Publications by authors named "Kit Sing Au"

Article Synopsis
  • Children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) have a high risk of developing drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), making it crucial to identify those at greatest risk for timely management.
  • The study analyzed data from 70 infants with TSC to evaluate the relationship between specific TSC genotypes and the likelihood of experiencing DRE, using a variety of statistical methods.
  • Findings revealed that TSC2 pathogenic variants were strongly linked to DRE, with all DRE cases found in participants carrying TSC2 mutations; in contrast, TSC1 variants were associated with later-onset epilepsy, highlighting important differences in risk profiles.
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Importance: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies, which have not been correlated to clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Objective: To characterize spina bifida lesion types and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of images and videos obtained during fetoscopic spina bifida repair surgery from 2020-2023.

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Article Synopsis
  • Meningomyelocele is a serious neural tube defect and the most common structural birth defect affecting the central nervous system.
  • The Spina Bifida Sequencing Consortium found that deletions on chromosome 22q11.2 increase the risk of meningomyelocele by 23 times compared to the general population.
  • Research indicates that the deletion of specific genes in this region, combined with a lack of maternal folate, can significantly increase the risk of neural tube defects in offspring.
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Common genetic variants identified in the general population have been found to increase phenotypic risks among individuals with certain genetic conditions. Up to 90% of individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are affected by some type of epilepsy, yet the common variants contributing to epilepsy risk in the general population have not been evaluated in the context of TSC-associated epilepsy. Such knowledge is important to help uncover the underlying pathogenesis of epilepsy in TSC which is not fully understood, and critical as uncontrolled epilepsy is a major problem in this population.

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Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are caused by genetic and environmental factors. ARMC5 is part of a novel ubiquitin ligase specific for POLR2A, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II).

Results: We find that ARMC5 knockout mice have increased incidence of NTDs, such as spina bifida and exencephaly.

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Introduction: Technological advances in genetic testing, particularly the adoption of noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) for single gene disorders such as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC, OMIM# 613254), mean that putative/possible pathogenetic DNA variants can be identified prior to the appearance of a disease phenotype. Without a phenotype, accurate prediction of variant pathogenicity is crucial. Here, we report a TSC2 frameshift variant, NM_000548.

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Article Synopsis
  • SRSF1 is a protein that plays a crucial role in mRNA processing and is essential for proper brain development; its complete loss is fatal during embryonic stages in mice.
  • Researchers identified 17 individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) who have specific genetic changes in the SRSF1 gene, which lead to developmental delays, intellectual disability, and other health issues.
  • Advanced analysis techniques demonstrated that most genetic variants linked to SRSF1 result in a loss of its function, causing syndromic NDD due to impaired splicing activity.
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Article Synopsis
  • Spina bifida (SB) is a common birth defect caused by potential monogenic genes, and research using mouse models suggests genetic factors may contribute to SB in humans.
  • The study used whole exome sequencing (WES) to analyze 50 unrelated SB cases, identifying 6 likely harmful variants in 6 out of 136 candidate genes related to SB.
  • Additionally, 12 more potential candidate genes for SB were found through an unbiased analysis, paving the way for future research on identifying novel genetic causes in larger SB populations.
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Disruptions in neural tube (NT) closure result in neural tube defects (NTDs). To understand the molecular processes required for mammalian NT closure, we investigated the role of , a sorting nexin gene. mutant mouse embryos display a fully-penetrant cranial NTD.

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Background: Individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex are at increased risk of epilepsy. Early seizure control improves developmental outcomes, making identifying at-risk patients critically important. Despite several identified risk factors, it remains difficult to predict.

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Genes in the noncanonical WNT signaling pathway controlling planar cell polarity have been linked to the neural tube defect myelomeningocele. We hypothesized that some genes in the WNT signaling network have a higher mutational burden in myelomeningocele subjects than in reference subjects in gnomAD. Exome sequencing data from 511 myelomeningocele subjects was obtained in-house and data from 29,940 ethnically matched subjects was provided by version 2 of the publicly available Genome Aggregation Database.

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Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the second most common complex birth defect, yet, our understanding of the genetic contribution to their development remains incomplete. Two environmental factors associated with NTDs are Folate and One Carbon Metabolism (FOCM) and Glucose Homeostasis and Oxidative Stress (GHOS). Utilizing next-generation sequencing of a large patient cohort, we identify novel candidate genes in these two networks to provide insights into NTD mechanisms.

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Background: Children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), caused by pathogenic variants in TSC1/TSC2, are at risk for intellectual disability. TSC2 pathogenic variants appear to increase the risk, compared with TSC1. However, the effect of TSC2 pathogenic variants on early and specific domains of development hasn't been studied.

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Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a multisystem autosomal dominant condition caused by inactivating pathogenic variants in either the TSC1 or the TSC2 gene, leading to hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway. Here, we present an update on the genetic and genomic aspects of TSC, with a focus on clinical and laboratory practice. We briefly summarize the structure of TSC1 and TSC2 as well as their protein products, and discuss current diagnostic testing, addressing mosaicism.

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Objectives: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a neurocutaneous genetic disorder with a high prevalence of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. TSC can be challenging to diagnose in infants because they often do not show many clinical signs early in life. In this study, we describe the timing and pattern of presenting and diagnostic features in a prospective longitudinal study of infants with TSC.

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The molecular mechanisms linking folate deficiency and neural tube defect (NTD) risk in offspring remain unclear. Folate transporters (SLC19A1, SLC46A1, SLC25A32, and FOLH1) and folate receptors (FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3) are suggested to play essential roles in transporting folate from maternal intestinal lumen to the developing embryo. Loss of function variants in these genes may affect folate availability and contribute to NTD risk.

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Neural tube defects (NTDs) occur secondary to failed closure of the neural tube between the third and fourth weeks of gestation. The worldwide incidence ranges from 0.3 to 200 per 10,000 births with the United States of American NTD incidence at around 3-6.

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Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease causing multisystem growth of benign tumours and other hamartomatous lesions, which leads to diverse and debilitating clinical symptoms. Patients are born with TSC1 or TSC2 mutations, and somatic inactivation of wild-type alleles drives MTOR activation; however, second hits to TSC1/TSC2 are not always observed. Here, we present the genomic landscape of TSC hamartomas.

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Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder with variable expressivity associated with hamartomatous tumors, abnormalities of the skin, and neurologic problems including seizures, intellectual disability, and autism. TSC is caused by pathogenic variants in either TSC1 or TSC2. In general, TSC2 pathogenic variants are associated with a more severe phenotype than TSC1 pathogenic variants.

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Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are one of the most common congenital birth defects, with myelomeningocele (MM) being the most severe form compatible with life. Recent studies show a link between mitochondrial folate one carbon metabolism and NTDs by means of the glycine cleavage system (GCS). We hypothesize that single nucleotide polymorphisms and novel variants in the coding regions of the GCS genes increase the risk for MM.

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Inactivating mutations of the TSC1/TSC2 complex (TSC1/2) cause tuberous sclerosis (TSC), a hereditary syndrome with neurological symptoms and benign hamartoma tumours in the brain. Since TSC effectors are largely unknown in the human brain, TSC patient cortical tubers were used to uncover hyperphosphorylation unique to TSC primary astrocytes, the cell type affected in the brain. We found abnormal hyperphosphorylation of catenin delta-1 S268, which was reversible by mTOR-specific inhibitors.

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Background: Few studies have evaluated interactions between maternal genetic variation in 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and micronutrient intake on the risk of myelomeningocele (MM) in offspring. Therefore, we sought to determine if the role of maternal MTHFR C677T and A1298C on MM risk is altered by maternal intake of micronutrients related to one-carbon metabolism.

Methods: The study consisted of 220 MM case-parent trios recruited from 1996 to 2006.

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Background: We assessed the clinical utility of routine electroencephalography (EEG) in the prediction of epilepsy onset in asymptomatic infants with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Methods: This multicenter prospective observational study recruited infants younger than 7 months, seizure-free and on no antiepileptic drugs at enrollment, who all underwent serial physical examinations and video EEGs throughout the study. Parental education on seizure recognition was completed at the time of initial enrollment.

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Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) remain the second most common cause of congenital malformations. Myelomeningocele (MM), the most common NTD compatible with survival, results from genetic and environmental factors. Epidemiologic studies and murine models support the hypotheses that obesity, diabetes and hyperglycemia confer increased risk of NTDs.

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