The genetic basis of DOORS syndrome: an exome-sequencing study.

Background: Deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, mental retardation, and seizures (DOORS) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of unknown cause. We aimed to identify the genetic basis of this syndrome by sequencing most coding exons in affected individuals.

Methods: Through a search of available case studies and communication with collaborators, we identified families that included at least one individual with at least three of the five main features of the DOORS syndrome: deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, intellectual disability, and seizures.

Clinical and biochemical features guiding the diagnostics in neurometabolic cutis laxa.

Patients with cutis laxa (CL) have wrinkled, sagging skin with decreased elasticity. Skin symptoms are associated with variable systemic involvement. The most common, genetically highly heterogeneous form of autosomal recessive CL, ARCL2, is frequently associated with variable metabolic and neurological symptoms.

Megalencephaly-polymicrogyria-polydactyly-hydrocephalus syndrome: a case report.

This report describes a case of megalencephaly-polymicrogyria-polydactyly-hydrocephalus syndrome in a 1-year-old boy, born to healthy nonconsanguineous parents. Megalencephaly and bilateral postaxial polydactyly of upper and lower limbs were noted at birth. He had profound developmental delay and moderate hypotonia.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome with tubular aggregates caused by GFPT1 mutations.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of the neuromuscular junction. A difficult to diagnose subgroup of CMS is characterised by proximal muscle weakness and fatigue while ocular and facial involvement is only minimal. DOK7 mutations have been identified as causing the disorder in about half of the cases.

High frequency of rare copy number variants affecting functionally related genes in patients with structural brain malformations.

During the past years, significant advances have been made in our understanding of the development of the human brain, and much of this knowledge comes from genetic studies of disorders associated with abnormal brain development. We employed array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to investigate copy number variants (CNVs) in a cohort of 169 patients with various structural brain malformations including lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, focal cortical dysplasia, and corpus callosum agenesis. The majority of the patients had intellectual disabilities (ID) and suffered from symptomatic epilepsy.

Pericentric inversion of chromosome 18 in parents leading to a phenotypically normal child with segmental uniparental disomy 18.

In this study, we report a familial inversion of chromosome 18, inv(18)(p11.31q21.33), in both members of a consanguineous couple.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type VI in a 17-Year-Old Iranian Boy with Severe Muscular Weakness - A Diagnostic Challenge?

Background: The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VI (EDSVI) is an autosomal recessive connective tissue disease which is characterized by severe hypotonia at birth, progressive kyphoscoliosis, skin hyperelasticity and fragility, joint hypermobility and (sub-)luxations, microcornea, rupture of arteries and the eye globe, and osteopenia. The enzyme collagen lysyl hydroxylase (LH1) is deficient in these patients due to mutations in the PLOD1 gene.

Case Presentation: We report a 17-year-old boy, born to related parents, with severe kyphoscoliosis, scar formation, joint hypermobility and multiple dislocations, muscular weakness, rupture of an ocular globe, and a history of severe infantile hypotonia.

Amelia, cleft lip, and holoprosencephaly: a distinct entity.

We report on a male fetus with amelia, cleft lip, and holoprosencephaly. We compare the clinical findings in our patient with those of previously reported cases with the most clinical overlap. To date only four cases with bilateral limb amelia, CNS anomalies, and facial clefts have been described.

Screening of Iranian thalassemic families for the most common deletions of the beta-globin gene cluster.

Deltabeta-thalassemia (thal) is a disorder, characterized by increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) in adult life. A considerable number of deletions of variable size and position in the beta-globin gene cluster are associated with the clinical manifestation of deltabeta-thal. In this study we have determined the presence of the eight most common deletions in Iranian patients.

Fourteen-year experience of prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia in Iran.

For 14 years, Iranian scientists have worked to develop a national thalassemia prevention program. Although historically abortion was considered unacceptable in Iran, intensive consultations led to the clerical approval of induced abortion in cases with beta-thalassemia major in 1997, and a nationwide prevention program with screening, counseling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) networks has been developed. This paper reports the experience from one of the two national PND reference laboratories.