Proposal for standardized prenatal ultrasound assessment of the fetus with congenital diaphragmatic hernia by the European reference network on rare inherited and congenital anomalies (ERNICA).

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a rare disease associated with high mortality and morbidity. Antenatal ultrasound screening identifies more than 70% of cases, providing the opportunity for in utero referral to a tertiary care center for expert assessment and perinatal management. Additional genetic and morphologic assessment may be used to rule out associated anomalies. In isolated cases, the outcome may be predicted prenatally by medical imaging. The combination of lung size and liver herniation is a widely accepted method to stratify fetuses into groups with an increasing degree of pulmonary hypoplasia and corresponding mortality rates. Ultrasound measurement of the observed to expected lung-to-head ratio (o/e LHR) is most widely used. The o/e LHR is an independent predictor of survival and short-term morbidity. Finally, evaluation of stomach position has recently been introduced as an indirect method to estimate severity of the disease in left-sided defects, as it has been shown to correlate with the proportion of intrathoracic liver. Herein, we propose a protocol for the standardized ultrasound assessment of fetuses with isolated CDH and individualized prediction of neonatal outcome.

Tumor neuroectodérmico primitivo periférico extraesquelético/sarcoma de Ewing metastásico en un neonato / Metastatic primitive extraskeletal peripheral neurectodermal tumor/ewing sarcoma in a neonate / Tumor neuroectodérmico primitivo periférico extra esquelético/sarcoma de ewing apresentado em neonato

El tumor neuroectodérmico primitivo periférico/sarcoma de Ewing, descrito a comienzos del siglo XX, es un tumor muy maligno poco frecuente de gran mortalidad, cuya causa es la translocación t(11;22)(q24;q12) en células derivadas de la cuarta hojilla embrionaria o células de la cresta neural que, por su posibilidad de diferenciación en linajes mesenquimales craneocefálicos, fácilmente se convierte en metastásico. Se encuentra bajo la denominación de enfer- medades raras debido a su baja frecuencia de aparición. A nivel mundial se han referenciado, menos de 20 casos con afectación periférica extraósea congénita y este es el primero en reportarse en Colombia. En el presente caso se describe la lesión tumoral extraesquelética con metástasis a pulmón y a cerebro, en un neonato de sexo femenino, fruto de un embarazo único, prematuro, sin reporte de exposición a factores de riesgo medioam- bientales, que fue remitida con la lesión tumoral al segundo día de vida, por dificultad respiratoria grave progresiva a falla respiratoria. La bebé fue atendida en la unidad neonatal de la Fundación Cardioinfantil de Bogotá.

A female premature infant with no history of exposure, who on presented a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor/extraosseous Ewing sarcoma with metastases to lungs and brain which rapidly invaded the airways. The knowledge of this exotic neoplasm could support the diagnosis and management of newborns with this rare tumor associated with respiratory failure and high mortality. This is the first newborn report of pPNET/Ewing sarcoma in South America, of which fewer than twenty cases have been published. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors or Ewing Sarcoma (PNET/ES) are an aggressive, rare and lethal tumor family of small blue cells with a varied histological morphology that affect the nervous system, skeleton, soft tissues, skin, or parenchymal organs. They are prevalent in the second decade of life, more frequent in whites, male/female 1.3-1.5:1, 85% are caused by nonrandom translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) limited to the tumor, and therefore non-heritable, with chimeric EWS/FLI1 fusion and a positive CD99 immuno- phenotype. The reporting of this rare tumor associated with neonatal respiratory failure could facilitate its diag- nosis and early treatment.

O tumor neuroectodérmico primitivo periférico extra esquelético /Sarcoma de Ewing, descrito a inicios do século XX, é um tumor raro e maligno que apre-senta alto grau de mortalidade devido à translocação t(11;22)(q24;q12) em células derivadas da quarta hojilla embrionária ou crista neural que por possibilidade de diferenciação de linagens mesenquimales cráneocefá-lico, pode virar facilmente em metastasico.Trata-se de uma doença rara, debido à baixa frequência de aparição. Mundialmente tem se referenciado apro-ximadamente 15 eventos com afetação periférica extraóssea congênita e este é o primeiro caso reportado na Colômbia. No artigo se descreve a lesão tumoral extraesquelética com metastasis no pulmão e cérebro apresentado em neonato feminino produto de gravidez única pre-térmo sem reporte de exposição a fatores de risco medioambientais. O bebe foi remitido com lesão tumoral no segundo dia de ida, por ter apresentado difi-culdade respiratória progressiva grave e insuficiência ventilatória, foi atendida na unidade neonatal da Funda-cion Cardioinfantil (FCI-IC), na cidade de Bogotá.

Signaling Pathways in Craniofacial Development: Insights from Rare Skeletal Disorders.

In the developing embryo, signaling pathways define how the mesenchymal precursors of bone form individual skeletal elements with the proper size, shape, orientation, and integration. Disruptions to these signaling processes lead to a large variety of congenital conditions categorized as skeletal dysplasias. While individually these skeletal disorders are rare, collectively they represent a significant cause of disability in the United States. Here, we discuss how the study of these rare events in human development reveal novel and unexpected insights into signaling mechanisms that regulate normal skeletal development and, in the process, advance novel molecular-based therapies for treatment of rare and common bone diseases alike.

Mouse Models of Rare Craniofacial Disorders.

A rare disease is defined as a condition that affects less than 1 in 2000 individuals. Currently more than 7000 rare diseases have been documented, and most are thought to be of genetic origin. Rare diseases primarily affect children, and congenital craniofacial syndromes and disorders constitute a significant proportion of rare diseases, with over 700 having been described to date. Modeling craniofacial disorders in animal models has been instrumental in uncovering the etiology and pathogenesis of numerous conditions and in some cases has even led to potential therapeutic avenues for their prevention. In this chapter, we focus primarily on two general classes of rare disorders, ribosomopathies and ciliopathies, and the surprising finding that the disruption of fundamental, global processes can result in tissue-specific craniofacial defects. In addition, we discuss recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of an extremely rare and specific craniofacial condition known as syngnathia, based on the first mouse models for this condition. Approximately 1% of all babies are born with a minor or major developmental anomaly, and individuals suffering from rare diseases deserve the same quality of treatment and care and attention to their disease as other patients.