Inferring biallelism of two FSH receptor mutations associated with spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome by evaluating FSH, LH and HCG cross-activity.

Research Question: What is the cumulative effect of two follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) mutations in spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (sOHSS) pathogenesis? Are these mutations in the mono- or biallelic state?

Design: Two FSHR mutations were found in a pregnant patient affected by sOHSS with no predisposing conditions. While the p.Asn106His mutation is novel, the p.

A case of Feingold type 2 syndrome associated with keratoconus refines keratoconus type 7 locus on chromosome 13q.

We report on a 58-year old woman with microcephaly, mild dysmorphic features, bilateral keratoconus, digital abnormalities, short stature and mild cognitive delay. Except for keratoconus, the phenotype was suggestive for Feingold syndrome type 2 (FGLDS2, MIM 614326), a rare autosomal dominant disorder described in six patients worldwide, due to the haploinsufficiency of MIR17HG, a micro RNA encoding gene. Karyotype showed a de novo deletion on chromosome 13q, further defined by array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (a-CGH) to a 17.

ATNX2 is not a regulatory gene in Italian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with C9ORF72 GGGGCC expansion.

There are indications that both familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and sporadic ALS phenotype and prognosis are partly regulated by genetic and environmental factors, supporting the theory that ALS is a multifactorial disease. The aim of this article was to assess the role of ATXN2 intermediate length repeats in a large series of Italian and Sardinian ALS patients and controls carrying a pathogenetic C9ORF72 GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat. A total of 1972 ALS cases were identified through the database of the Italian ALS Genetic consortium, a collaborative effort including 18 ALS centers throughout Italy.

Array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization Analysis in Fetuses with Major Congenital Malformations Reveals that 24% of Cases Have Pathogenic Deletions/Duplications.

Karyotyping and aCGH are routinely used to identify genetic determinants of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in fetal deaths or terminations of pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis. Pathogenic rearrangements are found with a variable rate of 9-39% for aCGH. We collected 33 fetuses, 9 with a single MCM and 24 with MCMs involving 2-4 organ systems.

C9ORF72 intermediate repeat expansion in patients affected by atypical parkinsonian syndromes or Parkinson's disease complicated by psychosis or dementia in a Sardinian population.

The hexanucleotide repeat expansion GGGGCC in the C9ORF72 gene larger than 30 repeats has been identified as a major genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Recent papers investigated the possible pathogenic role and associated clinical phenotypes of intermediate C9ORF72 repeat expansion ranging between 20 and 30 repeats. Some studies suggested its pathogenicity for typical Parkinson's disease (PD), atypical parkinsonian syndromes, FTD with/without parkinsonism, and ALS with/without parkinsonism or with/without dementia.

ATXN2 is a modifier of phenotype in ALS patients of Sardinian ancestry.

Intermediate-length CAG expansions (encoding 27-33 glutamines, polyQ) of the Ataxin2 (ATXN2) gene represent a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recently, it has been proposed that ≥31 CAG expansions may influence ALS phenotype. We assessed whether ATXN2 intermediate-length polyQ expansions influence ALS phenotype in a series of 375 patients of Sardinian ancestry.

HFE p.H63D polymorphism does not influence ALS phenotype and survival.

It has been recently reported that the p.His63Asp polymorphism of the HFE gene accelerates disease progression both in the SOD1 transgenic mouse and in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. We have evaluated the effect of HFE p.

The role of TREM2 R47H as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.

A rare variant in TREM2 (p.R47H, rs75932628) was recently reported to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and, subsequently, other neurodegenerative diseases, i.e.

CHCH10 mutations in an Italian cohort of familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Mutations in CHCHD10 have recently been described as a cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) comorbid with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and clinical characteristics of CHCHD10 mutations in Italian patients diagnosed with familial (n = 64) and apparently sporadic ALS (n = 224). Three apparently sporadic patients were found to carry c.

A genome-wide association study of myasthenia gravis.

Importance: Myasthenia gravis is a chronic, autoimmune, neuromuscular disease characterized by fluctuating weakness of voluntary muscle groups. Although genetic factors are known to play a role in this neuroimmunological condition, the genetic etiology underlying myasthenia gravis is not well understood.

Objective: To identify genetic variants that alter susceptibility to myasthenia gravis, we performed a genome-wide association study.

ATXN2 polyQ intermediate repeats are a modifier of ALS survival.

Objective: To analyze the frequency and clinical characteristics of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with intermediate-length (CAG) expansion (encoding 27-33 glutamines, polyQ) in the ATXN2 gene, in a population-based cohort of Italian patients with ALS (discovery cohort), and to replicate the findings in an independent cohort of consecutive patients from an ALS tertiary center (validation cohort).

Methods: PolyQ repeats were assessed in 672 patients with incident ALS in Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta regions, Italy, in the 2007-2012 period (discovery cohort); controls were 509 neurologically healthy age- and sex-matched subjects resident in the study area. The validation cohort included 661 patients with ALS consecutively seen between 2001 and 2013 in the ALS Clinic Center of the Catholic University in Rome, Italy.

Large cryptic genomic rearrangements with apparently normal karyotypes detected by array-CGH.

Background: Conventional karyotyping (550 bands resolution) is able to identify chromosomal aberrations >5-10 Mb, which represent a known cause of intellectual disability/developmental delay (ID/DD) and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). Array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (array-CGH) has increased the diagnostic yield of 15-20%.

Results: In a cohort of 700 ID/DD cases with or without MCA, including 15 prenatal diagnoses, we identified a subgroup of seven patients with a normal karyotype and a large complex rearrangement detected by array-CGH (at least 6, and up to 18 Mb).

A novel p.E121G heterozygous missense mutation of SOD1 in an apparently sporadic ALS case with a 14-year course.

The frequency of SOD1 mutations differs among populations: in Italy they account for 13.6% of familial ALS and 0.7% of sporadic cases.

NADPH oxidase (NOX2) activity is a modifier of survival in ALS.

NADPH-oxidases (NOX) catalyze the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which play a role in the development of neurological diseases, particularly those generated by the phagocytic isoform NOX2. Increased ROS has been observed in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) SOD1 transgenic mouse, and in this preclinical model the inactivation of NOX2 decreases ROS production and extends survival. Our aim was to evaluate NOX2 activity measuring neutrophil oxidative burst in a cohort of 83 ALS patients, and age- and gender-matched healthy controls.

Genetic architecture of ALS in Sardinia.

Conserved populations, such as Sardinians, displaying elevated rates of familial or sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) provide unique information on the genetics of the disease. Our aim was to describe the genetic profile of a consecutive series of ALS patients of Sardinian ancestry. All ALS patients of Sardinian ancestry, identified between 2008 and 2013 through the Italian ALS Genetic Consortium, were eligible to be included in the study.

Genome-wide analysis of the heritability of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Importance: Considerable advances have been made in our understanding of the genetics underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nevertheless, for the majority of patients who receive a diagnosis of ALS, the role played by genetics is unclear. Further elucidation of the genetic architecture of this disease will help clarify the role of genetic variation in ALS populations.

Analysis of the KIFAP3 gene in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a multicenter survival study.

Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a multifactorial disease of environmental and genetic origin. In a previous large multicenter genome wide study, common genetic variation in the Kinesin-Associated Protein 3 (KIFAP3) gene (rs1541160) was reported to have a significant effect on survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. However, this could not be replicated in 3 smaller independent cohorts.

Cognitive correlates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population-based study in Italy.

Background: There is less data available regarding the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a population-based series.

Methodology: Patients with ALS incident in Piemonte, Italy, between 2009 and 2011 underwent an extensive neuropsychological battery. Cognitive status was classified as follows: normal cognition, frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD), executive cognitive impairment (ALS-ECI), non-executive cognitive impairment (ALS-NECI), behavioural impairment (ALS-Bi), non-classifiable cognitive impairment.

Mutations in the Matrin 3 gene cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

MATR3 is an RNA- and DNA-binding protein that interacts with TDP-43, a disease protein linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia. Using exome sequencing, we identified mutations in MATR3 in ALS kindreds. We also observed MATR3 pathology in ALS-affected spinal cords with and without MATR3 mutations.

The metabolic signature of C9ORF72-related ALS: FDG PET comparison with nonmutated patients.

Purpose: Recently, a GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene, located on chromosome 9p21 has been demonstrated to be the commonest cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to account for 5 to 10 % of apparently sporadic ALS. Relatively little is known about the brain metabolism profile of patients carrying the expansion. Our aim was to identify the [(18)F]FDG PET profile in ALS patients with the C9ORF72 expansion (C9ORF72-ALS).