Biomedical subjects

Ming-Ren Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Ming-Ren Chen.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

DiGeorge syndrome with truncus arteriosus: report of one case.

DiGeorge syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by a spectrum of thymic and parathyroid gland abnormalities, conotruncal cardiac defects, and typical facial dysmorphism. We report a male infant with partial DiGeorge syndrome characterized by truncus arteriosus, typical facial dysmorphism, hypocalcemia, lymphocytopenia with T-cell deficiency, and chromosome 22q11.2 deletion. Transient lymphocytopenia was noted for 5 days after birth and hypocalcemia was corrected with calcium gluconate administration. Surgical correction of the truncus arteriosus was performed at the age of 3 months. Unfortunately, the patient subsequently had an unwitnessed cardiac arrest, and despite resuscitation, died at the age of 4 months.

Chromosome Deletion↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diffuse type pulmonary arteriovenous malformations: report of one case.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are direct communications between pulmonary arteries and veins via a tortuous vascular space. They can cause severe pulmonary and neurologic complications. Most PAVMs are located in the lower lobes and can be seen on radiography or angiography. However, a few patients with PAVMs have a more severe and diffuse pattern of disease. These patients generally present with more profound cyanosis and a poorer prognosis. The widespread distribution and small size of these lesions make both diagnosis and management very difficult. We report a 12-year-old patient with diffuse bilateral PAVMs confirmed by contrast echocardiography and technetium-labeled macroaggregated albumin perfusion scan.

Arteriovenous Malformations↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Insulin resistance in obese adolescents.

The prevalence of obesity in adolescents is increasing rapidly. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, which increases the risk for type 2 diabetes. We investigated insulin resistance in obese adolescents and its relationship to acanthosis nigricans. Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were measured and each was expressed as a standard deviation score (SDS) based on national growth standards. Insulin resistance was estimated by using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) score, calculated as fasting insulin (microU/mL) x fasting glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. Obese adolescents had significantly greater weight-SDS, BMI-SDS, fasting insulin levels, and HOMA-IR than did controls with normal weight. Acanthosis nigricans was present in 58.4% of obese adolescents. Fasting insulin levels and BMI-SDS were positively correlated with the degree of acanthosis nigricans (r = 0.383, P<0.0001 and r = 0.164, P < 0.05, respectively). On multiple regression analysis, HOMA-IR and BMI-SDS explained 16.8% of the degree of acanthosis nigricans (P<0.0001). Acanthosis nigricans thus may be a marker of insulin resistance and should be carefully looked for in obese adolescents.

Acanthosis Nigricans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Metabolic disorders in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in children and adolescents is increasing in incidence worldwide. It is the leading type of newly diagnosed diabetes in Taiwan among school children. T2DM is associated with metabolic syndrome in adults, so we tried to find out if these metabolic disorders are present in children. METHODS: From 1989 to 2003, 22 children and adolescents were diagnosed with T2DM in our hospital. Their ages ranged from 8.8 to 17.0 (11.7+/-2.3) years; 6 of them were boys. We compared their clinical characteristics with those of 42 healthy and 237 obese children and adolescents. Physical examination was performed and plasma glucose and serum cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, creatinine, HDL-cholesterol, and insulin levels were measured and LDL-cholesterol was calculated. Demographic and laboratory data were compared among the T2DM, obese and control groups. RESULTS: The female: male ratio among the patients was 2.7: 1; 18% were overweight and 68% obese, and 64% had acanthosis nigricans. There were no significant differences between the T2DM and obese groups in terms of biochemistry profiles except for the higher plasma glucose in the T2DM group. Children with T2DM had higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides but lower levels of HDL-cholesterol compared with healthy children. Among obese children without T2DM, the levels of glucose, triglycerides, uric acid, insulin, HOMA-IR were higher than in the healthy group, and HDL-cholesterol levels were lower. CONCLUSIONS: Children with T2DM or obesity should be evaluated for metabolic disorders.

Acanthosis Nigricans↗