Investigation of EGFR and ALK mutation frequency and treatment results in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Aim: Lung cancer has opened a new era in cancer treatment by elucidating the tumor's molecular structure and identifying the targetable mutations. Identifying the targeted mutations in lung cancer constitutes one of the main steps of treatment planning. The frequency of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor gene) and ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) also varies in populations depending on ethnicity, gender, smoking, and histopathological subtype. In general, limited data are available regarding the frequency and regional distribution of these mutations in the Turkish population. Our study aimed to determine the frequency of EGFR and ALK mutations in patients with advanced-stage NSCLC and compare the clinical characteristics, treatment, and survival results of cases with mutations with the group without mutations. Materials and Methods: In our study, 593 patients with advanced-stage NSCLC diagnosis and mutational analyses were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic characteristics, tumor stages (tumor, node, metastasis, TNM), EGFR and ALK analysis results, treatments applied, and survival of the cases were recorded. EGFR analysis, exon 18, 19, 20, and 21 mutations were studied with real-time PCR (RT-PCR) Rotor-Gene system from patients' samples. For ALK analysis, the ALK Break Apart kit (Zytovision GmbH; Germany) was used with the fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) method. Results: In our study, EGFR mutation was detected in 63 patients (10.6%) and ALK mutation in 19 patients (3.2%) out of 593 patients. EGFR mutation was observed more frequently in women and non-smokers (P = 0.001, P = 0.003). No correlation was found between the presence of EGFR mutation and metastases regions and recurrence (P > 0.05). ALK mutation was observed more frequently in non-smokers and females (P = 0.001, P = 0.003). Patients with ALK mutations were younger than other groups (P = 0.003). There was also no significant relationship between ALK mutation and metastates regions and recurrence after treatment (P > 0.05). Patients with EGFR or ALK mutations had a longer life span than other cases (P = 0.474). Those who had ALK mutations and received targeted therapy had a longer average life expectancy (P < 0.05). No difference was observed in those who had EGFR mutations and received targeted treatment in terms of survival (P > 0.05). Conclusion: In our study, conducted in the Aegean region of Turkey, the positivity rates of EGFR and ALK mutations were found to be at similar rates with the Caucasian race across the world. EGFR mutation was more common in women, non-smokers, and patients with adenocarcinoma histology. ALK mutation was also detected more frequently in younger patients, women, and non-smokers. Patients with EGFR and ALK mutations had a longer life expectancy than those without the mutation. It was observed that testing patients diagnosed with advanced-stage NSCLC for genetic mutations of the tumor in the first step of the treatment and initiating treatment in patients with mutations provided a significant survival advantage.

Targeted next generation sequencing in patients with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY).

Background Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a common form of monogenic diabetes. Fourteen genes have been identified, each leading to cause a different type of MODY. The aims of this study were to reveal both known and novel variants in MODY genes in patients with MODY using targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) and to present the genotype-phenotype correlations. Methods Mutation analysis of MODY genes (GCK, HNF1A, HNF4A, HNF1B, ABCC8, INS and KCNJ11) was performed using targeted NGS in 106 patients with a clinical diagnosis of MODY. The variants were evaluated according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Standards and Guidelines recommendations. Results A total of 18 (17%) variants were revealed among all patients. Seven variants in GCK, six in HNF4A, four in HNF1A and one in ABCC8 genes were found. Eight of them were previously published and 10 of them were assessed as novel pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. Conclusions While the most frequent mutations are found in the HNF1A gene in the literature, most of the variants were found in the GCK gene in our patient group using the NGS method, which allows simultaneous analysis of multiple genes in a single panel.

Hiperglicinemia no cetósica: mutación novedosa en el gen aminometiltransferasa. A propósito de un caso / Nonketotic hyperglycinemia: novel mutation in the aminomethyl transferase gene. Case report

La hiperglicinemia no cetósica es un raro trastorno metabólico autosómico recesivo hereditario causado por una deficiencia en el sistema enzimático de división de la glicina mitocondrial. Se desconoce la incidencia general de la hiperglicinemia no cetósica, aunque es mayor en ciertas poblaciones, como las del norte de Finlandia (1/12 000) y de la Columbia Británica (1/63 000). Se sabe que son tres los genes que causan hiper-glicinemia no cetósica: GLDC, AMT y GCSH. Las mutaciones en el gen AMT son responsables del 20% de los casos de hiperglicinemia no cetósica. En este artículo describimos una mutación novedosa del codón de terminación (c.565C>T, p.Q189*) del gen AMT en un niño de cuatro meses de vida con hiperglicinemia no cetósica.

Nonketotic hyperglycinemia is a rare autosomal recessively inherited metabolic disorder, caused by a deficiency in the mitochondrial glycine cleavage system. The overall incidence of nonketotic hyperglycinemia is unknown, but is higher in certain populations such as north Finland (1/12,000) and British Colombia (1/63,000). Three genes (GLDC, AMT and GCSH) are known to cause nonketotic hyperglycinemia. Mutations in the AMT gene are responsible for 20% of nonketotic hyperglycinemia cases. We describe a novel stop codon mutation (c.565C>T, p.Q189*) in AMT gene in a four-month male infant with nonketotic hyperglycinemia.

Nonketotic hyperglycinemia: novel mutation in the aminomethyl transferase gene. Case report.

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is an exotoxin that is produced by many strains of Staphylococcus aureus, and an important virulence factor. A PVL-positive S. aureus infection leads to rapid and severe infections of soft tissue and necrotizing pneumonia in healthy adolescents, and has a high mortality. This case report included a 12-year-old male patient who admitted for fever, respiratory distress and hip pain and was identified with necrotizing pneumonia with septic pulmonary embolism, psoas abscess, cellulitis and osteomyelitis. The PVL positive methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) was isolated in the patient blood culture.

La hiperglicinemia no cetósica es un raro trastorno metabólico autosómico recesivo hereditario causado por una deficiencia en el sistema enzimático de división de la glicina mitocondrial. Se desconoce la incidencia general de la hiperglicinemia no cetósica, aunque es mayor en ciertas poblaciones, como las del norte de Finlandia (1/12 000) y de la Columbia Británica (1/63 000). Se sabe que son tres los genes que causan hiper-glicinemia no cetósica: GLDC, AMT y GCSH. Las mutaciones en el gen AMT son responsables del 20% de los casos de hiperglicinemia no cetósica. En este artículo describimos una mutación novedosa del codón de terminación (c.565C>T, p.Q189*) del gen AMT en un niño de cuatro meses de vida con hiperglicinemia no cetósica.