Christian M.

Christian M. – Febrary atualizados 2019

Christian M.

Christian M.

Christian, also known as CJ, é um divertido amorosa de cinco anos. Ele gosta de ouvir música, dança, e cante. Suas atividades preferidas incluem jogar com sua irmã e assistir vídeos do YouTube. Christian é no jardim de infância dia inteiro e adora socializar com seus amigos. Christian juntou Yoga Clube na escola e ele participa de ginástica, tênis, aulas de mágica, e passeios a cavalo através do distrito de parque. Ele adora viajar e seu lugar favorito para visitar é o Great Smoky Mountains.

Christian’s older sister was diagnosed with Propionic Acidemia through the newborn prescreening, therefore we had a crisis management plan put in place for his birth. Within 48 hours of his birth, we received his diagnosis of PA. Currently, come cristãos 11 gramas de proteína, bebidas Propimex-2, e tomar vitaminas diariamente. Nós sempre parecem acabar no hospital durante a temporada de gripe, mas diferente do que Christian tem sido um pouco reunião muito feliz e saudável menino todos os seus marcos.


história passada – Christian – age 3

Christian

Christian M.

Christian, also known as CJ, is a three year old dancing machine. He loves to listen to music and have dance parties in our kitchen and basement. He is the life of the party and always making people smile. CJ attend preschool twice a week and is also involved in soccer and gymnastics. At home, he loves to follow his older sister around and try to play whatever she is playing. His superhero toys are often battling Barbies. Like most other three year olds, CJ loves cars, trucks, and his favorite television show is Paw Patrol.

 

Maya M.

Maya M. – fevereiro atualizada 2019

Maya M.

Maya M.

Maya é um amor de nove anos. Ela adora assistir vídeos do YouTube e fazer seus próprios vídeos para seu canal MayaTV. Maya adora fazer lodo e ouvir a música em seu iPod. Ela também gosta de viajar e ir de férias com sua família. Maya está em terceiro grau e adora ler, escrever em letra cursiva, e resolver problemas de multiplicação. Ela se juntou a ela Learning Service clube na escola e participa de ginástica, aulas de mágica, tênis, drama, e passeios a cavalo através do distrito de parque.

Maya foi diagnosticado com Propionic Acidemia depois de chegar em casa do hospital. Tivemos a sorte de ter um diagnóstico rápido através do prescreening recém-nascido e evitou qualquer crise metabólica. consome Maya 13 gramas de proteína por diária boca. Ela bebe Propimex-2 e toma vitaminas. Overall, Maya é uma menina feliz e saudável que faz todos sorrir com a sua personalidade bem-humorado.


maia – 7 years old

Maya M.

Maya M.

Maya é uma criança de sete anos, enérgico, e menina hilariante. Ela está atualmente em primeiro grau onde seus temas favoritos são de classe computador e aula de ginástica. Maya adora viajar. Seus locais de viagem favoritos são qualquer coisa que envolva uma praia e sol. Ela passa, basicamente, todo o seu verão em acampamento Yogi Bear dos avós. Ela adora "dirigindo o carrinho de golfe", swimming, fishing, e tentando pegar rãs. Maya adora experimentar todas as atividades. Ela tem estado envolvido em ballet, aulas de hip hop e toque. Ela tem sido em Lego clube, clube Mad Scientist, cozinhar clube, e clube de arte. Ela também tentou ginástica e teatro. passatempos favoritos de Maya incluem fazer vídeos de si mesma e brincar com todas as suas bonecas.

Maya foi diagnosticado com Propionic Acidemia através dela prescreening recém-nascido. Com a detecção precoce, fomos capazes de evitar qualquer grande crise. Atualmente Maya consome 13 gramas de proteína por via oral e bebidas Propimex-2 diária. Ela não é um grande fã de todos os compromissos do seu médico, mas entende que ela precisa deles para se manter saudável.

 

NIH PA Study

Natural History, Physiology, Microbiome and Biochemistry Studies of Propionic Acidemia

Charles Venditti MD PhD

Oleg Shchelochkov MD

National Institutes of Health

Why are we doing this study?

Acidemia propiônico (PA) is one of the most common disorders of organic acid metabolism. Newborn screening for propionic acidemia allows doctors start treatment at an early age. Contudo, despite early and intense medical treatment, many patients experience health problems. Patients can have frequent hospitalizations for metabolic crises and develop chronic medical issues such as brain, olho, heart, abdomen, and kidney problems.

To help better understand the health problems patients with propionic acidemia have, we are starting a new study: “Natural History, Physiology, Microbiome and Biochemistry Studies of Propionic Acidemia.” This study will evaluate patients with propionic acidemia to learn more about the genetic and biochemical causes and the medical complications associated with it. We also plan to study how bacteria living in our gut (microbiome) can affect the course of propionic acidemia.

How can patients participate in this study and what will happen during the visit?

Eligible patients will be admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 3-5 days. Most travel expenses are covered for patients and their care providers. A typical visit will involve a medical interview, physical examination, genetic counseling and consultation with experts in different fields, such as the nervous system, nutrition, rehabilitation medicine and other areas of medicine. Patients will be asked to provide blood, urine and stool samples to help measure function of organs affected by propionic acidemia. We use imaging studies such as X-ray and ultrasound to look for changes in organs inside the body. We may offer additional tests to some patients.

How can I find out more about this study?

You can find our more about this study by visit our the Propionic Acidemia Clinical Trials webpage

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT02890342?term=propionic&rank=4

Contact information

If you are interested in learning more about the study please contact us:

[email protected]

or

NIH Clinical Center Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office

1-800-411-1222

 

Scarlett Camille

Scarlett Camille 4/5/2006-11/21/09

The most wonderful thing in the world happened on April 5th, 2006 … you were born….Scarlett Camille.

ScarlettSince then life was changed forever in a very special way!

There’s so many things you brought to my life, endless wonders, incredible sweetness, such a tiny little miracle child, unforgettable moments, joy that grew and grew, more love than you could ever dream possible!

I will never forget your strength and courage, and I will be forever proud to have had such a darling daughter.

Although your time here was short, you filled my heart with a lifetime of memories.

What a treasure, a touch of heaven here on earth.

Mommy’s little angel…

Awaiting the touch of a little hand and a smile from a little face.
Love you Bunny Bunny Bunny*

Reprinted from Autumn 2010 Boletim informativo

Reuben

Reuben

Reuben

Article from Spring 2013 Boletim informativo

When people ask me about my brother it’s impossible NOT to smile. He is such an amazing person! He’s friendly, strong, funny and has an infectious laugh. Reuben is completely comfortable being himself. He doesn’t judge others and has the purest soul I’ve ever met. It doesn’t bother me that he can’t drive, that sometimes I have to “translate” what he’s saying to others, or that everything in his world is related to a sport’s team- that’s “Rube”, my baby brother and my best friend.

I remember the day he was born very clearly, I was five years old and I was nervous, very anxious to meet what I thought would be a little sister. I remember being ushered into the room with my grandparents and my mama had the bow on the newborn cap covered up with her hand and then FINALLY she unveiled it and my life was forever changed- Reuben Wade Kleckley was born March 22nd, 1984. He was named after four generations of Kleckley men and I’m sure my parents had dreams of him playing professional baseball like my daddy and granddaddy did, but God had bigger plans for him.

When Reuben was two days old, he became very ill. He was having seizures and went into a coma- and the doctors really couldn’t tell my parents why this was happening or what was wrong. No one had any answers and I remember it was a very confusing time for me because what was a happy occasion quickly became a scary time for our family. Once he was moved to ICU, I wasn’t allowed to see him because no children were allowed, and that was hard because as a new big sister that’s all I wanted to do. After a few days, the nurses and my mom got together and broke the rules- dressing me in scrubs from head to toe so that I could hold him. I remember his baptism and watching him being baptized in ICU with my baptismal gown on, wires all over and a specimen cup taped to side of his head so he wouldn’t pull out his IV again- he was such a pitiful little sight. When Reuben was about a week old, he was flown to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and was diagnosed with Propionic Acidemia, at the time there were only about 75 cases in the country so the doctors really didn’t give my parents a lot of hope. Most children didn’t live past infancy and those who did, typically had significant developmental delays. The latter proved true for Reuben.

As a child, in those first years I don’t think I really noticed that he had global delays- not walking until he was two or using phrases until he was four. It never dawned on me that he wasn’t doing things like other toddlers, I was just happy he was with us since there were so many times he almost wasn’t. I think we were more focused on his health with surgeries and trips to Duke to see specialists than any delays. I know my parents knew early on that he was going to have challenges, but it took me awhile before I noticed he was different. I remember the questions from friends and family and sometimes the stares when we would go out in public- it made me angry as a child, but it never made me angry at Reuben, it made me angry at the ignorance or other people. The only thing that bothered me about growing up with a special needs brother was that it was very isolating, I didn’t know anyone else like me and I didn’t have any friends who understood. I had no one to talk to about it. My parents would try, but I was afraid of feeling or saying anything that might hurt them or make them worry.

I think the question I get asked most often is, “Do you ever wish your brother was normal?” Sometimes people are shocked when I say “no”. I mean, what is “normal”? I think about how happy Reuben is, how much he enjoys the simple things in life and how, at 28, he is completely unaware of the negativity in this world. He’s had a lot of struggles, but he’s had so many more positive experiences! Having a sibling with special needs is not something you wish for and it’s not always easy, but Reuben has given us so much more than we could ever hope to give him. Christmas mornings are still exciting, watching him sing “Victory in Jesus” always brings tears to my eyes and it’s because of him that I’ve dedicated my professional career to working with children with special needs.

For a long time I’d heard “you’re so good with Reuben”… so, my family wasn’t surprised when I changed majors my junior year at USC, to work with children with disabilities. Once I met my first child with autism, I was officially hooked. I became an Early Interventionist after graduating in 2003 and in November, 2011, I partnered with a colleague to form Carolina Behavior & Beyond. Our company provides early intervention services to children with disabilities and developmental delays, mainly serving children from birth to age five. I love what I do and it’s truly amazing to see a child develop and transform before my very eyes. I found my purpose in life and I know without a doubt, I have Reuben to thank for that. He’s taught me that being different is not the end of the world, that there is wealth in every life if you have the heart to find it, and that you don’t have to be in the big leagues to pitch a no-hitter.

Update on Reuben!

Ace Right-hander was written in 1992 for a creative writing class I was taking at the time

Reuben will be 40 on his next birthday so it's probably time for an update. He's been very healthy since March 2020. Reuben attends a day program four days a week and a half-day program at our church, once a week.

He loves all things baseball and NFL football. Over the course of many Christmas's and birthdays he's accumulated almost all the team jerseys and hats. We know he's upset about something, which rarely happens, when he throws his hat. Reuben plays on a special needs baseball and basketball team and he loves bluegrass music in all its forms.

To live with Reuben is to be greeted in the morning with "Bless you Mom". His laughter can come for any reason or no reason at all and is as infectious as the common cold. He loves going to church and out to a restaurant, even though he probably won't eat anything, he just loves being around people. Reuben has been assigned the position of is Happiness Co-Ordinator at his sisters' Early Intervention company and is the primary reason she chose to work with children with special needs.

He is tube-fed all his nutrition, a mixture of Duocal, Anamix and Ensure and will snack on chips or Cheetos.

He has taught me so much about patience and enjoying the little things in life and being satisfied with whatever

comes our way.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to talk about our kiddos. I can be reached at

Patt@CarolinaBehaviorand Beyond.com

Reuben

Propionic Acidemia Genetics Part 1

PA Genetics, Part 1

 

Acidemia propiônico (PA) is a condition caused by changes in the genes that make the propionyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase enzyme. Genes are made of DNA which is our hereditary material. Genes have the instructions that tell our bodies how to grow and function. Each gene provides specific instructions for various biological processes in the body.

 

The genes that make the propionyl CoA carboxylase enzyme are called PCCA and PCCB. The enzyme helps break down certain proteins and fats from food to make into chemical energy and other products the body needs. When there is a change in the gene called a mutation, the genes cannot perform their normal function. If these genes do not work and the body cannot break down fats and proteins, there is a buildup of organic acids in the body which can cause the symptoms associated with PA such as vomiting, weak muscle tone, and developmental delays.

 

If someone has a mutation, it is something he or she was born with. These mutations happen randomly and they are not caused by something the person did. We have two copies of each gene. We inherit one copy from each parent. If someone has one gene with a mutation and one gene that works properly, they are called a carrier. Carriers do not have symptoms of propionic acidemia because having one working gene copy means the body is still able to break down fats and proteins.

 

If both parents are carriers of propionic acidemia, existe um 1 em 4 or 25% chance of having a child with propionic acidemia. This is called autosomal recessive inheritance. The condition can affect males and females and an individual has to inherit two mutated genes to be affected with PA. Therefore, in order to be affected by PA, the child has to inherit a gene mutation from both parents. If a child inherits one working gene and one mutated gene, they will also be a carrier of

PA and will not have symptoms. If a child inherits both normal copies of

the gene, they will not be a carrier and not have the condition.

 

 

To find out if you are a carrier of PA, you can have genetic testing. Our DNA is written in a four-letter code. Genetic testing works by reading through the code like a spellchecker looking for a change, also called a mutation.

 

Robyn Hylind

Genetic Counseling Student

Northwestern University

Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling

Gwen

 

Gwen M. – updated May 2015
My beautiful girl just turned 9 years old this year and it seems nothing short of a miracle. At 2 days of age, Gwen became catastrophically ill, her body temperature dropped below 90 graus, ammonia level exceeded 1,500 umol/L and she stopped breathing. She was placed on a ventilator and received peritoneal dialysis for a couple of days until she came out of her coma and was breathing on her own. On her 3rd day she was diagnosed Propionic Acidemia and her future was very uncertain. During Gwen’s first 3 years of life she spent as much time in the hospital as she did at home. Although she’s been admitted more than 50 times, she’s undoubtedly one of the happiest people on Earth. At age 1 she stopped eating by mouth, and since then she’s been fed 100% by a feeding tube because she refuses to eat anything. For many years she wore a backpack to carry her feeding pump, but she is now able to tolerate her formula through small bolus feedings and has a nurse who cares for her during the day.Gwen knows she’s very cute and she plays that to her advantage. What she does not yet know is that she’s very brave, has an endless capacity to forgive, an amazing will to live, and a beautiful spirit from God that has touched the lives of hundreds. She talks non-stop, sings the entire time we’re in the car, jumps off of anything she can climb on, loves to dance, play with her American Girl dolls and spend time with her brother and friends. She’s in second grade and receives special education services for PT, OT, math and reading. She’s also in Brownies and on the Special Olympics swim team! She is a miracle, a daily blessing, and a ray of sunshine in any room. I am grateful for every day I have with her and so proud to be her mom.

—————————————————————————-

Gwendolyn Grace M. was born at 3:33 p.m. on February 3, 2006. She will soon be only 5 months old, but has already brought a lot of drama to our lives! She was diagnosed at 3 days of age with Propionic Acidemia. At 2 days of life we found ourselves at Columbus Children’s Hospital emergency room only hours after being discharged from the hospital of her birth. We were quickly transferred to the NICU, where we spent the next 2 weeks. That first night at Children’s, her ammonia level reached over 1,500 & she had stopped breathing. The fantastic medical staff acted very quickly. Gwen was intubated & put on dialysis. We nearly lost her a couple of times during that stay, but she pulled through. She ended up having another episode less than 2 weeks after being discharged. Once again, she pulled through magnificently. We have quickly learned the fragile nature of good health, the strength of a family, along with the amazing power of prayer. My baby girl is nearly 4 months old & seems to be beating all the odds. Despite her rough beginning, she is meeting all her early milestones. Gwen has an awesome fun club, including her brother, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, doctors, nurses, teachers, & friends. We are so grateful for their love & support. Check out our new web-site with even more pictures – Click Here.

Gwen’s 1st B-day!!!!

Dylan J

Dylan J | Acidemia propiônico | Age 2 1/2

Dylan J nasceu em outubro 12º, 2013 em Waconia, Minnesota, pesando 8 libras, 2 ounces. Depois de Dylan nasceu, os médicos notaram que ele tinha uma do que a temperatura média inferior do corpo, assim que o trouxe de volta para o berçário para aquecê-lo. Ele foi trazido de volta para nós, e de lá para fora por dois dias, vivemos um normais, menino saudável, ou então pensamos.

Nas primeiras horas da manhã em outubro 15º, só 15 horas desde que tinha sido alta do hospital como uma família de 3, Dylan estava agindo meio estranho. Ele estava com muito sono, e parecia frio ao toque. Meu marido, Adão, e eu tomou a sua temperatura e ele estava em 95 graus. Sabendo que não era normal, Liguei para minha irmã- em- lei, que é uma enfermeira de NICU aqui nas cidades, e ela nos disse para tentar fazer a pele-a-pele para aquecê-lo, e se isso não funcionou, para, provavelmente, chamar o pediatra de plantão. Muito a nossa consternação, uma hora se passou e ele não tinha aquecido em tudo, mesmo depois de tudo o que tinha tentado. Eu liguei para o pediatra de plantão e ele nos disse para observá-lo durante os próximos várias horas, se ele ainda estava frio e ainda era muito apático e não queria comer, poderíamos esperar para trazê-lo para o escritório pediatra que abriu às 8h naquela manhã, ou poderíamos trazê-lo para a sala de emergência. Cerca de uma hora mais tarde, meu marido pegou Dylan até trazê-lo para mim para tentar e alimentos para animais, e seus braços caíram molemente por trás de seu corpo. É uma imagem que é queimado em minha mente. Sabíamos que, naquele momento, algo estava errado, portanto, lotado-lo em seu assento de carro e dirigi-lo para a sala de emergência. Uma vez lá, que o examinou, e nos disse que desde que os bebês não podem nos dizer o que está errado, eles seriam obrigados a fazer muitas exames de sangue e uma punção lombar para diminuir o que estava acontecendo. Lembro-me de o médico ER nos dizendo que era difícil de assistir bebezinhos se picou para que ele nos disse para ir esperar em outra sala (Mal sabia eu sei que eu iria testemunhar muito mais pior do que esses puxões na vida de Dylan para vir). A respiração de Dylan também começou a tornar-se extremamente difícil, ele estava realmente se esforçando para obter cada inspiração e expiração. Não me lembro quanto tempo nós estávamos no quarto, mas eu me lembro o médico chegando e dizendo o meu marido e eu, eles não têm qualquer resultado volta ainda, mas acreditavam que ele precisava para ser transferido para um hospital infantil no centro de Minneapolis, para colocá-lo em um ventilador, porque ele estava ficando muito exausto de tanto trabalhar para respirar. Ele saiu da sala, e eu perdi, um ventilador, para o meu bebezinho? O que estava errado? Mais tarde, o médico voltou e disse, ele realmente acreditava que eles podem ser capazes de apenas tentar oxigênio, então eles estavam transferindo-o para cima, à sua UTIN, para ver se poderia obtê-lo sob controle.

Foi então, que o jogo de espera começou. Eles fizeram vários exames de sangue, em um ponto chegando à conclusão de que ele era apenas desidratada. Seu açúcar no sangue era muito baixa, e eles acreditavam que ele simplesmente não tinha comido o suficiente. Horas se passaram por, e estávamos esperando o neonatologista que fez suas rondas em torno dos hospitais mais suburbanas, para chegar e olhar para Dylan. Na hora do almoço, o médico entrou e olhou para ele e disse-nos que ele acreditava Dylan ainda precisava ser transferido para o hospital infantil para ser colocado em um respirador artificial porque o próprio oxigênio não foi cortá-lo. Como ele estava nos dizendo isso, uma enfermeira entrou, entregou-lhe um pedaço de papel, a que ele olhou para, respondeu "oh meu Deus", e saiu do quarto. Fomos apavorei, mas não acho que muito do que. Minutos depois ele voltou e disse-nos que nível de amônia de Dylan era 900. Ele olhou para o rosto muito confuso e nos disse que esta muito foi, muito sério, que foi o intervalo normal 10-35, e que Dylan não pode torná-lo. Eu lembro de estar entorpecido, à ideia de que a minha marca novo bebê poderia morrer, quando uma hora antes tínhamos apenas pensei que ele estava desidratado. O médico saiu para configurar uma ambulância para levá Dylan, não para o hospital das crianças mais, mas para o hospital da Universidade de Minnesota Children, porque ele precisava de tratamento especial, só está disponível na Universidade. Ele precisava ser colocado em Diálise.

Eu andava na ambulância com Dylan, e aqueles foram os mais longos 45 minutos da minha vida. Lembro-me de pensar que ele ia morrer na ambulância, que não havia nada que eu pudesse fazer, Eu apenas tinha que sentar-se no banco da frente e rezar. Assim que chegou ao hospital, era como uma cena de um filme, todos estes médicos nos enxameavam, me dizendo que eles estavam esperando, explicando o que estava acontecendo, precisando me a assinar o termo de consentimento para iniciar diálise. Dizendo-me que fazendo diálise em um 3 dia de idade do bebê era muito arriscado, mas que outra escolha fez temos? No momento em que chegou ao hospital seu amônia subiu para 1200. My husband and I, e nossas famílias, foram levados para a sala de espera da família onde esperamos ouvir palavra sobre Dylan. Foi neste momento que foram introduzidas para o nosso médico metabólica. Ela veio e encontrou-se com nós e descreveu o que ela acreditava Dylan tinha. A desordem genética rara, onde ele não poderia quebrar as proteínas corretamente, e em vez de dividi-lo, ele só iria quebrar a um certo ponto e depois as coisas ruins (ácido propiônico e amônia), seria fazer backup em seu sistema. Com ele ser tão alta como era, ele estava envenenando seus órgãos. Eles nos disse que acreditava que seu cérebro estava inchado e não podiam ter certeza do que dano cerebral que ele tinha recebido da alta de amônia, tomariam ultra-som e uma ressonância magnética, qual ambos saíram bastante bom, mas realmente o tempo diria.

Muitas horas depois, diálise começou, e uma enfermeira entrou, e disse as palavras, Eu nunca vou esquecer "Eu sei que este foi o pior dia de sua vida, mas eu queria dar-lhe uma boa notícia, amônia de Dylan é de 90 "! Tão rápido como ele ficou doente, ele ficou ainda melhor com a mesma rapidez. Eles foram capazes de apressar resultados de triagem neonatal de Dylan e que confirmou o diagnóstico de Propionic Acidemia. Os médicos agora tinha um diagnóstico e foram capazes de tratá-lo. Como o passar dos dias na UTI, a amônia estabilizado, eles foram capazes de iniciar-lo em uma dieta de baixa proteína de Propimex e no leite materno, e ele fez muito bem. Fomos capazes de ir para casa depois de apenas 7 dias na UTI.

Vida com Dylan, depois que parecia ir muito bem, e para nós era "normal". Ele era um bom comedor, sempre comia a quantidade de proteínas e calorias que ele precisava para entrar em um dia e foi se desenvolvendo normalmente. Gostaria de verificar suas cetonas em sua urina diária (nossos médicos achavam que eu era um pouco louco para verificar tanto, mas era o meu indicador de que algo estava fora), e eles foram sempre negativos até que ele estava prestes 5 months old. Dylan começou a ficar rastreamento para pequenas cetonas em sua urina quase diariamente. Gostaríamos de tentar empurrar mais líquidos, mas eles ainda voltar-se. Ele estava comendo todos os seus frascos muito bem ainda e agindo completamente normal. Contudo, uma vez que vimos cetonas, gostaríamos de trazê-lo para a sala de emergência e sua amônia seria alto, nos 100 de. A parte mais assustadora foi, ele nunca agiu diferente, nunca mostrou assina o seu amônia foi alta, excepto para as cetonas.

Depois de estar dentro e fora do hospital por semanas em um momento entre fevereiro e maio, nossos médicos metabólicas decidiu começar a ele em Carbaglu, para ajudar a manter a sua amônia em cheque. Quando estávamos a alta do hospital no final de abril após o início do Carbaglu, nós nos encontramos para um acompanhamento compromisso com os nossos médicos metabólicos. Foi neste compromisso que o médico de Dylan sentou conosco e nos disse que ela acreditava Dylan precisava de um transplante de fígado. Entende, eles nunca foram capazes de nos dizer com certeza se Dylan teve um caso mais grave de PA ou não, porque depois de testes genéticos foi feito, ele voltou que ambos os seus mutações nunca tinha sido visto antes. Então nós meio que tive que esperar e ver como ele fez. Nós ficamos chocados, nunca teve pensamos transplante de fígado seria algo que estaria discutindo há Dylan. Meu marido e eu fui para casa e por algumas semanas pensado nisso, orou sobre ele, chorou sobre ele, pesquisou, histórias receberam de outros pais que passaram por este, e, finalmente, decidiu que não queria esperar até que outra crise aconteceu com Dylan e ele teve uma lesão cerebral ou pior, queríamos Dylan permanecer Dylan. Assim, em Maio 8º deste ano, quando Dylan foi 7 months old, colocamos Dylan na lista de transplante de obter um novo fígado.

On July 24º, que recebeu a ligação que eles tinham um novo fígado para Dylan. Nós cair o que estávamos fazendo e correu para o hospital onde fez todo o trabalho de preparação pré-operatória, nos preparou, e esperou por palavra a respeito de quando o órgão estaria em Minnesota e quando a cirurgia iria começar. On July 26º, a cirurgia aconteceu. Meu marido e eu andei Dylan para a sala de pré-operatório e entregou-o para a equipe de transplante. Nós guiado para sala de espera da família onde esperamos com nossas famílias para 8 muito longas horas. Quando o cirurgião saiu, com um sorriso no rosto, e nos disse que tinha ido muito bem, foi um alívio. Fomos levados até UTIP onde fomos capazes de ver Dylan, e tão assustado quanto eu estava a vê-lo, quando fizemos, ele parecia tão bom. Yes, ele estava ligado a tantos tubos e linhas, e ele estava inchado, mas ele se parecia com o nosso menino. Nós ficamos no hospital por 18 dias como Dylan recuperados. Seu corpo aceitou o novo fígado muito bem, e um dos melhores momentos de nossas vidas, Foi quando o nosso médico metabólica veio e nos disse que os testes de ácidos orgânicos que haviam tomado em Dylan após a cirurgia mostraram que ele não tinha ácido propiônico em seu corpo! Que milagre.

Tem sido quase 2 anos desde Dylan teve seu transplante e ele está fazendo fantástica. Ele teve algumas complicações desde mas ele ficou através deles com cores de vôo. Dylan estará em anti-rejeição medicações toda a sua vida. Há o medo de que ele pode entrar em rejeição a qualquer momento, mas se detectada a tempo, é muito tratável. E aqui em Minnesota, com os nossos médicos, they will keep a very close eye on him. We also don’t have much research on if this liver will last his whole life, or if he would need a new one eventually, but at the same time, we don’t have a ton of data on what PA does to the body long term. Our metabolic doctors are being very cautious with him, they kept him on his metabolic formula just until this last October when we tried to see what his labs did if he went off it and so far he has remained stable. He is still on a restricted protein diet, right now he gets 30-35g a day. The change in him since transplant has been tenfold. Before he had low tone and now his tone is so much better, he runs and climbs just like every other 2 ½ year old when we’re playing at the park! Apesar de ter sido a decisão mais difícil meu marido e eu já fez, esta foi a decisão certa para nós, queríamos Dylan levar a melhor vida que podia, e mesmo que havia tantos riscos, e não sabemos 100% o que o futuro trará, valeu a pena, porque ele é tal um feliz e muito saudável 2 ½ menino anos de idade!

Dr.. Miyazaki

Dr.. Toru Miyazaki, M.D.,Ph.D.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas

Prior to becoming a 501(c)3, the PAF established a Propionic Acidemia Fund at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas to promote the studies of Dr. Toru Miyazaki. With PAF’s help, this fund raised over $90,000. Dr.. Miyazaki has succeeded in constructing a mutant mouse model of PA. The construction of this mouse model is significant because scientists now have a valuable tool to observe PA gene manipulation in an animal with propionic acidemia. This allows researchers to evaluate the function of genes transferred into the animal and to see how the body responds. Experiments in mice must precede human clinical trials involving gene therapy, so it is extremely important for this research to be performed.

Two genes, PCCA and PCCB are necessary for the production of propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC) an enzyme involved in the metabolism of the amino acids methionine, threonine, isoleucine and valine. Dr.. Miyazaki’s mouse model contains a mutation in PCCA and these mice are unable to make PCC. PA mutant mice exhibit symptoms of propionic acidemia similar to human PA patients including poor feeding, dehydration and accelerated ketosis progressing towards death.

Dr.. Miyazaki has confirmed that supplementation of 15-20% PCC (propionyl-CoA carboxylase) enzyme activity via a transgene to PA mice resulted in abolishment of most PA symptoms. Treated mice were able to consume a normal diet containing a high level of protein. Additionally they grew and developed like normal mice, procreated and lived a normal lifespan.

There is currently no research being done at UT Southwestern on Propionic Acidemia. Those interested in reading more about Dr. Miyazaki’s studies may visit the sites below.

Dr.. Barry August 2006 Progress Update

Michael A. Barry

Agosto 2006 Progress Update from PAF Newsletter

The Barry Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic is working on a project to test if gene therapy can be used to treat propionic acidemia. To test this, PA mice from Dr. Miyazaki are being used as subjects for delivery of the PCCA gene to their livers. Sean Hofherr, a graduate student in Dr. Barry’s laboratory is pursuing this project for his Ph.D. thesis. Até à data, Sean has generated a series of gene therapy vectors expressing either the human or the mouse PCCA gene for testing in the PA mice. Preliminary experiments in the mice indicate that the vectors can be used to deliver PCCA gene to the liver to express amplified amounts of the protein. Work is underway to determine how this modifies the blood levels of propionate metabolites and to what degree this rescues the whole body and neurological symptoms of the disease in the mice. In the process of this work, Dr.. Barry’s group generated antibodies against different parts of the PCCA protein to help in tracking where, when, and how much of the PCCA protein was being produced by their gene therapy vectors. With these tools in hand, as a side project, their group has also used them to probe some of the basic biology of the PCCA protein. While much is known about the genetics and disease symptoms of PA, little data can be found in the literature regarding the distribution of PCCA protein in different tissues. For example, the level of protein expression in different tissues may explain (in part) some of the tissue damage and symptoms due to loss of PCCA. Likewise, knowing where PCCA is and is not expressed might better guide how transplantation and gene therapies need to be applied and how this might differ between a mouse model and humans. For example, one might predict that the liver expresses the highest level of PCCA given its role in metabolizing excess amino acids and fatty acids. Conversely, one might predict that the brain or the basal ganglion might express lower amounts of PCCA, since many of the symptoms of the disease are manifested in these sites, particularly if these are due to effects within individual cells rather than due to metabolite overload. Given these issues, Dr.. Barry’s group used these new antibodies to screen for PCCA protein production in mouse and human tissue panels. While they expected PCCA to be either ubiquitously expressed or expressed at highest levels in the liver, to their surprise, they observed a marked variation in amount of PCCA in different tissues. In both mouse and human tissues, the kidney appeared to have the highest levels of PCCA protein, in fact higher than in the liver per unit protein. In contrast, in the brain, PCCA was undetected in mouse (but not necessarily zero), and was detectable, but at low levels in the human brain samples. These data suggest PCCA is not ubiquitously expressed at high levels in all tissues and that the kidney may play a significant role in elimination of propionic metabolites. While the kidney had higher levels of PCCA when equalized for protein in the different tissues, it should be noted that the liver is still substantially larger in size and so likely “handles” substantially more metabolites. Contudo, better knowledge of the locations of PCCA and cross-talk between organs may assist in optimizing therapeutics and to avoid mis-steps when translating between mouse models and PA patients. Work is underway to screen more specific regions of the brain for PCCA expression and to track how the protein’s expression may change over time in the PCCA mutant mice.