Eunice Jeffs, Elizabeth I Pillay, Lesedi Ledwaba-Chapman, Alessandra Bisquera, Susan J Robertson, John A McGrath, Yanzhong Wang, Anna E Martinez, Jemima E Mellerio
{"title":"Pain in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB): findings of the Prospective Epidermolysis Bullosa Longitudinal Evaluation Study (PEBLES).","authors":"Eunice Jeffs, Elizabeth I Pillay, Lesedi Ledwaba-Chapman, Alessandra Bisquera, Susan J Robertson, John A McGrath, Yanzhong Wang, Anna E Martinez, Jemima E Mellerio","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03349-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03349-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pain is common in the genetic skin fragility disorder epidermolysis bullosa (EB), from skin and mucosal injury and inflammation as well as extra-mucocutaneous sites. Individuals living with EB have identified pain as a priority for better treatments.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The Prospective EB Longitudinal Evaluation Study (PEBLES) is a prospective register study exploring the natural history of RDEB across all ages from birth to death. Here, we investigated the characteristics and treatment of pain in different RDEB subtypes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Information was collected from individuals with different RDEB subtypes over an 8-year period. Data included visual analogue scale (VAS) ratings of background and procedural pain, its location, intensity and impact on sleep, as well as pain medication. Disease severity scores and quality of life measures were correlated to pain scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty-one participants (13 children, 48 adults) completed a total of 361 reviews. Pain was common, experienced by 93% of participants at index review, with 80% suffering both background and procedural pain. Across all RDEB patients, the median VAS for background pain was 40 (out of 100) [interquartile range 20,60] and for those having regular dressing changes, median procedural pain was 52 [40,80]. Severe (RDEB-S) and pruriginosa (RDEB-Pru) groups had the greatest increase in procedural compared to background pain of 20 and 22 VAS points, respectively. Correlations between disease severity and quality of life impairment were observed across most groups, particularly RDEB-S. Over half of those studied experienced pain frequently or constantly, and in one third pain disturbed sleep at least 4 nights per week. Skin was the commonest source of pain in all subtypes except inversa RDEB where the mouth was the main site. Despite frequent and severe pain, one third of participants used no medication for pain and, in those that did, pain levels remained high suggesting ineffectiveness of current pain management approaches and a significant unmet need in RDEB.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The frequency, severity, and impact of pain in all RDEB patients is significant, particularly in RDEB-S and RDEB-Pru. Our findings highlight that current RDEB pain management is poorly effective and that further research is needed to address this symptom.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11468479/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"TARS2 c.470 C > G is a chinese-specific founder mutation in three unrelated families with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy.","authors":"Shujie Zhang, Haisong Qin, Qingming Wang, Yingfei Wang, Yanhui Liu, Qi Yang, Jingsi Luo, Zailong Qin, Xiang Ji, Lijuan Kan, Guoxing Geng, Jing Huang, Shengkai Wei, Qiuli Chen, Yiping Shen, Haiming Yuan, Baoling Lai","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03365-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03365-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biallelic pathogenic variants in TARS2 lead to combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency, subtype 21 (COXPD21, MIM #615918), which is a rare mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (ME) characterized by early-onset severe axial hypotonia, limb hypertonia, psychomotor developmental delay, epilepsy and brain anomalies. To date, approximately 28 individuals with COXPD21 and 28 TARS2 variants have been identified. In this study, we reported additional four individuals from three unrelated Chinese families with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy caused by pathogenic variants in TARS2, and described the novel clinical phenotypes and genotypic information. In addition to two novel variants (c.512G > A, p.Arg171Lys; c.988dup, p.Arg330Lysfs*4), one previously reported variant (c.470 C > G, p.Thr157Arg) recurred in six Chinese individuals with COXPD21 but was not present in populations of other races. Our findings expanded the mutation spectrum of TARS2 and confirmed that c.470 C > G is a Chinese-specific founder mutation. The novel phenotypes, including reduced fetal movement, eye anomalies and sleep irregularities, observed in our patients enriched the clinical characteristics of COXPD21.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11468052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rare Disease Focused Antenatal Education and Diagnosis Support: Two Case Studies of Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex.","authors":"Rebecca Saad, Ryan Pysar, Alaxandra Blackwell","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03397-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03397-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many people living with a rare disease (RD) face challenges accessing timely diagnosis and disease-specific specialist care. Early health-care challenges for people living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare genetic disease affecting 1:20,000 individuals, can begin in the antenatal period.People living with EB in Australia have access to a government funded disease specific antenatal education and support program through the National Epidermolysis Bullosa Dressing scheme (NEBDS). This article discusses two births involving families living with EB Simplex (EBS) in regional Australia. The education and support structures implemented by the NEBDS and clinical teams are discussed in line with the Australian National Strategic Action Plan for rare diseases, and includes access to genetic diagnosis, EB education, and complex care coordination.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11470639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142406676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carolina Teles Barretto, Márcia Helena Cassago Nascimento, Bruna Ferro Brun, Tiago Barcelos da Silva, Pedro Augusto Costa Dias, Cassiano Augusto Braga Silva, Maneesh N Singh, Francis L Martin, Paulo Roberto Filgueiras, Wanderson Romão, Luciene Cristina Gastalho Campos, Valerio Garrone Barauna
{"title":"Infrared spectroscopy as a new approach for early fabry disease screening: a pilot study.","authors":"Carolina Teles Barretto, Márcia Helena Cassago Nascimento, Bruna Ferro Brun, Tiago Barcelos da Silva, Pedro Augusto Costa Dias, Cassiano Augusto Braga Silva, Maneesh N Singh, Francis L Martin, Paulo Roberto Filgueiras, Wanderson Romão, Luciene Cristina Gastalho Campos, Valerio Garrone Barauna","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03380-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03380-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder marked by alpha-galactosidase-A (α-Gal A) deficiency, caused by pathogenic mutations in the GLA gene, resulting in the accumulation of glycosphingolipids within lysosomes. The current screening test relies on measuring α-Gal A activity. However, this approach is limited to males. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a technique that can generate fingerprint spectra of a biofluid's molecular composition and has been successfully applied to screen numerous diseases. Herein, we investigate the discriminating vibration profile of plasma chemical bonds in patients with FD using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform IR (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Fabry disease group (n = 47) and the healthy control group (n = 52) recruited were age-matched (39.2 ± 16.9 and 36.7 ± 10.9 years, respectively), and females were predominant in both groups (59.6% and 65.4%, respectively). All patients had the classic phenotype (100%), and no late-onset phenotype was detected. A generated partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) classification model, independent of gender, allowed differentiation of samples from FD vs. control groups, reaching 100% sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ATR-FTIR spectroscopy harnessed to pattern recognition algorithms can distinguish between FD patients and healthy control participants, offering the potential of a fast and inexpensive screening test.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11466028/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142400904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C Baekmann, M M Handrup, H Molgaard, C Ejerskov, H K Jensen, J R Ostergaard
{"title":"Insight of autonomic dysfunction in CLN3 disease: a study on episodes resembling paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH).","authors":"C Baekmann, M M Handrup, H Molgaard, C Ejerskov, H K Jensen, J R Ostergaard","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03336-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03336-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Recurrent non-epileptic episodes resembling paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) have been observed in adolescents with Juvenile Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (CLN3-disease) and a possible association to an autonomic dysfunction has been suggested. The objective of the present study was to investigate the dynamics of the autonomic activity up to, during, and in the time after individual attacks. We include all seven suitable CLN3 patients in Denmark ≥ 15 years of age. HRV parameters were assessed from continuous heart rate monitoring during seven consecutive days and a particular focus of HRV parameters was obtained in close temporal context to clinically recurrent PSH-like episodes. In addition, the likelihood of PSH was assessed by caregiver's description and by video documentation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Respectively eight and five episodes were recorded in two patients (18 and 20 years of age). The episodes were all safely superior to the cut off values of the clinical assessment score to be considered PSH-like episodes. During all 13 episodes, HRV revealed a statistically significant decrease in root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and standard deviation of the Poincaré-Plot interval (SD1) in the minutes prior to the clinical onset of the episodes, both indicating a sudden decrease in parasympathetic activity in advance of the onset. The reduced activity remained low during the episodes, and 15-30 min following the attack cessation, the parasympathetic activity had returned to pre-attacks levels. The sympathetic HRV parameters were unchanged resulting in a sympathetic overactivity during the episodes. In a third participant (32 years of age), in whom severity of PSH-like episodes had been gradually reduced during the last years, five episodes were registered. A similar temporally related reduction of the parasympathetic activity was found, but because the sympathetic activity decreased as well, no sympathetic dominance developed, which most reasonable is the reason to the clinically reduced expression of the episodes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The documented transient withdrawal of parasympathetic activity leading to a paroxysmal unbalanced sympathetic hyperactivity most probably accounts for the PSH-like episodes occurring in post-adolescent CLN3 patients. The findings shed new light on both aetiology and possible preventative and therapeutic measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465670/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142400916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical and genetic spectrum of factor XII deficiency in the Han population of East China.","authors":"Fei Xu, Langyi Qin, Anqing Zou, Lingling Hou, Mingshan Wang, Bile Chen","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03404-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03404-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Factor XII (FXII or F12) deficiency is a rare inherited disorder, typically lacking haemorrhagic symptoms. There is limited literature exists on FXII deficiency and mutations within the Chinese population. This study aimed to characterize the spectrum of F12 gene mutations in a Chinese cohort and to investigate the relationship between FXII mutations and clinical phenotypes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Genetic and clinical data from 51 unrelated probands with FXII deficiency, along with their families, were meticulously collected and analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Genetic analysis revealed that 94.1% of probands carried genetic defects, with 29 mutations pinpointed in the F12 gene. Of these, 18 mutations were previously reported for the first time by our research group, including c.303_304delCA, c.1078G > A, c.1285 C > T, among others. Of the mutations, 17 are missense, constituting 58.6% of the total. Additionally, 11 are deletions or insertions, of which 8 result in frameshifts, while the remaining one is a nonsense mutation. These mutations were predominantly concentrated in two crucial regions: the catalytic domain and the kringle domain. The most frequently observed mutations were c.1681G > A, closely followed by c.1561G > A and c.1078G > A, indicating a dominance among these mutations. Additionally, a prevalent polymorphism at position 46 was observed in the majority of probands, with 47.1% having the 46T/T genotype and 13.7% having the 46 C/T genotype, which may potentially impact FXII activity. The broad spectrum of asymptomatic FXII deficiency observed within the Han population of East China.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We speculate on the potential impact of recurrent mutations on the efficacy of new drugs being developed to target FXII for thrombosis prevention and treatment. Furthermore, it is important to explore their influence on FXII-related pathways beyond the activation of the contact pathway in the coagulation cascade.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142392260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guozhuang Li, Kexin Xu, Xiangjie Yin, Jianle Yang, Jihao Cai, Xinyu Yang, Qing Li, Jie Wang, Zhengye Zhao, Aoran Mahesahti, Ning Zhang, Terry Jianguo Zhang, Nan Wu
{"title":"Integrating deep phenotyping with genetic analysis: a comprehensive workflow for diagnosis and management of rare bone diseases.","authors":"Guozhuang Li, Kexin Xu, Xiangjie Yin, Jianle Yang, Jihao Cai, Xinyu Yang, Qing Li, Jie Wang, Zhengye Zhao, Aoran Mahesahti, Ning Zhang, Terry Jianguo Zhang, Nan Wu","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03367-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03367-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phenotypes play a fundamental role in medical genetics, serving as external manifestations of underlying genotypes. Deep phenotyping, a cornerstone of precision medicine, involves precise multi-system phenotype assessments, facilitating disease subtyping and genetic understanding. Despite their significance, the field lacks standardized protocols for accurate phenotype evaluation, hindering clinical comprehension and research comparability. We present a comprehensive workflow of deep phenotyping for rare bone diseases from the Genetics Clinic of Skeletal Deformity at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Our workflow integrates referral, informed consent, and detailed phenotype evaluation through HPO standards, capturing nuanced phenotypic characteristics using clinical examinations, questionnaires, and multimedia documentation. Genetic testing and counseling follow, based on deep phenotyping results, ensuring personalized interventions. Multidisciplinary team consultations facilitate comprehensive patient care and clinical guideline development. Regular follow-up visits emphasize dynamic phenotype reassessment, ensuring treatment strategies remain responsive to evolving patient needs. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of deep phenotyping in rare bone diseases, offering a standardized framework for phenotype evaluation, genetic analysis, and multidisciplinary intervention. By enhancing clinical care and research outcomes, this approach contributes to the advancement of precision medicine in the field of medical genetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11462960/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142392262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Long-term effectiveness and safety of lomitapide in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: an observational case series.","authors":"Patrizia Suppressa, Chiara Coppola, Veronica Cocco, Sallyann O'Brien","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03374-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13023-024-03374-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>We assessed long-term real-world effectiveness and safety of lomitapide in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective case series of six patients with HoFH treated with lomitapide in an Italian clinic. Changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) during lomitapide treatment were assessed. The effect on LDL-C of PCSK9 inhibitors, apheresis and lomitapide was evaluated. Additionally, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), gastrointestinal tolerability, hepatic steatosis/elasticity, transaminases, and cardiovascular events and symptoms were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Median age at HoFH clinical and molecular diagnoses was 25 (range 2-49) and 40 (29-71) years, respectively. Five (83.3%) had prior cardiovascular events. One patient received apheresis, which was subsequently discontinued. All patients received PCSK9 inhibitors but discontinued due to minimal effectiveness. Median (range) age at lomitapide initiation was 44 (28-73) years, with a median 47 (18-85) months' treatment (mean dose 17.5 [5-40] mg/day). Mean (SD) baseline LDL-C was 263.2 (148.1) mg/dL, which decreased by 80% at nadir (52.8 [19.2] mg/dL) and 69% at last follow-up (81.3 [30.5] mg/dL). Four patients (66.7%) achieved LDL-C < 70 mg/dL sometime during follow-up, all of whom also achieved LDL-C < 55 mg/dL. Adverse events (AEs) were generally mild to moderate, hepatic steatosis was either absent or mild/moderate and hepatic elasticity remained normal in all but two patients (> 70 years old). All patients with reported cardiovascular symptoms had improvements in symptoms, and all patients reported stabilization or regression of intima-media thickness and atheromatous plaques.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These long-term, real-world data demonstrate that lomitapide substantially reduced LDL-C for up to seven years. Most patients achieved LDL-C goal at some point, consistent with published Phase III trial and real-world evidence data. No patient discontinued lomitapide treatment. Further long-term follow-up in a larger patient population will be important to determine cardiovascular and other outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11459886/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142392272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicole Revencu, Astrid Eijkelenboom, Claire Bracquemart, Pia Alhopuro, Judith Armstrong, Eulalia Baselga, Claudia Cesario, Maria Lisa Dentici, Melanie Eyries, Sofia Frisk, Helena Gásdal Karstensen, Nagore Gene-Olaciregui, Sirpa Kivirikko, Cinzia Lavarino, Inger-Lise Mero, Rodolphe Michiels, Elisa Pisaneschi, Bitten Schönewolf-Greulich, Ilse Wieland, Martin Zenker, Miikka Vikkula
{"title":"Correction to: Assessment of gene-disease associations and recommendations for genetic testing for somatic variants in vascular anomalies by VASCERN-VASCA.","authors":"Nicole Revencu, Astrid Eijkelenboom, Claire Bracquemart, Pia Alhopuro, Judith Armstrong, Eulalia Baselga, Claudia Cesario, Maria Lisa Dentici, Melanie Eyries, Sofia Frisk, Helena Gásdal Karstensen, Nagore Gene-Olaciregui, Sirpa Kivirikko, Cinzia Lavarino, Inger-Lise Mero, Rodolphe Michiels, Elisa Pisaneschi, Bitten Schönewolf-Greulich, Ilse Wieland, Martin Zenker, Miikka Vikkula","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03296-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-024-03296-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11459908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142392261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A novel variant in the 3' UTR of the TCF4 gene likely causes Pitt-Hopkins syndrome: a case report.","authors":"Tingting Zhao, Fan Yang, Bingbing Zhang, Yongyong Ren, Jiuzhou Yuan, Yu Wang, Hui Lu, Guangjun Yu, Jincai Feng","doi":"10.1186/s13023-024-03383-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13023-024-03383-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that results from variants of TCF4 gene. PTHS follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern and the underlying pathological mechanisms of this disease are still unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted to screen for potential pathogenic variant in a boy highly suspected of having a genetic disorder. PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to verify the effects of the variant. Serum TCF4 levels were measured by ELISA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We present a 4-year and 3-month-old Chinese boy clinically and molecularly diagnosed with PTHS. The proband experienced global development delay, and the preliminary clinical diagnosis was cerebral palsy. WGS identified a de novo heterozygous variant: c.*1A > G in the 3'UTR of the TCF4 gene as a potential cause of his condition. The variant was verified to cause aberrant mRNA splicing by PCR and the aberrant splicing was confirmed by Sanger sequencing.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study identified and demonstrated the pathogenicity of a novel 3'UTR site TCF4 variant for the first time. This research enhances understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms of PTHS and aids genetic counseling and diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19651,"journal":{"name":"Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11457474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142392259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}