Genetic background of idiopathic neurodevelopmental delay patients with significant brain deviation volume / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Significant brain volume deviation is an essential phenotype in children with neurodevelopmental delay (NDD), but its genetic basis has not been fully characterized. This study attempted to analyze the genetic factors associated with significant whole-brain deviation volume (WBDV).@*METHODS@#We established a reference curve based on 4222 subjects ranging in age from the first postnatal day to 18 years. We recruited only NDD patients without acquired etiologies or positive genetic results. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical exome sequencing (2742 genes) data were acquired. A genetic burden test was performed, and the results were compared between patients with and without significant WBDV. Literature review analyses and BrainSpan analysis based on the human brain developmental transcriptome were performed to detect the potential role of genetic risk factors in human brain development.@*RESULTS@#We recruited a total of 253 NDD patients. Among them, 26 had significantly decreased WBDV (<-2 standard deviations [SDs]), and 14 had significantly increased WBDV (>+2 SDs). NDD patients with significant WBDV had higher rates of motor development delay (49.8% [106/213] vs . 75.0% [30/40], P  = 0.003) than patients without significant WBDV. Genetic burden analyses found 30 genes with an increased allele frequency of rare variants in patients with significant WBDV. Analyses of the literature further demonstrated that these genes were not randomly identified: burden genes were more related to the brain development than background genes ( P  = 1.656e -9 ). In seven human brain regions related to motor development, we observed burden genes had higher expression before 37-week gestational age than postnatal stages. Functional analyses found that burden genes were enriched in embryonic brain development, with positive regulation of synaptic growth at the neuromuscular junction, positive regulation of deoxyribonucleic acid templated transcription, and response to hormone, and these genes were shown to be expressed in neural progenitors. Based on single cell sequencing analyses, we found TUBB2B gene had elevated expression levels in neural progenitor cells, interneuron, and excitatory neuron and SOX15 had high expression in interneuron and excitatory neuron.@*CONCLUSION@#Idiopathic NDD patients with significant brain volume changes detected by MRI had an increased prevalence of motor development delay, which could be explained by the genetic differences characterized herein.

The clinical application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in neonatal sepsis / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To study the clinical application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) on pathogen diagnosis and clinical management in neonatal sepsis.Methods:From January 2019 to February 2021, neonates suspected of sepsis receiving both mNGS and blood culture in our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The effects of mNGS on pathogen detection, antibiotic choice and clinical management were analyzed.Results:A total of 35 neonates were included. Sepsis was confirmed in 24 neonates. 12 neonates had positive microbiology results (both mNGS and blood culture were positive in 3 cases, only mNGS positive in 8 cases and only blood culture positive in 1 case). mNGS showed higher positive rate than blood culture in patients with neonatal sepsis (45.8% vs. 16.7%, P=0.049). The concordance of mNGS and blood culture was 74.3%. 21 cases (60.0%) had antibiotics before testing and the positive rate showed no significant difference between mNGS and blood culture [19.0% (4/21) vs. 4.8% (1/21), P=0.343] in these patients. 14 cases didn't receive antibiotics before testing and the positive rate also showed no significant difference between mNGS and blood culture [28.6%(4/14) vs.21.4% (3/14), P=1.000]. 8.6% patients changed clinical treatment based on the mNGS results. Conclusions:mNGS increases pathogen detection in neonatal sepsis and is well consistent with blood culture. mNGS is useful in clinical practice.

Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of 23 newborns with hypotonia as the main manifestation / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To study the role of neonatal panel detection based on next generation sequencing (NGS) combined with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) in the etiological differentiation of neonatal hypotonia.Methods:The clinical characteristics and gene test results of newborns with hypotonia as the main clinical manifestation treated at the Department of Neonatology of Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital from March 2017 to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 23 children with hypotonia and feeding difficulties diagnosed by gene tests were included. 17 cases (73.9%) had obvious abnormal appearance, and 11 cases (47.8%) had congenital heart disease (atrial septal defect and/or patent ductus arteriosus). Among the 23 infants, 21 were detected by panel gene, 10 by methylation specific MLPA (MS-MLPA) and 4 by MLPA (SMN1 / SMN2). 14 cases of Prader-Willi syndrome, 4 cases of spinal muscular atrophy, 3 cases of congenital myopathy and 2 cases of Schaaf-Yang syndrome were diagnosed. 11 cases died (47.8%), 9 cases had growth retardation (39.1%), 2 cases had normal growth and development (8.7%), and 1 case survived without detailed information (4.3%). Newborns with unknown etiology and low muscle tone are often complicated with abnormal appearance and congenital heart disease. Neonatal panel combined with MLPA is helpful for accurate diagnosis.Conclusions:The detection of neonatal panel combined with MLPA is cheap, and can provide accurate diagnosis for most newborns with unexplained hypotonia in a short diagnosis cycle, which is conducive to the early formulation of clinical decision-making, and guide the treatment, follow-up and genetic consultation of children.

Schaaf-Yang syndrome in a neonate caused by MAGEL2 gene mutation: a case report / 中华围产医学杂志

In this study, we reported a patient with neonatal-onset Schaaf-Yang syndrome (SYS). The girl was the second singleton child of a healthy, nonconsanguineous couple. She suffered from hypoxic asphyxia at birth and soon developed persistent respiratory distress. She was also diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy, congenital heart disease, pneumonia, sepsis, neonatal jaundice, congenital laryngeal achondroplasia, and paralysis of vocal cord were diagnosed after admission. She spent the first one month of life in the neonatal intensive care unit and was treated with mechanical ventilation, nutritional support and anti-infectives. Then the baby was discharged as her parents' request and died of respiratory failure at the age of 2 months. Whole exome sequencing detected, a heterozygous nonsense mutation of c.1912C>T(p.Q638X) in MAGEL2 in the fetus, which was inherited from her father but not found in her mother.

MEGDHEL syndrome caused by SERAC1 gene variation: a case report and literature review / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical and genetic features of 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, dystonia-deafness, hepatopathy, encephalopathy, Leigh-like syndrome(MEGDHEL syndrome) caused by SERAC1 gene variation. Methods:This study retrospectively described the clinical and molecular features and prognosis of a baby boy who was transferred to Children's Hospital of Fudan University and later diagnosed with MEGDHEL syndrome in August 2016. A summary of the clinical and genetic manifestations of MEGDHEL syndrome cases reported in China and foreign areas was conducted through a literature review.Results:(1) Case report: The 2-day-old patient was transferred to Children's Hospital of Fudan University due to hyperlactic acidemia after birth. Physical examination revealed scattered petechiae and ecchymoses of the skin. Laboratory examination showed coagulation disorders and cranial MRI revealed abnormal signals in both basal ganglia. A homozygous variation of c.442C>T(p.Arg148*) in the SERAC1 gene was detected in the patient, which is a pathogenic variant included in the Human Gene Mutation Database. Both of his parents were heterozygous carriers, thereby the diagnosis of MEGDHEL syndrome was confirmed. Followed up to the age of three years and 11 months, he was found to have psychomotor retardation, spasticity, dystonia, deafness, and loss of language ability. (2)Literature review: Together with the case reported in this study, a total of 88 cases were retrieved, involving 57 different variants. The clinical features were homogenous, with onset mostly in the neonatal period (72%, 62/86), and severe reversible liver dysfunction (49%, 38/77) and neonatal hypoglycemia (44%, 35/80) were the main features. Nervous system was affected since infancy and common symptoms, included hypotonia (86%, 68/79), progressive spasticity (82%, 67/82), dystonia (80%, 66/82), intellectual disability (88%, 58/66) and sensorineural hearing impairment (74%, 59/80). Furthermore, bilateral basal ganglia involvement on cranial MRI (93%,70/75) and 3-methylglutaconic aciduria (98%,80/82) were also seen. Supportive care is currently the main management, however, the prognosis is extremely poor. Conclusions:MEGDHEL syndrome should be highly suspected when reversible neonatal liver dysfunction or hypoglycemia of unknown reasons in neonatal period, followed by progressive deafness-dystonia syndrome in infancy. As the prognosis of these patients is usually poor, genetic testing may provide an early diagnosis in neonatal period.

Genetic analysis and treatment for an infant with cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome type 2 / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To carry out genetic and metabolite analysis for an infant with cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome type 2 (CCDS2).@*METHODS@#Clinical data of the child was collected. Whole-exome sequencing was carried out to identify potential variants by next generation sequencing. Candidate variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Metabolites were determined by tandem mass spectrometry and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Treatment was carried out following the diagnosis and genetic counseling for the affected family.@*RESULTS@#Two novel heterozygous variants (c.289delC and c.392-1G>C) of the GAMT gene were identified in the proband, which were respectively inherited from her father and mother. In silico analysis suggested both variants to be pathogenic. Creatine (Cr) level of the child was very low, and cerebral guanidinoacetate (GAA) level was slightly increased. But both had recovered to normal in two weeks, and cerebral Cr level was significantly improved after two months. Intellectual and motor development of the child were significantly improved.@*CONCLUSION@#The child was diagnosed with CCDS type 2, for which pathogenic variants of the GAMT gene may be accountable. Treatment has attained a satisfactory effect for the patient.

A phenotypic and genetic study on β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To summarize the clinical and genetic features of β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN).@*Methods@#The clinical data of 17 patients with BPAN with WDR45 gene variants were retrospectively collected at Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Peking University First Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University and Shanghai Children's Hospital from June 2016 to December 2018, and their clinical manifestations, electroencephalogram, neuroimaging and genetics were analyzed.@*Results@#Seventeen cases (13 females, 4 males), aged 1.1-8.8 years, were included. The median age of seizure onset was 14.5 months, from 3 months to 24 months of age, manifested with epileptic spasm in 6 cases and focal seizures in 5 cases. Eight patients had only one seizure type and 8 patients had two or more seizure types. Nine patients had complete remission of seizures. All 16 patients with seizures had developmental delay before the seizure onset, of whom 13 patients had moderate to severe seizures. The brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was abnormal in 13 patients, including cerebral atrophy (10 cases) and thinning of the corpus callosum (9 cases). The brain magnetic susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in preschool stage showed prominent T2 hypointense signals in bilateral globus pallidus and brainstem ventral in two cases. Five seizure types (spasm, focal, absence, myodonic and generalized tonic clonic seizures)were found on ictal electroencephalogram(EEG) recordings. Compared to female patients(17(6-24) months of ege), male cases had earlier seizure onset (3, 4, 5, 18 months of age) . All patients had de novo variations in WDR45(6 nonsense, 4 frameshift, 3 missense and 4 splicing variations), with hemizygous variants in 3 males, mosaic variants in a male and heterozygous variants in 13 females, within which 5 variations had not been reported (c.977-1C>T,c.976+1G>C,c.10C>T,c.806del and c.110T>C).@*Conclusions@#The patients with BPAN have profound developmental delay and are vulnerable to seizures. The male patients with BPAN tend to have more severer clinical phenotype than females. Early brain SWI could facilitate the timely diagnosis of this disease.

PEX1 gene related Zellweger syndrome: a report of 2 cases and literature review / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective To study the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Zellweger syndrome caused by PEX1 gene mutation.Method The clinical data of 2 neonates with Zellweger syndrome admitted to the Hospital were retrospectively analyzed.The databases of CNKI,Wipp and Wanfang were retrieved with “peroxisomal disease”,“Zellweger syndrome”,“Zellweger pedigree disorder”,and “PEX1 gene” as key words and the human gene mutation database (HGMD) was retrieved with “PEX1” as the gene name.The biomedical literature database (PubMed),Web of Science database and Embase database were retrieved with “Zellweger syndrome”,“Zellweger spectrum disorder PEX1 gene” as key words.All the databases were retrieved up to Nov 8,2018 to summarize the clinical phenotype and genotype characteristics of children with Zellweger syndrome.Result A total of 2 neonates with Zellweger syndrome were admitted to our Hospital,including 1 male and 1 female.Both the newborns presented with hypotonia,feeding difficulties clinically and showed dilated cerebral ventricles in neuroimaging.They were detected compound heterozygous for PEX1 mutations.Case 1 with the variants [NM_000466:exon 12:c.2050C＞T (p.Q684X);NM_000466:exon20:c.3043G＞T(p.E1015X)] have suffered from seizure at 2 months old.Case 2 with the variants [NM_000466.2:exon5:c.892_895dupTATA (p.Asn299IlefsTer2);NM_000466:exon19:c.2927-2delA] died in the neonatal period.No cases of newborn Zellweger syndrome caused by PEX1 gene mutation have been reported in China.There was a total of 6 articles and 13 cases were reported from foreign literature databases.All the cases presented as hypotonia,abnormal liver function,wide sutures (large fontanelle),hypertelorism and broad nasal bridge clinically.2 newborns carrying 2 missense variants were diagnosed as mild Zellweger spectrum disorder and atypical Zellweger syndrome the 10 newborns with 2 variants typed frameshift,nonsense or splice site were diagnosed as Zellweger syndrome.Conclusion Zellweger syndrome caused by defective gene PEX1 manifested as hypotonia,abnormal liver function,wide sutures (large fontanelle),hypertelorism and broad nasal bridge in neonatal period.Newborns with frameshift,nonsense or splice site variants in PEX1 have more severe clinical phenotypical features.

Neonatal Kabuki syndrome: a report of two cases / 中华围产医学杂志

This paper reported the diagnosis and treatment of two neonates with Kabuki syndrome (KS).Neither of them had typical facial features of KS during the neonatal period,but poor response,abnormal appearance and multiple organ dysplasia were observed in both.Case 1 was lost to follow up after discharge,while typical KS facial features were gradually appeared in Case 2 including eversion of lower lateral eyelids,arched eyebrows,sparse eyebrow arch,flattened nasal tip,prominent ears,during a three-month follow-up after birth.Next-generation sequencing revealed that both neonates were KS caused by lysine methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D) gene mutation,of which case 1 had a heterozygous deletion mutation ofc.13895delC (p.P4632HfsTer8) in KMT2D gene,while case 2 had a heterozygous repeat mutation of c.12809dupA (p.T4271Dfs*63) in KMT2D gene.Both cases were defined as de novo mutations and the one carried by case 2 was a newly discovered pathogenic mutation.

Clinical and genetic characteristics of dopamine-responsive dystonia in 3 children / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics, treatment. and prognosis of dopamine responsive dystonia (DRD) in children. Method The clinical data of DRD in 3 children admitted to neurology clinic from January 2014 to August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Results Two male children, 20-month-old and 2-year-old respectively, and one 4-year-old female child suffered from hypotonia after birth or one year after birth. Genetic testing found that case 1 had heterozygous mutations in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene, C. G943A (p. G315S) from his mother (PMID 20056467) and C. G739A (p. G247S) from his father (PMID 18554280, 24753243) . Case 2 had a heterozygous mutation, c.454-2A＞G, in GCH-1 gene, which was identified to be from his father (PMID 10732814) . Case 3 had two mutations in TH1 gene, c.580+2T>C from her mother (novel mutation) and c.698G>A (p.R233H) from her father (PMID 9703425) . The mother of case 1 was pregnant again. Prenatal examination revealed that the fetus only carried c.G943A (p.G315S) from the mother. Three patients were treated with a small dose of madopar after diagnosis, and gradually increased to obtain the best effect. After 6-month follow-up, cases 1 and 2 recovered to normal, and case 3 showed significant improvement in dystonia, but left foot deformity. Conclusion DRD can start in infants and young children with atypical early symptoms. Genetic testing can make a definite diagnosis. The family that has proband should undergo prenatal examination.

Phenotypic and genotypic spectra of patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency gene known pathogenic variants: a single-center study / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To analyze the hotspots of known pathogenic disease-causing variants of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and the phenotype spectrum of neonatal patients with known pathogenic disease-causing variants of G6PD.@*Methods@#The known pathogenic disease-causing variants of G6PD were collected from Human Gene Mutation Database. Screening was performed for these variants among the 7 966 cases (2 357 neonatal, 5 609 non-neonatal) in the database of sequencing at Molecular Diagnosis Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University. All these samples were from patients suspected with genetic disorder. The database contained Whole Exon Sequencing data and Clinical Exon Sequencing data. We screened out the patients with known pathogenic disease-causing variants of G6PD, analyzed the hotspot of G6PD and the phenotype spectrum of neonatal patients with known pathogenic disease-causing variants of G6PD.@*Results@#(1) Among the next generation sequencing data of the 7 966 samples, 86 samples (1.1%) were detected as positive for the known pathogenic disease-causing variants of G6PD (positive samples set). In the positive sample set, 51 patients (33 males, 18 females) were newborn babies. Forty-three patients (26 males, 17 females) had the enzyme activity data of G6PD. (2) Among the 86 samples, Arg463His, Arg459Leu, Leu342Phe, Val291Met were the leading 4 disease-causing variants found in 72 samples (84%). (3) Male neonatal patients with the same variants had the statistically significant differences in enzyme activity: among 13 patients with Arg463His, enzyme activity of 9 patients was ranked as grade Ⅲ, 1 case ranked as Ⅳ, 3 cases had no activity data;among 10 patients with Arg459Leu, enzyme activity of 4 patients was ranked as Ⅱ, 4 cases ranked as Ⅲ, 2 cases had no activity data;among 2 patients with His32Arg, enzyme activity of one patient was ranked as Ⅱ, another was Ⅲ. Male neonatal patients with the same mutation and enzyme activity also had the statistically significant differences in phenotype spectrum: among 9 patients with Arg463His and level Ⅲ enzyme activity, 6 presented hyperbilirubinemia, 2 met the criteria for exchange transfusion therapy, 2 showed hemolysis;among 4 patients with Arg459Leu and level Ⅱ enzyme activity, 3 presented hyperbilirubinemia;among 4 patients with Arg459Leu and level Ⅲ enzyme activity, 2 presented hyperbilirubinemia, 1 met the standard of exchange transfusion therapy;among 3 patients with Val291Met and level Ⅲ enzyme activity, 1 presented hyperbilirubinemia.@*Conclusions@#Arg463His, Arg459Leu, Leu342Phe, Val291Met were the hotspots variants for the G6PD. Patients with the same G6PD variants and sex present different phenotype, patients with the same G6PD variants, sex and enzyme activity also present different phenotype .

Novel mutations in the BBS12 gene of two Chinese Bardet-Biedl syndrome pedigrees / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To Summarize and review the clinical data of two Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) children so as to improve our understanding of the disease.Methods Clinical data of two BBS pedigree were collected.Gene analysis was performed by exon capture and next-generation sequencing,validated using Sanger sequencing.Results Both cases were male,Han nationality,born with polydactyly and had rapid weight gain after birth.They went to see the pediatric endocrinologist due to obesity,and found increased serum creatinine level,so were referral to pediatric nephrologists.Case one was further diagnosed rod-cone dystrophy,bilateral renal multiple cysts (chronic kidney disease,stage 4),atrial septal defect,mental retardation,hypertension and abnormal hearing.Two novel heterozygous compound mutation of BBS12 gene [c.1604T ＞ G (p.V535G) paternal,c.173delA (p.E58Efs*5) maternal] and one known BBS4 missense mutation (paternal) were detected.Case two was detected multiple cysts in kidneys by ultrasound in fetal phase.He was suspected to have autism.He had small penis,hypertension and renal injury (chronic kidney disease,stage 3).Two novel heterozygous compound mutation of BBS12 gene [c.1783T ＞ C (p.W595R) paternal,c.1749_1750delA (p.R584Dfs*54) maternal] were detected.All mutations were predicted to be harmful.Conclusions BBS is a rare disease.It is difficult to be diagnosed at early age.Polydactyly and obesity can be the early two symptoms for seeing doctors.Few cases have been diagnosed upon gene analysis.In this study,the mutation of BBS12 in Chinese and 4 novel mutations in BBS12 with severe renal injury are reported for the first time.It will extend the spectrum of BBS gene mutations.

Phenotype analysis of 9 cases with mutations in PKHD1 gene / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To summarize the clinical features of 9 cases with mutations in PKHD1 gene for a better understanding of its phenotype.Methods Clinical data of nine cases with mutations in PKHD1 gene were summarized from January 2011 to December 2016 in our center,including clinical manifestations,laboratory findings,imaging data and family investigation.Next generation sequencing was used to screen 4000 genes in case 1 to 4 and whole exons in case 5 to 9.Significant variants detected by next generation sequencing were confirmed by conventional Sanger sequencing.Segregation analysis was performed using parental DNA samples.Relevant literature was reviewed.Results Among these 9 cases,5 are male,4 are female.The average age of onset was 2.6 years old (ranging from 0.5-5.2 years).Renal ultrasound revealed that all 9 cases had cysts in bilateral kidney,7 cases with enlarged kidney,1 case with normal size kidney,1 case with normal size kidney,and 1 case with bilateral renal atrophy.Two cases with renal artery stenosis,1 case with focal narrowing in left main branch and 1 case with vesico-ureteral reflux were found.Among the 9 cases,3 cases had homozygous mutations,and 6 cases had compound heterozygous mutations,including 1 nonsense mutation,1 frameshift mutation and 15 missense mutations.There were 2 cases with 3 heterozygous mutations,2 c.5935C ＞ T mutations and 2 eases with C.5869G ＞ A mutations.A total of 10 new mutations were identified.Conclusion Patients with mutations in the PKHD1 gene had normal size kidney,or even atrophic kidney.Renal artery stenosis,vesicoureteral reflux and bronchial stenosis were all first reported in patients with mutations in PKHD1 gene.The novel mutations,c.274C ＞ T,c.9059T ＞ C,c.8996delG,c.281C ＞ T,c.10424T ＞ A,c.7092T ＞ G,c.4949T ＞ C,c.5869G ＞ A,c.6197A ＞ G and c.1877A ＞ G further expanded the mutation spectrum of PKHD1 gene.

Clinical and genetic characters of 8 Chinese children with ADCK4-associated glomerulopathy / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective@#To investigate the clinical and genetic character of Chinese children with the aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK4)-associated glomerulopathy.@*Methods@#Applying next generation sequencing to detect possible gene mutation(renal disease associated monogene was pooled as one panel) in 69 children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) or persistent proteinuria of unknown origin. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the significant mutations found in the children and to validate these mutation sites in their patients. Using online software (PolyPhen2, SIFT, Mutation Taster) to predict whether the detected missense mutations were disease causing or not. Collecting and analyzing clinical data of children with ADCK4-associated glomerulopathy, which included onset age, clinical manifestation, and renal pathology.@*Results@#The ADCK4 gene mutation was detected in 8 children with a positive rate of 11.6% (8 out of 69), among which 3 patients carried homozygous c.748G>C mutation, 3 patients carried homologous c.737G>A mutation, 1 patient carried compound heterozygous mutation(c.748G>C and c.737G>A), and 1 patient carried compound heterologous mutation(c.551A>G and c.737G>A). Collectively, there were only 3 mutation sites found in total 8 patients, in which the mutation sites of c.748G>C and c.737G>A had high detection frequency in these 8 patients. These 3 mutation sites were all missense mutation which were predicted to be disease causing by online software and not reported before. The average onset age was 6.5 years (2 years-11.75 years). Four patients presented with SRNS and the other 4 presented with persistent proteinuria. All 8 patients had no extrarenal manifestation, renal biopsy revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in most patients, among which 3 cases had gone to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) at disease onset, and 2 cases progressed to ESRD 2 and 5 years after onset respectively. Seven patients had received glucocorticoid and/or immunosuppressive drug while only one patient getting partial response. All 8 patients were treated with large amount of coenzyme Q10 (15 mg·kg-1·d-1) after definite diagnosis of ADCK4 mutation-some patients had acquired encouraging curative effect.@*Conclusions@#ADCK4-associated glomerulopathy is not rare especially in the children with SRNS. The onset age is relatively old and the extrarenal manifestation is less common. FSGS is a main pathology type. Patients usually have no response to immunosuppressive therapy, but may benefit from addition of large amount of coenzyme Q10. Some patients may only manifest with insidious proteinuria, causing the early diagnosis to be difficult, which deserves more attention. Three new missense mutations expand disease causing mutation repertoire of ADCK4 gene, among which the two sites of c.748G>C and c.737G>A may be mutation hotspot of ADCK4-associated glomerulopathy in Chinese population, and need further study.

Novel compound heterozygous TBC1D24 mutations in a boy with infantile focal myoclonic epilepsy and literature review / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To investigate the clinical features and genetic characteristics of patients with TBC1D24 gene mutations.@*Method@#The clinical data of a patient with novel TBC1D24 compound heterozygous mutations from Children′s Hospital of Fudan University were collected, the related literature was searched from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, National Center from Biotechnology Information and Pubmed (up to April 2016) by using search terms "TBC1D24" "epilepsy" . The clinical features, electroencephalogram (EEG) and prognosis of the patients with TBC1D24 gene mutations were studied.@*Result@#The patient was a boy with non-consanguineous healthy parents.He had an acute episode of focal continuous myoclonus lasting a few hours with consciousness preserved at the age of 3 months.Myoclonic jerks alternatively affected the eyelids, either the right or left limbs, sometimes triggered by fever or fatigue.The frequency was once 3-7 days.At the age of 6 months he was found to have myoclonus seizures with onset from a unilateral eyes lid and limb lasting 10 more minutes and subsequently affected four extremities or the trunk.They occurred once 3-4 months with perserved consciousness and lasted from several hours to up to ten more hours.They mostly disappeared during sleep.He had ataxia and mild mental retarding.Paroxysmal anomalies were not found on ictal traces.A novel compound heterozygous mutation of TBC1D24 gene, c. 730G>A, p.A244T and c. 1571G>C, p.R524P were found in the patient.Further study showed that c. 730G>A mutation was inherited from his father and c. 1571G>C from his mother. These two were not reported in public databases and predicted deleterious by Mutation Taster and polyphen-2.Literature relevant to TBC1D24 published all around the world was reviewed, no Chinese cases with TBC1D24 gene mutations had been reported. The total of 24 cases including the present case with TBC1D24 gene mutation were reported.Among them, 11 cases had compound heterozygous mutations and 13 cases had homozygous mutations.Ten mutations were identified, including 1 termination mutation, 1 frameshift mutation and 8 missense mutations.@*Conclusion@#TBC1D24 gene mutational analysis should be performed on patients with early-onset focal continuous myoclonus, if the etiology was unclear.

Analysis of gene mutation of early onset epileptic spasm with unknown reason / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To summarize the gene mutation of early onset epileptic spasm with unknown reason.@*Method@#In this prospective study, data of patients with early onset epileptic spasm with unknown reason were collected from neurological department of Children's Hospital of Fudan University between March 2016 and December 2016. Patients with known disorders such as infection, metabolic, structural, immunological problems and known genetic mutations were excluded. Patients with genetic disease that can be diagnosed by clinical manifestations and phenotypic characteristics were also excluded. Genetic research methods included nervous system panel containing 1 427 epilepsy genes, whole exome sequencing (WES), analysis of copy number variation (CNV) and karyotype analysis of chromosome. The basic information, phenotypes, genetic results and the antiepileptic treatment of patients were analyzed.@*Result@#Nine of the 17 cases with early onset epileptic spasm were boys and eight were girls. Patients' age at first seizure onset ranged from 1 day after birth to 8 months (median age of 3 months). The first hospital visit age ranged from 1 month to 2 years (median age of 4.5 months). The time of following-up ranged from 8 months to 3 years and 10 months. All the 17 patients had early onset epileptic spasm. Video electroencephalogram was used to monitor the spasm seizure. Five patients had Ohtahara syndrome, 10 had West syndrome, two had unclear classification. In 17 cases, 10 of them had detected pathogenic genes. Nine cases had point mutations, involving SCN2A, ARX, UNC80, KCNQ2, and GABRB3. Except one case of mutations in GABRB3 gene have been reported, all the other cases had new mutations. One patient had deletion mutation in CDKL5 gene. One CNV case had 6q 22.31 5.5MB repeats. Ten cases out of 17 were using 2-3 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the drugs had no effect. Seven cases used adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and prednisone besides AEDs (a total course for 8 weeks). Among them, five cases had no effect and two cases were seizure free recently. A case with GABRB3 (C.905A>G) had seizure controlled for 3 mouths. A case with ARX (C.700G>A) had seizure controlled for 6 mouths.@*Conclusion@#The early onset epileptic spasm with unknown reason is highly related to genetic disorders. A variety of genetic mutations, especially new mutations were found. Genetic heterogeneity of epileptic spasm is obvious.

Coenzyme Q10 treatment for one child with COQ6 gene mutation induced nephrotic syndrome and literature review / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To summarize the clinical manifestation and molecular characteristics of COQ6 mutation induced nephrotic syndrome, and to evaluate efficacy of CoQ10 therapy.@*Method@#Clinical data of the case with infantile nephrotic syndrome was summarized, including clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and family investigation. The patient received CoQ10 30 mg/(kg·d) therapy. Urine protein/creatinine ratio, serum albumin and creatinine were detected to assess the efficacy of the therapy.@*Result@#(1) The 10 months old boy was presented with nephrotic level proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia. Extra-renal manifestations included cardiovascular abnormality, motor and mental retardation and unilateral ptosis. The patient had no consanguinity. A novel homozygous p. R360W mutation in COQ6 gene was identified and confirmed by next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing, respectively. Family analysis showed that homozygous p. R360W mutation in COQ6 gene was inherited from his parents. Missense p. R360W mutation was damaging by prediction online PolyPhen and SIFT software. After 2 months of CoQ10 complementary therapy, the patient′s urine protein/creatinine ratio declined from 7.2 to 1.3, and decreased further to 0.01 mg/mg with normal albumin level and renal function within 3 months. Nephropathy remission was maintained and growth retardation improved significantly during the last follow-up. Nevertheless, the patient manifested with sensorineural deafness at the age of 2 years. (2) There were 6 different mutations in coenzyme Q10 biosynthesis monooxygenase 6 (COQ6) in 13 individuals from 7 families by homozygosity mapping in the whole world. Each mutation was linked to early-onset SRNS with sensorineural deafness. Renal biopsy revealed FSGS in 7 cases and DMS in 1 case. Other manifestations included ataxia, seizures, facial dysmorphism, nephrolithiasis and growth retardation. Four patients received CoQ10 supplementation and responded to the treatment.@*Conclusion@#Renal disease caused by recessive COQ6 gene mutation was nephrotic syndrome. The patient benefited from early CoQ10 complement and reached nephropathy remission.

Genetic diagnosis of spondyloenchondrodysplasia with immune dysregulation:a case report and literature review / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical and laboratory diagnosis in a rare case with dwarifsm and multisystem abnormalities. Methods Whole-exome sequencing was performed and data was processed using high-throughput data analysis pipeline. Genetic test result is veriifed by Sanger sequencing. Results This is a 14-year-old boy with short stature (the height is 132 cm) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. He was treated with long-term oral prednisone. Head CT from other hospital found multiple calciifcations on both sides of the basal ganglia, two sides of the frontal lobe, and the left side of parietal lobe. Lateral spinal X-ray photography showed lfat in thoracolumbar vertebral body. Valgus was surgically corrected. He also has facial pigmentation spot and onychomycosis. Whole-exome sequencing combined with Sanger sequencing identiifed a known homozygous pathogenic mutation in ACP 5 genes (c. 643 G>A, p.G 215 R). Identiifcation of such a mutation results in the diagnosis of spondylo enchondrody splasia with immune dysregulation (SPENCDI). Conclusions Whole-exome sequencing is one of the effective methods for detection of rare disease, the SPENCDI case reported here is a good example of it.

Pancreatic regulation of glucose homeostasis

In order to ensure normal body function, the human body is dependent on a tight control of its blood glucose levels. This is accomplished by a highly sophisticated network of various hormones and neuropeptides released mainly from the brain, pancreas, liver, intestine as well as adipose and muscle tissue. Within this network, the pancreas represents a key player by secreting the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin and its opponent glucagon. However, disturbances in the interplay of the hormones and peptides involved may lead to metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) whose prevalence, comorbidities and medical costs take on a dramatic scale. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to uncover and understand the mechanisms underlying the various interactions to improve existing anti-diabetic therapies and drugs on the one hand and to develop new therapeutic approaches on the other. This review summarizes the interplay of the pancreas with various other organs and tissues that maintain glucose homeostasis. Furthermore, anti-diabetic drugs and their impact on signaling pathways underlying the network will be discussed.

Analysis of the clinical phenotype in 20 children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) to improve the understanding of the disease.Methods Twenty patients with 22q11.2 DS were enrolled from Children's Hospital of Fudan University between August 2008 and April 2014.Cytogenetic and molecular genetic methods included fluorescence in situ hybridization (10 cases),and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (10 cases).Age at the time of the diagnosis,sex and clinical manifestations were analyzed.Results The subject group consisted of 20 patients.Among them,13 cases (65％) were male and 7 cases (35％) were female.The median diagnostic age was 3.9 months.The presence of congenital heart diseases was identified in 17 patients (85％) and surgical correction was performed in 9 cases of them.The most frequent of complex congenital heart diseases were tetralogy of Fallot (20％) and pulmonary atresia (20％).Ten patients had varying degrees of T-cell immune function defects.Decrease in total lymphocytes and only CD8 counts were present in 45％ and 5％,respectively.Hypogammaglobulinemia was not detected in any patient.Six eases with T-cell immune function defects were treated with thymosin,4 of which were followed up for months,and the prognosis was good.Hypocalcemia was detected in 6 patients (30％),3 of whom presented with hypocalcemic seizures and hypoparathyroidism.Craniofacial dysmorphisms were detected in 3 patients(15％),2 of them only presented with micrognathia.Otorhinolaryngologic abnormalities were found in 4 cases (20％),3 of whom had laryngeal abnormalities,one of whom had cleft palate.Psychomotor developmental delay was found in 9 cases.Conclusions Congenital heart defects,hypocalcemia and/or impaired immune function are diagnostic features for 22q1 1.2 deletion syndrome,and they should be considered for cytogenetic analysis.