Validation of a predictive model for obstructive sleep apnea in people with Down syndrome.

Detecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is important to both prevent significant comorbidities in people with Down syndrome (DS) and untangle contributions to other behavioral and mental health diagnoses. However, laboratory-based polysomnograms are often poorly tolerated, unavailable, or not covered by health insurance for this population. In previous work, our team developed a prediction model that seemed to hold promise in identifying which people with DS might not have significant apnea and, consequently, might be able to forgo a diagnostic polysomnogram. In this study, we sought to validate these findings in a novel set of participants with DS. We recruited an additional 64 participants with DS, ages 3-35 years. Caregivers completed the same validated questionnaires, and our study team collected vital signs, physical exam findings, and medical histories that were previously shown to be predictive. Patients then had a laboratory-based polysomnogram. The best modeling had a validated negative predictive value of 50% for an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) > 1/hTST and 73.7% for AHI >5/hTST. The positive predictive values were 60% and 39.1%, respectively. As such, a clinically reliable screening tool for OSA in people with DS was not achieved. Patients with DS should continue to be monitored for OSA according to current healthcare guidelines.

DDOST-CDG: Clinical and molecular characterization of a third patient with a milder and a predominantly movement disorder phenotype.

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a group of heterogeneous inherited metabolic disorders affecting posttranslational protein modification. DDOST-CDG, caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in DDOST which encodes dolichyl-diphospho-oligosaccharide-protein glycosyltransferase, a subunit of N-glycosylation oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complex, is an ultra-rare condition that has been described in two patients only. The main clinical features in the two reported patients include profound developmental delay, failure to thrive, and hypotonia. In addition, both patients had abnormal transferrin glycosylation. Here, we report an 18-year-old male who presented with moderate developmental delay, progressive opsoclonus, myoclonus, ataxia, tremor, and dystonia. Biochemical studies by carbohydrate deficient transferrin analysis showed a type I CDG pattern. Exome sequencing identified compound heterozygous variants in DDOST: a maternally inherited variant, c.1142dupT (p.Leu381Phefs*11), and a paternally inherited variant, c.661 T > C (p.Ser221Pro). Plasma N-glycan profiling showed mildly increased small high mannose glycans including Man0-5 GlcNAc2, a pattern consistent with what was previously reported in DDOST-CDG or defects in other subunits of OST complex. Western blot analysis on patient's fibroblasts revealed decreased expression of DDOST and reduced intracellular N-glycosylation, as evident by the biomarkers ICAM-1 and LAMP2. Our study highlights the clinical variability, expands the clinical and biochemical phenotypes, and describes new genotype, which all are essential for diagnosing and managing patients with DDOST-CDG.

A randomized controlled trial of an online health tool about Down syndrome.

PURPOSE: We sought to determine if a novel online health tool, called Down Syndrome Clinic to You (DSC2U), could improve adherence to national Down syndrome (DS) guidelines. We also sought to determine if primary care providers (PCPs) and caregivers are satisfied with this personalized online health tool. METHODS: In a national, randomized controlled trial of 230 caregivers who had children or dependents with DS without access to a DS specialist, 117 were randomized to receive DSC2U and 113 to receive usual care. The primary outcome was adherence to five health evaluations indicated by national guidelines for DS. DSC2U is completed electronically, in all mobile settings, by caregivers at home. The outputs-personalized checklists-are used during annual wellness visits with the patient's PCP. RESULTS: A total of 213 participants completed a 7-month follow-up evaluation. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the intervention group had a 1.6-fold increase in the number of indicated evaluations that were recommended by the primary care provider or completed compared with controls. Both caregivers and PCPs reported high levels of satisfaction with DSC2U. CONCLUSIONS: DSC2U improved adherence to the national DS health-care guidelines with a novel modality that was highly valued by both caregivers and PCPs.

Biochemical evaluation of intracerebroventricular rhNAGLU-IGF2 enzyme replacement therapy in neonatal mice with Sanfilippo B syndrome.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB, Sanfilippo syndrome type B) is caused by a deficiency in α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU) activity, which leads to the accumulation of heparan sulfate (HS). MPS IIIB causes progressive neurological decline, with affected patients having an expected lifespan of approximately 20 years. No effective treatment is available. Recent pre-clinical studies have shown that intracerebroventricular (ICV) ERT with a fusion protein of rhNAGLU-IGF2 is a feasible treatment for MPS IIIB in both canine and mouse models. In this study, we evaluated the biochemical efficacy of a single dose of rhNAGLU-IGF2 via ICV-ERT in brain and liver tissue from Naglu-/- neonatal mice. Twelve weeks after treatment, NAGLU activity levels in brain were 0.75-fold those of controls. HS and ß-hexosaminidase activity, which are elevated in MPS IIIB, decreased to normal levels. This effect persisted for at least 4 weeks after treatment. Elevated NAGLU and reduced ß-hexosaminidase activity levels were detected in liver; these effects persisted for up to 4 weeks after treatment. The overall therapeutic effects of single dose ICV-ERT with rhNAGLU-IGF2 in Naglu-/- neonatal mice were long-lasting. These results suggest a potential benefit of early treatment, followed by less-frequent ICV-ERT dosing, in patients diagnosed with MPS IIIB.

Heterozygous HMGB1 loss-of-function variants are associated with developmental delay and microcephaly.

13q12.3 microdeletion syndrome is a rare cause of syndromic intellectual disability. Identification and genetic characterization of patients with 13q12.3 microdeletion syndrome continues to expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with it. Previous studies identified four genes within the approximately 300 Kb minimal critical region including two candidate protein coding genes: KATNAL1 and HMGB1. To date, no patients carrying a sequence-level variant or a single gene deletion in HMGB1 or KATNAL1 have been described. Here we report six patients with loss-of-function variants involving HMGB1 and who had phenotypic features similar to the previously described 13q12.3 microdeletion syndrome cases. Common features included developmental delay, language delay, microcephaly, obesity and dysmorphic features. In silico analyses suggest that HMGB1 is likely to be intolerant to loss-of-function, and previous in vitro data are in line with the role of HMGB1 in neurodevelopment. These results strongly suggest that haploinsufficiency of the HMGB1 gene may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of the 13q12.3 microdeletion syndrome.

The facial morphology in Down syndrome: A 3D comparison of patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs at a high prevalence in patients with Down syndrome (DS). A polysomnogram, which is often cumbersome and challenging, remains the gold standard method of diagnosing OSA. OSA in patients with DS is often attributed to skeletal and soft-tissue structural alterations that are characteristic of the DS phenotype; as such, we hypothesized that assessing anthropometric facial measurements may be predictive of OSA in patients with DS. We used the 3dMDface sterophotography system to capture and create 3D facial images, and we subsequently identified facial landmarks using a single, experienced investigator and utilizing proprietary software to calculate inter-landmark distances and angles. We compared our findings with similar data for neurotypically developing participants. We further compared the findings in participants with DS with and without OSA. Participants with DS had maxillomandibular hypoplasia with smaller ear, nose, and eye measurements compared to neurotypically developing peers. We found no statistically significant differences in 3D photogrammetric measurements between participants with DS with or without OSA.

Thyroid dysfunction in patients with Down syndrome: Results from a multi-institutional registry study.

The goals of this undertaking were to assess the outcomes of thyroid screening tests and adherence to thyroid screening guidelines across five Down syndrome (DS) specialty clinics in various states. Data related to thyroid screening were collected for 663 individuals across five clinics specializing in the comprehensive care of individuals with DS for a period of 1 year. Of the 663 participants, 47.7% of participants had a TSH and free T4 ordered at their DS specialty clinic visit. Approximately 19.0% (60/316) had a new thyroid disorder diagnosis made. We conclude that a sizable proportion of the patients with DS are not up-to-date on current guidelines when they present to a DS specialty clinic, while adherence to thyroid screening guidelines helps facilitate early diagnoses. Hypothyroidism is prevalent in the population, consistent with reported literature. DS specialty clinics can help patients stay current on screening guidelines.

Detecting celiac disease in patients with Down syndrome.

The main purposes of this undertaking were to determine how often patients with Down syndrome (DS) are screened for celiac disease (CD) across five DS specialty clinics, which symptoms of CD are most often reported to DS specialty providers at these clinics, and, how many individuals were diagnosed with CD by these clinics. This was accomplished by following 663 individuals with DS for 1 year, across five clinics in different states specializing in the comprehensive care of people with DS. Of the 663 participants, 114 individuals were screened for CD at their visit to a DS specialty clinic. Protracted constipation (43.2%) and refractory behavioral problems (23.7%) were symptoms most often reported to DS specialty providers. During the 1 year study period, 13 patients screened positive for CD by serology. Of those, eight underwent duodenal biopsy, and three were diagnosed with CD. We conclude that CD is an important consideration in the comprehensive care of individuals with DS. However, while symptoms are common, diagnoses are infrequent in DS specialty clinics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exploring the effect of epigenetic modifiers on developing insulin-secreting cells.

Diabetes is a worldwide health problem with increasing incidence. The current management modalities did not succeed to decrease comorbidities. This study aimed at enhancing the regenerative solution for diabetes by improving the differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) into glucose-sensitive, insulin-secreting cells through an epigenetic modification approach. A 3-day treatment protocol with the epigenetic modifiers, either decitabine (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine; Aza); a DNA methylation inhibitor or Vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid; SAHA); a histone deacetylase inhibitor was added to two different human stem cell lines. The cells followed a multi-step differentiation protocol that provided the critical triggers in a temporal approach. Aza-pretreated group showed higher intracellular expression of insulin and the transcription factor 'PDX-1'. The cells responded to the high glucose challenge by secreting insulin in the media, as shown by ELISA. Gene expression showed induction of the genes for insulin, the glucose transporter 2, glucokinase, as well as the transcription factors MafA and NKX6.1. Although SAHA showed upregulation of insulin secretion, in comparison to control, the cells could not respond to the high glucose challenge. Interestingly, Aza-treated cells showed a significant decrease in the global DNA methylation level at the end of the culture. In conclusion, this additional step with Aza could enhance the response of MSC to the classical differentiation protocol for insulin-secreting cells and may help in establishing a regenerative solution for patients with diabetes.

Effects of mitochondrial disease/dysfunction on pregnancy: A retrospective study.

A retrospective survey assessed the gynecologic, obstetric and fertility history of 103 women with mitochondrial disease (MD)/dysfunction (Md) aged 16 to 75 who had previously been pregnant. Most participants (34%) had a mitochondrial myopathy and there were 248 combined pregnancies with live deliveries (average 3.6 pregnancies/woman). In general, pregnancy in those with MD/Md appears to exacerbate some constitutional and neurological symptoms and may be more frequently associated with common obstetric complications, but this did not appear to result in worse pregnancy outcomes. Most women carried their pregnancy to term, but their neonates tended to have more congenital anomalies than expected.

Urinary biomarkers and obstructive sleep apnea in patients with Down syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to compare urinary biomarkers in patients with Down syndrome (DS) with and without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to those of age- and sex-matched neurotypically developing healthy controls (HC). We further investigated whether we could predict OSA in patients with DS using these biomarkers. METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 58 patients with DS the night before or the morning after their scheduled overnight polysomnogram or both, of whom 47 could be age- and sex-matched to a sample of 43 HC. Concentrations of 12 neurotransmitters were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Log-transformed creatinine-corrected assay levels were normalized. Normalized z-scores were compared between patients with DS vs. HC, between patients with DS with vs. without OSA, and to derive composite models to predict OSA. RESULTS: Most night-sampled urinary biomarkers were elevated among patients with DS relative to matched HC. No urinary biomarker levels differed between patients with DS with vs. without OSA. A combination of four urinary biomarkers predicted AHI > 1 with a positive predictive value of 90% and a negative predictive value of 68%. CONCLUSIONS: Having DS, even in the absence of concurrent OSA, is associated with a different urinary biomarker profile when compared to that of HC. Therefore, while urinary biomarkers may be predictive of OSA in the general pediatric population, a different approach is needed in interpreting urinary biomarker assays in patients with DS. Certain biomarkers also seem promising to be predictive of OSA in patients with DS. No clinical trial was indicated in the undertaking of this work.