Current Status of Childhood Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia in Turkey
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL RESEARCH IN PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY
Authors: Siklar, Zeynep; Berberoglu, Merih
Abstract
Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare disease characterized by dysregulated insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. Recurrent hypoglycemia can lead to neurological insult and permanent brain injury. Recently, there are important advances in understanding the genetic mechanisms, histological characteristics, imaging, and surgical techniques of congenital hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia that could reflect to improvement in the clinical care of infants with this disorder. In Turkey, there is a high rate of consanguinity, thus, the incidence of CHI is expected to be high. Until now, there are no nationwide data regarding the disorder, and some individual case reports or case series had been published. Determining the characteristics of Turkish patients with CHI can help develop a different perspective on this rare disease. In this review, we evaluated the clinical and molecular characteristics of Turkish patients with CHI based on reports published in the literature. The most frequently seen mutations were ABCC8 gene mutations (n=37), followed by HADH (n=11) and KCNJ11 gene (n=7) mutations. A total of 141 Turkish patients with CHI were reported until now. Among them, 115 patients had been genetically analyzed, and 56 of them had one of the mutation leading to hyperinsulinism.
A novel hemiacetal dehydrogenase activity involved in ethyl acetate synthesis in Candida utilis
JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING
Authors: Kusano, M; Sakai, Y; Kato, N; Yoshimoto, H; Tamai, Y
Abstract
Acetate ester synthesis was studied in vitro with the ethyl acetate-producing yeast Candida utilis. The level of enzyme activity observed for the NAD(+)-dependent hemiacetal dehydrogenase acting on hemiacetal, which was produced non-enzymatically from an alcohol and an aldehyde, was much greater than that for the other enzyme involved in ester synthesis, alcohol acetyltransferase. The level of ethyl acetate synthesis in vivo approximately paralleled the hemiacetal dehydrogenase (HADH) activity. The results suggest that the main pathway for ethyl acetate synthesis in C. utilis involves a novel hemiacetal dehydrogenase activity.