The Types and Frequencies of X Chromosome Abnormalities in Women with Reproductive Problems.

Introduction: X chromosome architecture and integrity are essential for normal ovarian function. Both numerical and structural X chromosome abnormalities play an important role in female infertility. This study aimed to determine the types and frequency of X chromosome aberrations detected in women referred for cytogenetic investigation due to reproductive problems.

A 46,XX Karyotype in Men with Infertility: Two New Cases and Review of the Literature.

46,XX male sex reversal syndrome is a rare genetic cause of male infertility. We report on two new cases of this syndrome in men presenting with hypogonadism and infertility. Cytogenetic and molecular analysis was performed in both patients.

The impact of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A) on clinical outcomes in high risk patients.

Purpose: To investigate whether preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) improves the clinical outcome in patients with advanced maternal age (AMA), recurrent miscarriages (RM), and recurrent implantation failure (RIF).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study from a single IVF center and a single genetics laboratory. One hundred seventy-six patients undergoing PGT-A were assigned to three groups: an AMA group, an RM group, and a RIF group.

Female Reproductive Ageing and Chromosomal Abnormalities in a Large Series of Women Undergoing IVF.

Chromosomal abnormalities are often detected in women with reproductive problems. This study aimed to investigate the presence and type of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and their possible association with advanced maternal age (AMA). A total of 1,837 women undergoing IVF between 2016 and 2019 were enrolled in the study.

Cytogenetic findings of ectopic endometriotic tissue in women with endometriosis and review of the literature.

Objective: To determine chromosome and gene alterations in ectopic endometrial (EM) tissue which may be implicated in the clinical course or the progression of endometriosis and to review the literature concerning the cytogenetic findings of women with endometriosis.

Study Design: 15 women who underwent laparoscopic endometriosis surgery at the Athens Genesis Clinic were enrolled in the study. Ectopic endometrial tissue was surgically removed and further analyzed by conventional and molecular cytogenetic techniques.

Coffin-Siris Syndrome 4-Related Spectrum in a Young Woman Caused by a Heterozygous Deletion Detected by High-Resolution aCGH.

Coffin-Siris Syndrome 4 is an autosomal dominant congenital malformation syndrome caused by heterozygous mutations in the gene with its main features being intellectual disability, developmental delay, behavioral abnormalities, and hypoplastic or absent fifth fingernails and fifth distal phalanges. Here, we report a young woman with developmental delay, moderate intellectual disability, and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, referred for genetic testing. High-resolution chromosomal microarray analysis identified a 428-kb deletion in chromosome 19 which included the gene.

Low-level X Chromosome Mosaicism: A Common Finding in Women Undergoing IVF.

Background/aim: To determine the incidence of X chromosome mosaicism in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and present preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) outcome of this group.

Patients And Methods: A total of 1,058 women undergoing IVF and 154 women with no fertility problems were enrolled in the study. Karyotyping from peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed by conventional cytogenetics.

High resolution Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA) enhances the genetic profile of pediatric B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patients.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a malignancy of the immature lymphoid cells mainly associated with numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations. The current standard for profiling the diverse genetic background comprises a combination of conventional karyotype and FISH analysis for the most common translocations, albeit with many limitations. Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA) is a high throughput whole genome method that is gradually implemented in routine clinical practice, but not many studies have compared the two methods.

Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived From Bone Marrow, Umbilical Cord Blood, and Pluripotent Stem Cells in a Mouse Model of Chemically Induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Acute inflammatory bowel disease (AIBD) is a wide clinical entity including severe gastrointestinal pathologies with common histopathological basis. Epidemiologically increasing diseases, such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), gastrointestinal graft versus host disease (GVHD), and the primary acute phase of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (CIBD), exhibit a high necessity for new therapeutic strategies. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cellular therapy represents a promising option for the treatment of these diseases.

Reprogramming of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells to human induced pluripotent stem cells from pediatric patients with hematological diseases using a commercial mRNA kit.

The potential use of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in the study and treatment of hematological diseases requires the setup of efficient and safe protocols for hiPSC generation. We aimed to adopt a reprogramming method for large-scale production of integration-free patient-specific hiPSC-lines in our stem cell processing laboratory, which supports a pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit located at a tertiary care children's hospital. We describe our 5-year experience in generation of hiPSC-lines from human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) using synthetic mRNAs encoding reprogramming factors.

Rapid Detection of Fetal Mendelian Disorders: Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Syndromes.

The inherited disorders of hemoglobin synthesis constitute the most common monogenic diseases worldwide. The clinical severity of β-thalassemia major and the sickle cell syndromes targets them as priority genetic diseases for prevention programs, which incorporates population screening to identify heterozygotes, with the option of prenatal diagnosis for carrier couples. Rapid genotype characterization is fundamental in the diagnostic laboratory, especially when offering prenatal diagnosis.

A dynamic trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expansion in the DMD gene.

Dystrophinopathies are allelic X-linked myopathies caused by large deletions/duplications or small lesions along the DMD gene. An unexpected dynamic trinucleotide (GAA) expansion, ranging from ∼59 to 82 pure GAA repeats, within the DMD intron 62, was revealed to segregate through three family generations. From the pedigree, two female patients were referred for DMD investigation due to chronic myopathy and a muscle biopsy compatible with dystrophinopathy.

Genomic screening of ABCA4 and array CGH analysis underline the genetic variability of Greek patients with inherited retinal diseases.

Background: Retinal dystrophies are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders which affect more than two million people worldwide. The present study focused on the role of the ABCA4 gene in the pathogenesis of hereditary retinal dystrophies (autosomal recessive Stargardt disease, autosomal recessive cone-rod dystrophy, and autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa) in patients of Greek origin.

Materials And Methods: Our cohort included 26 unrelated patients and their first degree healthy relatives.

The role of basophil activation test in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and Aspergillus fumigatus sensitization in cystic fibrosis patients.

Background: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and Aspergillus fumigatus sensitization (AFS) are quite often observed in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of basophil activation test (BAT) in these manifestations of hypersensitivity reactions.

Methods: BAT (CD63 and CD203c) was performed for 56 CF patients (17 ABPA, 24 AFS and 15 non-AFS).

Complex preimplantation genetic diagnosis for beta-thalassaemia, sideroblastic anaemia, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typing.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select histocompatible siblings to facilitate curative haematopoeitic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is now an acceptable option in the absence of an available human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatible donor. We describe a case where the couple who requested HLA-PGD, were both carriers of two serious haematological diseases, beta-thalassaemia and sideroblastic anaemia. Their daughter, affected with sideroblastic anaemia, was programmed to have HSCT.

Multi-allele genotyping platform for the simultaneous detection of mutations in the Wilson disease related ATP7B gene.

Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder of copper transport in the hepatocytes with a wide range of genotype and phenotype characteristics. Mutations in the ATP7B gene are responsible for the disease. Approximately, over 500 mutations in the ATP7B gene have been described to date.

Screening non-deletion α-thalassaemia mutations in the HBA1 and HBA2 genes by high-resolution melting analysis.

Background: Screening for "non-deletion" α-chain haemoglobin variants resulting from point mutations or short deletions/insertions has attracted an increased interest during recent years, especially in areas where α-thalassaemia is prevalent. We describe a method utilising high resolution melting analysis for detecting the 13 most common "non-deletion" α-thalassaemia mutations in populations around the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Methods: The method comprises: (1) amplification of a 1087 bp fragment for each of the duplicated α-globin genes (HBA1 and HBA2) flanking all 13 mutations using a common forward primer and different reverse primers specific for HBA1 and HBA2, respectively; (2) nested amplification of three fragments in HBA2 flanking 10 mutations and two fragments in HBA1 flanking 5 mutations; (3) High resolution melting analysis of the amplicons using a LightScanner Instrument and LC Green.

A novel FOXL2 gene mutation and BMP15 variants in a woman with primary ovarian insufficiency and blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome.

Objective: This study aims to search for mutations in relevant genes in a woman with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES).

Methods: This study reports on the case of a woman with POI, BPES, and autoimmune endocrine disorder. Bidirectional sequencing of the coding regions and intron/exon boundaries of FOXL2 and BMP15 genes and hormonal assays for the measurement of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, testosterone, Δ4-androstenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were employed.

Multi-allele DNA biosensor for the rapid genotyping of 'nondeletion' alpha thalassaemia mutations in HBA1 and HBA2 genes by means of multiplex primer extension reaction.

Background: Alpha-thalassaemia is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by defective production of the alpha chain of haemoglobin. It is caused mainly by deletions of one or both of the duplicated alpha-globin genes on chromosome 16, and/or by nucleotide variations, known as "nondeletion" mutations. Definition of the alpha globin genotype in carriers supports genetic counselling, and in patients with Hb H disease is useful to predict prognosis and management options.

BTNL2 gene SNPs as a contributing factor to sarcoidosis pathogenesis in a cohort of Greek patients.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology that primarily affects adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. It is characterized by the activation of Th1 lymphocytes resulting in the production of inflammatory cytokines and the formation of noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas in affected tissues. The lungs and lymphatic system are the ones most frequently affected.

Awareness of prenatal screening for fetal aneuploidy among pregnant women in Greece.

Aim: To estimate the level of awareness of prenatal screening (PS) and explore the underlying demographic, lifestyle and medical history parameters of Greek and non-Greek pregnant women undergoing prenatal diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: A structured questionnaire was answered by 354 women at the time of receiving the results of invasive prenatal testing. Summary statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

Hb Souli, a 6 bp in-frame deletion on the HBA2 gene (HBA2: c.[41-46delCCTGGG]) leads to α-thalassemia intermedia, when in trans to a single α-globin gene deletion.

We report the case of a 5-year-old child with clinical and hematological findings consistent with the diagnosis of α-thalassemia intermedia (α-TI). Molecular analysis disclosed the common 3.7 kb deletion in the α-globin gene cluster in trans to a novel in-frame 6 bp deletion in the HBA2 gene.