Congenital Hyperphosphatemic Conditions Caused by the Deficient Activity of FGF23.

Congenital diseases that could result in hyperphosphatemia at an early age include hyperphosphatemic familial tumoral calcinosis (HFTC)/hyperostosis-hyperphosphatemia syndrome (HHS) and congenital hypoparathyroidism/pseudohypoparathyroidism due to the insufficient activity of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23 and parathyroid hormone. HFTC/HHS is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by inactivating mutations in the FGF23, UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 3 (GALNT3), or Klotho (KL) genes, resulting in the excessive cleavage of active intact FGF23 (FGF23, GALNT3) or increased resistance to the action of FGF23 (KL). Massive ectopic calcification, known as tumoral calcinosis (TC), is seen in periarticular soft tissues, typically in the hip, elbow, and shoulder in HFTC/HHS, reducing the range of motion. However, other regions, such as the eye, intestine, vasculature, and testis, are also targets of ectopic calcification. The other symptoms of HFTC/HHS are painful hyperostosis of the lower legs, dental abnormalities, and systemic inflammation. Low phosphate diets, phosphate binders, and phosphaturic reagents such as acetazolamide are the treatment options for HFTC/HHS and have various consequences, which warrant the development of novel therapeutics involving recombinant FGF23.

Calcinosis cutis congénita tumoral asociada con encefalopatía epiléptica infantil temprana con variante patogénica en el gen FGF12 / Tumorous congenital calcinosis cutis associated with early childhood epileptic encephalopathy with a pathogenic FGF12 gene variant

Resumen Introducción: La calcinosis cutis es el depósito de sales insolubles de calcio en la piel y se clasifica, de acuerdo con su patogénesis, en distrófica, metastásica, idiopática, iatrogénica y calcifilaxis. La calcinosis idiopática se presenta en pacientes sanos y es asintomática; incluye la calcinosis escrotal, la calcinosis nodular de Winer o nódulos calcificados subepidérmicos y la calcinosis tumoral familiar. Esta última es una condición rara que se caracteriza por el depósito de calcio periarticular en pacientes normocalcémicos sin conexión al hueso. Caso clínico: Paciente de sexo masculino de 5 meses de edad, quien al séptimo día de vida fue hospitalizado por ictericia multifactorial, sepsis neonatal tardía y apnea con crisis epilépticas. La evolución fue tórpida, con ingresos hospitalarios por crisis epilépticas de difícil manejo, respuesta parcial a la difenilhidantoína y descontrol electrolítico. Mediante la secuenciación del exoma dirigido se detectó una variante patogénica de sentido equivocado en FGF12 que confirmó el diagnóstico de encefalopatía epiléptica temprana número 47. Además, el paciente presentó dermatosis congénita diseminada a las extremidades inferiores con afección en muslos, asintomática, bilateral y simétrica, constituida por hipopigmentación y fóveas duras a la palpación profunda. La biopsia mostró calcificación distrófica. Conclusiones: Se presenta el caso de un lactante con calcinosis cutis congénita profunda asociada con una variante patogénica en el gen FGF12 y con encefalopatía epiléptica, situación clínica que, a la fecha, no había sido reportada en la literatura.

Abstract Background: Calcinosis cutis is the deposit of insoluble calcium salts in the skin. It is classified according to its pathogenesis in dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic, iatrogenic, and calciphylaxis. Idiopathic calcinosis is asymptomatic, occurs in healthy patients, and includes scrotal calcinosis, Winer's nodular calcinosis or subepidermal calcified nodules, and familial tumor calcinosis. The latter is a rare condition characterized by periarticular calcium deposition in normocalcemic patients with no bone connection. Case report: The case of a 5-month-old male patient, who on the seventh day of life was hospitalized for multifactorial jaundice, late neonatal sepsis, and apnea with epileptic seizures is described. His evolution was torpid, with hospital admissions due to epileptic seizures that were difficult to manage with partial response to the use of diphenylhydantoin and electrolyte alterations. By means of exome sequencing directed, a pathogenic variant of wrong direction in FGF12 was detected and the diagnosis of early epileptic encephalopathy number 47 was confirmed. Also, the patient showed disseminated congenital dermatosis to lower extremities affecting thighs, asymptomatic, bilateral and symmetrical, constituted by hypopigmentation and fovea hard to deep palpation. The biopsy showed dystrophic calcification Conclusions: The case of an infant with deep congenital cutis calcinosis associated with a pathogenic variant in the FGF12 gene with epileptic encephalopathy is described. To date, this clinical situation has not been previously reported in the literature.

Tumorous congenital calcinosis cutis associated with early childhood epileptic encephalopathy with a pathogenic FGF12 gene variant.

Background: Calcinosis cutis is the deposit of insoluble calcium salts in the skin. It is classified according to its pathogenesis in dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic, iatrogenic, and calciphylaxis. Idiopathic calcinosis is asymptomatic, occurs in healthy patients, and includes scrotal calcinosis, Winer's nodular calcinosis or subepidermal calcified nodules, and familial tumor calcinosis. The latter is a rare condition characterized by periarticular calcium deposition in normocalcemic patients with no bone connection. Case report: The case of a 5-month-old male patient, who on the seventh day of life was hospitalized for multifactorial jaundice, late neonatal sepsis, and apnea with epileptic seizures is described. His evolution was torpid, with hospital admissions due to epileptic seizures that were difficult to manage with partial response to the use of diphenylhydantoin and electrolyte alterations. By means of exome sequencing directed, a pathogenic variant of wrong direction in FGF12 was detected and the diagnosis of early epileptic encephalopathy number 47 was confirmed. Also, the patient showed disseminated congenital dermatosis to lower extremities affecting thighs, asymptomatic, bilateral and symmetrical, constituted by hypopigmentation and fovea hard to deep palpation. The biopsy showed dystrophic calcification. Conclusions: The case of an infant with deep congenital cutis calcinosis associated with a pathogenic variant in the FGF12 gene with epileptic encephalopathy is described. To date, this clinical situation has not been previously reported in the literature.

Background: Introducción">La calcinosis cutis es el depósito de sales insolubles de calcio en la piel y se clasifica, de acuerdo con su patogénesis, en distrófica, metastásica, idiopática, iatrogénica y calcifilaxis. La calcinosis idiopática se presenta en pacientes sanos y es asintomática; incluye la calcinosis escrotal, la calcinosis nodular de Winer o nódulos calcificados subepidérmicos y la calcinosis tumoral familiar. Esta última es una condición rara que se caracteriza por el depósito de calcio periarticular en pacientes normocalcémicos sin conexión al hueso. Caso clínico: Paciente de sexo masculino de 5 meses de edad, quien al séptimo día de vida fue hospitalizado por ictericia multifactorial, sepsis neonatal tardía y apnea con crisis epilépticas. La evolución fue tórpida, con ingresos hospitalarios por crisis epilépticas de difícil manejo, respuesta parcial a la difenilhidantoína y descontrol electrolítico. Mediante la secuenciación del exoma dirigido se detectó una variante patogénica de sentido equivocado en FGF12 que confirmó el diagnóstico de encefalopatía epiléptica temprana número 47. Además, el paciente presentó dermatosis congénita diseminada a las extremidades inferiores con afección en muslos, asintomática, bilateral y simétrica, constituida por hipopigmentación y fóveas duras a la palpación profunda. La biopsia mostró calcificación distrófica. Conclusiones: Se presenta el caso de un lactante con calcinosis cutis congénita profunda asociada con una variante patogénica en el gen FGF12 y con encefalopatía epiléptica, situación clínica que, a la fecha, no había sido reportada en la literatura.

Cardiac Calcified Amorphous Tumor in a Newborn.

Calcified amorphous tumors (CATs) of the heart are rare, nonneoplastic, intracavitary lesions, previously thought of as pseudotumors, hamartomas, or calcified thrombi, only reported in few adults in the available literature. This report describes a case of a pedunculated oscillating CAT arising from the left atrial appendage that prolapses through the mitral valve and causes severe mitral regurgitation in a newborn. This is the only case of cardiac CAT described in a neonate.

Role of Matrix Gla protein in midface development: Recent advances.

Craniofacial development is a delicate process that involves complex interactions among cells of multiple developmental origins, their migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Tissue morphogenesis of the craniofacial skeleton depends on genetic and environmental factors, and on specific signaling pathways, which are still not well understood. Developmental defects of the midface caused by the absence, delays, or premature fusion of nasal and maxillary prominences vary in severity; leading to clefts, hypoplasias, and midline expansion. In the current review, we focus on the importance of the chondrocranium in craniofacial growth and how its impaired development leads to midface hypoplasia. More importantly, we reported how Matrix Gla protein (MGP), a potent inhibitor of extracellular matrix mineralization, facilitates midface development by preventing ectopic calcification of the nasal septum. In fact, MGP may act as a common link in multiple developmental pathologies all showing midface hypoplasia caused by abnormal cartilage calcification. This brief review discusses the gap in knowledge in the field, raises pertinent questions, which remain unanswered, and sheds light on the future research directions.

Life-threatening subdural hematoma after aortic valve replacement in a patient with Heyde syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Heyde syndrome is known as a triad of calcific aortic stenosis, anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding from angiodysplasia, and acquired type 2A von Willebrand disease. This acquired hemorrhagic disorder is characterized by the loss of the large von Willebrand factor multimers due to the shear stress across the diseased aortic valve. The most frequently observed type of bleeding in these patients is mucosal or skin bleeding, such as epistaxis, followed by gastrointestinal bleeding. On the other hand, intracranial hemorrhage complicating Heyde syndrome is extremely rare. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman presented to our hospital with severe aortic stenosis and severe anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding and was diagnosed with Heyde syndrome. Although aortic valve replacement was performed without recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding, postoperative life-threatening acute subdural hematoma occurred with a marked midline shift. Despite prompt surgical evacuation of the hematoma, she did not recover consciousness and she died 1 month after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative subdural hematoma is rare, but it should be kept in mind as a devastating hemorrhagic complication, especially in patients with Heyde syndrome.

Prenatal intrarenal neuroblastoma mimicking a mesoblastic nephroma: a case report.

Mesoblastic nephroma is by far the most frequent intrarenal fetal tumor. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of a newborn with an intrarenal neuroblastoma that was discovered prenatally. An intrarenal echogenic and homogenous mass was observed on routine prenatal ultrasonography, corroborated by magnetic resonance imaging, in a 30-week gestation fetus. A male weighing 3280 g was born with elevated blood pressure and cardiac failure. Postnatal ultrasound confirmed a left intrarenal tumor with microcalcifications and perirenal adenopathy. An open total left nephrectomy by laparotomy was performed. The pathologic study reported that the mass was an intrarenal neuroblastoma with local and regional invasion. Immediate postoperative urine analysis revealed a high level of vanillylmandelic acid, and blood samples showed high levels of normetanephrine. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate that prenatal intrarenal neuroblastoma can clinically and radiologically mimick a mesoblastic nephroma. High blood pressure, calcifications, and lymphadenopathy on ultrasound should raise the index of suspicion for a possible malignant process. Preoperative measurement of urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and metanephrines should be performed if the diagnosis is in doubt.

Congenital dysplastic microcephaly and hypoplasia of the brainstem and cerebellum with diffuse intracranial calcification.

Congenital microcephaly with intracranial calcification is a rare condition presented in heterogeneous diseases. Here, we report the case of a 1-year-old boy with severe congenital microcephaly and diffuse calcification. Neuroimaging studies showed a diffuse simplified gyral pattern; a very thin cortex; ventricular dilatation; very small basal ganglia, thalamus, and brainstem; and cerebellar hypoplasia with diffuse calcification. Clinical features of intrauterine infections, such as neonatal jaundice, hepatomegaly, and thrombocytopenia, were not found. Serological tests, cultures, and polymerase chain reaction analysis were negative for viral infections. The etiology of pseudo-toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex syndrome is still unknown. This study describes the most severe form of pseudo-toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex syndrome reported to date, with the patient showing microcephaly and calcification or band-like intracranial calcification with simplified gyration and polymirogyria.

Simultaneous apicoaortic conduit placement and mitral valve replacement in an adolescent with porcelain aorta, aortic stenosis, and mitral stenosis.

We describe the treatment of a 16-year-old girl with calcific aortic stenosis, porcelain aorta, and calcific mitral stenosis with insufficiency using a valved apicoaortic conduit and mitral valve prosthesis. Both valve replacements were porcine bioprostheses, and the apicoaortic conduit was implanted without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. In cases in which the degree of aortic calcification pre-empts manipulation of the coronary ostia, an apicoaortic conduit may offer a viable solution to improve left ventricular outflow obstruction.

Sturge-Weber syndrome accompanied with multiple congenital intracranial lesions.

Sturge-Weber syndrome is one of the neurocutaneous syndromes. It is a rare, nonfamiliar disease that is characterized by facial port-wine stain, leptomeningeal angiomatosis, choroidal angioma, buphthalmos, intracranial calcification, cerebral atrophy, mental retardation, glaucoma, seizures and hemiparesis. CT and MR are complementary in the evaluation of this disease. Epilepsy is an essential feature of Sturge-Weber syndrome and it has a major significance for prognosis and treatment. We report a 2-year-old boy with Sturge-Weber syndrome who had in addition an intracranial lipoma, a temporal arachnoid cyst and a porencephalic cyst. This combination of intracranial lesions with Sturge-Weber syndrome has not been previously reported.

Fetal intra-abdominal calcifications from meconium peritonitis: sonographic predictors of postnatal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between prenatal ultrasound features and postnatal course of meconium peritonitis. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed our cohort of cases of meconium peritonitis (MP) (n = 13/37, 225 pregnancies or 0.3/1000) as well as those published in the English literature with prenatal ultrasonographic findings and postnatal follow-up (n = 56). The total number of cases (n = 69) was divided into 4 grades of progressive severity based on the number of pertinent sonographic findings: grade 0, isolated intra-abdominal calcifications (n = 18); grade 1, intra-abdominal calcifications and ascites (n = 17) or pseudocyst (n = 2) or bowel dilatation (n = 6); grade 2, two associated findings (n = 20); and grade 3, all sonographic features (n = 6). Presence of polyhydramnios was also recorded. Prenatal predictors of need for neonatal surgery and risk of neonatal death were identified using Chi-square and Fisher exact test, with P < 0.05 considered significant. RESULTS: Neonatal surgical intervention was required in 0% (0/18) of newborns with grade 0 MP; in 52% (13/25) of those with grade 1; in 80% (16/20) with grade 2; and in 100% (6/6) with grade 3 MP (P < 0.001, Chi-square for trend). Moreover, neonatal surgery was more frequent in the presence than absence of polyhydramnios [69% (18/26) vs 37% (16/43); P = 0.007]. Neonatal mortality was 6% (4/69; 3 after surgery and 1 for premature delivery) and it was confined to the subgroup with polyhydramnios (4/26, 15%). CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal sonographic features are related to postnatal outcome. Persistently isolated intra-abdominal calcifications have an excellent outcome. Delivery in a tertiary care center is recommended when calcifications are associated with other sonographic findings.

Congenital bilateral calcinosis cutis of the hands.

Calcinosis cutis is the cutaneous deposition of calcium phosphate. We present the first reported case of symmetrical calcium deposits being present in both hands at birth.