Genetic mapping and exome sequencing identify variants associated with five novel diseases.

The Clinic for Special Children (CSC) has integrated biochemical and molecular methods into a rural pediatric practice serving Old Order Amish and Mennonite (Plain) children. Among the Plain people, we have used single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays to genetically map recessive disorders to large autozygous haplotype blocks (mean = 4.4 Mb) that contain many genes (mean = 79).

Anatomy and development of the meninges: implications for subdural collections and CSF circulation.

The dura is traditionally viewed as a supportive fibrous covering of the brain containing the dural venous sinuses but otherwise devoid of vessels and lacking any specific function. However, review of the embryology and anatomy reveals the dura to be a complex, vascularized and innervated structure, not a simple fibrous covering. The dura contains an inner vascular plexus that is larger in the infant than in the adult, and this plexus likely plays a role in CSF absorption.

Clinical application of DNA microarrays: molecular diagnosis and HLA matching of an Amish child with severe combined immune deficiency.

Amish and Mennonite children with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) often die without treatment as a result of delayed diagnoses and prohibitive costs of therapy. In this detailed case report, we describe the novel use of DNA microarrays to improve the diagnosis and management of an Amish infant with SCID. Using 10,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes from the patient, her parents, and seven siblings, we identified the recombinase activating genes for diagnostic sequencing, and then characterized a novel pathogenic variant in RAG1 (c.

Abdominal mucinous cystic neoplasm in a male child.

Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) make up a morphologic family of similar appearing tumors arising in the ovary and various extraovarian sites, including the pancreas, hepatobiliary tract, paratesticular soft tissues, and mesentery. Other than the uncommon mucinous cystadenoma of the ovary presenting in adolescence, MCNs are rarely seen by the pediatric pathologist. The present case is a 5-year-old boy with an abdominal mass appearing to arise in the mesentery of the small intestine.