Asymmetric Dimethylarginine and Hepatic Encephalopathy: Cause, Effect or Association?

An unusual cause of hepatic encephalopathy.

303 3 consecutive sessions of endoscopic rubber band‐ ing. A liver ultrasound (Siemens Acuson X300, Siemens Medical Solutions, Inc, Malvern, Penn‐ sylvania, United States) showed a subcapsular tu‐ mor with mixed echogenicity and a diameter of 2.5 cm, localized in segment 6 (FIGURE 1A). Further diagnostic workup with color Doppler ultrasound showed a portovenous shunt (FIGURE 1B), and heli‐ cal ...

Asymmetric dimethylarginine and asthma.

ADMA, a product of protein degradation, is an endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor that has been shown to be increased in mouse models of allergic airway inflammation and to be associated with airways hyperresponsiveness in these animals [2]. ADMA has also been reported to be increased in sputum samples [2] and exhaled breath condensates [3] from paediatric patients with asthma. Increased...

Asymmetric dimethylarginine and kidney disease--marker or mediator?

A symmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a naturally occurring amino acid that circulates in blood and is excreted in urine (1). It is also a competitive inhibitor of all three isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). ADMA competes with arginine for the binding site of NOS with an IC50 of about 10 M depending on the prevailing concentration of arginine (2). Combine these observations and it is po...

Asymmetric dimethylarginine: a risk indicator or pathogenic factor?

Toxic Dimethylarginines: Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) and Symmetric Dimethylarginine (SDMA)

Asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA and SDMA, respectively) are toxic, non-proteinogenic amino acids formed by post-translational modification and are uremic toxins that inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production and play multifunctional roles in many human diseases. Both ADMA and SDMA have emerged as strong predictors of cardiovascular events and death in a range of illnesses. Major prog...