A familial case of severe infantile nephronophthisis explained by oligogenic inheritance.

Renal cysts are common malformation during the prenatal and postnatal period and frequent cause of chronic kidney or ESRD. More than 70 genes have been shown to play role in their pathology. Part of them are responsible for the structure and function of the cilia, which assigns a large proportion of the renal cystic diseases in the ciliopathies.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome caused by novel WT1 mutation inherited from a mosaic parent.

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a severe childhood disorder frequently progressing toward renal failure. Among its genetic causes are mutations in the Wilms tumor gene, WT1, which codes for a transcription factor with key role for the embryonic development of the genitourinary tract as well as for maintaining podocyte differentiation and slit diaphragm structure in adults. Defects in WT1 are associated with sporadic cases of both syndromic and isolated SRNS.

Novel mutation in Wilms' tumour 1 gene associated with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.

We report the case of a paediatric patient with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome due to a novel dominant Wilms' tumour 1 mutation. The nucleotide change C1184A, identified in exon 9, results in amino acid substitution Ser395Tyr. Genotyping of parents and healthy controls indicated that this is a de novo mutation not present in healthy individuals.

Neurogenic bladder in an infant due to spinal arachnoid cyst.

The urinary bladder of patients with occult spinal defects may become dysfunctional, exposing the renal parenchyma to irreversible damage. However, during infancy clinical signs are often misdiagnosed. The treatment should be aimed at protecting kidneys from severe bladder dysfunction.

Precursor B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia as a cause of a bilateral nephromegaly.

Nephromegaly and non-oliguric acute renal failure is an unusual manifestation of lymphoblastic infiltration of the kidneys. We report the clinical history of a female child where a precursor B-cell lymphoblastic proliferation was diagnosed at the age of 21 months by a surgical renal biopsy for an unexplained bilateral nephromegaly. Lymphoblastic infiltration should be suspected in any patient presenting with unexplained renal failure and enlarged kidneys.