Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of urea cycle disorder (UCD), the efficacy and safety of glyceryl phenylbutyrate (GPB) therapy in pediatric patients with UCD.Methods:This study was a retrospective, single-arm, multicenter clinical study. The clinical data of 20 pediatric patients with UCD who received GPB treatment at 9 hospitals nationwide between December 2021 and August 2024 were collected. The clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and molecular genetic characteristics were analyzed, ammonia levels and other laboratory results were evaluated pre-post GPB therapy by paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests. Results:Among the 20 pediatric patients with UCD, there were 8 males and 12 females, and the onset age was 2.8 (1.4, 5.7) years. The ammonia levels were 174 (125, 342) μmol/L at first onset. The symptoms included vomiting in 6 cases, drowsiness in 5 cases, epilepsy in 5 cases, developmental delay in 5 cases, psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities in 3 cases, and lethargy in 1 case, and 18 cases exhibited abnormal liver function. Twenty cases included 6 UCD subtypes, with 11 cases being ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. A total of 27 variants were identified, 11 (41%) of which were novel. The age of patients who began GPB therapy was 4.0 (1.5, 6.6) years. Ten cases stopped GPB after 4.2 (3.4, 5.3) months, with 4 patients undergoing liver transplantation and 6 discontinuing for financial reasons. The remaining ten patients continued GPB therapy for 11.6 (8.6, 14.0) months. The duration of GPB treatment was 6.0 (4.2, 12.3) months, at the final visit, the levels of ammonia, platelets and aspartate aminotransferase were lower compared to those of pre-treatment (all P<0.05). The serum albumin level was higher than that of pre-treatment ( P=0.016). Two patients suffered only one episode of acute hyperammonaemia, with ammonia levels of 232 and 141 μmol/L, respectively. Nine cases experienced adverse effects potentially related to GPB, decreased appetite in 6 cases, vomiting in 3 cases, abnormal skin oil odor in 2 cases, somnolence, fatigue and diarrhea each in 1 case, with symptoms improved within 6 (3, 10) days. Conclusions:UCD primarily manifests with neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms, and early diagnosis of UCD could be achieved through the analysis of ammonia. GPB may effectively reduce ammonia levels in UCD pediatric patients, with favorable safety and tolerability.

Drug-induced neurological disorders (DINDs) refer to the central or peripheral nervous system disease caused by drugs. DINDs account for a large proportion of adverse drug reactions/events in China, and its onset is complex to some extent. Common DINDs include epilepsy, movement disorders, stroke, peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, cognitive impairment and so on. Usually, DINDs have characters of gradual development and late-onset reactions, and it is difficult to associate their clinical manifestations with drugs, leading to misdiagnosis and poor prognosis in clinic. To reduce the neurotoxicity of drugs, multidisciplinary cooperation should be strengthened, and individualized treatment plans for high-risk people and closer monitoring should be implemented for timely identification and diagnose. At the same time, relevant researches on DINDs should be strengthened in the clinic to cope with the complexity and long-term prognosis challenges of the diseases.

Drug-induced neurological disorders (DINDs) refer to the central or peripheral nervous system disease caused by drugs. DINDs account for a large proportion of adverse drug reactions/events in China, and its onset is complex to some extent. Common DINDs include epilepsy, movement disorders, stroke, peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, cognitive impairment and so on. Usually, DINDs have characters of gradual development and late-onset reactions, and it is difficult to associate their clinical manifestations with drugs, leading to misdiagnosis and poor prognosis in clinic. To reduce the neurotoxicity of drugs, multidisciplinary cooperation should be strengthened, and individualized treatment plans for high-risk people and closer monitoring should be implemented for timely identification and diagnose. At the same time, relevant researches on DINDs should be strengthened in the clinic to cope with the complexity and long-term prognosis challenges of the diseases.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of urea cycle disorder (UCD), the efficacy and safety of glyceryl phenylbutyrate (GPB) therapy in pediatric patients with UCD.Methods:This study was a retrospective, single-arm, multicenter clinical study. The clinical data of 20 pediatric patients with UCD who received GPB treatment at 9 hospitals nationwide between December 2021 and August 2024 were collected. The clinical manifestations, laboratory results, and molecular genetic characteristics were analyzed, ammonia levels and other laboratory results were evaluated pre-post GPB therapy by paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests. Results:Among the 20 pediatric patients with UCD, there were 8 males and 12 females, and the onset age was 2.8 (1.4, 5.7) years. The ammonia levels were 174 (125, 342) μmol/L at first onset. The symptoms included vomiting in 6 cases, drowsiness in 5 cases, epilepsy in 5 cases, developmental delay in 5 cases, psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities in 3 cases, and lethargy in 1 case, and 18 cases exhibited abnormal liver function. Twenty cases included 6 UCD subtypes, with 11 cases being ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. A total of 27 variants were identified, 11 (41%) of which were novel. The age of patients who began GPB therapy was 4.0 (1.5, 6.6) years. Ten cases stopped GPB after 4.2 (3.4, 5.3) months, with 4 patients undergoing liver transplantation and 6 discontinuing for financial reasons. The remaining ten patients continued GPB therapy for 11.6 (8.6, 14.0) months. The duration of GPB treatment was 6.0 (4.2, 12.3) months, at the final visit, the levels of ammonia, platelets and aspartate aminotransferase were lower compared to those of pre-treatment (all P<0.05). The serum albumin level was higher than that of pre-treatment ( P=0.016). Two patients suffered only one episode of acute hyperammonaemia, with ammonia levels of 232 and 141 μmol/L, respectively. Nine cases experienced adverse effects potentially related to GPB, decreased appetite in 6 cases, vomiting in 3 cases, abnormal skin oil odor in 2 cases, somnolence, fatigue and diarrhea each in 1 case, with symptoms improved within 6 (3, 10) days. Conclusions:UCD primarily manifests with neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms, and early diagnosis of UCD could be achieved through the analysis of ammonia. GPB may effectively reduce ammonia levels in UCD pediatric patients, with favorable safety and tolerability.

Humans ; Botany/history* ; History, 20th Century ; China

Objective To explore whether phenylalanine affect Cdc42, Racl, and RhoA expression and disturb dendritic development. To determine the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on this process. Methods Neurons were cultivated up to 3 days and then treated with 0.9 mmol/L phenylalanine or 100 ng/ml BDNF. Dendritic number were determined by morphologic analysis. Cdc42, Racl, and RhoA protein expression were examined by Western blotting analysis. ResultsThe number of dendrites in cultured neurons reduced two days after being treated with phenylalanine,while BDNF could rescue this change(P < 0.01), furthermore, BDNF was found to inhibit phenylalanineinduced down-regulation of Cdc42, Racl, and RhoA protein expression(P < 0.01). Conclusions Our study indicated that the protective effect of BDNF against phenylalanine-induced neuronal injury is probably mediated by expression of Cdc42, Racl,and RhoA. It suggested a potential neuroprotective action of BDNF in prevention and treatment of brain injury in the patients with phenylketonuria.