Publications by authors named "Ina Amarillo"

Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academia are leading publishers and journals to re-examine their use of terminology for commonly used scientific variables. This reassessment of language is particularly important for human genetics, which is focused on identifying and explaining differences between individuals and populations. Recent guidance on the use of terms and symbols in clinical practice, research, and publications is beginning to acknowledge the ways that language and concepts of difference can be not only inaccurate but also harmful.

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Hypospadias is a common form of congenital atypical sex development that is often associated with other congenital comorbidities. Many genes have been associated with the condition, most commonly single sequence variations. Further investigations of recurrent and overlapping copy number variations (CNVs) have resulted in the identification of genes and chromosome regions associated with various conditions, including differences of sex development (DSD).

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There is strong evidence of a genetic contribution to Wilms tumor, such as gene variation or epigenetic changes at chromosome locus 11p15. A previous genome wide association study (GWAS) of Wilms tumor identified other significant association loci including Xp22. A 4-year-old girl developed a Wilms tumor of the left isthmus of a horseshoe kidney.

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Neuroligin 4 X-linked (NLGN4X) is an X-linked postsynaptic scaffolding protein, with functional role in excitatory synapsis development and maintenance, that has been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Tourette's syndrome. Chromosomal microarray analysis identified a paternally inherited, 445 Kb deletion on Xp22.3 that includes the entire NLGN4X in a 2.

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Background: Gender expansive and transgender (GET) healthcare extends beyond gender-affirming therapies, reaching every medical specialty and subspecialty. As the number of GET patients seeking health services has increased, so has the need for standards of care regarding GET-affirmative practices throughout the healthcare system. As such, the number of publications surrounding GET-affirmative practices has steadily risen.

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Microdeletions within 1q24 have been associated with growth deficiency, varying intellectual disability, and skeletal abnormalities. The candidate locus responsible for the various phenotypic features of this syndrome has previously been predicted to lie in the area of 1q24.3, but molecular evidence of the causative gene remains elusive.

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Article Synopsis
  • Congenital clubfoot is a prevalent birth defect affecting approximately 0.1% of births, with 25% of cases being familial and the rest sporadic.
  • Researchers analyzed exome sequencing data from 816 clubfoot cases and 2,645 control samples to identify rare copy number variants (CNVs), confirming that duplications on chromosome Xp22.33 are notably more common in clubfoot patients (1.1%) than in controls (0.07%).
  • These Xp22.33 duplications likely impact limb development and may explain some of the genetic contributions to clubfoot, which have not been previously documented despite their association with other skeletal issues.
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Deletions and duplications involving the CNTN4 gene, which encodes for the contactin 4 protein, have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental phenotypes. In this study, we performed clinical and genetic characterization of three individuals from unrelated families with copy number variants (CNV) (one deletion and two duplications) within CNTN4. The patients exhibited cognitive delay (3/3), growth restriction (3/3), motor delay (2/3), and febrile seizure/epilepsy (2/3).

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Introduction: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common musculoskeletal disorder with strong evidence for a genetic contribution. CNVs play an important role in congenital scoliosis, but their role in idiopathic scoliosis has been largely unexplored.

Methods: Exome sequence data from 1197 AIS cases and 1664 in-house controls was analysed using coverage data to identify rare CNVs.

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We report a detailed phenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of a patient prenatally diagnosed with Turner syndrome (TS). In addition to having typical TS clinical characteristics including webbed neck, high arched palate and coarctation of the aorta, the patient had features less frequently seen in TS. These included recurrent parathyroid adenomas, growth along the 75-90 centiles on the TS height curve despite minimal treatment with growth hormone, behavioral problems and evidence of gonadal dysgenesis with testicular-like structures, such as seminiferous tubules lined by Sertoli cells and a contiguous nodule of Leydig cells.

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Familial pulmonary fibrosis is associated with loss-of-function mutations in telomerase reverse transcriptase () and short telomeres. Interstitial lung diseases have become the leading indication for lung transplantation in the USA, and recent data indicate that pathogenic mutations in telomerase may cause unfavourable outcomes following lung transplantation. Although a rare occurrence, solid organ transplant recipients who develop acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) have very poor survival.

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Background: Ambiguous genitalia refers to a form of differences of sex development (DSD) wherein the appearance of the external genitalia is atypical. This rare condition presents challenges in decision-making and clinical management. Review of historical data may reveal areas for clinical research to improve care for patients with ambiguous genitalia.

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Objectives: Graft-versus-host disease after solid-organ transplant is exceedingly rare. Although the precise pathogenetic mechanisms are unknown, a progressive increase in donor chimerism is a requirement for its development. The incidence of mixed donor chimerism and its timeline after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant is unknown.

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Retrospective chromosome microarray analysis of 83 genes within the fibroblast growth factor signaling pathway in 52 patients with heterogeneous differences in sex development (DSD) revealed small copy-number variations (CNVs) in ~31% (=26) of investigated genes. Roughly half of these genes (39/83) are ⩽50 kb. This study highlights the potential involvement of small CNVs in disrupting normal gene function and dysregulating genes of the FGF pathway associated with DSD.

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Small copy number variations (CNVs) have typically not been analyzed or reported in clinical settings and hence have remained underrepresented in databases and the literature. Here, we focused our investigations on these small CNVs using chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) data previously obtained from patients with atypical characteristics or disorders of sex development (DSD). Using our customized CMA track targeting 334 genes involved in the development of urogenital and reproductive structures and a less stringent analysis filter, we uncovered small genes with recurrent and overlapping CNVs as small as 1 kb, and small regions of homozygosity (ROHs), imprinting and position effects.

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Genomic disruptions, altered epigenetic mechanisms, and environmental factors contribute to the heterogeneity of congenital heart defects (CHD). In recent years, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) has led to the identification of numerous copy number variations (CNV) in patients with CHD. Genes disrupted by and within these CNVs thus represent excellent candidate genes for CHD.

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The autism susceptibility candidate 2 (AUTS2) gene is suggested to play a critical role in early brain development, and its association with intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorders, and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) has recently gained more attention. Genomic rearrangements and copy number variations (CNVs) involving AUTS2 have been implicated in a range of NDDs with or without congenital malformations and dysmorphic features. Here we report a 62 kb de novo deletion encompassing exon 6 of AUTS2 detected by chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in a 4.

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Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is a malformation pattern characterized by the core triad of retrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate that causes difficulty in glossopharyngeal-laryngeal-vagal functions. The etiology of PRS remains largely unknown; previous reports have suggested that it is caused by intrauterine constriction or external conditions such as oligohydramnios, breech position, or abnormal uterine anatomy. Genetic causes include occurrence as a manifestation of many single gene conditions and chromosomal rearrangements.

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The t(8;14)(q24.1;q32), the cytogenetic hallmark of Burkitt's lymphoma, is also found, but rarely, in cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Such translocation typically results in a MYC-IGH@ fusion subsequently deregulating and overexpressing MYC on der 14q32.

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Conventional cytogenetics in conjunction with Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) continues to remain an important and integral component in the diagnosis and management of solid tumors. The ability to effectively detect the vast majority of clinically relevant chromosomal aberrations with a rapid-to-acceptable turnaround time makes them the most cost-effective screening/detection tool currently available in modern pathology. In this review, we describe a representative set of solid tumors in which chromosomal analysis and/or FISH plays a significant role in the routine clinical management of solid tumors.

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Centromere positions on 7 maize chromosomes were compared on the basis of data from 4 to 6 mapping techniques per chromosome. Centromere positions were first located relative to molecular markers by means of radiation hybrid lines and centric fission lines recovered from oat-maize chromosome addition lines. These centromere positions were then compared with new data from centric fission lines recovered from maize plants, half-tetrad mapping, and fluorescence in situ hybridizations and to data from earlier studies.

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A cytogenetic FISH map of maize pachytene-stage chromosome 9 was produced with 32 maize marker-selected sorghum BACs as probes. The genetically mapped markers used are distributed along the linkage maps at an average spacing of 5 cM. Each locus was mapped by means of multicolor direct FISH with a fluorescently labeled probe mix containing a whole-chromosome paint, a single sorghum BAC clone, and the centromeric sequence, CentC.

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