Novel ITGB2 Mutation Is Responsible for a Severe Form of Leucocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type 1.

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD1) is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disorder characterized by recurrent infections, impaired pus formation, delayed wound healing, omphalitis, and delayed separation of the umbilical cord as hallmark features of the disease. It results from mutations in the integrin ß2 subunit gene ITGB2, which encodes the integrin beta chain-2 protein CD18. In this study, we aimed to investigate the case of a five-month-old boy who presented with a clinical phenotype and flow cytometry results suggesting LAD1 disease. Sanger sequencing of all exons and intron boundaries of ITGB2 identified a novel in-frame deletion in exon 7 (ITGB2 c.844_846delAAC, p.Asn282del) in the patient. The p.Asn282del mutation was heterozygous in the child's parents, whereas it was absent in the 96 control individuals from North Africa. This variant was evaluated by two in silico mutation analysis tools, PROVEAN and MutationTaster, which predicted that the mutation was likely to be pathogenic. In addition, molecular modeling with the YASARA View software suggested that this novel mutation may affect the structure of integrin beta-2 and, subsequently, its interaction with integrin alpha-X. In summary, we report a novel pathogenic mutation p.Asn282del associated with LAD1 that expands the mutation diversity of ITGB2 and suggest the combination of flow cytometry and ITGB2 sequencing as a first-line diagnostic approach for LAD disease.

[Weber-Christian's disease: a preleukemic disorder?] / La maladie de Weber-Christian: s'agit-il d'un état pré-leucémique?

Weber christian's disease or idiopathic panniculitis is a rare condition characterized by an inflammation of the subcutaneous adipose tissue; it is a non-specific pathological condition that remains a central issue of debate and whose outcome is unpredictable. We here report the case of a 9-month-old female infant admitted in the hospital with sepsis preceded by respiratory symptoms and followed by the occurrence of small, hard, susceptible, asymmetrical erythematous subcutaneous nodes located in the arms and lower limbs. Cutaneous biopsy showed lobular hypodermitis with polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltrations. The diagnosis of Weber Christian's disease was retained after eliminating other differential diagnoses. The patient was treated with prednisone with good outcome; during the follow-up period and during disease regression the diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was made; this uncommon outcome has never been described in the literature. The aim of this study is to discuss any similar situation where another diagnosis was made in patients initially treated for idiopathic lobular panniculitis. This highlights the need for exhaustive etiological investigations and prolonged monitoring in order to search for a possible associated disorder.

Gaucher's disease: report of 11 cases with review of literature.

Gaucher's disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder due to glucocerebrosidase deficiency; it's one of the rare genetic diseases for which therapy is now available. The purpose of this work is to study the epidemiological features of the disease and to highlight the diagnostic difficulties. We performed an 11-year retrospective study of 11 patients with GD followed-up in the department of paediatric hepatology gastroenterology and nutrition of Rabat children's Hospital. We observed 11 patients with GD: 6 males and 5 females. Age at onset ranged from 3 months to 10 years with an average of 3.41 years. Mean age at diagnosis was 4 years (range 3 months-14 years). Parental consanguinity was noted in 85% cases. According to the clinical presentation, we classified our patients into: 9 cases of type 1 (81%) and two cases of type 2 (19%), none of the patients presented GD type 3. GD type 1: The age at diagnosis ranged from 2 years to 14 year with an average of 6 years. Main symptoms were: splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, pallor, haemorrhagic appearance (40%), bone pain (40%). The diagnosis was based on histology showing the Gaucher's cells in various tissues (100%). Enzymatic activity dosage confirmed the diagnosis of GD for 4 patients (44.5%). The treatment was always symptomatic (analgesics, transfusion). A splenectomy was performed in one case presenting with multiple splenic abscesses and high transfusion requirements. None of the patients received a specific treatment (substitutive enzymotherapy). The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 6 years with an average follow-up of 4 years. We noticed stability in 4 cases, 2 worsening cases with bone and spleen complications. Three patients were lost to follow-up. GD type 2: we observed two cases of GD type 2 diagnosed at 3 and 18 months. The visceral symptoms were serious and the neurological features included seizures, hypertony, squint, physical developmental milestones delay. Both of them died. Gaucher's disease is not exceptional in Morocco. Type 1 is the most common type. We noted through this study some diagnostic difficulties as the diagnosis was delayed and the enzymatic dosage was performed in only 42% of the cases as well as therapeutic difficulty with no prescription of the specific treatment given the high cost of the enzyme.

Malignant infantile osteopetrosis: case report with review of literature.

Malignant Infantile Osteopetrosis (MIOP) is a rare genetic disorder due to osteoclast abnormal activity. We report a thirteen month-old male patient, diagnosed as MIOP while investigating the cause of hepatosplenomegaly associated with hydrocephalus. His medical history revealed non consanguineous parents and one brother's death at the same age of unknown etiology (similar symptoms). Systemic examination showed hepatosplenomegaly, growth failure, developmental milestones delay, and rickets features. Ophthalmic exam yielded bilateral optic atrophy. Skeleton radiographs detected generalized dense bone and rickets. Cerebral CT scan revealed hydrocephalus. Histological examination showed hypoplastic bone marrow and extra-medullary hematopoeisis. Diagnosis was confirmed by genetic testing that showed two heterozygote mutations within the TCIRG1 gene. The patient received supportive treatment. He died from an acute respiratory distress. MIOP should be kept in mind as a rare cause of hepatosplenomegaly. Early diagnosis and timely Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are the only curative approach for an otherwise fatal disease.