Publications by authors named "Montserrat Morales Conejo"

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experiences measures (PREMs) are crucial for understanding the impact of GD on quality of life and patient's perceptions on care, but also to guide decision-making processes. Nevertheless, no specific PREMs in GD have been published, neither PROMs for Spanish GD patients have been developed.

Methods: Two project coordinators selected key-points to be included in a PROMs/PREMs questionnaire, and the scientific committee and a group of expert patients contributed to the initial draft.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Gaucher disease is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, leading to glucosylceramide buildup, and it impacts women's health throughout different life stages, including delays in menarche and common issues like menorrhagia.
  • - Pregnancy planning and genetic counseling are essential for patients to manage potential complications, such as organomegaly and bone or blood disorders, during and after pregnancy.
  • - Women with Gaucher disease may experience early menopause, increasing the risk of osteopenia, and should be monitored closely for early signs of liver or renal neoplasms during routine screenings.
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Purpose: MELAS syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations. We previously described that MELAS patients had increased CSF glutamate and decreased CSF glutamine levels and that oral glutamine supplementation restores these values. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) allows the in vivo evaluation of brain metabolism.

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Background: The availability of multiple treatments for type 1 Gaucher disease increases the need for real-life studies to evaluate treatment efficacy and safety and provide clinicians with more information to choose the best personalized therapy for their patients.

Aims: To determine whether treatment with eliglustat produces, in adult GD1 patients, ans optimal response in daily clinical practice.

Methods: We designed a real-life study with 2 years of follow-up (TRAZELGA [GEE-ELI-2017-01]) to uniformly evaluate the response and adverse events to eliglustat treatment.

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Background: Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) comprises a group of rare genetic diseases characterized by neurovisceral crises that are manifested by abdominal pain and neurological and/or psychological symptoms that interfere with the ability to lead a normal life. Our objective was to determine the burden of the disease in one year and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with AHP.

Results: 28 patients were analyzed.

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Primary mitochondrial myopathies (PMM) are a clinically and genetically highly heterogeneous group that, in some cases, may manifest exclusively as fatigue and exercise intolerance, with minimal or no signs on examination. On these occasions, the symptoms can be confused with the much more common chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Nonetheless, other possibilities must be excluded for the final diagnosis of CFS, with PMM being one of the primary differential diagnoses.

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Porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) haploinsufficiency (acute intermittent porphyria, AIP) is characterized by neurovisceral attacks associated with high production, accumulation and urinary excretion of heme precursors, δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG). The estimated clinical penetrance for AIP is extremely low (<1%), therefore it is likely that other factors may play an important role in the predisposition to developing attacks. Fasting is a known triggering factor.

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Background And Purpose: Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a genetically heterogeneous disorder caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations. There are no disease-modifying therapies, and treatment remains mainly supportive. It has been shown previously that patients with MELAS syndrome have significantly increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glutamate and significantly decreased CSF glutamine levels compared to controls.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fragile X syndrome (FXS) results from an abnormal increase in CGG repeats in the 5' UTR of the gene, which can lead to varying severity of symptoms based on cellular expression of FMRP.
  • Mosaicism in size and methylation is common in FXS and may correlate with less severe phenotypes.
  • This study discusses a specific FXS case linked to a complete hemizygous deletion of the gene due to maternal mosaicism and reviews other cases of gene deletions in mosaic patterns.
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Background and objectives: Glycerol phenylbutyrate (GPB) has demonstrated safety and efficacy in patients with urea cycle disorders (UCDs) by means of its clinical trial program, but there are limited data in clinical practice. In order to analyze the efficacy and safety of GPB in clinical practice, here we present a national Spanish experience after direct switching from another nitrogen scavenger to GPB. Methods: This observational, retrospective, multicenter study was performed in 48 UCD patients (age 11.

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  • Hyperammonaemia is a serious metabolic issue that can lead to brain damage and death, often seen in small children due to genetic disorders but more commonly in adults as a result of liver disease, medications, or dehydration.
  • The protocol aims to guide healthcare professionals on how to treat this condition effectively by emphasizing close monitoring, nutritional support, and timely use of medications and treatments.
  • It recommends starting haemodialysis for ammonia levels above certain thresholds: >200−350 µmol/L for children under 18 months and >150−200 µmol/L for older patients.
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Objectives: Identify the efficacy variables collected in the literature for therapies used in lysosomal storage diseases (LDS), evaluate the quality of this evidence, and know the effectiveness and safety of these treatments.

Material And Methods: Retrospective observational study that included patients with LDS treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) or substrate reduction therapy (SRT). Published clinical trials (CT) and LDS treatment guidelines were reviewed to select efficacy variables.

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Background: Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is a genetically heterogeneous disorder caused by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in the MT-TL1 gene. The pathophysiology of neurological manifestations is still unclear, but neuronal hyperexcitability and neuron-astrocyte uncoupling have been suggested. Glutamatergic neurotransmission is linked to glucose oxidation and mitochondrial metabolism in astrocytes and neurons.

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Background: Lysosomal Storage Diseases (LSDs) are a group of Rare Diseases (RDs) caused by lysosomal enzyme deficiencies. Patients with LSDs suffer from a wide range of symptoms with a strong impact in their daily routines. In this study we aimed to explore the impact of the disease on the lives of patients with four LSDs, as well as how they experience Patient Journey from diagnosis to follow up.

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Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) constitute an important group of conditions characterized by an altered metabolic pathway. There are numerous guidelines for the diagnosis and management of IEMs in the pediatric population but not for adults. Given the increasing frequency of this group of conditions in adulthood, other clinicians in addition to pediatricians should be aware of them and learn to identify their characteristic manifestations.

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Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IVA or Morquio A syndrome is a progressive and disabling disease characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulphate sulphatase. Its clinical presentation is very heterogeneous and poorly understood in adults. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical manifestations of MPS IVA in adult patients in Spain and to assess their health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

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Allan-Herndon-Dudley is an X-linked recessive syndrome caused by pathogenic variants in the SLC16A2 gene. Clinical manifestations are a consequence of impaired thyroid metabolism and aberrant transport of thyroid hormones to the brain. Carrier females are generally asymptomatic and may show subtle symptoms of the disease.

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Mitochondrial disorders (MD) comprise a group of heterogeneous clinical disorders for which non-invasive diagnosis remains a challenge. Two protein biomarkers have so far emerged for MD detection, FGF-21 and GDF-15, but the identification of additional biomarkers capable of improving their diagnostic accuracy is highly relevant. Previous studies identified Gelsolin as a regulator of cell survival adaptations triggered by mitochondrial defects.

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Background And Objective: Tuberous sclerosis (TS) is a condition whose manifestations in childhood have been extensively described, but whose presentation in adults is less well known. This study describes the clinical and genetic characteristics, therapeutic management and quality of life of a cohort of adult patients with TS. A comparative study of the characteristics of patients diagnosed in childhood and adulthood is also carried out.

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Acute porphyria attacks are associated with the strong up-regulation of hepatic heme synthesis and over-production of neurotoxic heme precursors. First-line therapy is based on carbohydrate loading. However, altered glucose homeostasis could affect its efficacy.

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Newborn screening programs for congenital diseases aim to achieve a presymptomatic and early diagnosis of treatable disorders, in order to prevent or significantly reduce morbidity and/or mortality. Many of the conditions included in these programs are inborn errors of metabolism (IEM); however, the detection of endocrine, hematological, immunological, cardiovascular diseases, and congenital hearing loss are also included in many of them. Newborn screening tests are not diagnostic and therefore additional tests are needed to confirm or exclude the suspected diagnosis.

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We report the case of a Caucasian Spanish boy, who showed profound neonatal hypotonia, feeding difficulties, apnea, severe developmental delay, epilepsy, bilateral convergent strabismus, poor verbal language development and a large brainstem. Whole-exome sequence uncovered a novel mutation in the purine-rich element binding protein A gene (; NM_005859.4:c.

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