Publications by authors named "Karen G C B Bindels-de Heus"

Background And Objectives: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 56 (DEE-56) is caused by pathogenic variants in YWHAG and is characterized by early-onset epilepsy and neurodevelopmental delay. This study reports on a cohort of DEE-56 individuals, correlating antiseizure medication usage and comorbidities, to aid in understanding disease evolution.

Methods: We analyzed data from thirty-nine individuals aged 3-40 years with YWHAG variants, including 12 previously unreported individuals (2 of these with recurrent distal 7q11.

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Article Synopsis
  • Studying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in genetically similar groups can enhance our understanding of its causes, as seen in conditions like Fragile X syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, which frequently display ASD symptoms.
  • The research gathered data from several hundred children and adolescents with these genetic disorders, using standardized assessments to uncover distinct profiles of ASD symptomatology.
  • The findings revealed four different symptom profiles based on two separate assessment tools, emphasizing the individualized nature of ASD presentations in these populations and the need for tailored management strategies.
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Background: Children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions can experience high levels of suffering due to multiple distressing symptoms that result in poor quality of life and increase risk of long-term distress in their family members. High quality symptom treatment is needed for all these children and their families, even more so at the end-of-life. In this paper, we provide evidence-based recommendations for symptom treatment in paediatric palliative patients to optimize care.

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Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe intellectual disability, little to no expressive speech, visual and motor problems, emotional/behavioral challenges, and a tendency towards hyperphagia and weight gain. The characteristics of AS make it difficult to measure these children's functioning with standard clinical tests. Feasible outcome measures are needed to measure current functioning and change over time, in clinical practice and clinical trials.

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Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder due to lack of UBE3A function on chromosome 15q11.2q13 caused by a deletion, uniparental paternal disomy (UPD), imprinting center disorder (ICD), or pathological variant of the UBE3A gene. AS is characterized by developmental delay, epilepsy, and lack of speech.

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Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by lack of maternal UBE3A protein due to a deletion of the chromosome 15q11.2-q13 region, uniparental paternal disomy, imprinting center defect, or pathogenic variant in the gene. Characteristics are developmental delay, epilepsy, behavioral, and sleep problems.

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Background & Aims: Air-Displacement-Plethysmography (ADP) by BOD POD is widely used for body fat assessment in children. Although validated in healthy subjects, studies about use in pediatric patients are lacking. We evaluated user experience and usability of ADP measurements with the BOD POD system in healthy children and pediatric and young adult patients.

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  • This study aimed to explore how a behavioral intervention could improve sleep issues in children with Angelman Syndrome (AS), addressing a significant clinical need.
  • Children aged 2-18 with AS were divided into two groups to either receive the intervention or be part of a control group, with various assessments of sleep habits conducted before and after the program.
  • Results showed that the intervention significantly improved sleep quality metrics like wake after sleep onset and total sleep time, as well as positively affecting sleep hygiene and quality of life for these children and their families.
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Background: Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurogenetic disorder present in approximately 1/12,000 individuals and characterized by developmental delay, cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, seizures, gastrointestinal concerns, and abnormal electroencephalographic background. AS is caused by absent expression of the paternally imprinted gene UBE3A in the central nervous system. Disparities in the management of AS are a major problem in preparing for precision therapies and occur even in patients with access to experts and recognized clinics.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study reviews health and psychomotor development in 100 children with Angelman syndrome (AS) from a specialized center in Rotterdam.
  • The research highlights the more severe symptoms linked to the 15q11.2-q13 deletion subtype and identifies early-onset epilepsy’s negative impact on development.
  • Findings indicate a high rate of crouch gait, low microcephaly occurrences, higher weight for height in non-deletion children, and widespread hyperphagia, emphasizing the need for more natural history data to guide future intervention trials.
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Background: Children with severe neurological impairment and intellectual disability are prone to low bone quality and fractures.

Objective: We studied the feasibility of automated radiogrammetry in assessing bone quality in this specific group of children. We measured outcome of bone quality and, because these children tend to have altered skeletal maturation, we also studied bone age.

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Many children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) now reach adulthood. The aim of this study was to elicit parents' experiences with the transfer from pediatric to adult medical care. A convenience sample of 131 Dutch parents of young people with PIMD (16-26 years) completed a web-based questionnaire.

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Aim: Children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) are at risk for developing low bone mineral density (BMD) and low-impact fractures. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic literature review of the epidemiology of fractures and low BMD in children with severe CP, with an emphasis on risk factors. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels IV and V were criteria for severe cerebral palsy.

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