[Rapid and Easy Measurement of Serum Fatty Acid Composition of Neonates, Infants and Young People Using the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry].

A variation of the fatty acid composition is closely associated with the clinical state of inflammatory disorder and metabolic syndrome. The analysis of serum fatty acid composition of neonates and infants has been measured hardly at the laboratory, because a large quantity of serum was required for an analysis and the measurement procedure was cumbersome. We examined the rapid and easy analysis in a small amount of serum using the combination methods of the gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC MS) and the quick transmethylation. The serum fatty acid composition of neonates and infants were compared with the young people. The serum fatty acids with the internal standard material were performed transmethylation using the microwave, and then the lipids were extracted. The fatty acid esters were analyzed by GC MS with capillary column, and the statistical procedure used nonparametric method. The repeatability of each fatty acid concentration was CV = 5-11.3% (n = 5) with serum 50 µl. The lowest quantity of sample was possible to measure with 13 µl of serum. The total serum fatty acid, saturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid levels did not show a significant difference at all age, but the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) level of neonates and infants was significantly lower than young people, p = 0.007. The four main PUFA exclusive of α-linolenic acid showed a significant difference. The fatty acid composition with small quantities serum was measured by the rapid and accurate method using the GC MS and the microwave. The serum PUFA concentrations have fluctuated according to growth, therefore it was necessary to evaluate serum fatty acid composition in each age category.

Interleukin-8-producing primary cardiac undifferentiated sarcoma in a child with sustained fever.

We report the case of a 12-year-old boy with primary undifferentiated sarcoma of the left atrium. He had sustained fever during the clinical course and multiple lung and brain metastases. Chemotherapy and irradiation were ineffective; he died 41 days after hospitalization. On retrospective analysis, interleukin-8 (IL-8) was elevated; this was supported by immunohistochemistry and gene expression analysis of tumor samples. IL-8 continued to increase with tumor progression accompanied by elevated neutrophil count and C-reactive protein. IL-8 is involved in malignant tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis and may have been related to the clinical condition and prognosis in the present case.

[Abnormal Serum Total Protein Measurement by Lipoprotein-X in an Infant with Biliary Atresia].

Lipoprotein-X (LP-X) in cholestatic jaundice causes abnormal reaction in assays for low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, but the effects on other test items are unknown. Here, we report an infant with biliary atresia showing abnormal reaction in total serum protein assay using the biuret method, and lipoprotein-X (LP-X) was then detected. In this 11-month-old female infant, jaundice was observed at 2 months old, and a diagnosis of biliary atresia was made. On biochemical tests at 12 months old, the total serum protein concentrations detected by the biuret method were very high, and the response curve and linearity of dilution were abnormal. LP-X was detected by agar electrophoresis. In addition and recovery experiments with normal serum fractionation of the patient's LP-X-rich lipoprotein fraction prepared by ultracentrifugation, normal γ-globulin fractionation showed an abnormal reaction by the biuret method. In infants with biliary atresia, we showed that the total serum protein assay by the biuret method was influenced by LP-X-rich lipoprotein, which may be caused by abnormal reaction of LP-X and γ-globulin. [Case Report].