• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

Gaucher disease (GD, OMIM #230800 OMIM#230800) is a rare, autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder caused by mutation in GBA1 encoding the lysosomal enzyme, glucocerebrosidase. The deficiency of glucocerebrosidase leads to an accumulation of its substrate, glucosylceramide in macrophages of various tissues. Common clinical manifestations include cytopenia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and bone lesions. The phenotype of GD is classified into three clinical categories: Type 1 (non-neuronopathic) is characterized by involvements on the viscera, whereas types 2 and 3 (neuronopathic) are associated with not only visceral symptoms but also neurological impairment, either severe in type 2 or variable in type 3. A diagnosis of GD can be confirmed by demonstrating the deficiency of acid glucocerebrosidase activity in leukocytes. Mutations in the GBA1 should be identified as they may be of prognostic value in some cases. Biomarkers including Chitotriosidase, CCL18, and glucosylsphingosine (lyso-GL1) are useful in diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Currently available disease-specific treatment in Korea consists of intravenous enzyme replacement therapy and substrate reduction therapy. For enhancing long-term prognosis, the onset of Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, or the occurrence of a blood disease or cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) should be monitored in older patients. The development of new strategies that can modify the neurological phenotype are expected, especially in Asia including Korea, where the prevalence of neuronopathic GD is relatively higher than that in western countries.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.207-211
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• 2023

Fat embolism syndrome is a rare but alarming, life-threatening clinical condition attributed to fat emboli entering the circulation. It usually occurs as a complication of long-bone fractures and joint reconstruction surgery. Neurological manifestations usually occur 12 to 72 hours after the initial insult. These neurological complications include cerebral infarction, spinal cord ischemia, hemorrhagic stroke, seizures, and coma. Other features include an acute confusional state, autonomic dysfunction, and retinal ischemia. In this case series, we describe three patients with fat embolism syndrome who presented with atypical symptoms and signs and with unusual neuroimaging findings. Cerebral fat embolism may occur without any respiratory or dermatological signs. In these cases, diagnosis was established after excluding other differential diagnoses. Neuroimaging using brain magnetic resonance imaging is of paramount importance in establishing a diagnosis. Aggressive hemodynamic and respiratory support from the beginning and consideration of orthopedic surgical intervention within the first 24 hours after trauma are critical to decreased morbidity and mortality.

• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.37-42
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• 2013

Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of glucocerebrosidase (GBA). This condition is characterized by accumulation of glucocerebrosidase in liver, spleen, lung, skeletal system, and central nervous system. Gaucher disease is the prototype of disease in which efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy has been established. However, because recombinant enzyme is not able to enter the central nervous system, its efficacy is limited to the non-neurological manifestations of Gaucher disease. Importantly, approximately a half of Korean patients with Gaucher disease suffer from neurological manifestations. In addition, Korean Gaucher disease patients exhibit distinct mutation spectrum from those in other populations. Common mutations in Korean patients with Gaucher disease are also associated with neurological phenotype. Therefore, therapeutic strategies tailored to Korean patients were necessary. Interestingly, a chemical chaperone, ambroxol, has been known to increase residual enzymatic activities of the select mutant GBAs encoded by mutations prevalent in Korean patients. One promising aspect of this drug is that it can cross blood-brain barrier, and enhance the enzyme activity in the brain. In vitro study suggested this chemical chaperone as one of new therapeutic agents in Gaucher disease, and a well-designed human trial is required to confirm its efficacy.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.108-116
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• 2021

Background: Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. However, neurological and psychiatric manifestations of N₂O abuse have been increasingly reported among Korean adults. The aim of this study was to demonstrate laboratory findings of N₂O abuse in Korean patients. Methods: Patients diagnosed with N₂O-induced neuropathy or myelopathy from August 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled. Their clinical presentations and laboratory and imaging findings were analyzed. Results: Sensory changes and limb weakness were present in nine of the enrolled patients. The laboratory findings revealed that seven patients had high homocysteine levels and five had high methylmalonic acid levels in their blood. Nerve conductions studies indicated that axonal neuropathy was present in four cases and longer F-wave and Hoffman's-reflex latencies were present in two cases. Signal changes in cervical spine imaging occurred in five patients, while two had normal results. Conclusions: Chronic N₂O abuse can cause neurological damage or psychiatric problems. Because N₂O is illegal for recreational use in Korea, patients tend to hide their history of use. Even though the spinal imaging results were normal, clinicians should consider the possibility of N₂O use, and further electrophysiological tests should be applied for precise evaluations.

• Journal of Interdisciplinary Genomics
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.20-25
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• 2020

Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III or Sanfilippo syndrome) is a multisystem lysosomal storage disease that is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. It consists of four subtypes (MPS IIIA, B, C, and D), each characterized by the deficiency of different enzymes that catalyze the metabolism of the glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate at the lysosomal level. The typical clinical manifestation of MPS III includes progressive central nervous system (CNS) degeneration with accompanying systemic manifestations. Disease onset is typically before the age of ten years and death usually occurs in the second or third decade due to neurological regression or respiratory tract infections. However, there is currently no treatment for CNS symptoms in patients with MPS III. Invasive and non-invasive techniques that allow drugs to pass through the blood brain barrier and reach the CNS are being tested and have proven effective. In addition, the application of genistein treatment as a substrate reduction therapy is in progress.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.322-328
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• 2007

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most common inborn error of urea cycle metabolism; it is inherited in an X-linked manner. The OTC catalyzes the third step of the urea cycle, the conversion of ornithine and carbamyl phosphate to citrulline. Deficiency of OTC leads to the accumulation of ammonia, causing neurological deficits. In most affected hemizygote males, OTC deficiency manifests as hyperammonemic coma that often leads to death in the newborn period, and those who recover from the coma may be neurologically impaired due to the sequelae of the hyperammonemic encephalopathy. In some, late-onset manifestations develop. We report a male neonate with early onset OT deficiency that had apnea and was comatous. On mutation analysis using DNA sequencing after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 10 exons, deletions of 10 bases in codon 285, causing a frame shift was detected in exon 8. The mother and a sister were diagnosed as female carriers. Therefore, genetic counseling and the risk assessment could be provided to the family.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제59권sup1호
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• pp.145-148
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• 2016

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that affects mainly the aorta, main aortic branches, and pulmonary arteries. Diverse neurological manifestations of TA have rarely been reported in children. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neuroradiological condition that presents with headache, seizure, visual disturbances, and characteristic lesions on imaging. Inflammatory condition and severe hypertension in TA can cause PRES. We report of a 5-year-old girl with presumed TA who presented with PRES and chronic total occlusion in the renal artery. The findings on magnetic resonance imaging suggested PRES. Left nephrectomy was performed for total occlusion of the left renal artery, and the confirmatory diagnosis of TA was based on the pathologic findings of the renal artery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.488-490
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• 2012

Behçet's disease (BD) is an inflammatory systemic disorder with oral and genital ulcers, as well as ophthalmologic and cutaneous symptoms. Neurological manifestations in BD represent between 2.2% to 50% of the cases. The 25-year-old male patient, diagnosed with BD three years earlier, was admitted to our clinic with complaints of recurrent headaches. Tumor-like-parenchimal involvement was detected on a cranial magnetic resonance imaging. The lesion was removed surgically and then he suffered from right hemiparesis and epilepsy. Pathological examination of the lesion noted a demyelinating non-tumoural etiology. A neuro-Beh$\check{g}$et's case with parenchymal involvement has been examined in light of the literature, in terms of a tumor and a demyelinating disease differential diagnosis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.241-245
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• 2011

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic multisystem disorder that results from mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, and is associated with hamartomas in several organs, including subependymal giant cell tumors. The neurological manifestations of TSC are particularly challenging and include infantile spasms, intractable epilepsy, cognitive disabilities, and autism. The TSC1- and TSC2-encoded proteins modulate cell function via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascade, and are key factors in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. The mTOR pathway provides an intersection for an intricate network of protein cascades that respond to cellular nutrition, energy levels, and growth factor stimulation. In the brain, TSC1 and TSC2 have been implicated in cell body size, dendritic arborization, axonal outgrowth and targeting, neuronal migration, cortical lamination, and spine formation. The mTOR pathway represents a logical candidate for drug targeting, because mTOR regulates multiple cellular functions that may contribute to epileptogenesis, including protein synthesis, cell growth and proliferation, and synaptic plasticity. Antagonism of the mTOR pathway with rapamycin and related compounds may provide new therapeutic options for TSC patients.

• 대한유전성대사질환학회지
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.42-47
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• 2014

Gaucher disease is a multisystemic disorder arising from a deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which leads to accumulation of glycosylceraide and other glycolipids in the regiculoendothelial system. The characteristics of Gaucher disease are anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, and skeletal disease. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been proven to prevent progressive manifestations of Gaucher disease and effective in improving anemia, thrombocytopenia, bone markers and biomarkers. However, some patient needs still remain unmet because of the inaccessibility of certain sites including brain, bone and various organs. ERT could not Improve the irreversible lesion such as liver fibrosis, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and necrosis or infarction of bone and other organs. Adult patients with Gaucher disease should be screened for longterm complication such as bone disease, pulmonary hypertension, gallstone, and cancer, especially in patients with splenectomy. Parkinsonism and polyneuropathy was also reported among patients with type 1 Gaucher disease, but ERT does not improve neurological function. We need to review the benefits and unmet needs of ERT in Gaucher disease.