Publications by authors named "Marianne Rohrbach"

Article Synopsis
  • RETRIEVE is a natural history study focused on the survival and disease progression of early-onset GM1, GM2, and type 2 Gaucher disease (GD2).
  • The study gathered data from 185 patients retrospectively and 40 patients prospectively, revealing varying median survival rates: GM1 (19 months), GM2 (44 months), and GD2 (14 months).
  • The findings noted that hypotonia was widespread among GM1 patients (94.4%), with additional symptoms like strabismus and splenomegaly specifically observed in GD2 patients, confirming known patterns of these rare lysosomal storage disorders.
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  • Children and adolescents with Pompe disease (PD) experience significant myopathy that requires intensive enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), but little is known about their views on the disease and treatment.
  • A study involving interviews with 11 pediatric patients and 26 caregivers highlighted diverse perceptions of symptoms and their social impacts, showing that even mild limitations can be frustrating for patients.
  • Participants generally felt relieved by the transition from hospital to home-based ERT, emphasizing improvements in daily life and emotional well-being, although their emotional responses varied widely.
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  • The study evaluated the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) for its reliability and validity in patients with neurological symptoms from lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), particularly Niemann-Pick disease type C and GM2 Gangliosidoses.
  • Data from three clinical trials involving 122 patients and 703 visits were analyzed, focusing on retest reliability, responsiveness, and identifying meaningful changes in SARA scores through various global impression assessments.
  • Results showed high reliability (ICC of 0.95+) and minimal change in SARA scores over time, with patient interviews indicating that a one-point improvement on the SARA scale is clinically significant for patients' everyday lives.
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Protein biogenesis within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is crucial for organismal function. Errors during protein folding necessitate the removal of faulty products. ER-associated protein degradation and ER-phagy target misfolded proteins for proteasomal and lysosomal degradation.

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  • Genetic disorders create lifelong challenges for individuals and families, requiring ongoing medical support, particularly for children with Pompe disease (PD) who often struggle in physical activities.
  • The study presents the PompeQoL 1.0 questionnaire, developed to assess both disease-specific functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) through self-reports and parent-proxy reports, ensuring content validity through patient and parent feedback.
  • With 52 selected items showing strong reliability and initial validation, the PompeQoL questionnaire is a significant tool for clinical and research use, although further testing and revisions are needed for broader application.
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  • Human organotypic bone models mimic the natural physiology of bone, allowing for long-term experimentation.
  • A new 3D bioprinted model using human osteoblasts from surgical waste was developed to compare two cell densities and their effects on mineral formation, stiffness, and cell morphology over time.
  • Results showed that higher cell density led to faster mineralization, greater scaffold stiffness, and improved cell spreading, suggesting potential applications in studying bone disorders and personalized medicine.
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Background: Recommendations on when to start enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in children with Fabry disease (FD) differ between guidelines. In this study, kidney biopsies of a cohort of 14 untreated children and one treated child were analyzed for their morphologic changes to determine whether early initiation of ERT is indicated.

Methods: All pediatric FD patients (< 18 years old) diagnosed between 2003 and 2021 in our department who received a kidney biopsy were enrolled.

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  • * The first X-linked recessive form of OI was identified in 2016 and involves mutations in a gene encoding a protease that influences various biological processes, including bone health and lipid metabolism.
  • * Researchers found distinct gene expression patterns in fibroblasts from OI patients, indicating differences in fatty acid metabolism and collagen production, which may help assess the impact of new genetic variants on the severity of OI.
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  • - Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disorder that weakens bones, resulting in a range of severity from mild to severe, impacting daily life significantly.
  • - A meta-analysis evaluated the quality of life (QoL) in children and adults with OI, revealing that children scored lower on various quality of life measures, while adults showed reduced QoL across all physical and mental health components compared to general norms.
  • - The findings highlight that those with OI experience substantial challenges in both physical and mental health, emphasizing the need for further research to understand the specific impacts on different OI subtypes.
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  • Living with inborn errors of metabolism (IT-IEM) significantly affects the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of pediatric patients and their families, with parents feeling high levels of worry and responsibility for their children's health.* -
  • A multicenter study involving 50 parents and 35 children assessed factors like caregiver burden and perceived disease severity, revealing that higher caregiver burden and perceived severity lead to lower HrQoL ratings for children, regardless of whether the condition is acute or non-acute.* -
  • The findings indicate a need for support systems for parents, as addressing caregiver burden may improve the HrQoL of children with IT-IEM.*
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Purpose: This study aimed to describe a multisystemic disorder featuring cardiovascular, facial, musculoskeletal, and cutaneous anomalies caused by heterozygous loss-of-function variants in TAB2.

Methods: Affected individuals were analyzed by next-generation technologies and genomic array. The presumed loss-of-function effect of identified variants was assessed by luciferase assay in cells transiently expressing TAB2 deleterious alleles.

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(1) Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a compressive mononeuropathy of the median nerve at the wrist, is rare in childhood and occurs most frequently due to secondary causes. (2) Methods: Medical history, electrodiagnostic findings, and imaging data of patients with CTS from two pediatric neuromuscular centers were analyzed retrospectively. The etiology of CTS was investigated and compared with the literature.

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Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited skeletal dysplasia characterized by low bone density, bone fragility and recurrent fractures. The characterization of its heterogeneous genetic basis has allowed the identification of novel players in bone development. In 2016, we described the first X-linked recessive form of OI caused by hemizygous missense variants resulting in moderate to severe phenotypes.

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Glycogen storage diseases (GSDs) belong to the group of inborn errors of carbohydrate metabolism. Hepatic GSDs predominantly involve the liver and most present with hepatomegaly. Biochemically they show known disturbances in glucose and fatty acids metabolism, namely fasting hypoglycaemia and increased triglycerides.

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Coloboma and microphthalmia (C/M) are related congenital eye malformations, which can cause significant visual impairment. Molecular diagnosis is challenging as the genes associated to date with C/M account for only a small percentage of cases. Overall, the genetic cause remains unknown in up to 80% of patients.

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Background: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by joint hypermobility, connective tissue friability, and vascular fragility. Reliable prognostic factors predicting vascular disease progression (e.g.

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Purpose: Biallelic CAD variants underlie CAD deficiency (or early infantile epileptic encephalopathy-50, [EIEE-50]), an error of pyrimidine de novo biosynthesis amenable to treatment via the uridine salvage pathway. We further define the genotype and phenotype with a focus on treatment.

Methods: Retrospective case series of 20 patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal-recessive disorder caused by mutations in the PAH gene, with a global prevalence of about 1 in 23,930 live births, affecting approximately 450,000 individuals worldwide.
  • A study of 16,092 PKU patients across 51 countries found significant variations in disease severity, with 62% classified as classic PKU, 22% as mild PKU, and 16% as mild hyperphenylalaninemia; this also showed a geographic gradient in phenotype severity across Europe.
  • The research identified the most common PAH variants and allowed for genotype-to-phenotype prediction, enabling better tailoring of treatments based on individual patient genetics
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Introduction: Marfan syndrome (MFS) and related connective tissue disorders (CTDs) are increasingly recognised. Genetic testing has greatly improved the diagnostic outcome/power over the last two decades. In this study we describe a multicentre cohort of adults with MFS and related CTDs, with a particular focus on results from genetic testing.

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Pompe disease is a rare metabolic myopathy caused by deficiency of lysosomal α-glucosidase. Reduced enzyme activity results in abnormal intra- and extralysosomal glycogen deposition as well as impaired cellular function and autophagy. Age at manifestation and severity of disease depend on residual enzyme activity.

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Mutations in the FKBP14 gene encoding FKBP22 (FK506 Binding Protein 22 kDa) cause kyphoscoliotic Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (kEDS). The first clinical report showed that a lack of FKBP22 protein due to mutations causing nonsense-mediated decay of the mRNA leads to a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes including progressive kyphoscoliosis, joint hypermobility, hypotonia, hyperelastic skin, hearing loss and aortic rupture. Our previous work showed that these phenotypic features could be correlated with the functions of FKBP22, which preferentially binds to type III, VI and X collagens, but not to type I, II or V collagens.

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The 2017 classification of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) identifies three types associated with causative variants in COL1A1/COL1A2 and distinct from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Previously, patients have been described with variable features of both disorders, and causative variants in COL1A1/COL1A2; but this phenotype has not been included in the current classification. Here, we expand and re-define this OI/EDS overlap as a missing EDS type.

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The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) constitute a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of connective tissue disorders. Tenascin X (TNX) deficiency is a rare type of EDS, defined as classical-like EDS (clEDS), since it phenotypically resembles the classical form of EDS, though lacking atrophic scarring. Although most patients display a well-defined phenotype, the diagnosis of TNX-deficiency is often delayed or overlooked.

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Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) comprises a genetically heterogeneous group of skeletal fragility diseases. Here, we report on five independent families with a progressively deforming type of OI, in whom we identified four homozygous truncation or frameshift mutations in MESD. Affected individuals had recurrent fractures and at least one had oligodontia.

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