Biomaterial Database

Amino acid abnormalities in infants with extrahepatic biliary atresia and cirrhosis. 1987

S A Weisdorf, and D K Freese, and J J Fath, and M Y Tsai, and F B Cerra

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

We measured fasting plasma amino acids in 26 children aged 6 months to 5 years with extrahepatic biliary atresia and cirrhosis and compared them with fasting values in 95 normal control children aged 4 months to 12 years. We found that the cirrhotic children had elevations of total free plasma amino acids implying reduced hepatic metabolism of amino acids and that the molar ratio of the branched chain amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, and valine) to the aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine and tyrosine) was significantly depressed. Methionine was also markedly elevated, and taurine concentrations were significantly decreased. Manipulation of the amino acid distribution in dietary protein to normalize plasma amino acids prior to orthotopic hepatic transplantation may be helpful in improving amino acid utilization.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008103	Liver Cirrhosis	Liver disease in which the normal microcirculation, the gross vascular anatomy, and the hepatic architecture have been variably destroyed and altered with fibrous septa surrounding regenerated or regenerating parenchymal nodules.	Cirrhosis, Liver,Fibrosis, Liver,Hepatic Cirrhosis,Liver Fibrosis,Cirrhosis, Hepatic
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000596	Amino Acids	Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (-COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins.	Amino Acid,Acid, Amino,Acids, Amino
D001656	Biliary Atresia	Progressive destruction or the absence of all or part of the extrahepatic BILE DUCTS, resulting in the complete obstruction of BILE flow. Usually, biliary atresia is found in infants and accounts for one third of the neonatal cholestatic JAUNDICE.	Atresia, Biliary,Biliary Atresia, Extrahepatic,Biliary Atresia, Intrahepatic,Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Familial Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Idiopathic Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Intrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Atresia, Extrahepatic Biliary,Atresia, Intrahepatic Biliary