Variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with recurrent facial gestalt.

Pathogenic variants in multiple genes on the X chromosome have been implicated in syndromic and non-syndromic intellectual disability disorders. ZFX on Xp22.11 encodes a transcription factor that has been linked to diverse processes including oncogenesis and development, but germline variants have not been characterized in association with disease. Here, we present clinical and molecular characterization of 18 individuals with germline ZFX variants. Exome or genome sequencing revealed 11 variants in 18 subjects (14 males and 4 females) from 16 unrelated families. Four missense variants were identified in 11 subjects, with seven truncation variants in the remaining individuals. Clinical findings included developmental delay/intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities, hypotonia, and congenital anomalies. Overlapping and recurrent facial features were identified in all subjects, including thickening and medial broadening of eyebrows, variations in the shape of the face, external eye abnormalities, smooth and/or long philtrum, and ear abnormalities. Hyperparathyroidism was found in four families with missense variants, and enrichment of different tumor types was observed. In molecular studies, DNA-binding domain variants elicited differential expression of a small set of target genes relative to wild-type ZFX in cultured cells, suggesting a gain or loss of transcriptional activity. Additionally, a zebrafish model of ZFX loss displayed an altered behavioral phenotype, providing additional evidence for the functional significance of ZFX. Our clinical and experimental data support that variants in ZFX are associated with an X-linked intellectual disability syndrome characterized by a recurrent facial gestalt, neurocognitive and behavioral abnormalities, and an increased risk for congenital anomalies and hyperparathyroidism.

Expanding the Spectrum of Stress-Induced Childhood-Onset Neurodegeneration with Variable Ataxia and Seizures (CONDSIAS).

Stress-induced childhood-onset neurodegeneration with variable ataxia and seizures (CONDSIAS) is an extremely rare, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder. It is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the ADPRS gene, which encodes an enzyme involved in DNA repair, and is characterized by exacerbations in relation to physical or emotional stress, and febrile illness. We report a 24-year-old female, who was compound heterozygous for two novel pathogenic variants revealed by whole exome sequencing. Additionally, we summarize the published cases of CONDSIAS. In our patient, onset of symptoms occurred at 5 years of age and consisted of episodes of truncal dystonic posturing, followed half a year later by sudden diplopia, dizziness, ataxia, and gait instability. Progressive hearing loss, urinary urgency, and thoracic kyphoscoliosis ensued. Present neurological examination revealed dysarthria, facial mini-myoclonus, muscle weakness and atrophy of hands and feet, leg spasticity with clonus, truncal and appendicular ataxia, and spastic-ataxic gait. Hybrid [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) of the brain revealed cerebellar atrophy, particularly of the vermis, with corresponding hypometabolism. MRI of the spinal cord showed mild atrophy. After informed consent from the patient, we initiated experimental, off-label treatment with minocycline, a poly-ADP-polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, which has shown beneficial effects in a Drosophila fly model. The present case report expands the list of known pathogenic variants in CONDIAS and presents details of the clinical phenotype. Future studies will reveal whether PARP inhibition is an effective treatment strategy for CONDIAS.

Acetaminophen treatment in children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy: a lower tolerance and higher risk of hepatotoxicity.

Acute liver failure has been reported sporadically in patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other neuromuscular disorders with low skeletal muscle mass receiving recommended dosages of acetaminophen. It is suggested that low skeletal muscle mass may add to the risk of toxicity. We aimed to describe the pharmacokinetics and safety of acetaminophen in patients with SMA. We analyzed acetaminophen metabolites and liver biomarkers in plasma from SMA patients and healthy controls (HC) every hour for six or eight hours on day 1 and day 3 of treatment with therapeutic doses of acetaminophen. Twelve patients with SMA (six adults and six children) and 11 HC participated in the study. Adult patients with SMA had significantly lower clearance of acetaminophen compared to HC (14.1 L/h vs. 21.5 L/h). Formation clearance of acetaminophen metabolites, glucuronide, sulfate, and oxidative metabolites were two-fold lower in the patients compared to HC. The liver transaminases and microRNAs increased nine-fold in one adult SMA patient after two days of treatment. The other patients and HC did not develop abnormal liver biomarkers. In this study, patients with SMA had lower clearance and slower metabolism of acetaminophen, and one patient developed liver involvement. We recommend giving 15 mg/kg/dose to SMA adults (with a maximum of 4000 mg/day) and monitoring standard liver biomarkers 48 h after first-time treatment of acetaminophen.

Danish children with ZZ-homozygous alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency are more affected on liver parameters than children with heterozygosity.

AIM: The longitudinal health status of Danish children with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency had never previously been characterised. This study aimed to assess the changes in growth, lung and liver function through childhood in these children. METHODS: Danish children diagnosed between 2005 and 2020 with pathogenic variants in the Serpin family A member 1 gene were included. Retrospective data on growth, lung and liver parameters were obtained from local databases. Anthropometric Z-scores and composite liver scores were computed. Growth and blood results were analysed using robust linear mixed models. RESULTS: The study included 184 children (68 with ZZ-homozygosity, 116 with heterozygosity). The median follow-up time was 7 years [IQR 3.75-9.00] for children with ZZ-homozygosity and 0.5 years [IQR 0.0-2.0] for children with heterozygosity. Both groups had low weight-for-height Z-scores at diagnosis but experienced catch-up growth during the first year of life. In addition, children with ZZ-homozygosity had higher serum concentrations of γ-glutamyl transferase and alanine aminotransferase throughout childhood, when compared with children with heterozygosity. Data proved insufficient to assess lung function properly. CONCLUSION: Children with ZZ-homozygosity were more affected on serum liver parameters throughout childhood when compared with children with heterozygosity. Both groups experienced catch-up growth during the first year of life.

Cerebral Palsy - Early Diagnosis and Intervention Trial: protocol for the prospective multicentre CP-EDIT study with focus on diagnosis, prognostic factors, and intervention.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) is important to enable intervention at a time when neuroplasticity is at its highest. Current mean age at diagnosis is 13 months in Denmark. Recent research has documented that an early-diagnosis set-up can lower diagnostic age in high-risk infants. The aim of the current study is to lower diagnostic age of CP regardless of neonatal risk factors. Additionally, we want to investigate if an early intervention program added to standard care is superior to standard care alone. METHODS: The current multicentre study CP-EDIT (Early Diagnosis and Intervention Trial) with the GO-PLAY intervention included (Goal Oriented ParentaL supported home ActivitY program), aims at testing the feasibility of an early diagnosis set-up and the GO-PLAY early intervention. CP-EDIT is a prospective cohort study, consecutively assessing approximately 500 infants at risk of CP. We will systematically collect data at inclusion (age 3-11 months) and follow a subset of participants (n = 300) with CP or at high risk of CP until the age of two years. The GO-PLAY early intervention will be tested in 80 infants with CP or high risk of CP. Focus is on eight areas related to implementation and perspectives of the families: early cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), early genetic testing, implementation of the General Movements Assessment method, analysis of the GO-PLAY early intervention, parental perspective of early intervention and early diagnosis, early prediction of CP, and comparative analysis of the Hand Assessment for Infants, Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, MRI, and the General Movements method. DISCUSSION: Early screening for CP is increasingly possible and an interim diagnosis of "high risk of CP" is recommended but not currently used in clinical care in Denmark. Additionally, there is a need to accelerate identification in mild or ambiguous cases to facilitate appropriate therapy early. Most studies on early diagnosis focus on identifying CP in infants below five months corrected age. Little is known about early diagnosis in the 50% of all CP cases that are discernible later in infancy. The current study aims at improving care of patients with CP even before they have an established diagnosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID 22013292 (reg. date 31/MAR/2023) for the CP-EDIT cohort and ID 22041835 (reg. date 31/MAR/2023) for the GO-PLAY trial.

Homozygous splice variant (c.1741-6G>A) of the COL6A1 gene in three patients with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy.

The three major collagen VI genes: COL6A1, COL6A2, and COL6A3 encode microfibrillar components of extracellular matrices in multiple tissues including muscles and tendons. Pathogenic variants in the collagen VI genes cause collagen VI-related dystrophies representing a continuum of conditions from Bethlem myopathy at the milder end to Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy at the more severe end. Here we describe a pathogenic variant in the COL6A1 gene (NM_001848.3; c.1741-6G>A) found in homozygosity in three patients with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. The patients suffered from severe muscle impairment characterised by proximal weakness, distal hyperlaxity, joint contractures, wheelchair-dependency, and use of nocturnal non-invasive ventilation. The pathogenicity was verified by RNA analyses showing that the variant induced aberrant splicing leading to a frameshift and loss of function. The analyses were in line with immunocytochemistry studies of patient-derived skin fibroblasts and muscle tissue demonstrating impaired secretion of collagen VI into the extracellular matrix. Thereby, we add the variant c.1741-6G>A to the list of pathogenic, recessive, splice variants in COL6A1 causing Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. The variant is listed in ClinVar as of "uncertain significance" and "likely benign" and may presumably have been overlooked in other patients.

Cerebellar ataxia-neuropathy-vestibular areflexia-syndrome.

CANVAS including its clinical components of cerebellar ataxia, sensory neuropathy and vestibular areflexia is presented in this review. An intronic biallelic pentanucleotide expansion in RFC1 is the genetic cause of CANVAS. Several patients diagnosed with isolated "idiopathic" neurological or otological conditions might have a CANVAS spectrum disorder. The number of CANVAS patients may well increase considerably in the near future, making it important to consider the diagnostic set-up and infrastructure for counselling, treatment and follow-up in the Danish healthcare system.

Epidemiology and diagnostic trends of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in Denmark: a retrospective, population-based study.

Background: The prevalence of newborns with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) detected by neonatal screening is well-described, but data including patients diagnosed later in life are extremely limited. This study aimed to describe diagnostic trends for all patients with CAH in Denmark. Methods: A nationwide population-based registry study including medical record review. Findings: We identified 462 patients (290 females) with any form of CAH. The prevalence of CAH combined was 15.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.3-16.1) and 9.0 (CI: 7.6-10.4) per 100,000 newborn females and males. There was a prevalence of salt-wasting (SW), simple-virilizing (SV), and non-classic (NC) CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency of: SW-CAH: 6.4 (CI: 5.3-7.6) and 5.6 (CI: 4.6-6.8); SV-CAH: 2.0 (CI: 1.4-2.8) and 1.6 (CI: 1.0-2.7); and NC-CAH: 5.5 (CI: 4.4-6.9) and 2.5 (CI: 1.7-3.7) per 100,000 newborn females and males, respectively. Diagnosis of NC-CAH increased significantly during the course of the study. There was a female preponderance for SV-CAH (ratio: 1.8) and NC-CAH (ratio: 3.2). Median age at diagnosis, females and males respectively: SW-CAH: 4 (interquartile range [IQR]: 0-11) and 14 (IQR: 8-24) days, SV-CAH: 3.1 (IQR: 1.2-6.6) and 4.8 (IQR: 3.2-6.9) years, and NC-CAH: 15.5 (IQR: 7.9-22.5) and 9.4 (IQR: 7.2-23.2) years. Interpretation: The combined prevalence of CAH was 15.1 and 9.0 per 100,000 newborn females and males, respectively. The female preponderance was primarily due to diagnosis of more females than males with NC-CAH. Funding: International Fund of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Health Research Fund of Central Denmark Region, Aase and Einar Danielsen Fund, and "Fonden til Lægevidenskabens Fremme".

Muscle fat replacement and contractility in patients with skeletal muscle sodium channel disorders.

Skeletal muscle sodium channel disorders give rise to episodic symptoms such as myotonia and/or periodic paralysis. Chronic symptoms with permanent weakness are not considered characteristic of the phenotypes. Muscle fat replacement represents irreversible damage that inevitably will impact on muscle strength. This study investigates muscle fat replacement and contractility in patients with pathogenic SCN4A variants compared to healthy controls. T1-weighted and 2-point Dixon MRI of the legs were conducted to assess fat replacement. Stationary dynamometry was used to assess muscle strength. Contractility was determined by maximal muscle contraction divided by cross-sectional muscle area. The average cross-sectional intramuscular fat fraction was greater in patients compared with controls by 2.5% in the calves (95% CI 0.74-4.29%, p = 0.007) and by 2.0% in the thighs (95% CI 0.75-3.2%, p = 0.003). Muscle contractility was less in patients vs. controls by 14-27% (p < 0.05). Despite greater fat fraction and less contractility, absolute strength was not significantly less. This study quantitatively documents greater fat fraction and additionally describes difference in muscle contractility in a large cohort of patients with skeletal muscle sodium channel disorders. The clinical impact of these abnormal findings is likely limited as muscle hypertrophy in the patients served to preserve absolute muscle strength. Subgroup analysis indicated significant difference in phenotype by genotype, however these findings lack statistical significance and serve as inspiration for future researchers to probe into the geno- phenotype relationship in these disorders.Trial registration: The study was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT04808388).

Cell-free fetal DNA for genetic evaluation in Copenhagen Pregnancy Loss Study (COPL): a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: One in four pregnancies end in a pregnancy loss. Although the effect on couples is well documented, evidence-based treatments and prediction models are absent. Fetal aneuploidy is associated with a higher chance of a next successful pregnancy compared with euploid pregnancy loss in which underlying maternal conditions might be causal. Ploidy diagnostics are therefore advantageous but challenging as they require collection of the pregnancy tissue. Cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) from maternal blood has the potential for evaluation of fetal ploidy status, but no large-scale validation of the method has been done. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, women with a pregnancy loss were recruited as a part of the Copenhagen Pregnancy Loss (COPL) study from three gynaecological clinics at public hospitals in Denmark. Women were eligible for inclusion if older than 18 years with a pregnancy loss before gestational age 22 weeks (ie, 154 days) and with an intrauterine pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound (including anembryonic sac), and women with pregnancies of unknown location or molar pregnancies were excluded. Maternal blood was collected while pregnancy tissue was still in situ or within 24 h after pregnancy tissue had passed and was analysed by genome-wide sequencing of cffDNA. Direct sequencing of the pregnancy tissue was done as reference. FINDINGS: We included 1000 consecutive women, at the time of a pregnancy loss diagnosis, between Nov 12, 2020, and May 1, 2022. Results from the first 333 women with a pregnancy loss (recruited between Nov 12, 2020, and Aug 14, 2021) were used to evaluate the validity of cffDNA-based testing. Results from the other 667 women were included to evaluate cffDNA performance and result distribution in a larger cohort of 1000 women in total. Gestational age of fetus ranged from 35-149 days (mean of 70·5 days [SD 16·5], or 10 weeks plus 1 day). The cffDNA-based test had a sensitivity for aneuploidy detection of 85% (95% CI 79-90) and a specificity of 93% (95% CI 88-96) compared with direct sequencing of the pregnancy tissue. Among 1000 cffDNA-based test results, 446 (45%) were euploid, 405 (41%) aneuploid, 37 (4%) had multiple aneuploidies, and 112 (11%) were inconclusive. 105 (32%) of 333 women either did not manage to collect the pregnancy tissue or collected a sample classified as unknown tissue giving a high risk of being maternal. INTERPRETATION: This validation of cffDNA-based testing in pregnancy loss shows the potential and feasibility of the method to distinguish euploid and aneuploid pregnancy loss for improved clinical management and benefit of future reproductive medicine and women's health research. FUNDING: Ole Kirks Foundation, BioInnovation Institute Foundation, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

DNA methylation signature classification of rare disorders using publicly available methylation data.

Disease-specific DNA methylation patterns (DNAm signatures) have been established for an increasing number of genetic disorders and represent a valuable tool for classification of genetic variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Sample size and batch effects are critical issues for establishing DNAm signatures, but their impact on the sensitivity and specificity of an already established DNAm signature has not previously been tested. Here, we assessed whether publicly available DNAm data can be employed to generate a binary machine learning classifier for VUS classification, and used variants in KMT2D, the gene associated with Kabuki syndrome, together with an existing DNAm signature as proof-of-concept. Using publicly available methylation data for training, a classifier for KMT2D variants was generated, and individuals with molecularly confirmed Kabuki syndrome and unaffected individuals could be correctly classified. The present study documents the clinical utility of a robust DNAm signature even for few affected individuals, and most importantly, underlines the importance of data sharing for improved diagnosis of rare genetic disorders.

ATP6V0C variants impair V-ATPase function causing a neurodevelopmental disorder often associated with epilepsy.

The vacuolar H+-ATPase is an enzymatic complex that functions in an ATP-dependent manner to pump protons across membranes and acidify organelles, thereby creating the proton/pH gradient required for membrane trafficking by several different types of transporters. We describe heterozygous point variants in ATP6V0C, encoding the c-subunit in the membrane bound integral domain of the vacuolar H+-ATPase, in 27 patients with neurodevelopmental abnormalities with or without epilepsy. Corpus callosum hypoplasia and cardiac abnormalities were also present in some patients. In silico modelling suggested that the patient variants interfere with the interactions between the ATP6V0C and ATP6V0A subunits during ATP hydrolysis. Consistent with decreased vacuolar H+-ATPase activity, functional analyses conducted in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed reduced LysoSensor fluorescence and reduced growth in media containing varying concentrations of CaCl2. Knockdown of ATP6V0C in Drosophila resulted in increased duration of seizure-like behaviour, and the expression of selected patient variants in Caenorhabditis elegans led to reduced growth, motor dysfunction and reduced lifespan. In summary, this study establishes ATP6V0C as an important disease gene, describes the clinical features of the associated neurodevelopmental disorder and provides insight into disease mechanisms.

ß-Galactosidase deficiency in the GLB1 spectrum of lysosomal storage disease can present with severe muscle weakness and atrophy.

Deficiency of the enzyme ß-galactosidase due to variants in the GLB1-gene is associated with metabolic disorders: Morquio B and GM1-gangliosidosis. Here, we report a case compound heterozygous for variants in the GLB1-gene and a severe muscular phenotype. Full body T1-w MRI was conducted for muscular involvement. Biopsy was stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological evaluation. EDTA blood-sample was subjected to whole exome sequencing. Metabolic analysis included residual enzyme activity and evaluation urinary substrate secretion. Additionally, electroneurography, echocardiography, forced volume capacity and biochemistry were evaluated. Examination showed severe proximal weakness (MRC: hip flexion 2, hip extension 2, and shoulder rotation 2), Gower's sign, no extrapyramidal symptoms and normal creatine kinase levels. MRI showed severe muscle wasting of the thigh and shoulder girdle. Muscle biopsy showed mild myopathic changes. ß-galactosidase activity was reduced to 28%-34%. Urinary glycosaminoglycan was elevated by 5.9-8.6 mg/mmol (ref.:0-5.1 mg/mmol). Electrophoresis indicated excess keratan sulfate. Exome sequencing revealed two missense variants in the GLB1 gene. Clinical features, genetic testing and laboratory findings indicate a case of ß-galactosidase-deficiency with a muscular phenotype.

Incidence of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome and KCNT1-related epilepsy in Denmark.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) and potassium sodium-activated channel subfamily T member 1 (KCNT1)-related epilepsy in Denmark and to characterize the patients diagnosed with AGS and KCNT1-related epilepsy. Background: AGS and KCNT1-related epilepsy are 2 distinct rare genetic disorders. Due to the rarity of AGS and KCNT1-related epilepsy, the epidemiology remains unclear. The incidences for these diseases or the carriers with disease-related genetic variants remain unknown. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective, non-interventional, population-based study using aggregate data from the Danish population register and hospital-based patient-level data in Denmark to identify persons with genetically confirmed AGS between January 2010 to December 2020 and KCNT1-related epilepsies between January 2012 to December 2020. Cases of these disorders were identified from in-hospital databases, and pathogenic variants were identified and confirmed by Sanger and/or whole exome (panel-based) sequencing. The incidence of AGS and KCNT1-related epilepsy were estimated in separate statistical analyses. Results: A total of 7 AGS patients were identified. The mean age at AGS diagnosis was 19.4 months (median age 14 months). TREX1 (n < 5) and RNASEH2B (n ≥ 5) genes were reported with confirmed pathogenic variants. The birth incidence of AGS was <0.7600 per 100,000 live births. The average annual incidence rate was calculated as 0.0539 (95% CI: 0.0217-0.1111) per 100,000 persons per year in the total population < 18 years (n = 7); the average annual incidence rate was <0.7538 per 100,000 persons per year (n < 5) in the population < 12 months, and the average annual incidence rate in the population ≥ 12 months and < 18 years was <0.0406 per 100,000 persons per year (n < 5). A total of 14 KCNT1-related epilepsy cases were identified during the study period (n = 5 in 2016, remaining 9 cases in 2013 and 2015). The mean age at diagnosis was 20.6 years (median 19 years) for KCNT1 cases. A total of 8 cases (57.1%) were ≥ 18 years, and 6 (42.9%) were < 18 years at diagnosis. The phenotype autosomal dominant or sporadic sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (ADSHE) (n = 10, 71.4%) was most reported; the remaining 4 cases had either epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS) or an unclassifiable developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). The birth incidence of KCNT1-related epilepsy was ≤1.1205 per 100,000 live births. The average annual incidence rates per 100,000 persons per year during the study period were 0.0431 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0236-0.0723; n = 14) in the overall population ≤ 50 years, 0.0568 (95% CI: 0.0209-0.1237; n = 6) in the population < 18 years, and 0.0365 (95% CI: 0.0157-0.0718; n = 8) in the population ≥ 18 and ≤ 50 years. There were 3 families with at least 2 cases diagnosed with KCNT1-related epilepsies (on average 3.3 cases per family), indicating 10 cases in total within the 3 families. All KCNT1 cases of ADSHE phenotype came from the 3 families. The higher incidence of older ages and ADSHE cases compared with previous KCNT1 studies is likely due to the capture of prevalent and familial previously undiagnosed cases. Excluding these family cases, the average annual incidence was 0.0123 (95% CI: 0.0034-0.0315, n = 4) per 100,000 persons per year in the population ≤ 50 years during 2012-2020. Conclusions: AGS and KCNT1-related epilepsy are particularly rare diseases. The annual average incidence rate of AGS was 0.0539 per 100,000 persons per year in the population < 18 years and birth incidence was <0.7600 per 100,000 live births during 2010-2020. The average annual incidence rate of KCNT1-related epilepsy was 0.0431 per 100,000 persons per year in the population ≤ 50 years and the birth incidence was ≤1.1205 per 100,000 live births during 2012-2020. Given similar healthcare systems and genetic pools, these findings may provide insight on the incidence of these rare diseases in the Nordics.

Disease Status at Diagnosis in Danish Children with α 1 -antitrypsin Deficiency.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the state of disease at the time of diagnosis in Danish children with α 1 -antitrypsin deficiency as Denmark has a high prevalence of ZZ-homozygosity. METHODS: Children either heterozygous, compound heterozygous, or homozygous for Z- and S-variants in the SERPINA1 -gene were included. Clinical characteristics, SERPINA1 -genotype, and blood serum (S) concentrations were recorded concurrently with genetic testing. Serum liver marker concentrations were compared using T tests and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) linear regression models, both univariable and multivariable adjusted for age and sex, were applied to identify correlations with serum α 1 -antitrypsin (S-AAT). The relationship between S-AAT concentration and genotype was assessed using logistic regression with GEE. RESULTS: The study included 183 of 225 children genetically tested for alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). Of these, 36.6% were homozygous for the Z-variant. Of the heterozygotes, 89.7% had a ZM genotype and the remaining had either an MS genotype or were compound heterozygous. At diagnosis, ZZ-homozygous children had higher serum concentrations of liver enzymes and conjugated bilirubin, but lower concentrations of S-AAT compared with heterozygotes. Serum concentrations of conjugated bilirubin and liver enzymes were negatively associated with S-AAT. Children under 6 months of age had higher total S-bilirubin concentrations than children over 6 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: A low S-AAT concentration is a strong indicator of homozygosity, and homozygous children have higher enzymatic and cholestatic parameters compared with heterozygous children at diagnosis. This underlines the importance of measuring the S-AAT concentration in children with prolonged neonatal jaundice.

Biochemical and clinical manifestations in adults with hypophosphatasia: a national cross-sectional study.

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare disease affecting bone mineralization. Adults with HPP have an increased occurrence of low-energy fractures, which cannot be explained by reduced bone mass assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The bone phenotype in adults with HPP requires further studies investigating bone strength and bone structural parameters. INTRODUCTION: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare inherited disorder of bone and mineral metabolism, characterized by broad-ranging clinical manifestations and severity. However, studies investigating the clinical spectrum in adults with HPP compared to a control group are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical and clinical characteristics as well as bone health in a Danish cohort of adults with HPP. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study assessing biochemical parameters, fracture prevalence, bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover markers, physical performance and pain characteristics in 40 adults with HPP and 40 sex-, age-, BMI- and menopausal status-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: Patients with HPP had a significantly higher prevalence of non-vertebral, low-energy fractures (p = < 0.001). BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, forearm and whole body did not differ between the groups. Low levels of the bone-specific alkaline phosphatase correlated significantly with higher BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck in both groups. The bone formation marker N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen was significantly lower in patients with HPP than healthy controls (p = 0.006). Adults with HPP had significantly reduced walking capability (p = < 0.001) and lower body strength (p = < 0.001). Chronic pain was significantly more prevalent in adults with HPP than the control group (p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: The increased occurrence of low-energy fractures in adults with HPP is not explained by low BMD. Adults with HPP have reduced physical performance when compared with healthy controls.

High Resolution Analysis of DMPK Hypermethylation and Repeat Interruptions in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic neuromuscular disorder caused by the expansion of a CTG repeat in the 3'-UTR of DMPK, which is transcribed to a toxic gain-of-function RNA that affects splicing of a range of genes. The expanded repeat is unstable in both germline and somatic cells. The variable age at disease onset and severity of symptoms have been linked to the inherited CTG repeat length, non-CTG interruptions, and methylation levels flanking the repeat. In general, the genetic biomarkers are investigated separately with specific methods, making it tedious to obtain an overall characterisation of the repeat for a given individual. In the present study, we employed Oxford nanopore sequencing in a pilot study to simultaneously determine the repeat lengths, investigate the presence and nature of repeat interruptions, and quantify methylation levels in the regions flanking the CTG-repeats in four patients with DM1. We determined the repeat lengths, and in three patients, we observed interruptions which were not detected using repeat-primed PCR. Interruptions may thus be more common than previously anticipated and should be investigated in larger cohorts. Allele-specific analyses enabled characterisation of aberrant methylation levels specific to the expanded allele, which greatly increased the sensitivity and resolved cases where the methylation levels were ambiguous.

Three novel FHL1 variants cause a mild phenotype of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a hereditary muscle disease, characterized by the clinical triade of early-onset joint contractures, progressive muscle weakness, and cardiac involvement. Pathogenic variants in FHL1 can cause a rare X-linked recessive form of EDMD, type 6. We report three men with novel variants in FHL1 leading to EDMD6. The onset of muscle symptoms was in late adulthood and muscle weakness was not prominent in either of the patients. All patients had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and one of them also had cardiac arrhythmias. Western blot performed on muscle biopsies from two of the patients showed no FHL1 protein expression. We predict that the variant in the third patient also leads to the absence of FHL1 protein. Complete loss of all FHL1 isoforms combined with mild muscle involvement supports the hypothesis that loss of all FHL1 isoforms is more benign than the cytotoxic effects of expressed FHL1 protein with pathogenic missense variants.

Novel truncating variants in FGD1 detected in two Danish families with Aarskog-Scott syndrome and myopathic features.

Aarskog-Scott syndrome (AAS) is a developmental disorder, caused by disease-causing hemizygous variants in the FGD1 gene. AAS is characterized by dysmorphic features, genital malformation, skeletal anomalies, and in some cases, intellectual disability and behavioral difficulties. Myopathy has only been reported once in two affected siblings diagnosed with AAS. Only few adult cases have been reported. This article reports four adults with AAS (three male cases and one female carrier) from two unrelated Danish families, all males presented with variable features suggestive of myopathy. All four carried novel hemizygous pathogenic variants in the FGD1 gene; one family presented with the c.2266dup, p.Cys756Leufs*19 variant while the c.527dup; p.Leu177Thrfs*40 variant was detected in the second family. All males had some mild myopathic symptoms or histological abnormalities. Case 1 had the most severe myopathic phenotype with prominent proximal muscular fatigue and exercise intolerance. In addition, he had multiple deletions of mtDNA and low respiratory chain activity. His younger nephew, case 3, had difficulties doing sports in his youth and had a mildly abnormal muscle biopsy and relatively decreased mitochondrial enzyme activity. The singular case from family 2 (case 4), had a mildly myopathic muscle biopsy, but no overt myopathic symptoms. Our findings suggest that myopathic involvement should be considered in AAS.

Bone-microarchitecture and bone-strength in a sample of adults with hypophosphatasia and a matched reference population assessed by HR-pQCT and impact microindentation.

BACKGROUND: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an autosomal recessive or dominate disease affecting bone mineralization, and adults with HPP are in risk to develop metatarsal stress fractures and femoral pseudofractures. Given to the scarce data on the bone quality and its association to the fracture risk in adults with HPP, this study aimed to evaluate bone turnover, bone strength and structure in adults with HPP. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we included 14 adults with genetically verified HPP and 14 sex-, age-, BMI-, and menopausal status-matched reference individuals. We analyzed bone turnover markers, and measured bone material strength index (BMSi) by impact microindentation. Bone geometry, volumetric density and bone microarchitecture as well as failure load at the distal radius and tibia were evaluated using a second-generation high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography system. RESULTS: Bone turnover markers did not differ between patients with HPP and reference individuals. BMSi did not differ between the groups (67.90 [63.75-76.00] vs 65.45 [58.43-69.55], p = 0.149). Parameters of bone geometry and volumetric density did not differ between adults with HPP and the reference group. Patients with HPP had a tendency toward higher trabecular separation (0.664 [0.613-0.724] mm vs 0.620 [0.578-0.659] mm, p = 0.054) and inhomogeneity of trabecular network (0.253 [0.235-0.283] mm vs 0.229 [0.208-0.252] mm, p = 0.056) as well as lower trabecular bone volume fraction (18.8 [16.4-22.7] % vs 22.8 [20.6-24.7] %, p = 0.054) at the distal radius. In addition, compound heterozygous adults with HPP had a significantly higher cortical porosity at the distal radius than reference individuals (1.5 [0.9-2.2] % vs 0.7 [0.6-0.7] %, p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: BMSi is not reduced in adults with HPP. Increased cortical porosity may contribute to the occurrence of femoral pseudofractures in compound heterozygous adults with HPP. However, further studies investigating larger cohorts of adults with HPP using methods of bone histomorphometry are recommended to adequately assess the bone quality in adults with HPP.