Publications by authors named "Mei Tik Leung"

A three-year-old Chinese girl presented with hyperammonemia was diagnosed biochemically and genetically (heterozygous for a novel likely pathogenic missense variant c.476T>A) as having ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, a rare X-linked recessive urea cycle disorders. Extensive family genetic screening eventually revealed paternal gonadosomatic mosaicism.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Familial hCG syndrome is a rare condition that causes high levels of beta human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood, and the case discussed is the first documented instance in a Chinese family.
  • - A 38-year-old woman had persistently elevated hCG levels discovered incidentally, which were verified through both urine and blood tests, with no signs of pregnancy or cancer found during thorough medical investigations.
  • - Further testing of a symptom-free family member showed elevated hCG levels as well, helping to confirm the familial nature of the syndrome, highlighting the need for clinicians to be aware of this condition to prevent unnecessary tests and treatments.
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Citrin deficiency is one of the most common inborn errors of metabolism in East Asians, which may manifest as neonatal cholestasis, failure to thrive and dyslipidaemia, or recurrent hyperammonaemic encephalopathy. Its molecular diagnosis requires confirmation of the presence of biallelic pathogenic variants in SLC25A13 gene by sequencing, and analysis for a common insertion IVS16ins3kb. However, patients with compatible biochemical features but only one monoallelic pathogenic variant have remained a diagnostic challenge.

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Drugs are the most frequent cause of hypoglycemia. Though the drug history is usually obvious in diabetic patients, the diagnosis could be a challenge in patients without a history of such exposure. Screening for oral antidiabetic drugs has been recommended as part of the hypoglycemia workup in patients without diabetes.

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Isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency may be caused by mutations in the (coding for cytochrome P450c17), (coding for cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase) and (coding for microsomal cytochrome b5) genes. Of these, mutations in the gene have thus far only been described in genetic males who presented with methemoglobinemia and 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) due to 17,20-lyase deficiency. A 24-year-old Chinese woman presented to the hematology outpatient clinic with purplish discoloration of fingers, toes, and lips since childhood.

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Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare disorder of the renal collecting tubules, characterized by an inability to concentrate urine due to an impaired response to arginine vasopressin (AVP), resulting in dilute urine and polyuria. Causes of NDI are heterogeneous and diagnosing congenital NDI (cNDI) in young infants is clinically challenging, as typical symptoms are often unappreciated or inconspicuous. Instead, young infants may present with non-specific signs such as vomiting, poor feeding, failure to thrive, unexplained fevers, irritability, constipation or diarrhea.

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