Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

A young pregnant woman was diagnosed with acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) after her urine was found to glow pink under ultraviolet (UV) light, as described in a recent case report. The woman’s symptoms were general, which often makes an early diagnosis difficult. A “simple method like urine examination under ultraviolet…

Poorly working mitochondria — small energy-producing cell compartments — may drive muscle weakness or wasting in a new mouse model of porphyria, a study suggests. “In some cases, muscle atrophy [is] present in porphyria; however, the underlying mechanism is still unknown,” its authors wrote. These findings may therefore provide…