Zika virus infection during pregnancy and vertical transmission: case reports and peptide-specific cell-mediated immune responses.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnant women is associated with birth defects, which are more prevalent and severe the earlier in pregnancy the infection occurs. Pregnant women at risk of possible ZIKV exposure (n = 154) were screened using ELISA for ZIKV IgM and IgG. Nine of 154 (5.

mTOR Pathway Somatic Pathogenic Variants in Focal Malformations of Cortical Development: Novel Variants, Topographic Mapping, and Clinical Outcomes.

Background And Objectives: Somatic and germline pathogenic variants in genes of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway are a common mechanism underlying a subset of focal malformations of cortical development (FMCDs) referred to as mTORopathies, which include focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type II, subtypes of polymicrogyria, and hemimegalencephaly. Our objective is to screen resected FMCD specimens with mTORopathy features on histology for causal somatic variants in mTOR pathway genes, describe novel pathogenic variants, and examine the variant distribution in relation to neuroimaging, histopathologic classification, and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We performed ultra-deep sequencing using a custom HaloPlex Target Enrichment kit in DNA from 21 resected fresh-frozen histologically confirmed FCD type II, tuberous sclerosis complex, or hemimegalencephaly specimens.

Prenatal Diagnosis of Mutations in Eight Cases: Further Delineation of the Neurohistopathological Phenotype.

Background: Increasing number of mutations responsible for vascular lesions, leading to ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke in young adults, has been identified in the recent years. It has been demonstrated in both mice and humans, that mutations in gene promote cerebral hemorrhages. In humans, both adults and children may be affected, and the spectrum has been broadened recently to neonates and fetuses.

Phenotypic spectrum and genomics of undiagnosed arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.

Background: Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is characterised by congenital joint contractures in two or more body areas. AMC exhibits wide phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Our goals were to improve the genetic diagnosis rates of AMC, to evaluate the added value of whole exome sequencing (WES) compared with targeted exome sequencing (TES) and to identify new genes in 315 unrelated undiagnosed AMC families.