Publications by authors named "Kaori Aiba"

Importance: Transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD) occurs in breastfed infants due to abnormally low breast milk zinc levels. Mutations in the solute carrier family 30 member 2 () gene, which encodes the zinc transporter ZNT2, cause low zinc concentration in breast milk.

Objective: This study aimed to provide further insights into TNZD pathophysiology.

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Article Synopsis
  • Alpha-thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability (ATR-X) syndrome is linked to mutations in the ATRX gene, crucial for chromatin remodeling, leading to gene dysregulation and a multisystem disorder in affected individuals.
  • A study of a 4-year-old boy with a specific ATRX mutation showed signs of mitochondrial dysfunction, particularly a deficiency in complex I of the mitochondria.
  • The findings indicate that ATRX might influence mitochondrial function and that this dysfunction could play a role in the symptoms associated with ATR-X syndrome.
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A heterozygous deletion at Xq27.3q28 including FMR1, AFF2, and IDS causing intellectual disability and characteristic facial features is very rare in females, with only 10 patients having been reported. Here, we examined two female patients with different clinical features harboring the Xq27.

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Although there are many known Mendelian genes linked to epileptic or developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (EE/DEE), its genetic architecture is not fully explained. Here, we address this incompleteness by analyzing exomes of 743 EE/DEE cases and 2366 controls. We observe that damaging ultra-rare variants (dURVs) unique to an individual are significantly overrepresented in EE/DEE, both in known EE/DEE genes and the other non-EE/DEE genes.

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Objective: () and () isoforms of Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) play a pivotal role in neuronal plasticity and in learning and memory processes in the brain. Here, we explore the possible involvement of - and -CaMKII variants in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed for 976 individuals with intellectual disability, developmental delay, and epilepsy.

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We report the case of a patient born with extreme muscle hypotonia, respiratory failure, and slightly elevated serum levels of lactic acid. Histochemical examination and mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activities of a muscle biopsy specimen revealed reduced activities of complexes Ⅰ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ, diagnostic of mitochondrial respiratory chain disorder. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy developed as a complication and additional therapy was administered at 3 months after birth.

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Background: Short-chain enoyl-CoA hydratase-ECHS1-catalyses many metabolic pathways, including mitochondrial short-chain fatty acid β-oxidation and branched-chain amino acid catabolic pathways; however, the metabolic products essential for the diagnosis of ECHS1 deficiency have not yet been determined. The objective of this report is to characterise ECHS1 and a mild form of its deficiency biochemically, and to determine the candidate metabolic product that can be efficiently used for neonatal diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a detailed clinical, molecular genetics, biochemical and metabolic analysis of sibling patients with ECHS1 deficiency.

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Background: Recent development of genetic analyses enabled us to reveal underlying genetic causes of the patients with epileptic encephalopathy in infancy. Mutations of voltage-gated sodium channel type I alpha subunit gene (SCN1A) are to be causally related with several phenotypes of epilepsy, generalized epilepsy with febrile seizure plus (GEFS+), Dravet syndrome, and other infantile epileptic encephalopathies. In addition to SCN1A, contiguous genes such as SCN2A and SCN3A in 2q24.

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Many types of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) manifest as progressive disorders with cerebellar involvement. SCA type 27 (SCA27) is a rare type of SCA caused by mutations in the fibroblast growth factor 14 gene (FGF14). FGF14 disruption caused by a de novo reciprocal chromosomal translocation between chromosomes 13 and 21 was identified in a patient with the phenotype of paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD).

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To study the effect of exchange transfusion on cytokine profiles in a patient with transient myeloproliferative disorder and hepatic fibrosis in which cytokines were measured before and after exchange transfusion. A newborn female was diagnosed with Down syndrome phenotypically and on karyotyping. Laboratory data showed a high leukocyte count with blast cells in the peripheral blood and liver dysfunction.

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