Arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction, cholestasis syndrome with a novel mutation in two siblings.

This current case series adds to the spectrum of Arthrogryposis renal dysfunction cholestasis (ARC)-associated variants. Increased awareness and early genetic testing for ARC are suggested in cases with failure to thrive, renal tubular dysfunction, and rickets, even when the degree of cholestasis is mild. Prompt identification and intervention may improve the quality of life.

An immuno-informatics approach for annotation of hypothetical proteins and multi-epitope vaccine designed against the Mpox virus.

A worrying new outbreak of Monkeypox (Mpox) in humans is caused by the Mpox virus (MpoxV). The pathogen has roughly 28 hypothetical proteins of unknown structure, function, and pathogenicity. Using reliable bioinformatics tools, we attempted to analyze the MpoxV genome, identify the role of hypothetical proteins (HPs), and design a potential candidate vaccine. Out of 28, we identified seven hypothetical proteins using multi-server validation with high confidence for the occurrence of conserved domains. Their physical, chemical, and functional characterizations, including molecular weight, theoretical isoelectric point, 3D structures, GRAVY value, subcellular localization, functional motifs, antigenicity, and virulence factors, were performed. We predicted possible cytotoxic T cell (CTL), helper T cell (HTL) and linear and conformational B cell epitopes, which were combined in a 219 amino acid multiepitope vaccine with human ß defensin as a linker. This multi-epitopic vaccine was structurally modelled and docked with toll-like receptor-3 (TLR-3). The dynamical stability of the vaccine-TLR-3 docked complexes exhibited stable interactions based on RMSD and RMSF tests. Additionally, the modelled vaccine was cloned in-silico in an E. coli host to check the appropriate expression of the final vaccine built. Our results might conform to an immunogenic and safe vaccine, which would require further experimental validation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Isolated benign persistent proteinuria with novel association of CUBN (cubilin) variants.

We present two siblings with persistent proteinuria and normal kidney function, each carrying the same compound heterozygous variants in the CUBN gene. The CUBN-related phenotype appears to be dependent upon both variant type and the domain site within the gene. Knowledge of CUBN status may allow for avoidance of invasive testing.

Surgical Outcome of Complex Knee Deformity Correction in a Girl With Ellis-van Creveld Syndrome: A Report of a Rare Case.

Ellis-van Creveld (EVC) syndrome is a rare inherited condition with inheritance, which is autosomal recessive in nature and is also described as skeletal dysplasia (chondroectodermal). The patients present with a grave genu valgum deformity which is a major challenge in orthopedics. The current case report presents a young girl of the juvenile age group who came with deformity over the bilateral lower limb with difficulty in walking and bilateral upper limb polydactyly. The patient underwent relevant investigations and examinations which were suggestive of bilateral genu valgum deformity. Since the deformity was significant, a corrective osteotomy with soft tissue release was planned followed by rehabilitative physiotherapy. Considering the extensive nature of the surgery, a staged procedure was planned. The patient on follow-up presented with a good range of motion and improved gait. Various treatment modalities have been described for the correction of the deformity but few of them are done in patients with EVC syndrome and they state varying results and high incidences of relapse. The present study focuses on corrective osteotomy with soft tissue release as a treatment modality and describes the outcome associated with the modality. Thus, stating that with proper planning and postoperative rehabilitation the patient can achieve a good functional outcome.

Biological network analysis with CentiScaPe: centralities and experimental dataset integration.

The growing dimension and complexity of the available experimental data generating biological networks have increased the need for tools that help in categorizing nodes by their topological relevance. Here we present CentiScaPe, a Cytoscape app specifically designed to calculate centrality indexes used for the identification of the most important nodes in a network. CentiScaPe is a comprehensive suite of algorithms dedicated to network nodes centrality analysis, computing several centralities for undirected, directed and weighted networks. The results of the topological analysis can be integrated with data set from lab experiments, like expression or phosphorylation levels for each protein represented in the network. Our app opens new perspectives in the analysis of biological networks, since the integration of topological analysis with lab experimental data enhance the predictive power of the bioinformatics analysis.