Should patients with Phosphomannomutase 2-CDG (PMM2-CDG) be screened for adrenal insufficiency?

PMM2-CDG is the most common congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) accounting for almost 65% of known CDG cases affecting N-glycosylation. Abnormalities in N-glycosylation could have a negative impact on many endocrine axes. There is very little known on the effect of impaired N-glycosylation on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function and whether CDG patients are at risk of secondary adrenal insufficiency and decreased adrenal cortisol production. Cortisol and ACTH concentrations were simultaneously measured between 7:44 am to 1 pm in forty-three subjects (20 female, median age 12.8 years, range 0.1 to 48.6 years) participating in an ongoing international, multi-center Natural History study for PMM2-CDG (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03173300). Of the 43 subjects, 11 (25.6%) had cortisol below 5 µg/dl and low to normal ACTH levels, suggestive of secondary adrenal insufficiency. Two of the 11 subjects have confirmed central adrenal insufficiency and are on hydrocortisone replacement and/or stress dosing during illness; 3 had normal and 1 had subnormal cortisol response to ACTH low-dose stimulation test but has not yet been started on therapy; the remaining 5 have upcoming stimulation testing planned. Our findings suggest that patients with PMM2-CDG may be at risk for adrenal insufficiency. Monitoring of morning cortisol and ACTH levels should be part of the standard care in patients with PMM2-CDG.

Dual inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and endothelin-1 in treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a pivotal role in treatment of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). However, reversal of the course of CKD or at least long-term stabilization of renal function are often difficult to achieve, and many patients still progress to end-stage renal disease. New treatments are needed to enhance protective actions of RAAS inhibitors (RAASis), such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and improve prognosis in CKD patients. Inhibition of endothelin (ET) system in combination with established RAASis may represent such an approach. There are complex interactions between both systems and similarities in their renal physiological and pathophysiological actions that provide theoretical rationale for combined inhibition. This view is supported by some experimental studies in models of both diabetic and nondiabetic CKD showing that a combination of RAASis with ET receptor antagonists (ERAs) ameliorate proteinuria, renal structural changes, and molecular markers of glomerulosclerosis, renal fibrosis, or inflammation more effectively than RAASis or ERAs alone. Practically all clinical studies exploring the effects of RAASis and ERAs combination in nephroprotection have thus far applied add-on designs, in which an ERA is added to baseline treatment with ACEIs or ARBs. These studies, conducted mostly in patients with diabetic nephropathy, have shown that ERAs effectively reduce residual proteinuria in patients with baseline RAASis treatment. Long-term studies are currently being conducted to determine whether promising antiproteinuric effects of the dual blockade will be translated in long-term nephroprotection with acceptable safety profile.

Recombinant Enzyme Replacement Therapy in Hypophosphatasia.

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare monogenetic and multisystemic disease with involvement of different organs, including bone, muscle, kidney, lung, gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. The exact metabolic mechanisms of the effects of TNAP deficiency in different tissues are not understood in detail. There is no approved specific treatment for HPP; therefore symptomatic treatment in order to improve the clinical features is of major interest. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is a relatively new type of treatment based on the principle of administering a medical treatment replacing a defective or absent enzyme. Recently ERT with a bone targeted recombinant human TNAP molecule has been reported to be efficient in ten severely affected patients and improved survival of life threatening forms. These results are very promising especially with regard to the skeletal phenotype but it is unclear whether ERT also has beneficial effects for craniosynostosis and in other affected tissues in HPP such as brain and kidney. Long-term data are not yet available and further systematic clinical trials are needed. It is also necessary to establish therapeutic approaches to help patients who are affected by less severe forms of HPP but also suffer from a significant reduction in quality of life. Further basic research on TNAP function and role in different tissues and on its physiological substrates is critical to gain a better insight in the pathogenesis in HPP. This and further experiences in new therapeutic strategies may improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients with all forms of HPP.

Risedronate in children with osteogenesis imperfecta: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Children with osteogenesis imperfecta are often treated with intravenous bisphosphonates. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of risedronate, an orally administered third-generation bisphosphonate, in children with the disease. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, children aged 4-15 years with osteogenesis imperfecta and increased fracture risk were randomly assigned by telephone randomisation system in a 2:1 ratio to receive either daily risedronate (2·5 or 5 mg) or placebo for 1 year. Study treatment was masked from patients, investigators, and study centre personnel. Thereafter, all children received risedronate for 2 additional years in an open-label extension. The primary efficacy endpoint was percentage change in lumbar spine areal bone mineral density (BMD) at 1 year. The primary efficacy analysis was done by ANCOVA, with treatment, age group, and pooled centre as fixed effects, and baseline as covariate. Analyses were based on the intention-to-treat population, which included all patients who were randomly assigned and took at least one dose of assigned study treatment. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00106028. FINDINGS: Of 147 patients, 97 were randomly assigned to the risedronate group and 50 to the placebo group. Three patients from the risedronate group and one from the placebo group did not receive study treatment, leaving 94 and 49 in the intention-to-treat population, respectively. The mean increase in lumbar spine areal BMD after 1 year was 16·3% in the risedronate group and 7·6% in the placebo group (difference 8·7%, 95% CI 5·7-11·7; p<0·0001). After 1 year, clinical fractures had occurred in 29 (31%) of 94 patients in the risedronate group and 24 (49%) of 49 patients in the placebo group (p=0·0446). During years 2 and 3 (open-label phase), clinical fractures were reported in 46 (53%) of 87 patients in the group that had received risedronate since the start of the study, and 32 (65%) of 49 patients in the group that had been given placebo during the first year. Adverse event profiles were otherwise similar between the two groups, including frequencies of reported upper-gastrointestinal and selected musculoskeletal adverse events. INTERPRETATION: Oral risedronate increased areal BMD and reduced the risk of first and recurrent clinical fractures in children with osteogenesis imperfecta, and the drug was generally well tolerated. Risedronate should be regarded as a treatment option for children with osteogenesis imperfecta. FUNDING: Alliance for Better Bone Health (Warner Chilcott and Sanofi).

Open-label extension study following the Late-Onset Treatment Study (LOTS) of alglucosidase alfa.

OBJECTIVE: Late-onset Pompe disease is a progressive, debilitating, and often fatal neuromuscular disorder resulting from the deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid α-glucosidase. This extension study was conducted to determine the durability of the efficacy and safety of alglucosidase alfa observed over a period of 78 weeks in the Late-Onset Treatment Study (LOTS). METHODS: Patients who completed the LOTS study were eligible for this open-label extension study and received alglucosidase alfa 20mg/kg biweekly for an additional 26 weeks. The primary efficacy assessments were the distance walked during a 6-minute walk test and the percentage of predicted forced vital capacity in the upright position. Data are reported as change from patient's original LOTS baseline for each measure. RESULTS: The benefit of alglucosidase alfa treatment observed in LOTS at Week 78 was, in general, maintained at Week 104. The mean increase in distance walked measured 28.2 ± 66.5m from LOTS baseline to Week 78 and 21.3 ± 78.0m from LOTS baseline to Week 104. The mean change from baseline in percentage of predicted forced vital capacity was 1.3% ± 5.7% from LOTS baseline to Week 78 and 0.8% ± 6.7% from LOTS baseline to Week 104. Treatment-related adverse events were mainly infusion-associated reactions observed in 35% of patients. No deaths or anaphylactic reactions were observed during the extension study. CONCLUSIONS: The LOTS Extension study showed that patients treated with alglucosidase alfa for up to 104 weeks maintained the improved walking distance and stabilization in pulmonary function observed in the first 78 weeks of alglucosidase alfa therapy.

Coalescing expansile skeletal disease: Delineation of an extraordinary osteopathy involving the IFITM5 mutation of osteogenesis imperfecta type V.

In 2003, we briefly reported the remarkable osteopathy of a 12-year-old boy who at age two months began fracturing his limbs with subsequent hyperplastic callus formation and expansion and fusion of appendicular bones. By age ten years he had coalesced his lumbosacral spine, pelvis, femurs, and leg and foot bones as a single structure. Computed tomography of expanded bone revealed a thin cortical shell, diminished irregular trabeculae, and cystic areas. Histopathology featured foci of woven bone, densely packed osteocytes, cartilage, fibrovascular tissue, and massive fat deposition in the marrow space lacking hematogenous precursor cells. Bone turnover markers indicated accelerated remodeling and the few radiographically assessable appendicular bones improved during brief adherence to alendronate therapy. Following puberty, serum multiplex biomarker profiling confirmed accelerated bone turnover. At age 23 years, macrospecimens from leg amputation revealed ossification along capsular tissue together with hyaline cartilage degeneration. Concurrently, the life-long course of this same disorder was delineated in an unrelated woman until her death at age 51 years. Both patients demonstrated the radiographic hallmarks and harbored the heterozygous point mutation (c.-14C>T) in the 5'-UTR of IFITM5 associated with osteogenesis imperfecta type V (OI-V). Herein, we detail the clinical, radiological, histopathological, biochemical, and molecular findings and discuss the etiology and pathogenesis of this extraordinary osteopathy that we call coalescing expansile skeletal disease.

Fracture prediction and the definition of osteoporosis in children and adolescents: the ISCD 2007 Pediatric Official Positions.

Osteoporosis in adults has been defined on the basis of densitometric criteria, but at present the term osteoporosis does not have a widely recognized definition in pediatrics. Consequently, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) 2007 Position Development Conference reviewed the literature describing the relationship between bone densitometric studies and fractures in apparently healthy children and adolescents, and prepared Official Positions regarding the definition of osteoporosis in children and adolescents. The ISCD Official Positions with respect to the above issues, as well as the rationale and evidence used to derive these positions, are presented here.

Special report on the 2007 Pediatric Position Development Conference of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry.

The International Society for Clinical Densitometry periodically holds Position Development Conferences (PDCs) for the purpose of establishing standards and guidelines for the assessment of skeletal health, including nomenclature, indications, acquisition, analysis, quality control, interpretation, and reporting of bone density tests. Topics are selected for consideration according to criteria that include clinical relevancy, uncertainty in the application of medical evidence to clinical practice, and the likelihood of the expert panel to reach a consensus agreement. The first Pediatric PDC was June 20 to 21, 2007 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Topics included fracture prediction and definition of osteoporosis in children; dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessment in children with chronic disease that may affect the skeleton; DXA interpretation and reporting in children and adolescents; and the use of peripheral quantitative computed tomography in children and adolescents. This report describes the methodology and presents the results of this recent PDC.

The effects of intravenous pamidronate on the bone tissue of children and adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Cyclical pamidronate infusions increase bone mass in children suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta. The histological basis for these effects remains unknown. Therefore, we compared parameters of iliac bone histomorphometry from 45 patients before and after 2.4 +/- 0.6 years of pamidronate treatment (age at the time of the first biopsy, 1.4-17.5 years; 23 girls). Although biopsy size did not change significantly (P = 0.30), cortical width increased by 88%. Cancellous bone volume increased by 46%. This was due to a higher trabecular number, whereas trabecular thickness remained stable. Bone surface-based indicators of cancellous bone remodeling decreased by 26-75%. There was no evidence for a mineralization defect in any of the patients. These results suggest that, in the growing skeleton, pamidronate has a twofold effect. In remodeling, bone resorption and formation are coupled and consequently both processes are inhibited. However, osteoclasts and osteoblasts are active on different surfaces (and are thus uncoupled) during modeling of cortical bone. Therefore resorption is selectively targeted, and continuing bone formation can increase cortical width.

Open-Label Fosmetpantotenate, a Phosphopantothenate Replacement Therapy in a Single Patient with Atypical PKAN.

Objective. Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is an autosomal recessive disorder with variable onset, rate of progression, and phenotypic expression. Later-onset, more slowly progressive PKAN often presents with neuropsychiatric as well as motor manifestations that include speech difficulties, progressive dystonia, rigidity, and parkinsonism. PKAN is caused by biallelic PANK2 mutations, a gene that encodes pantothenate kinase 2, a regulatory enzyme in coenzyme A biosynthesis. Current therapeutic strategies rely on symptomatic relief. We describe the treatment of the first, later-onset PKAN patient with oral fosmetpantotenate (previously known as RE-024), a novel replacement therapy developed to bypass the enzymatic defect. Methods. This was an open-label, uncontrolled, 12-month treatment with fosmetpantotenate of a single patient with a later-onset, moderately severe, and slowly progressive form of PKAN. Results. The patient showed improvement in all clinical parameters including the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale, the EuroQol five-dimensional three-level (EQ-5D-3L) scale, timed 25-foot walk test, and electroglottographic speech analysis. Fosmetpantotenate was well-tolerated with only transient liver enzyme elevation which normalized after dose reduction and did not recur after subsequent dose increases. Conclusions. Fosmetpantotenate showed promising results in a single PKAN patient and should be further studied in controlled trials.

Bone mass, size, and density in children and adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta: effect of intravenous pamidronate therapy.

Cyclical intravenous therapy with pamidronate improves the clinical course in children and adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). In this study, we evaluated the effect of this therapy on lumbar spine bone mass (bone mineral content [BMC]), size (bone volume [BV]), and density (volumetric bone mineral density [vBMD]). Results from 56 patients (age, 0.2-15.9 years; 25 girls) on long-term pamidronate treatment were compared with those of 167 patients who had not received pamidronate before densitometry. In all patients who received pamidronate, BMC, BV, and vBMD increased above levels expected for untreated patients (p < 0.001 in each case). After 4 years of treatment, BMC, BV, and vBMD were 154%, 44%, and 65% higher, respectively, in treated than in untreated patients who were matched for age and OI type. A multiple regression model showed that baseline BMC was negatively associated with the increase in BMC. In conclusion, the bone mass increase in pediatric OI patients receiving pamidronate is caused by increases in both bone size and density. Patients with larger deficits in bone mass at baseline have a more marked bone mass gain during therapy.

Bone mineralization in polyostotic fibrous dysplasia: histomorphometric analysis.

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) of bone can be complicated by renal phosphate wasting. The effect of hypophosphatemia on normal and dysplastic bone of FD patients has not been well characterized. In this study, we compared serum phosphorus (sPi) levels to histomorphometric findings in 27 iliac bone samples from 23 children and adolescents (aged 4.2-16.4 years) with polyostotic FD. The samples were separated into two groups, based on the presence (n = 10) or absence (n = 17) of a dysplastic lesion within the specimen. Histomorphometric results were compared with those from 18 age-matched control subjects without metabolic bone disease. In dysplastic lesions, trabeculae were clearly thinner and increased in number. Osteoid indices, osteoblast surface per bone surface, and mineralization lag time were elevated in dysplastic areas, but there was no detectable effect of sPi concentrations on these indices. In nondysplastic bone tissue, low sPi levels were associated with mildly increased osteoid thickness and prolonged mineralization lag time. None of the 13 patients in whom hand X-rays were available at the time of biopsy had radiological signs of rickets. In conclusion, low sPi can cause a mild systemic mineralization defect in FD, but the more severe mineralization defect seen in dysplastic lesions is independent of sPi levels. It is debatable whether the mild systemic mineralization defect warrants treatment with oral phosphorus supplementation if signs of rickets are absent.

Osteogenesis imperfecta types I, III, and IV: effect of pamidronate therapy on bone and mineral metabolism.

Cyclical iv therapy with pamidronate improves the clinical course in children and adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). In this study we evaluated the effect of this therapy on bone and mineral metabolism in 165 patients with OI types I, III, and IV (age, 2 wk to 17.9 yr; 86 girls and 79 boys). All patients received iv pamidronate infusions on 3 successive days, administered at age-dependent intervals of 2-4 months. During the 3 d of the first infusion cycle, serum concentrations of ionized calcium dropped by 0.14 +/- 0.008 mmol (mean +/- SE; P < 0.001), and serum PTH levels transiently almost doubled (P < 0.001). At the same time, urinary excretion of the bone resorption marker type I collagen N-telopeptide related to creatinine (uNTX/uCr) decreased by 61-73% (P < 0.001). Two to 4 months later, ionized calcium had returned to pretreatment levels, and uNTX/uCr remained 30-35% lower than at baseline (P < 0.001). During 4 yr of pamidronate therapy (n = 40 patients), ionized calcium levels remained stable, but PTH levels increased by about 30% (P < 0.01). uNTX/uCr, expressed as a percentage of the age- and sex-specific mean value in healthy children, decreased from 132 +/- 13% (mean +/- SE) at baseline to 49 +/- 3% after 4 yr of therapy (P < 0.001). In conclusion, serum calcium levels can decrease considerably during and after pamidronate infusions, requiring close monitoring especially at the first infusion cycle. In long-term therapy, bone turnover is suppressed to levels lower than those in healthy children. The consequences of chronically low bone turnover in children with OI are unknown at present.

Effect of pamidronate treatment in children with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone.

Intravenous infusions with the bisphosphonate compound pamidronate decrease bone pain and reportedly can lead to refilling of dysplastic lesions in adults with fibrous dysplasia (FD) of bone. Here we describe the effects of this treatment approach in 18 children and adolescents (age at start of therapy, 6.2-17.5 yr; eight girls) with polyostotic FD, who received pamidronate for 1.2-9.1 yr (median, 3.8 yr). Treatment cycles with pamidronate (1-1.5 mg/kg.d on 3 consecutive days) were given every 4 months. Levels of serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary collagen type I N-telopeptide were elevated at baseline and decreased continuously during the first 3 yr of therapy. There was no radiographic evidence of filling of lytic lesions or thickening of the bone cortex surrounding the lesions in any patient. Histomorphometric results in dysplastic bone tissue of patients receiving pamidronate (n = 7; time of therapy, 1.4-4.8 yr) were similar to those of patients without medical therapy (n = 9). No serious side effects were noted. In conclusion, pamidronate therapy appears to be safe in children and adolescents with polyostotic FD. However, we found no clear evidence that pamidronate has an effect on dysplastic lesions in such patients.

Syndromes with congenital brittle bones.

BACKGROUND: There is no clear definition of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The most widely used classification of OI divides the disease in four types, although it has been suggested that there may be at least 12 forms of OI. These forms have been named with numbers, eponyms or descriptive names. Some of these syndromes can actually be considered congenital forms of brittle bones resembling OI (SROI). DISCUSSION: A review of different syndromes with congenital brittle bones published in the literature is presented. Syndromes are classified in "OI" (those secondary to mutations in the type I pro-collagen genes), and "syndromes resembling OI" (those secondary to mutations other that the type I pro-collagen genes, identified or not). A definition for OI is proposed as a syndrome of congenital brittle bones secondary to mutations in the genes codifying for pro-collagen genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2). SUMMARY: A debate about the definition of OI and a possible clinical and prognostic classification are warranted.

Comparable bioavailability of two esophago-gastric protective formulations containing pamidronate. A cross-over trial in healthy young adults.

The net absorbable amount of pamidronate (APD), according to AUC values assessed in blood, in the customary dose interval of 24 hours, was found to be similar in 8 healthy young volunteers, who received single doses of 3 capsules of 100 mg APD (AUC0-24 = 510.3 +/- 91.5 micrograms/L x h-1) and 2 tablets of 150 mg (AUC0-24 = 580.5 +/- 117.6 micrograms/L x h-1; p = 0.58) in the fasting state. Both formulations present acid-resistant coatings, designed to protect the mucosa of the upper digestive system from contact with insoluble particles of the bisphosphonates. Tmax values were different, and Cmax values presented a wide inter-individual variation, so that both formulations were not strictly bioequivalent. However, these latter factors were of minor clinical importance given the kinetic features of the bisphosphonates. In conclusion, both formulations afforded comparable bioavailability; that is to say that they can provide a sufficient amount of APD within the studied dose interval, so as to cause similar clinical effects.

Hypophosphatasia - pathophysiology and treatment.

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is the inborn-error-of-metabolism caused by loss-of-function mutation(s) in the gene that encodes the tissue-nonspecific isozyme of alkaline phosphatase (TNAP). The disease has been classified according to patient age when the first signs and symptoms manifest; i.e., perinatal, infantile, childhood, adult HPP. Other types include odonto HPP and perinatal benign. Babies with the perinatal/infantile forms of HPP often die with severe rickets and respiratory insufficiency and sometimes hypercalcemia and vitamin B6-responsive seizures. The primary biochemical defect in HPP is a deficiency of TNAP activity that leads to elevated circulating levels of substrates, in particular inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), a potent calcification inhibitor. To-date, the management of HPP has been essentially symptomatic or orthopedic. However, enzyme replacement therapy with mineral-targeting TNAP (sALP-FcD10, also known as ENB-0040 or asfotase alfa) has shown promising results in a mouse model of HPP (Alpl-/- mice). Administration of mineral-targeting TNAP from birth increased survival and prevented the seizures, rickets, as well as all the tooth abnormalities, including dentin, acellular cementum, and enamel defects in this model of severe HPP. Clinical trials using mineral-targeting TNAP in children 3 years of age or younger with life-threatening HPP was associated with healing of the skeletal manifestations of HPP as well as improved respiratory and motor function. Improvement is still being observed in the patients receiving continued asfotase alfa therapy, with more than 3 years of treatment in some children. Enzyme replacement therapy with asfotase alfa has to-date been successful in patients with life-threatening HPP.

The relationship between fractures and DXA measures of BMD in the distal femur of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

Children with limited or no ability to ambulate frequently sustain fragility fractures. Joint contractures, scoliosis, hip dysplasia, and metallic implants often prevent reliable measures of bone mineral density (BMD) in the proximal femur and lumbar spine, where BMD is commonly measured. Further, the relevance of lumbar spine BMD to fracture risk in this population is questionable. In an effort to obtain bone density measures that are both technically feasible and clinically relevant, a technique was developed involving dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measures of the distal femur projected in the lateral plane. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that these new measures of BMD correlate with fractures in children with limited or no ability to ambulate. The relationship between distal femur BMD Z-scores and fracture history was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 619 children aged 6 to 18 years with muscular dystrophy or moderate to severe cerebral palsy compiled from eight centers. There was a strong correlation between fracture history and BMD Z-scores in the distal femur; 35% to 42% of those with BMD Z-scores less than -5 had fractured compared with 13% to 15% of those with BMD Z-scores greater than -1. Risk ratios were 1.06 to 1.15 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.22), meaning a 6% to 15% increased risk of fracture with each 1.0 decrease in BMD Z-score. In clinical practice, DXA measure of BMD in the distal femur is the technique of choice for the assessment of children with impaired mobility.