Publications by authors named "Ozgul M Alper"

Objectives: To determine the demographic, clinical, and genetic profile of Turkish Caucasian PCD cases.

Methods: Targeted next-generation sequencing (t-NGS) of 46 nuclear genes was performed in 21 unrelated PCD cases. Sanger sequencing confirmed of potentially disease-related variations, and genotype-phenotype correlations were evaluated.

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  • Craniosynostosis is a serious craniofacial disorder caused by the early fusion of cranial sutures, leading to potential issues like brain damage, seizures, and various physical deformities.
  • The condition can arise from genetic and epigenetic factors, environmental influences, and may be linked to over 200 syndromes or occur nonsyndromically.
  • Research includes studying the genetic, embryological, epigenetic, and environmental aspects to better understand the disorder and its implications on craniofacial development.
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Craniosynostosis consists of premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures and can be seen as part of a syndrome or diagnosed as nonsyndromic (isolated). Although more than 180 craniosynostosis syndromes have been identified, 70% of the cases are diagnosed as nonsyndromic. On the other hand, genetic causes of the cases are mostly unknown and the overall frequency of the genetic diagnosis is around 25%.

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Background: Craniosynostosis is described as the premature fusion of cranial sutures that belongs to a group of alterations which produce an abnormal phenotype.

Case Report: Two unrelated female patients with clinical findings of Apert syndrome-characterized by acrocephaly, prominent frontal region, flat occiput, ocular proptosis, hypertelorism, down-slanted palpebral fissures, midfacial hypoplasia, high-arched or cleft palate, short neck, cardiac anomalies and symmetrical syndactyly of the hands and feet-are present. In both patients, a heterozygous missense mutation (c.

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The bones of the skull are held together by fibrous joints called sutures. Premature fusion of these sutures leads to a pathologic condition called as craniosynostosis. Although at least 50 nuclear genes including FGFR2, TWIST1, TCF12, and SMAD6 were identified as causative of craniosynostosis; only 25% of the patients can be genetically diagnosed.

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Background: Little is known about the genetic contribution to Müllerian aplasia, better known to patients as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. Mutations in two genes ( and ) account for a small number of patients, but heterozygous copy number variants (CNVs) have been described. However, the significance of these CNVs in the pathogenesis of MRKH is unknown, but suggests possible autosomal dominant inheritance.

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  • * The patient's sweat chloride tests returned within the normal range, indicating that normal levels do not completely rule out the possibility of cystic fibrosis.
  • * Ultimately, genetic testing revealed two mutations associated with cystic fibrosis, highlighting the importance of mutation analysis in diagnosing the condition even with normal sweat test results.
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  • - This study aimed to investigate the genetic causes of Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), focusing on three candidate genes: WNT4, HNF1B, and LHX1, to find mutations and copy number variants (CNVs) in affected individuals.
  • - The research involved DNA sequencing and chromosomal microarray analysis of 147 MRKH patients and their families, revealing CNVs in about 19% of those tested but no point mutations or small insertions/deletions in the targeted genes.
  • - The findings indicated a low prevalence of point mutations in the selected genes among MRKH patients, but the discovery of CNVs suggests that further familial studies are needed to uncover more about MR
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Skeletal dysplasias (SDs) constitute a group of heterogeneous disorders affecting growth morphology of the chondro-osseous tissues. Prenatal diagnosis of SD is a considerable clinical challenge due to phenotypic variability. We performed a retrospective analysis of the fetal autopsies series conducted between January 2006 and December 2012 at our center.

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  • The study investigates mitochondrial genome variations, specifically in the mt-ATP6 and mt-CytB genes, to understand their connection to childhood obesity in Turkish children aged 6-14.
  • Researchers sequenced these genes in 100 obese children and compared the findings with 100 healthy controls, identifying a total of 118 variations.
  • Two specific synonymous substitutions in the mt-ATP6 gene were significantly more common in the obese group, suggesting a link to childhood obesity, while the findings also highlight the need for further research involving larger samples.
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Background: Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 mutations have been associated with the craniosynostotic conditions of Apert, Crouzon, Pfeiffer, Saethre-Chotzen, Jackson-Weiss, Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata, and Antley-Bixler syndromes in various ethnic groups.

Methods: Thirty-three unrelated Turkish patients (12 with Apert syndrome, 14 with Crouzon syndrome, six with Pfeiffer syndrome, and one with Saethre-Chotzen syndrome) and 67 nonsyndromic craniosynostosis patients were screened for mutations in exons IIIa and IIIc of the FGFR2 gene by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed by direct sequencing.

Results: We detected several pathogenic mutations in 11/33 (33%) patients with Apert syndrome (four with p.

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The objective was to determine molecular genetic analysis of the TPO gene in Turkish children with iodide organification defect (IOD). Patients with a diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism were evaluated. Subjects having a definite diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis, thyroid gland dysplasia and, or iodine deficiency were excluded.

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Aim: To determine the final diagnosis of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), and to perform mutation screening of the thyroid peroxidase gene (TPO).

Methods: Infants with SCH without an identified etiology were included in the study. Patients with thyroid dysgenesis were excluded.

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Human MYO15A is located on chromosome 17p11.2, has 66 exons and encodes unconventional myosin XVA. Recessive mutations of MYO15A are associated with profound, nonsyndromic hearing loss DFNB3 in humans, and deafness and circling behavior in shaker 2 mice.

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Background: Clinically affected cystic fibrosis (CF) patients present a spectrum of genital phenotypes ranging from normal fertility to moderately impaired spermatogenesis and congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens (CBAVD). Little is known about the CF incidence in the Taiwanese population. It has been shown that the CBAVD in men without clinical evidence of CF is associated with a high incidence of mutated CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) alleles.

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Objective: To determine the genotype of a triplet resulted from an IVF procedure, with discordant cystic fibrosis (CF) phenotype.

Design: Molecular diagnosis of CF.

Setting: Affected triplet followed at the CF Clinic Center of Children's Hospital Los Angeles was referred to Molecular Genetics Laboratory at Georgetown University Medical Center for comprehensive DNA analysis of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene.

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In ethnic heterogeneous California, complete genetic information is currently lacking to build solid population-based cystic fibrosis (CF) screening programs because a large proportion of mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR/ABCC7) are still unknown, especially in non-Caucasian patients. A total of 402 [46 African American+356 Hispanic] Hispanic and African American patients from California CF patient registry were included in this study. Patients with at least one unidentified mutant allele were asked to donate blood samples for further analysis, first by Genzyme Genetics for a panel of 87 known mutations, followed by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) scanning of the entire coding exons of CFTR gene.

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Cystic fibrosis (CF), caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, is one of the most common autosomal recessive diseases with variable incidences and mutation spectra among different ethnic groups. Current commercially available mutation panels designed for the analysis of known recurrent mutations have a detection rate between 38 to 95%, depending upon the ethnic background of the patient. We describe the application of a novel mutation detection method, temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE), to the study of the molecular genetics of Hispanic CF patients.

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Coexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and c-erbB-2 in 47-68% of ovarian cancer cells indicate their strong association with tumor formation. We examined the effects of simultaneous antisense- or immunosuppression of EGFR and c-erbB-2 expression on the invasive phenotype, aneuploidy, and genotype of cultured human ovarian carcinoma cells (NIH:OVCAR-8). We report here that suppression of both EGFR and c-erbB-2 results in regression of aneuploidy and genomic imbalances in NIH:OVCAR-8 cells, restores a more normal phenotype, and results in a more normal gene expression profile.

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Background And Purpose: Cystic fibrosis (CF) in Asian populations is very rare. We performed molecular genetic analysis in 2 Taiwanese CF patients for detection of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations.

Methods: Temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) was used for mutation detection, and direct sequencing was used for identification of mutations.

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