Metabolics Flashcards
What are amino acids and how do we test for them?
- Building blocks of protein
- ~ 20 amino acids
Disease where you are unable to break down phenylalanine
PKU
Present at 6-12 months with developmental delay + seizures
Disease associated with elevated leucine
- Leucine is particularly toxic to the brain when levels are elevated
- Typically present in a coma at 7-10 days of life
- pH normal
- BSL normal
- No acidosis
- Maple syrup urine disease
What is the disease associated with tyrosine
Disease associated with elevated homocysteine?
- Homocysteinuria
- Typically tall, blondish
- Myopia + dislocated lens
In exams questions like to throw in + try trick you with Marfan’s
How do organic acidopathies / aciduria present?
- Severe acidosis
- Ketosis
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hyperammonemia
- Brain + liver affected
- Hepatitis
- Seizure
- Coma
What are the most common organic acids that we measure?
- Ketones: beta hydroxybuturate
- Lactate
- Homocysteine: buils up
How do you test for organic acids?
Urine sample
Blood (acyl carnitine profile) : picked up on guthrie card
What is on organic acid?
- Contains carbon chain + acid group
- NO amino group
If you take the amino group away from an amino acid you are left with an organic acid
What is a lysosome?
- Cell organelle
- Area where a series of enzyme reactions occur in the breaking down of cell compounds
- “Recycling centre for cells”
What are cell organelles
Lysosome
Mitochondria
Lysosomal storage disease presentation + examples
- Presentation: over a period of months - years have a deterioration with developmental regression
- Lysosomal storage diseases
- Mucopolysaccharidosis
- Sphingolipidoses
- Gaucher
- Gangliosidoses
- GM1
- GM2
- Krabbe
- Metachormatic leukodystrophy
- Niemann-Pick
- Fabry
- OIigosaccharidoses
- Sialidosis
- Lipid storage disorders
- Wolman
- Ceroid
How do we test for lysosomal storage diseases?
- Urine GAGs (glycose amino glycans)
- White cell enzyme test
Treatment of lysosomal storage diseases
Early bone marrow transplant
Lysosomal disease groups
- Mucopolysacharridosis / oligosacharridosis
- Course features
- Short, developmental delay
- Multiple infections
- Hurler, Hunter, Sanfilipino
- Sphingolipidosis
- Regression
- Tay Sachs (cherry red spot), Sandhoff
- Regression
- Leukodystrophy (more WHITE matter disease they GREY matter)
- Cause more motor defects due to white matter changes
- Metachromatic, Krabbe
- Cause more motor defects due to white matter changes
- Liver / spleen / blood
- Gaucher (splenomegaly, abdominal distension, anaemia, low Plt, multiple fractures)
- Neimann Pick
- Fabry
- Renal, cardiac, pain, strokes
What does the urea cycle do?
Converts nitrogen waste products (ammonia) into urea
How do we test for a urea cycle defect?
Serum ammonia