Publications by authors named "Knoers N"

Article Synopsis
  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unexplained in 20% of patients, and this study investigates the use of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) as a diagnostic tool for these cases.
  • The study found that in 340 participants, a genetic diagnosis was identified in 17% of cases, leading to clinical consequences in 73% of those diagnosed.
  • Barriers to implementation of genetic testing included genetic illiteracy among nephrologists, difficulties in test selection, and lack of time, highlighting the need for better education in genetics.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Prenatal and preimplantation genetic testing options are discussed, emphasizing their importance for families, especially those considering having children, along with the associated legal and ethical issues.
  • * Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis is emerging as a promising alternative to invasive testing, while preimplantation genetic testing is increasingly sought after to select healthy embryos, particularly in disorders with late-onset symptoms.
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Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI; also known as arginine vasopressin resistance) is a rare inherited disorder of water homeostasis, caused by insensitivity of the distal nephron to arginine vasopressin. Consequently, the kidney loses its ability to concentrate urine, which leads to polyuria, polydipsia and the risk of hypertonic dehydration. The diagnosis and management of NDI are very challenging and require an integrated, multidisciplinary approach.

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Mounting evidence indicates that monogenic disorders are the underlying cause in a significant proportion of patients with CKD. In recent years, the diagnostic yield of genetic testing in these patients has increased significantly as a result of revolutionary developments in genetic sequencing techniques and sequencing data analysis. Identification of disease-causing genetic variant(s) in patients with CKD may facilitate prognostication and personalized management, including nephroprotection and decisions around kidney transplantation, and is crucial for genetic counseling and reproductive family planning.

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Leukemias are genetically heterogeneous and diagnostics therefore includes various standard-of-care (SOC) techniques, including karyotyping, SNP-array and FISH. Optical genome mapping (OGM) may replace these as it detects different types of structural aberrations simultaneously and additionally detects much smaller aberrations (500 bp vs 5-10 Mb with karyotyping). However, its resolution may still be too low to define clinical relevance of aberrations when they are located between two OGM labels or when labels are not distinct enough.

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  • The study investigates parents' attitudes toward whole-exome sequencing (WES) results for their children with developmental delays, comparing their feelings before and after receiving this information.
  • Parents highlighted the emotional impact of distinguishing between hope and expectation regarding their child's development outcomes.
  • The decision-making process for unsolicited findings (UFs) was complicated for parents, as they needed a clearer understanding of their child's potential development to make informed choices, and strategies like default opt-ins and opt-outs were useful in navigating these decisions.
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Background: Massively parallel sequencing techniques, such as whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), may reveal unsolicited findings (UFs) unrelated to the diagnostic aim. Such techniques are frequently used for diagnostic purposes in pediatric cases of developmental delay (DD). Yet policy guidelines for informed consent and return of UFs are not well equipped to address specific moral challenges that may arise in these children's situations.

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Background: The cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unknown in ∼20% of patients with kidney failure. Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) can be a valuable diagnostic tool in patients with unexplained CKD, with a diagnostic yield of 12%-56%. Here, we report the use of MPS to establish a genetic diagnosis in a 24-year-old index patient who presented with hypertension, nephrotic-range proteinuria and kidney failure of unknown origin.

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Genetic testing in patients with suspected hereditary kidney disease may not reveal the genetic cause for the disorder as potentially pathogenic variants can reside in genes that are not yet known to be involved in kidney disease. We have developed KidneyNetwork, that utilizes tissue-specific expression to inform candidate gene prioritization specifically for kidney diseases. KidneyNetwork is a novel method constructed by integrating a kidney RNA-sequencing co-expression network of 878 samples with a multi-tissue network of 31,499 samples.

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Genetic kidney disease comprises a diverse group of disorders. These can roughly be divided in the phenotype groups congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract, ciliopathies, glomerulopathies, stone disorders, tubulointerstitial kidney disease, and tubulopathies. Many etiologies can lead to chronic kidney disease that can progress to end-stage kidney disease.

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Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract form a spectrum of congenital structural disorders that are generally known under the term CAKUT. The term CAKUT was introduced 20 years ago and has been used extensively in literature since. Prof.

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Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can be caused by a variety of systemic or primary renal diseases. The cause of CKD remains unexplained in approximately 20% of patients. Retrospective studies indicate that massively parallel sequencing (MPS)-based gene panel testing may lead to a genetic diagnosis in 12%-56% of patients with unexplained CKD, depending on patient profile.

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Approval of the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist tolvaptan-based on the landmark TEMPO 3:4 trial-marked a transformation in the management of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This development has advanced patient care in ADPKD from general measures to prevent progression of chronic kidney disease to targeting disease-specific mechanisms. However, considering the long-term nature of this treatment, as well as potential side effects, evidence-based approaches to initiate treatment only in patients with rapidly progressing disease are crucial.

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Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can provide valuable health insight for research participants or patients. Opportunities to be sequenced are increasing as direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing becomes more prevalent, but it is still fairly unusual to have been sequenced. We offered WGS to fourteen professionals with pre-existing familiarity with an interest in human genetics - healthcare, science, policy and art.

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Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of genetic skin conditions characterized by abnormal skin (and mucosal) fragility caused by pathogenic variants in various genes. The disease severity ranges from early childhood mortality in the most severe types to occasional acral blistering in the mildest types. The subtype and severity of EB is linked to the gene involved and the specific variants in that gene, which also determine its mode of inheritance.

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Background: Gitelman syndrome is the most frequent hereditary salt-losing tubulopathy characterized by hypokalemic alkalosis and hypomagnesemia. Gitelman syndrome is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in encoding the Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC) expressed in the distal convoluted tubule. Pathogenic variants of , , , or may result in the same renal phenotype of Gitelman syndrome, as they can lead to reduced NCC activity.

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Background: Over the last decade, advances in genetic techniques have resulted in the identification of rare hereditary disorders of renal magnesium and salt handling. Nevertheless, approximately 20% of all patients with tubulopathy lack a genetic diagnosis.

Methods: We performed whole-exome and -genome sequencing of a patient cohort with a novel, inherited, salt-losing tubulopathy; hypomagnesemia; and dilated cardiomyopathy.

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The overall diagnostic yield of massively parallel sequencing-based tests in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is 30% for paediatric cases and 6-30% for adult cases. These figures should encourage nephrologists to frequently use genetic testing as a diagnostic means for their patients. However, in reality, several barriers appear to hinder the implementation of massively parallel sequencing-based diagnostics in routine clinical practice.

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