Tokio Sugiura

Bile salt export pump gene mutations in two Japanese patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.

BackgroundIn recent years, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis has been classified into at least three types by genetic analysis: PFIC1, PFIC2, and MDR3. Liver transplantation is effective for treating patients with this intractable syndrome. Confirming the correct diagnosis is of paramount importance because prognosis after transplantation differs with the genetic type of the disease. MethodsSynthesis of cDNA was accomplished using RNA extracted from liver tissue of two Japanese patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using 13 primer sets designed for amplification of the bile salt export pump cDNA. Direct sequencing was undertaken, and identified sequences were compared with the sequence for bile salt export pump gene registered with GenBank. In addition, gene sequences for nonprogressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis patients were analyzed. ResultsGenetic analysis of patient 1 revealed that substitutions in bile salt export pump protein sequences, namely R575X and E636G, might be the cause of the disease. In patient 2, V330X and R487H might fulfill the same role. Results of gene analysis in parents and cholestatic controls supported these conclusions. ConclusionsAbsence or presence of bile salt export protein gene mutations was confirmed as representing a useful prognostic marker for clinical course after liver transplantation.

Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 18 Months’ Corrected Age of Infants Born at 22 Weeks of Gestation

Background: Increased survival rates for extremely low birth weight infants have been reported. However, survival rates and prognoses of extremely preterm infants, such as infants born at 22 weeks of gestation, are still poor. Objective: To investigate such infants’ long-term outcomes, developmental assessments were performed. Methods: Seven infants with gestational age of 22 weeks were delivered in our hospital from 2005 to 2008. One infant was a stillbirth despite resuscitation in the delivery room. Six infants, 4 boys and 2 girls, with a gestational age of 22 weeks (range 223/7–226/7 weeks), were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Birth weights ranged from 514 to 710 g. None of the infants suffered from sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, or severe intraventricular hemorrhage. Results:The survival rate was 85.7% (6/7) as a percentage of deliveries and 100% (6/6) as a percentage of NICU admissions. None of the infants suffered from deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy. Six infants were available for developmental assessments at 18 months’ corrected age. Three infants showed normal developmental quotients, and 3 infants showed developmental delay. Conclusion: In our study, all infants admitted to the NICU at a gestational age of 22 weeks were discharged from the hospital alive. This might suggest that infants after 22 weeks’ gestation be considered eligible for active treatment in Japan, though considering the size of the material, generalizibility of the results cannot be considered guaranteed.

Chronic zinc toxicity in an infant who received zinc therapy for atopic dermatitis

UNLABELLED In Japan and many other industrialized countries, zinc is readily available as a nutritional supplement, for cosmetic purposes and for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. The potential risks associated with its use are not, however, fully recognized. As a reciprocal relationship exists between copper and zinc, excessive zinc can produce hypocupraemia, which can cause anaemia and neutropenia. We report on a male infant who presented with anaemia and neutropenia and showed signs of developmental delay after dietary restriction for food allergy and eating difficulties and zinc therapy administered for the treatment of atopic dermatitis at a dose nine times the daily dietary allowance for his age group. After 1 mo of zinc withdrawal, copper and ceruloplasmin concentrations had increased, and the blood cell count had improved, activity was increasing but verbal development remained limited. As development improved after withdrawal of zinc, we cannot rule out a relation between developmental delay and hyperzincaemia and/or hypocupraemia. CONCLUSION Caution must be exercised in administering zinc to children during their neurological development.

Carnitine-Associated Encephalopathy Caused by Long-term Treatment With an Antibiotic Containing Pivalic Acid

An 18-month-old boy was treated with an antibiotic containing pivalic acid for 6 months for intractable otitis media and then developed repeated convulsions and loss of consciousness. Laboratory data showed hypoglycemia and hypocarnitinemia. Intravenous administration of glucose was ineffective against the seizures and loss of consciousness. However, the patient regained consciousness and recovered soon after intravenous infusion of carnitine. To our knowledge, intravenous carnitine administration that contributed to marked improvements in neurologic deficit caused by administration of an antibiotic containing pivalic acid has not been reported previously. These findings indicate that long-term use of such antibiotics should be avoided.

Massive intracranial hemorrhage caused by neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia associated with anti-group A antibody.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is a rare but clinically important etiology of intracranial hemorrhage. There have been no reported cases of intracranial hemorrhage caused by anti-group A or anti-group B antibodies. A Japanese boy weighing 1550 g was born at 37 weeks. He suffered from refractory thrombocytopenia and developed severe intracranial hemorrhage on his second day. Despite repeated platelet, red-cell and fresh-frozen-plasma transfusions, he died at day 10 of life. Serological studies and genotyping of the patient and his parents were performed. There were no incompatible genotypes of platelet antigens between the patient and the mother. Serological studies revealed that the mother had extremely high-titer anti-group A immunoglobulin G2 (4096-fold) that reacted strongly with the fathers platelets. The reaction against the fathers platelets disappeared when her serum was adsorbed with group A red blood cells. Maternal anti-group A antibody was associated with NAIT and severe bilateral intracranial hemorrhage.

A case of systemic aplasia cutis congenita: a newly recognized syndrome?

Aplasia cutis congenita, congenital absence of a localized area of skin, usually on the vertex of the scalp, occurs as an isolated defect, or with one or more other congenital anomalies as part of a syndrome, sequence or association. To date, more than 500 cases have been reported. A more severe and extensive form, almost complete absence of skin and subcutaneous tissue, was reported by Park et al. in 1998 [J Med Genet 35:609–611]. Until now, no other such lethal case has been reported. Here, we report the second case of systemic aplasia cutis congenita. The female was born without any skin at all, and with hypoplastic lungs, syndactyly, skull defect, esophageal atresia, intestinal malrotation, and calcifications of the hepatic capsule, as well as with other anomalies. She died about 12 hours after birth probably due to dehydration. On microscopic examination, the external surface of the body showed complete absence of the epidermis. Muscle fibers were thin. There was no evidence of skin appendages. The present case gives strong support to the suggestion that systemic aplasia cutis congenita is a newly recognized syndrome. More cases will have to be reported and studied in order to understand the etiology and establish diagnostic criteria. Thus, it is our conclusion that systemic aplasia cutis congenita might be a newly recognized syndrome.

Prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection in Japanese children

Background: Recently, sporadic cases of acute hepatitis and fulminant hepatitis caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been reported in Japan. However, few reports have addressed the issue of HEV infection during childhood. Methods: This study included 5 patients with fulminant hepatitis, 30 patients with acute hepatitis, and 309 patients without history of hepatic dysfunction or hepatitis in childhood as control. RNA was extracted from each serum sample, and HEV specific reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed. Anti-HEV immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG were measured by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Results: HEV RNA, anti-HEV IgM, and anti-HEV IgG were not detected in the sera of any of the five patients with fulminant hepatitis. In the 30 patients with acute hepatitis, only one (3.3%) was positive for anti-HEV IgG, and all were negative for anti-HEV IgM and HEV RNA. Of the 309 control patients, 8 (2.6%) were positive for anti-HEV IgG, and 2 (0.6%) were positive for anti-HEV IgM, respectively. Conclusion: The result of patients with fulminant hepatitis suggests that HEV is an unlikely cause of fulminant hepatitis in children. However, the detection rate of anti-HEV IgG shows that a history of HEV infection is not so rare among children in Japan.

Effects of cyclosporine A in hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia

INTRODUCTION Hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia with systemic inflammation, recurrent infections, hepatosplenomegaly, arthritis, anemia, cutaneous inflammation, and failure to thrive is an extremely rare disease and no therapy is reported. AIM To evaluated the effects of cyclosporine A in hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia in terms of serum cytokine level changes before and after treatment. METHODS A 10-year-old girl was admitted suffering from pyoderma gangrenosum, hepatosplenomegaly, anemia that was unresponsive to iron supplementation, persistent inflammation, arthritis, and increased serum zinc. The level of serum calprotectin was extremely high; therefore, we diagnosed hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia and started cyclosporine A treatment. Twelve cytokines in serum were measured before and one year after treatment. RESULTS Cyclosporine A was very effective. Her skin lesion and joint pain were alleviated and quality of life was markedly improved. C-reactive protein had decreased and anemia had improved. While zinc levels had fallen, calprotectin remained at an extremely high level. Of the cytokines examined, interleukin -6 serum levels had fallen and interleukin -8 showed a marked reduction after treatment. CONCLUSION Cyclosporine A is effective for hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia. Serum interleukin -8 may be useful in assessing the therapeutic effects of cyclosporine A in hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia.

Efficacy of pegylated interferon-α2a monotherapy in Japanese children with chronic hepatitis C

Aim:  There is little information available on the efficacy of pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) therapy for children with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of PEG IFN‐α2a monotherapy for children infected by chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Detection of congenital cytomegalovirus infection using umbilical cord blood samples in a screening survey

Easy screening and accurate diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection are needed to predict and treat complications. We report the clinical course of two neonates with congenital CMV infection confirmed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for CMV DNA in umbilical cord blood. A total of 1,010 neonates born at Yonaha Clinic from July 2005 to March 2007 were investigated. Umbilical cord blood was collected at birth, and DNA was extracted to screen for CMV DNA by real‐time PCR. Head MRI and a developmental test were conducted for two cases (0.2%) in which CMV DNA was detected. Neither case showed clear abnormalities at birth, and head CT conducted at 1 month after birth revealed no abnormalities. Auditory brainstem responses were normal at both 1 and 12 months after birth in both cases. Head MRI at 12 months showed abnormalities in both cases. For both cases, development tests conducted at 12 months revealed mild developmental delays, particularly in posture and movement areas, which might have been caused by congenital CMV infection. J. Med. Virol. 81:1773–1776, 2009.