l-Proline concentration is primarily related to the balance of enzymatic activities of proline dehydrogenase [proline oxidase (POX)] and Delta-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) reductase. As a result, P5C plays a pivotal role in maintaining the concentration of proline in body fluids and inborn errors of P5C metabolism lead to disturbance of proline metabolism. Several inborn errors of proline me...

structural lipid and a precursor molecule for bile acid and steroid hormone synthesis. In addition, this ubiquitous lipid is now known to contribute fundamentally to the development and function of the CNS and the bones, and, as detailed in other articles in this Perspective series, it plays major roles in signal transduction, sperm development, and embryonic morphogenesis. Over the past decade...

BACKGROUND There is no comprehensive analytical technique to analyze N-acetylated metabolites in urine. Many of these compounds are involved in inborn errors of metabolism. In the present study, we examined the potential of proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectroscopy as a tool to identify and quantify N-acetylated metabolites in urine of patients with various inborn errors of meta...

Garrod,4 in I908, introduced the term ' inborn errors of metabolism' to describe biochemical abnormalities which were genetically determined, present throughout life and relatively non-lethal. He suggested that it would ultimately be possible to attribute the biochemical aberrations found in these conditions to specific enzyme defects. Recent work5 has confirmed the validity of Garrod's ideas t...

I T is my intent to gather together facts pertaming to the lipidoses which might serve to focus on current problems and to call attention to possible therapeutic approaches. The particular lipidoses to be discussed involve the accumulation in tissues of sphingolipids and may be referred to as sphingolipidoses. They may be classified as “inborn errors of sphingolipid metabolism” on the basis tha...

Wilson’s disease is an inborn error of metabolism characterized by inability to excrete copper into the bile, with excessive deposition of copper into the eyes, liver and brain. Lentiform nuclei are involved most commonly, but involvement of thalamus, midbrain and pons results in certain characteristic radiological signs on neuroimaging. Atrophy of cerebral and cerebellar cortex is also common ...

We present a case of an eleven-year-old boy presenting with progressive extrapyramidal signs and dementia. His imaging findings demonstrated the classic eye-of-the-tiger sign on T2W magnetic resonance imaging. He was diagnosed with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN). This is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of coenzyme A metabolism, caused by mutations in PANK2. This...

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error in the metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine (Phe) due to the deficiency of an enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). Current therapy consists of a Phe – restricted diet for life to ensure the healthiest development. It is particularly important for PKU women in the reproductive age group to comply with the diet, since elevated maternal blood Phe l...

Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is an inborn error of metabolism for cholesterol synthesis. The enzyme defect involved in the syndrome is mutation of 7-Dehydrocholesterol reductase (DHCR7) which leads to increase in plasma concentration of 7and 8-dehydrocholesterol (DHC) levels. The affected patients have different presentation and usually involve all systems of the body. We report a newborn ...

Clinical and pathological findings are reported in two siblings who presented in the neonatal period with failure to thrive, hypotonia, pericardial effusions, limitation of joint movement, retinal dystrophy and loss of visual function. Additional features were biochemical evidence of purine overproduction and liver dysfunction. Post mortem, the neuropathological findings in both children were t...