Publications by authors named "Meaghan Snell"

Genome sequencing (GS) has demonstrated high diagnostic yield in pediatric patients with complex, clinically heterogeneous presentations. Emerging evidence shows generally favorable experiences for patients and families receiving GS. As a result, implementation of GS in pediatrics is gaining momentum.

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Importance: Children with medical complexity (CMC) represent a growing population in the pediatric health care system, with high resource use and associated health care costs. A genetic diagnosis can inform prognosis, anticipatory care, management, and reproductive planning. Conventional genetic testing strategies for CMC are often costly, time consuming, and ultimately unsuccessful.

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Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss or deficient expression of UBE3A on the maternally inherited allele. In 10-15% of individuals with a clinical diagnosis of AS, a molecular diagnosis cannot be established with conventional testing. We describe a 13-year-old male with an atypical presentation of AS, who was found to have a novel, maternally inherited, intronic variant in UBE3A (c.

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Purpose: RAC3 is an underexamined member of the Rho GTPase gene family that is expressed in the developing brain and linked to key cellular functions. De novo missense variants in the homolog RAC1 were recently associated with developmental disorders. In the RAC subfamily, transforming missense changes at certain shared residues have been observed in human cancers and previously characterized in experimental studies.

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Article Synopsis
  • Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is a promising diagnostic tool for medical genetic assessments but has limited clinical data backing its widespread use.
  • In a study involving 100 children, WGS was found to be significantly more effective than traditional methods, with a diagnostic yield increasing to 41% after re-analysis and re-annotation of the data ~2 years later.
  • The study emphasizes the need for regular updates of genomic data, suggesting that reanalysis should occur every 1-2 years or sooner if patient symptoms change, to improve diagnostic outcomes.
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