A single center experience with publicly funded clinical exome sequencing for neurodevelopmental disorders or multiple congenital anomalies.

Exome sequencing (ES) is an important diagnostic tool for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). However, the cost of ES limits the test's accessibility for many patients. We evaluated the yield of publicly funded clinical ES, performed at a tertiary center in Israel, over a 3-year period (2018-2020). Probands presented with (1) moderate-to-profound global developmental delay (GDD)/intellectual disability (ID); or (2) mild GDD/ID with epilepsy or congenital anomaly; and/or (3) MCA. Subjects with normal chromosomal microarray analysis who met inclusion criteria were included, totaling 280 consecutive cases. Trio ES (proband and parents) was the default option. In 252 cases (90.0%), indication of NDD was noted. Most probands were males (62.9%), and their mean age at ES submission was 9.3 years (range 1 month to 51 years). Molecular diagnosis was reached in 109 probands (38.9%), mainly due to de novo variants (91/109, 83.5%). Disease-causing variants were identified in 92 genes, 15 of which were implicated in more than a single case. Male sex, families with multiple-affected members and premature birth were significantly associated with lower ES yield (p < 0.05). Other factors, including MCA and coexistence of epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, microcephaly or abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging findings, were not associated with the yield. To conclude, our findings support the utility of clinical ES in a real-world setting, as part of a publicly funded genetic workup for individuals with GDD/ID and/or MCA.

Leukocyte adhesion deficiency type II: long-term follow-up and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) is a group of rare inherited disorders characterized by immune deficiency and peripheral neutrophilia. There are only seven reported cases of LAD type II worldwide, and no long-term follow-up data. CASE REPORT: We reviewed the medical file of a 20-year-old man with LAD II. Clinical characteristics included short stature, severe mental retardation, and autistic features. He had had no severe infections since infancy, and his current immunological status was stable. The last laboratory work-up revealed mild leukocytosis and neutrophilia. Genetic analysis of the Golgi GDP-fucose transporter (GFTP) sequence yielded a point mutation resulting in Y337C amino acid transition in the tenth transmembrane domain. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, in LAD II, the main clinical countenance shifts from frequent infections due to immunodeficiency in the early years to the metabolic consequences of the defect in fucose metabolism, i.e., retarded growth and mental retardation, in the later years. A novel mutation in the GFTP loci associated with LAD II is described.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome-Hypermobility Type: A Much Neglected Multisystemic Disorder.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)-hypermobility type (HT) is considered to be the most common subtype of EDS and the least severe one; EDS-HT is considered to be identical to the joint hypermobility syndrome and manifests with musculoskeletal complaints, joint instability, and soft tissue overuse injury. Musculoskeletal complaints manifest with joint pain of non-inflammatory origin and/or spinal pain. Joint instability leads to dislocation or subluxation and involves peripheral joints as well as central joints, including the temporomandibular joints, sacroiliac joints, and hip joints. Soft tissue overuse injury may lead to tendonitis and bursitis without joint inflammation in most cases. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome-HT carries a high potential for disability due to recurrent dislocations and subluxations and chronic pain. Throughout the years, extra-articular manifestations have been described, including cardiovascular, autonomic nervous system, gastrointestinal, hematologic, ocular, gynecologic, neurologic, and psychiatric manifestations, emphasizing the multisystemic nature of EDS-HT. Unfortunately, EDS-HT is under-recognized and inadequately managed, leading to neglect of these patients, which may lead to severe disability that almost certainly could have been avoided. In this review article we will describe the known manifestations of the extra-articular systems.

Dysautonomia in the joint hypermobility syndrome.

PURPOSE: Extraarticular manifestations of the joint hypermobility syndrome may include the peripheral nervous system. The purpose of this study was to investigate autonomic function in patients with this syndrome. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with the joint hypermobility syndrome who fulfilled the 1998 Brighton criteria and 30 healthy control subjects answered a clinical questionnaire designed to evaluate the frequency of complaints related to the autonomic nervous system. Next, 27 patients and 21 controls underwent autonomic evaluation: orthostatic testing, cardiovascular vagal and sympathetic functions, catecholamine levels, and adrenoreceptor responsiveness. RESULTS: Symptoms related to the autonomic nervous system, such as syncope and presyncope, palpitations, chest discomfort, fatigue, and heat intolerance, were significantly more common among patients. Orthostatic hypotension, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and uncategorized orthostatic intolerance were found in 78% (21/27) of patients compared with in 10% (2/21) of controls. Patients with the syndrome had a greater mean (+/- SD) drop in systolic blood pressure during hyperventilation than did controls (-11 +/- 7 mm Hg vs. -5 +/- 5 mm Hg, P = 0.02) and a greater increase in systolic blood pressure after a cold pressor test (19 +/- 10 mm Hg vs. 11 +/- 13 mm Hg, P = 0.06). Patients with the syndrome also had evidence of alpha-adrenergic (as assessed by administration of phenylephrine) and beta-adrenergic hyperresponsiveness (as assessed by administration of isoproterenol). CONCLUSION: The autonomic nervous system-related symptoms of the patients have a pathophysiological basis, which suggests that dysautonomia is an extraarticular manifestation in the joint hypermobility syndrome.