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Previous Volume 349:5-6 July 3, 2003 Number 1 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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In this issue of the Journal, Selzer et al. (pages 45–50) describe the unexpected neurologic deterioration and death of an infant boy who had been anesthetized twice within a short time with the widely used anesthetic nitrous oxide. Postmortem studies of his cultured fibroblasts established a diagnosis of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency, an inherited defect in folate metabolism. The severe form of deficiency seen in this patient occurs only rarely. The authors mention that patients with mild abnormalities of the folate cycle as well as those with severe abnormalities are likely to be exposed to nitrous oxide during their lifetime, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

From the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.

Related Letters:

Nitrous Oxide and 5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase
Burman J. F., Kaufman J. L., Hogan K., Erbe R. W.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2003; 349:1479-1480, Oct 9, 2003. Correspondence

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• Burman, J. F., Kaufman, J. L., Hogan, K., Erbe, R. W. (2003). Nitrous Oxide and 5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase. NEJM 349: 1479-1480 [Full Text]