Bardet-Biedl syndrome 1 genotype and obesity in the Newfoundland population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obesity is one of the primary clinical features of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), a genetically heterogeneous disorder that is usually inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. It has been suggested that heterozygous carriers of BBS are predisposed to obesity. We set out to identify the common mutation in BBS1 families from southwest Newfoundland and to examine the relationship between this mutation and obesity in the general population. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: We genotyped BBS1 families from Newfoundland to determine the nature of the mutation causing BBS in this population. We then screened 200 obese individuals (average body mass index (BMI)=37.9 kg/m2; average waist to hip ratio=0.935; average waist=113.8 cm) and 200 ethnically matched, unrelated, controls (average BMI=25.0 kg/m2; average waist to hip ratio=0.896; average waist=86.9 cm) from the same geographic region for the presence of this mutation. RESULTS: All affected members of the six Newfoundland BBS1 families were homozygous for the most common BBS1 mutation (M390R). This mutation was found in the heterozygous state in three of the 200 obese individuals and also in three of the 200 matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of BBS1 in Newfoundland appears to be the result of a founder event. Our data do not support the hypothesis that the M390R BBS1 mutation plays a significant role in the frequency of obesity in the general public in Newfoundland.

CARD15: a pleiotropic autoimmune gene that confers susceptibility to psoriatic arthritis.

A recent genomewide scan in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) revealed a susceptibility locus at 16q. This region overlaps CARD15, a susceptibility gene in Crohn disease. The possibility of a common susceptibility gene between PsA and Crohn disease is further supported by epidemiological studies that note an increased incidence of psoriasis in subjects with Crohn. We screened 187 patients with PsA and 136 healthy controls, all from Newfoundland, for the three common, independent sequence variants of CARD15 (R702W, leu1007fsinsC, and G908R), which were detected by polymerase chain reaction by use of allele-specific primers and visualized through gel electrophoresis. In total, 53/187 (28.3%) probands with PsA had at least one variant of the CARD15 gene, compared with 16/136 (11.8%) controls (odds ratio 2.97; 95% confidence interval 1.61-5.47; P=.0005). Allele frequencies of R702W, leu1007fsinsC, and G908R were 10.43%, 3.21%, and 1.61%, respectively, in patients with PsA, compared with 3.31%, 2.57%, and 0.37%, respectively, in the control patients. CARD15 conferred susceptibility to PsA independent of HLA-Cw*0602. Thus, CARD15 represents a pleiotropic autoimmune gene and is the first non-MHC gene to be associated with PsA.

Role of diagnostic labeling in antibiotic prescription.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between diagnostic labeling of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and antibiotic prescription rates in family practice. DESIGN: Descriptive analysis of outpatient chart review supplemented by interviews with physicians. Charts of patients attending 73 general practitioners were reviewed between October 1997 and February 1998. Two days of practice were evaluated per physician. SETTING: Urban family practices in greater St John's, Nfld. PARTICIPANTS: Of 96 family physicians contacted, 73 (76%) agreed to participate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of diagnoses and antibiotic prescriptions for acute infections. Physicians were divided into "low prescribers" and "high prescribers" based on overall rates of prescription to patients with infections. Low prescribers were compared with high prescribers with respect to physician characteristics, patient characteristics, and diagnoses assigned. RESULTS: Of all patients seen, 22% were seen for acute infections; RTIs accounted for 76% of diagnoses. Low prescribers and high prescribers were of similar ages and saw similar numbers of patients of similar ages with very similar presenting complaints. Both groups diagnosed urinary tract and skin and soft-tissue infections at similar rates, but differed markedly in their rates of diagnoses of RTIs. High prescribers diagnosed bacterial RTIs in 65.4% (147/225) of their patients; low prescribers diagnosed bacterial RTIs in 31.0% (66/213 (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Family doctors frequently prescribe antibiotics. The difference in rates of prescription between high prescribers and low prescribers is largely explained by assignment of diagnoses of RTIs.

Bilineal disease and trans-heterozygotes in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

In searching for a putative third gene for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), we studied the genetic inheritance of a large family (NFL10) previously excluded from linkage to both the PKD1 locus and the PKD2 locus. We screened 48 members of the NFL10 pedigree, by ultrasonography, and genotyped them, with informative markers, at both the PKD1 locus and the PKD2 locus. Twenty-eight of 48 individuals assessed were affected with ADPKD. Inspection of the haplotypes of these individuals suggested the possibility of bilineal disease from independently segregating PKD1 and PKD2 mutations. Using single-stranded conformational analysis, we screened for and found a PKD2 mutation (i.e., 2152delA; L736X) in 12 affected pedigree members. Additionally, when the disease status of these individuals was coded as "unknown" in linkage analysis, we also found, with markers at the PKD1 locus, significant LOD scores (i.e., >3.0). These findings strongly support the presence of a PKD1 mutation in 15 other affected pedigree members, who lack the PKD2 mutation. Two additional affected individuals had trans-heterozygous mutations involving both genes, and they had renal disease that was more severe than that in affected individuals who had either mutation alone. This is the first documentation of bilineal disease in ADPKD. In humans, trans-heterozygous mutations involving both PKD1 and PKD2 are not necessarily embryonically lethal. However, the disease associated with the presence of both mutations appears to be more severe than the disease associated with either mutation alone. The presence of bilineal disease as a confounder needs to be considered seriously in the search for the elusive PKD3 locus.

Mutations of PKD1 in ADPKD2 cysts suggest a pathogenic effect of trans-heterozygous mutations.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2. The products of these genes associate to form heteromeric complexes. Several models have been proposed to explain the mechanism of cyst formation. Here we find somatic mutations of PKD2 in 71% of ADPKD2 cysts analysed. Clonal somatic mutations of PKD1 were identified in a subset of cysts that lacked PKD2 mutations.

A founder effect in the newfoundland population reduces the Bardet-Biedl syndrome I (BBS1) interval to 1 cM.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder; major phenotypic findings include dysmorphic extremities, retinal dystrophy, obesity, male hypogenitalism, and renal anomalies. In the majority of northern European families with BBS, the syndrome is linked to a 26-cM region on chromosome 11q13. However, the finding, so far, of five distinct BBS loci (BBS1, 1q; BBS2, 16q; BBS3, 3p; BBS4, 15q; BBS5, 2q) has hampered the positional cloning of these genes. We use linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping in an isolated founder population in Newfoundland to significantly reduce the BBS1 critical region. Extensive haplotyping in several unrelated BBS families of English descent revealed that the affected members were homozygous for overlapping portions of a rare, disease-associated ancestral haplotype on chromosome 11q13. The LD data suggest that the BBS1 gene lies in a 1-Mb, sequence-ready region on chromosome 11q13, which should enable its identification.

Genetic heterogeneity of Bardet-Biedl syndrome in a distinct Canadian population: evidence for a fifth locus.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare, autosomal recessive disease characterized by retinal dystrophy, renal structural abnormalities, obesity, dysmorphic extremities, and hypogenitalism in males. BBS is genetically heterogeneous with four known loci: BBS1 (11q), BBS2 (16q), BBS3 (3p), and BBS4 (15q). The prevalence of BBS in Newfoundland is approximately 10-fold greater than in Switzerland (1:160,000) and similar to the prevalence among the Bedouin of Kuwait (1:13,500). A population-based genetic survey was performed on 17 BBS families from the island portion of the province of Newfoundland, a comparatively isolated region of Canada. The families in the study had a total of 36 well-documented, affected individuals with 12 families having 2 or more affected individuals. Linkage at each of the four known loci was tested with two-point linkage and haplotype analysis. Three of the 17 kindreds showed linkage to 11q, 1 to 16q, and 1 to 3p. The latter is the first BBS3 family identified in a population of northern European descent. Six families remain undetermined because of poor pedigree structure or inconclusive haplotype analyses. Six families were excluded from all four known BBS loci, indicating that there is at least a fifth BBS locus (BBS5).

Higher risk for renal failure in first-degree relatives of white patients with end-stage renal disease: a population-based study.

To explore the possibility that hereditary factors increase the risk for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), 669 patients with ESRD in the province of Newfoundland, Canada from 1987 to 1993 were studied. Detailed family histories were obtained from 584 (87%) consecutive probands and 499 spousal control subjects. Diseases with a Mendelian pattern of inheritance accounted for 8.4% of the cases; 4.5% of the cases were caused by autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Glomerulonephritis was the original cause of renal failure in 25% of the probands, diabetes mellitus (DM) in 20%, unknown in 14%, interstitial kidney disease in 11%, other disease in 12%, multifactorial in 4%, and hypertension in 5%. In the group without a Mendelian pattern of inheritance, 28% of the probands had a first-, second-, or third-degree relative with renal failure associated with death or dialysis versus 15% of the controls. Compared with 0.4% of the control group, 1.2% of the first-degree relatives of probands developed renal failure (odds ratio [OR]=3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7 to 5.2). No difference was observed when risks were compared for second-degree relatives, but a highly significant increased risk was observed for third-degree relatives (OR=2.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.4). The highest rates of affected first-degree relatives occurred in probands with hypertensive renal failure (2.3%), DM (1.6%), and interstitial kidney disease (1.6%). The annual provincial incidence of ESRD, registered with the Canadian Organ Replacement Registry (CORR) from 1981 to 1993 was 79 per million, excluding the 8% of patients with Mendelian inherited disease. The similar rate of ESRD in first-degree relatives of probands without Mendelian inherited disease was 297 per million. We conclude that not only is the contribution of Mendelian inherited diseases to ESRD high, but there is also an increased risk for renal failure in first-degree relatives of probands without a Mendelian inherited renal disease in a white population.

A spectrum of mutations in the polycystic kidney disease-2 (PKD2) gene from eight Canadian kindreds.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common Mendelian disorder that affects approximately 1 in 1000 live births. Linkage studies have shown that the majority (approximately 85%) of cases are due to mutations in PKD1 on chromosome 16p, while mutations in PKD2 on chromosome 4q account for most of the remaining cases. Locus heterogeneity in ADPKD is known to contribute to differences in disease severity, with PKD1-linked families having earlier onset of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) than PKD2-linked families (mean age at ESRD: 56 versus 70, respectively). In this study, 11 Canadian families with ADPKD were screened for PKD2 mutations. In four families, linkage to PKD2 was previously documented. In the remaining seven smaller families, one or more affected members had late-onset ESRD at age 70 or older. Using single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis, one affected member from each family was screened for mutations in all 15 exons of PKD2, which were PCR-amplified from genomic templates. A spectrum of mutations was found in approximately 73% (8 of 11) of the families screened, with no difference in the detection rate between the PKD2-linked families and the families with late-onset ESRD. In three unrelated families, insertion or deletion of an adenosine in a polyadenosine tract (i.e., (A)8 at nt 2152-2159) was found on exon 11, suggesting that this mononucleotide repeat tract is prone to mutations from "slipped strand mispairing." All mutations, scattered between exons 1 and 11, are predicted to result in a truncated polycystin 2 that lacks both the calcium-binding EF-hand domain and the two cytoplasmic domains required for the interaction of polycystin 2 with polycystin 1 and with itself. Furthermore, no correlation was found between the location of the mutations in the PKD2 coding sequence and disease severity. Thus, these findings are consistent with other recently published reports and suggest that most PKD2 mutations are inactivating.

Canadian Bardet-Biedl syndrome family reduces the critical region of BBS3 (3p) and presents with a variable phenotype.

There are at least five distinct Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) loci, four of which have been mapped: 11q (BBS1), 16q (BBS2), 3p (BBS3), and 15q (BBS4). A comparative study of the three Arab-Bedouin kindreds used to map the BBS2, BBS3, and BBS4 loci suggests that the variability in the number and severity of clinical manifestations, particularly the pattern of polydactyly, reflects chromosome-specific subtypes of BBS [Carmi et al., 1995a; Am J Med Genet 59:199-203]. We describe a Newfoundland kindred of northern European descent and confirm the initial finding of a BBS locus on chromosome 3. However, the "BBS3 phenotype," which includes polydactyly of all four limbs and a progression to morbid obesity, was not observed. Rather, four of the five BBS patients in this family had polydactyly restricted to their feet. The obesity in these patients was reversible with caloric restriction and/or exercise. Mental retardation has been considered a major symptom of BBS. However, formal IQ testing shows that these patients are of average intelligence. Haplotype analysis reduces the BBS3 critical region to a 6-cM interval between D3S1595-D3S1753.

The importance of renal impairment in the natural history of Bardet-Biedl syndrome.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by dysphormic extremities, retinal dystrophy, obesity, hypogenitalism in males, and renal structural abnormalities. Because the clinical outcome of these patients is not well known, 21 families with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) were studied to determine the natural history of the disease. In a prospective cohort study, 38 patients with the syndrome and 58 unaffected siblings were identified. Patients were studied in 1987 and again in 1993. Age of onset of blindness, hypertension, diabetes, renal impairment, and death was determined. The prevalence of obesity, gonadal dysfunction, and renal structural abnormalities was assessed. All but 5 BBS patients (86%) were legally blind, 26% being blind by the age of 13 years and 50% by 18 years. Eighty-eight percent were above the 90th percentile for height and weight. Twenty-five (66%) patients had hypertension, 25% of BBS patients by age 26 years, and 50% by age 34 years, whereas in the unaffected group, 25% had hypertension by age 49 years (P < 0.0001). Twelve (32%) BBS patients developed diabetes mellitus, compared with none of the unaffected group. Only 2 patients were insulin dependent. Twenty-five percent of BBS patients had diabetes by the age of 35 years. In 12 women of reproductive age, 1 (8%) had primary gonadal failure. In 10 men, 4 had primary testicular failure. Nine (25%) patients developed renal impairment, with 25% of the BBS group affected by the age of 48 years. Imaging procedures of the kidney were performed in 25 patients with normal renal function. Whereas fetal lobulation and calyceal cysts/diverticula/clubbing were characteristic, occurring in 96% of patients, 20% (n = 5) had diffuse and 4% (n = 1) focal cortical loss. Eight patients with BBS died, 3 with end-stage renal failure and 3 with chronic renal failure. On life-table analysis, 25% of BBS patients had died by 44 years, whereas at that age 98% of unaffected siblings were still alive (P < 0.0001). Bardet-Biedl syndrome has an adverse prognosis, with early onset of blindness, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Renal impairment is frequent and an important cause of death. Survival is substantially reduced.

Differences in hormonal and renal vascular responses between normotensive patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and unaffected family members.

We tested the hypothesis that overactivity of the renal and systemic renin-angiotensin system is important to the pathogenesis of hypertension in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Up to 21 normotensive subjects with ADPKD and creatinine clearance > 70 ml/min/1.73 m2 were compared to 12 unaffected controls from the same families. Blood pressure, serum chemistry, sodium excretion, plasma renin and serum aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels were measured at baseline, after acute sodium depletion, and after chronic higher sodium intake with and without enalapril. Effective renal plasma flow was measured by paraaminohippurate clearance in the higher sodium state, before and during an intravenous infusion of angiotensin II at 3 ng/kg/min. This was to test whether, by analogy to non-modulating essential hypertension, renal blood flow would fall to a lesser extent in the ADPKD subjects. The groups were comparable at baseline apart from a higher supine mean arterial pressure in the ADPKD group (median 91 vs. 81 mm Hg, P = 0.002). There were no significant differences between ADPKD and control subjects in blood pressure or hormonal response to sodium depletion. During chronically higher sodium intake, serum ANP was significantly higher (median 130 vs. 81 ng/liter, P = 0.0006) and plasma renin tended to be higher (median 20.5 vs. 13.5, P = 0.08) in ADPKD than in control subjects. The ADPKD group had a higher renal vascular resistance (median 7420 vs. 5915 dyn.sec.cm-5, P = 0.009) before angiotensin, but tended to have a lower percentage rise in resistance during angiotensin (median 31.5 vs. 46, P = 0.14).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Advance prediction of early death in patients starting maintenance dialysis.

Accurate information on short-term prognosis is needed to help patients, their doctors, and society to make appropriate decisions concerning starting dialysis. We sought to develop a clinically applicable prognostic scoring system to aid in the prediction of death within 6 months of starting maintenance dialysis. Factors potentially predictive of early death were examined retrospectively in an inception cohort of all 325 patients starting dialysis for irreversible renal failure between 1980 and 1991 at a single tertiary care center. The overall mortality rate was 22% at 6 months. Age, cardiac failure, ischemic heart disease, dysrhythmia requiring therapy, severe peripheral vascular disease, advanced neoplasia, ventilator dependency, coma, systemic sepsis, and hepatic failure were independent, significant, prognostic indicators for early death. Multivariate models were used to suggest weights for these variables in a simplified scoring system. Patients with scores < or = 4 (N = 201) had a 6-month mortality rate of 4%, whereas those with a score higher than 9 (N = 21) had a 6-month mortality rate of 100%. Thus, when age and multiple comorbid illnesses were taken into account, it was possible to identify with 100% accuracy 29% of the patients who died within 6 months of starting maintenance dialysis therapy, accounting for 6.5% of the cohort studied. A larger prospective study is warranted to validate this scoring system.

Contrast nephropathy in patients with impaired renal function: high versus low osmolar media.

Prescription of low osmolar contrast to prevent nephrotoxicity in subjects with pre-existing renal impairment is costly and has not been clearly shown to be effective. We entered 249 subjects with a pre-contrast serum creatinine greater than 120 mumol/liter (1.35 mg/dl) having cardiac catheterization or intravenous contrast into a randomized controlled trial comparing high and low osmolar contrast. The outcome assessed was a rise in serum creatinine repeated 48 to 72 hours after contrast. A further 117 patients entered the non-randomized prospective arm of the study. In the randomized study the serum creatinine rose by at least 25% after contrast in 8 of 117 (6.8%) given high and in 5 of 132 (3.8%) given low osmolar contrast (P greater than 0.05, one-tailed 95% confidence interval for the difference 3 to 7.8%). More severe renal failure (greater than 50% increase in serum creatinine) after contrast was uncommon (3.4% with high and 1.5% with low osmolar contrast). A rise in serum creatinine after contrast was significantly associated with the severity of the pre-contrast renal impairment and the presence of diabetes mellitus, but not with type of contrast. Diabetics with a serum creatinine greater than 200 mumol/liter (2.25 mg/dl) pre-contrast had a highest risk of deterioration in renal function after contrast. We conclude that in patients with pre-existing renal impairment the incidence of contrast nephropathy was not significantly different comparing high osmolar and nonionic contrast. The potential benefit of nonionic contrast in moderate renal impairment is likely to be small, but trials in diabetics with severe renal impairment should be undertaken urgently.

Nonionic low-osmolality versus ionic high-osmolality contrast material for intravenous use in patients perceived to be at high risk: randomized trial.

To determine the cost-effectiveness of selective use of nonionic low-osmolality contrast material, the authors randomly assigned 955 patients to receive high-osmolality and 1,158 to receive low-osmolality intravenous contrast material. All patients had one or more of the following perceived risk factors for adverse reactions: prior reaction to contrast material, allergies, asthma, diabetes, cardiac or renal disease, anxiety, severe illness, and age greater than 50 years. The occurrence of any adverse event, need for therapy, or subjective symptoms was assessed in a double-blind fashion. An adverse reaction necessitating the attention of a physician occurred in 3.9% (n = 37) of patients in the high-osmolality and 0.9% (n = 10) of patients in the low-osmolality groups (P less than .000005). Therapy was administered to 1.4% (n = 13) and 0.5% (n = 6), respectively (P = .035). The difference was due to a reduction in urticaria and other mild anaphylactoid reactions. In a multivariate analysis, only prior reactions and allergy were independent risk factors. Selective use of intravenous nonionic contrast material is best justified in those with prior reactions, allergy, or asthma; at least 67% of reactions would be prevented.