Publications by authors named "P H Pennekamp"

Background: Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a rare genetic disorder caused by insufficient mucociliary clearance leading to chronic airway infections. The diagnostic guideline of the European Respiratory Society primarily recommends an evaluation of the clinical history ( by the PICADAR prediction tool), nasal nitric oxide production rate measurements, high-speed videomicroscopy analysis of ciliary beating and an assessment of ciliary axonemes transmission electron microscopy. Genetic testing can be implemented as a last step.

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Background: Nephronophthisis (NPH) comprises a heterogeneous group of inherited renal ciliopathies clinically characterized by progressive kidney failure. So far, definite diagnosis is based on molecular testing only. Here, we studied the feasibility of NPHP1 and NPHP4 immunostaining of nasal epithelial cells to secure and accelerate the diagnosis of NPH.

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Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is caused by the dysfunction of motile cilia resulting in insufficient mucociliary clearance of the lungs. This study aimed to map novel PCD variants and determine their pathogenicity in PCD patients in Kuwait. Herein, we present five PCD individuals belonging to a cohort of 105 PCD individuals recruited from different hospitals in Kuwait.

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Background: Primary ciliary dyskinesia is a genetic disorder caused by aberrant motile cilia function that results in defective ciliary airway clearance and subsequently leads to recurrent airway infections and bronchiectasis. We aimed to determine: how many functional multiciliated airway cells are sufficient to maintain ciliary airway clearance?

Methods: To answer this question we exploited the molecular defects of the X-linked recessive primary ciliary dyskinesia variant caused by pathogenic variants in (), characterised by immotile cilia in affected males. We carefully analysed the clinical phenotype and molecular defect (using immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy) and performed studies (particle tracking in air-liquid interface cultures) and studies (radiolabelled tracer studies) to assess ciliary clearance of respiratory cells from female individuals with heterozygous and male individuals with hemizygous pathogenic variants.

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Article Synopsis
  • Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder that affects ciliary function, leading to airway clearance issues and sometimes organ positioning defects (laterality defects), with a study conducted across 19 countries to analyze gene defects and their clinical implications.
  • The study involved 1236 individuals with a variety of pathogenic DNA variants and found significant geographical differences in PCD genotypes, with varying rates of laterality defects and distinct genetic characteristics linked to different countries.
  • Results revealed that individuals with PCD often have lower lung function (measured by forced expiratory volume) and that the presence of certain genetic variants can correlate with more severe clinical outcomes, highlighting the importance of genetic understanding in diagnosing
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