and following phe challenges and liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PH) activity were compared in 13 phenylketonuric (PKU) patients. These patients were separated into two groups: eight patients with no detectable PH activity (PH degrees) and five patients with residual PH activity (PH-) ranging from 9 to 24% of the activity obtained in 10 non-PKU subjects. The rise in serum phe concentration during 3 days of oral loading did not differentiate the two groups. However, the difference in serum phe concentration of the PH degrees and PH- groups reached statistical significance at 24 h postloading (p less than 0.01). We concluded that combined results from multiple measurements during the oral challenge, namely serum phe concentration after termination of loading, serum phe clearance rate, post-loading phe tolerance index and urinary metabolite excretion, make a better indicator for predicting residual PH activity for the majority of PKU subjects than peak phe concentrations during phe challenge.

Child↗

Reduction of cerebrospinal fluid phenylalanine after oral administration of valine, isoleucine, and leucine.

A supplement of the branched chain amino acids, valine, isoleucine, and leucine (VIL) was administered orally to patients with phenylketonuria, either together with unrestricted diet of natural protein or with a low phenylalanine diet. The VIL supplement brought about a significant reduction of the cerebrospinal fluid-serum ratio of phenylalanine from a mean value of 0.254 without VIL to 0.204 with VIL. The reduction varied from 15-40% (mean 21%). Concentrations of glycine, lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, and tyrosine were within normal limits in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of infants with phenylketonuria. No amino acid imbalance was created by the supplement and no adverse effects from VIL were observed.

Administration, Oral↗

Treatment of children with phenylketonuria using a phenylalanine-free protein hydrolysate (Albumaid XP).

Albumaid XP, a phenylalanine-free protein hydrolysate, was used for treatment of five phenylketonuric infants born between January, 1970, and September, 1972. The results were compared with those obtained from the five infants most recently treated with Lofenalac in our clinic prior to 1970. Treatment was begun by 2 months of age in all instances. Satisfactory physical growth and mental development were achieved using either Albumaid XP or Lofenalac, and there were no major differences in the outcomes with either treatment. The two protein sources may be used interchangeably for treatment of phenylketonuria.

Amino Acids↗

Dietary supplement and nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis.

Assessment of nutritional status of patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas (CFP) showed that poor growth was associated with low concentrations of albumin, urea nitrogen, and cholesterol in serum and with elevated white blood cell (WBC) counts. Patients with CFP maintained weight approximately 1 standard deviation below the mean until 8 years, after which there was a progressive decline in growth rate compared to normal. A complete dietary supplement consisting of a beef serum hydrolysate, a glucose polymer, and medium-chain triglycerides was given to 15 patients for a year. Patients who received the diet showed significant gains in weight, significant increase in clinical score, significant increase in serum albumin level, and a significant drop in the WBC count compared to control patients who did not receive the supplement.

Adolescent↗