Analysis of NOVA2 gene variant in a child with Neurodevelopmental disorder with or without autistic features and/or structural brain abnormalities / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a child with Neurodevelopmental disorder with or without autistic features and/or structural brain abnormalities (NEDASB).@*METHODS@#A child with NEDASB who presented at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in July 2021 was selected as the subject. Peripheral blood samples of the child and her parents were collected and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.@*RESULTS@#The child was found to harbor a heterozygous c.820_828delinsCTTCA (p.Thr274Leufs*121) variant of the NOVA2 gene, for which both of her parents were of wild type. The variant was predicted as pathogenic based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.@*CONCLUSION@#The heterozygous c.820_828delinsCTTCA (p.Thr274Leufs*121) variant of the NOVA2 gene probably underlay the disease in this child. Above finding has enriched the spectrum of NOVA2 gene variants and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for this family.

Clinical features and genetic analysis of a child with EAST/SeSAME syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a EAST/SeSAME syndrome child featuring epilepsy, ataxia, sensorineural deafness and intellectual disability.@*METHODS@#A child with EAST/SeSAME syndrome who had presented at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in January 2021 was selected as the study object. Peripheral blood samples of the child and her parents were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing.@*RESULTS@#Genetic testing revealed that the child has harbored compound heterozygous variants of the KCNJ10 gene, namely c.557T>C (p.Val186Ala) and c.386T>A (p.Ile129Asn), which were inherited from her mother and father, respectively. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), both variants were predicted as likely pathogenic (PM1+PM2_Supporting+PP3+PP4; PM1+PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP3+PP4).@*CONCLUSION@#The patient was diagnosed with EAST/SeSAME syndrome due to the compound heterozygous variants of the KCNJ10 gene.

Analysis of CYP2U1 gene variants in a child with Hereditary spastic paraplegia type 56 / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a child with Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).@*METHODS@#A child with HSP who was admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University on August 10, 2020 due to discovery of tiptoeing for 2 years was selected as the study subject, and relevant clinical data was collected. Peripheral blood samples of the child and her parents were collected for the extraction of genomic DNA. And trio-whole exome sequencing (trio-WES) was carried out. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. Bioinformatic software was used to analyze the conservation of variant sites.@*RESULTS@#The child was a 2-year-and-10-month-old female with clinical manifestations including increased muscle tone of lower limbs, pointed feet, and cognitive language delay. Trio-WES results showed that she had harbored compound heterozygous variants of c.865C>T (p.Gln289*) and c.1126G>A (p.Glu376Lys) of the CYP2U1 gene. And the corresponding amino acid for c.1126G>A (p.Glu376Lys) is highly conserved among various species. Based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the c.865C>T was predicted as a pathogenic variant (PVS1+PM2_Supporting), and c.1126G>A was rated as a variant of uncertain significance (PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP3).@*CONCLUSION@#The child was diagnosed with HSP type 56 due to compound variants of the CYP2U1 gene. Above findings have enriched the mutation spectrum of the CYP2U1 gene.

A clinical study of ultrasound-guided botulinum toxin A injection for treating sialorrhoea in children / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and any side effects of using ultrasound-guided injection of botulinum toxin A in treating juvenile sialorrhoea.Methods:Forty children with sialorrhoea were randomly divided into group A and group B, each of 20. Under the guidance of color Doppler ultrasound, botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) was injected into the children′s 2 parotid glands and their submandibular glands. Each parotid gland was injected with 20u of BoNT-A, while 10u was injected into the submandibular gland in group A and 20u was injected in group B. Before and 2, 8 and 12 weeks after the injections, the children′s sialorrhoea was evaluated using teacher drooling sizing (TDS), the drooling quotient and the Saxon test (ST). Any side-effects were also observed.Results:There was no significant difference in the average TDS score, drooling quotient or ST score between the two groups before the intervention. After the intervention all of those measurements had decreased significantly, but there were still no significant differences between the two groups in any measurement at any time point.Conclusions:Botulinum toxin type A injection under the guidance of ultrasound is accurate and safe. The injection of 10u is sufficient to relieve children′s sialorrhoea without serious side effects.

Dosage effects in treating tiptoe deformity in children with spastic cerebral palsy using botulinum toxin type A / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy and side effects of injecting different doses of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) into children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and tiptoe deformity.Methods:A total of 107 children with tiptoe deformity resulting from CP were divided into group A ( n=35), group B ( n=36) and group C ( n=36) using a random number table. Group A received 3u/kg injections of BTX-A, group B received 4u/kg injections and group C received 5u/kg. The injections were guided by color Doppler ultrasound and followed by 4 courses of rehabilitation therapy. Before and 1, 3 and 6 months after the treatment, the modified Tardieu scale (MTS) was used to assess gastrocnemius spasms, while sections D and E of gross motor function scale 88 (GMFM-88) and the pediatric balance scale (PBS) were used to evaluate motor functioning and balance. Any side effects were also observed. Results:After the treatment, improvement was observed in all of the measurements, though there were no significant differences in the degree of improvement nor in the incidence of side effects among the three groups.Conclusions:There is no significant difference in clinical efficacy or side effects involved in using different doses of BTX-A to treat tiptoe deformity in children with spastic cerebral palsy. The recommended dosage is therefore 3u/kg.