Publications by authors named "Saoud Tahsin-Swafiri"

Snijders Blok-Campeau syndrome (SNIBCPS, OMIM# 618205) is an extremely infrequent disease with only approximately 60 cases reported so far. SNIBCPS belongs to the group of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Clinical features of patients with SNIBCPS include global developmental delay, intellectual disability, speech and language difficulties and behavioral disorders like autism spectrum disorder.

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Purpose: To describe the genetic and clinical spectrum of GUCY2D-associated retinopathies and to accurately establish their prevalence in a large cohort of patients.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Institutional study of 47 patients from 27 unrelated families with retinal dystrophies carrying disease-causing GUCY2D variants from the Fundación Jiménez Díaz hospital dataset of 8000 patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Haploinsufficiency of the TRIP12 gene causes Clark-Baraitser syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder featuring intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and distinct facial features.
  • The study analyzed 38 individuals with TRIP12 variants, identifying 35 different genetic mutations and observing global developmental delays, language deficits, and associated autistic traits in about half of the cases.
  • Facial features characteristic of the syndrome were detailed using deep-learning algorithms, revealing traits such as deep-set eyes, downturned mouths, and prominent ears, which can aid in better counseling and management of affected individuals.
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Background: KBG syndrome is a highly variable neurodevelopmental disorder and clinical diagnostic criteria have changed as new patients have been reported. Both loss-of-function sequence variants and large deletions (copy number variations, CNVs) involving cause KBG syndrome, but no genotype-phenotype correlation has been reported.

Methods: 67 patients with KBG syndrome were assessed using a custom phenotypical questionnaire.

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Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive ciliopathy characterized by extensive inter- and intra-familial variability, in which oligogenic interactions have been also reported. Our main goal is to elucidate the role of mutational load in the clinical variability of BBS. A cohort of 99 patients from 77 different families with biallelic pathogenic variants in a BBS-associated gene was retrospectively recruited.

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Introduction: Biallelic pathogenic RPE65 variants are related to a spectrum of clinically overlapping inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD). Most affected individuals progress to severe disease, with 50% of patients becoming legally blind by 20 years of age. Deeper knowledge of the mutational spectrum and the phenotype-genotype correlation in RPE65-related IRD is needed.

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Background: The paired-domain transcription factor paired box gene 6 (PAX6) causes a wide spectrum of ocular developmental anomalies, including congenital aniridia, Peters anomaly and microphthalmia. Here, we aimed to functionally assess the involvement of seven potentially non-canonical splicing variants on missplicing of exon 6, which represents the main hotspot region for loss-of-function variants.

Methods: By locus-specific analysis of using Sanger and/or targeted next-generation sequencing, we screened a Spanish cohort of 106 patients with -related diseases.

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Most consensus recommendations for the genetic diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) do not include the use of next generation sequencing (NGS) and are still based on chromosomal microarrays, such as comparative genomic hybridization array (aCGH). This study compares the diagnostic yield obtained by aCGH and clinical exome sequencing in NDD globally and its spectrum of disorders. To that end, 1412 patients clinically diagnosed with NDDs and studied with aCGH were classified into phenotype categories: global developmental delay/intellectual disability (GDD/ID); autism spectrum disorder (ASD); and other NDDs.

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Article Synopsis
  • Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) involve the dysfunction or loss of photoreceptors and show significant clinical and genetic variability; this study aimed to detail the genetic landscape of IRDs in a large cohort of Spanish patients.
  • Over 6,000 individuals from 4,403 families were analyzed, with 53.2% of families genetically characterized, revealing 1,549 likely pathogenic variants across 142 genes, with retinitis pigmentosa being the most common phenotype (55.6% of families).
  • The study identified key genes linked to various IRD forms and highlighted frequent variants, providing valuable insights for genetic diagnosis, counseling, and potential therapies for the Spanish population and related groups.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the genetic origins of sporadic retinitis pigmentosa (sRP) in a large group of 877 unrelated Spanish patients with no family history of the disease.
  • Using advanced genetic techniques, they identified causative genetic variants in about 38% of the patients, with a significant number being de novo mutations.
  • The findings underscore the importance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for diagnosing sRP and highlight the need for thorough gene screening to improve family counseling and potential gene therapy options.
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Mutations in are involved in several developmental eye disorders. These disorders have considerable phenotypic variability, ranging from panocular forms of congenital aniridia and microphthalmia to isolated anomalies of the anterior or posterior segment. Here, we describe 3 families with variable inter-generational ocular expression of aniridia, iris coloboma, or microphthalmia, and an unusual transmission of mutations from an unaffected or mildly affected parent; all of which raised suspicion of gonosomal mosaicism.

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Two distinct syndromes arise from pathogenic variants in the X-linked gene BCOR (BCL-6 corepressor): oculofaciocardiodental (OFCD) syndrome, which affects females, and a severe microphthalmia ('Lenz'-type) syndrome affecting males. OFCD is an X-linked dominant syndrome caused by a variety of BCOR null mutations. As it manifests only in females, it is presumed to be lethal in males.

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Inherited syndromic retinopathies are a highly heterogeneous group of diseases that involve retinal anomalies and systemic manifestations. They include retinal ciliopathies, other well-defined clinical syndromes presenting with retinal alterations and cases of non-specific multisystemic diseases. The heterogeneity of these conditions makes molecular and clinical characterization of patients challenging in daily clinical practice.

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Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common form of inherited retinal dystrophy, with a worldwide prevalence of 1 in 4000 persons. While in most cases of RP, the disease is limited to the eye (non-syndromic), over 40 forms of syndromic RP have been described.

Objectives: To identify the genetic basis for syndromic RP in three unrelated families from Israel and Spain.

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Background & Aim: Vitamin D deficiency is an important concern in clinical settings and recently, international agencies have recognised the importance of 25-OHD assays in defining vitamin D status. Thus, our aim was to assess the consistency of different vitamin D assays in clinical practice.

Methods: 25-OH-vitamin D was measured in 332 patients by ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and two immunoassays (Liaison Total 25(OH) and ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total Assay).

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