Diagnosis of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation defects.

Inherited defects of mitochondrial beta-oxidation of fatty acids lead to hypoketotic hypoglycemia during prolonged fasting. Affected patients may present with episodes of a Reye-like illness or even sudden child death. The number of currently detected patients with medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency--the most common disease in this area--is indicative of a high frequency, possibly comparable to that of phenylketonuria.

Medium- and long-chain 3-hydroxymonocarboxylic acids: analysis by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry.

Medium- and long-chain 3-hydroxymonocarboxylic acids represent intermediates in the beta-oxidation of fatty acids: they accumulate in the plasma of patients with an inherited deficiency of long-chain 3-hydroxyacylcoenzyme A dehydrogenase. 3-Hydroxy acids with chain lengths varying from 6 to 16 were synthesized by a Reformatzky reaction. Capillary gas chromatography of the pertrimethylsilyl derivatives was performed on a CP-Sil 19 CB column, coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer in the electron impact mode.

3-Hydroxydicarboxylic aciduria due to long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency associated with sudden neonatal death: protective effect of medium-chain triglyceride treatment.

Two siblings were found to be affected by long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, one of which died suddenly and unexpectedly on the 3rd day of life suffering from extreme hypoketotic hypoglycaemia. The younger sibling started to have feeding problems, lowered consciousness, and liver dysfunction at the age of 5 months. Her urine contained large amounts of C6-C14 3-hydroxydicarboxylic acids and conjugated 3-hydroxyoctanoic acid, as verified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Cis-4-decenoic acid in plasma: a characteristic metabolite in medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.

The profile of organic acids in plasma of patients with a deficiency of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.3.99.

Urinary excretion of 2-methyl-2,3-butanediol and 2,3-pentanediol in patients with disorders of propionate and methylmalonate metabolism.

Urine samples from patients with propionic acidemia and from a patient with methylmalonic acidemia contained unknown non-acidic metabolites by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after ethyl acetate extraction. It could be demonstrated by mass spectrometric studies and by synthesis of reference compounds that the major metabolite was 2-methyl-2,3-butanediol, while smaller amounts of 2,3-pentanediol were also present. These diols were present in abnormal amounts in these patients during attacks of metabolic decompensation.

D-glyceric acidemia: an inborn error associated with fructose metabolism.

A mentally retarded girl with epileptic seizures is described. Urinary organic acid screening revealed a massive excretion of glyceric acid, a normally barely detectable metabolite. Hyperglycinemia was not observed.

Urinary D-4-hydroxyphenyllactate, D-phenyllactate and D-2-hydroxyisocaproate, abnormalities of bacterial origin.

Analysis of urinary organic acids in patients admitted for screening for inborn errors of metabolism incidentally revealed the presence of abnormal amounts of 4-hydroxyphenyllactate (4-HPLA) and phenyllactate (PLA). These compounds are found in tyrosinaemia and phenylketonuria but in our patients such disorders could not be established. By means of configuration analysis it was shown that these 2-hydroxyacids consisted partly of the D-enantiomers, pointing to a bacterial origin.

Octanoylglucuronide excretion in patients with a defective oxidation of medium-chain fatty acids.

Octanoyl-beta-D-glucuronide was identified in the urine of five patients with hypoketotic hypoglycemia and dicarboxylic aciduria due to a defective beta-oxidation of medium-chain fatty acids. Two subjects who ingested large amounts of medium-chain triglycerides also excreted large amounts of the glucuronide. The substance was extracted from the urine with ethyl acetate and analyzed by: (1) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of the trimethylsilyl derivative and (2) preparative one-dimensional thin-layer chromatography followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase and again GC-MS.

Octanoic acidemia and octanoylcarnitine excretion with dicarboxylic aciduria due to defective oxidation of medium-chain fatty acids.

Five patients aged 7 to 21 months are described who developed attacks of coma after a short prodromal illness with diarrhea or vomiting or both. Four had concomitant hypoglycemia, and all had hypoketonemia, with excessive urinary excretion of medium-chain dicarboxylic acids, medium-chain (omega-1)-hydroxyacids, suberylglycine, hexanoylglycine, and octanoylcarnitine. All patients accumulated octanoic acid, decanoic acid, and cis-4-decenoic acid in plasma.

The occurrence of lactyl lactate and succinyl lactate in the urine of patients screened for inherited metabolic disease.

The gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric identification of lactyl lactate and succinyl lactate, both present in human urine, is described. In the gas chromatogram lactyl lactate (as TMS derivative) presented as two peaks: the L,L- and/or D,D-form as well as the D,L- and/or the L,D-enantiomer. Both L- and D-lactyl succinate were excreted simultaneously.

The differential diagnosis of dicarboxylic aciduria.

Various types of dicarboxylic aciduria are known, most of them are accompanied by non-ketotic hypoglycaemia. For the differential diagnosis of these conditions several methods of investigation have been used: (1) analysis of urinary organic acids in both native and hydrolysed samples, (2) analysis of free and esterified carnitine, the latter by means of chromatographic separation and identification of acyl moieties, (3) analysis of plasma organic acids, including the so-called free fatty acids, (4) a prolonged fasting test with serial measurements of the aforementioned parameters and close monitoring of the blood glucose and (5) an oral loading test with medium chain triglycerides accompanied by the same measurements as those named in item (4). So far differentiation has been made between patients with a metabolite profile most probably characteristic of medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and other dicarboxylic acidurias, among the latter systemic carnitine deficiency.

Isovalerylglucuronide, a new urinary metabolite in isovaleric acidemia. Identification problems due to rearrangement reactions.

Isovaleryl-beta-D-glucuronide, a new metabolite in the urine of patients with isovaleric acidemia, is described. Its gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric parameters are presented. In alkaline solution this glucuronide exhibited intramolecular rearrangements, resulting in isomers bearing the acyl moiety on C-2, C-3 and C-4.

Urinary excretion of deuterated metabolites in patients with tyrosinemia type I after oral loading with deuterated L-tyrosine.

1. The metabolic fate of orally given deuterated L-tyrosine, 50 mg/kg body weight, was investigated in seven patients with tyrosinemia type I in order to obtain evidence that the primary defect is at the level of fumarylacetoacetase. 2.

The urinary excretion of ethylmalonic acid: what level requires further attention?

The urinary excretion of ethylmalonic acid was studied in various patients, including children with glutaric aciduria type II and with beta-ketothiolase deficiency. An increased excretion at a modest level was found in 20 out of 5000 children who were referred for screening of inherited metabolic disease. Two children were studied longitudinally, but no clue to the origin of ethylmalonic acid was found in these cases.

Inherited 3-methylglutaconic aciduria in two brothers--another defect of leucine metabolism.

Two brothers, aged 7 and 5 years, who excreted large amounts of the leucine metabolites 3-methylglutaconic acid, 3-methylglutaric acid, and 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid, are described. The excretion of these metabolites could be enhanced by increasing the leucine intake. Restriction of the protein intake resulted in a marked reduction of the metabolite excretion.

Isolated biotin-resistant 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase deficiency in two sibs.

Two Vietnamese siblings with an isolated deficiency of 3-methylcrotonyl coenzyme A carboxylase in leucocytes and cultured fibroblasts are described. Both children excreted massive amounts of 3-methylcrotonylglycine and 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid. There was no in vivo or in vitro biochemical response to biotin.

The identification of (E)-2-methylglutaconic acid, a new isoleucine metabolite, in the urine of patients with beta-ketothiolase deficiency, propionic acidaemia and methylmalonic acidaemia.

The identification of (E)-2-methylglutaconic acid, a 'new' metabolite of isoleucine, is described. The substance was detected in urine samples from patients with propionic acidaemia, methylmalonic acidaemia and so-called beta-ketothiolase deficiency; in the majority of cases together with N-tiglylglycine. (E)-2-Methylglutaconic acid is thought to be the end product of the 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase-catalysed carboxylation of tiglyl-CoA.

Isovaleric acidaemia presenting with dwarfism, cataract and congenital abnormalities.

Isovaleric acidaemia was diagnosed in a 9-year-old girl with an unusual clinical presentation. She was severely mentally retarded, had an extreme growth retardation, bilateral cataracts, multiple fractures of the long bones, vitium cordis and malformations of the head. Frequent infections occurred since early childhood.

Two sisters with isovaleric acidaemia, multiple attacks of ketoacidosis and normal development.

Two sisters with isovaleric acidaemia are described. Both had multiple attacks of acetonaemic vomiting, sometimes leading to subcoma. Despite this they showed a completely normal mental development.