Socio-economic status (SES) has profound effects on health outcomes. This paper shows that people with disease-causing small chromosomal variations (CNVs) tend to have lower SES. Interestingly, SES of individuals with milder inherited CNVs tends to be even lower than of individuals with more severe CNVs without any family history. These findings mean that future studies […]
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Genetic aetiology of early infant deaths in a neonatal intensive care unit
This study investigated the genetic causes of early death in a 3-year death cohort from the NICU of Children’s Hospital of Fudan University. We identified 44 (19.7 %, 44/223) deceased newborns with genetic findings and 13 of them had medically actionable disorders based on genetic diagnosis. Multiple congenital malformation was the leading genetic cause of […]
Rapid, proteomic urine assay for monitoring progressive organ disease in Fabry disease
This works describes a new and non-invasive way to simultaneously monitor an inflammatory response, lysosomal dysfunction, kidney and cardiovascular disease. Fabry Disease is a condition where we cannot breakdown a glycolipid. This builds up in the body causing kidney and/or cardiovascular damage. Plasma lyso-Gb3 is the general lipid biomarker used to monitor response to treatment […]
Impact of DNA source on genetic variant detection from human whole-genome sequencing data
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is the most comprehensive genetic test possible, theoretically allowing the detection of all types of genetic variants. With decreasing DNA sequencing costs, we can now consider applying WGS to worldwide populations, but this requires the collection of DNA samples. While blood is the traditional source of DNA, saliva and buccal (cheek) samples […]
Distal hereditary motor neuronopathy of the Jerash type is caused by a novel SIGMAR1 c.500A>T missense mutation
Distal hereditary motor neuronopathy of the Jerash type (HMNJ) is characterized by distal muscle weakness and atrophy. SIGMAR1 mutations have recently been associated with other motor neuron diseases. We have identified a novel SIGMAR1 c.500A>T missense mutation that is associated with HMNJ in 30 patients. We proved that this mutation reduces the expression and alters […]
Germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing for breast cancer survivors
For patients with early breast cancer knowledge of germline BRCA1/2 status increasingly influences management as well as informing future cancer risk for patients and their families. Newly diagnosed patients are now benefiting from expanded access to testing. To extend this provision to breast cancer survivors, we embedded a Senior Genetic Counsellor in the Breast Unit […]
Enrichment of damaging missense variants in genes related with axonal guidance signalling in sporadic Meniere’s disease
Meniere’s disease (MD) is a rare inner ear disorder with a significant genetic contribution defined by episodic vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. We performed high-coverage targeted sequencing panel of 263 genes related with the main molecular pathways associated to supporting cells in the inner ear in a large Spanish sporadic MD cohort. We found […]
Homozygous damaging SOD2 variant causes lethal neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy, or a deterioration of the ability of the heart muscle to contract, generally leads to progressive heart failure. It is frequently inherited, and, because approximately 40% of affected children are likely to die within five years of diagnosis, being able to identify its genetic basis is particularly important. Now, we have identified a new […]
High-sensitivity microsatellite instability assessment for the detection of mismatch repair defects in normal tissue of biallelic germline mismatch repair mutation carriers
Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare and devastating childhood-onset cancer predisposition syndrome caused by biallelic germline mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes. This inherited MMR deficiency causes an accumulation of errors mainly in repetitive regions of the DNA known as microsatellite instability (MSI). We have developed a valuable diagnostic tool that can detect MSI at […]
Open questions on the nature of Parkinson’s disease: from triggers to spreading pathology
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a late onset neurological condition characterized by impaired movements: tremors, rigidity, slow movements, and abnormal posture. In recent years, numerous non-motor symptoms, including psychiatric, sleep, smell, and digestive alterations, have been identified as integral components of the disease. Loss of smell and constipation can appear a decade before the full motor […]