Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Verloes

Publications and source records attributed to A Verloes.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Koraxitrachitic syndrome: a syndromic form of self-healing collodion baby with residual dappled atrophy of the derma.

We report on a child with a generalized skin disorder associated with other minor anomalies. At birth, the child presented as a collodion baby, with patchy erythema, generalized irregular dermal atrophy, alopecia, absent eyelashes and eyebrows, and conjunctival pannus. He also had hypertelorism, prominent nasal root, large mouth, micrognathia, brachydactyly, syndactyly involving all interdigital spaces, and camptodactyly of fingers III-V. The hyperkeratotic membrane thinned progressively, leaving a mottled reticulated skin atrophy, with patchy areas of yellowish hyperpigmentation and papyraceous areas. Hair and nails were dystrophic. Mental development was borderline normal. The histological hallmarks of the skin manifestations combined orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis and marked atrophy of the dermis. The dermal extracellular matrix was immature, and factor XIII-a positive dendrocytes were rare and globular rather than dendritic. We frame as a hypothesis that the disease is due to or associated with a defect in maturation of a subset of dermal dendrocytes during fetal life. This entity may be designed as the koraxitrachitic syndrome (kappaomicronrhoalphaxi:grapnel- taurhoalphachiiotatauepsilonsigma: roughness)

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1999

Albinism and agenesis of the corpus callosum with profound developmental delay: Vici syndrome, evidence for autosomal recessive inheritance.

We report on two sibs and two other unrelated patients with agenesis of corpus callosum, oculocutaneous albinism, repeated infections, and cardiomyopathy. All manifested postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, and profound developmental delay. Additional central nervous system anomalies present in at least one patient included hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis, white matter neuronal heterotopia, or bilateral schizencephaly. Repeated viral, bacterial, and fungal infections were consistent with a primary immunodeficiency. However, immunological studies showed variable, nonspecific findings. Cardiomyopathy with progressive heart failure or infection led to death before age 2 years in three of the patients. This syndrome was first described by Vici et al. [1988: Am. J. Med. Genet. 29:1-8]. The four patients reported herein confirm this unique disorder. Affected sibs of both sexes born to unaffected parents provide evidence for autosomal recessive inheritance.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Mutation analysis of the MEN1 gene in Belgian patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and related diseases.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by tumors in parathyroids, enteropancreatic endocrine tissues, anterior pituitary, and other tissues. The gene for MEN1 has recently been cloned and shown to code for a 610-amino acid protein of enigmatic function which probably acts as a tumor suppressor. Several mutations causing the MEN1 phenotype have been recently identified. In order to determine the spectrum of MEN1 gene mutations in a sample of 25 Belgian patients, we have systematically screened the 10 exons and adjacent sequences of the MEN1 gene by means of an automatic sequencing protocol. Twelve different mutations were identified including nonsense, frameshift, splicing, and missense mutations. Two of these mutations (D172Y and 357del4) occurred more than once. A missense mutation was also found in a kindred with familial hyperparathyroidism. We observed no significant correlation between the nature or position of mutation and the clinical status. We have also detected 6 intragenic polymorphisms and DNA sequence variants and have analyzed their frequencies in our population.

Belgium↗
PubMed1999

Analysis of coding sequences for tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) and 2 (TIMP2) in patients with aneurysms.

Aneurysms are characterized by dilation, i.e. expansion and thinning of all the arterial wall layers, which is accompanied by remodeling of the connective tissue. Genes involved in the regulation of tissue remodeling are therefore candidate genes. We analyzed TIMP1 and TIMP2 coding sequences in 12 individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), one individual with AAA and intracranial aneurysms (IA), four individuals with IA and two clinically unaffected individuals. We identified two nucleotide variants in both the TIMP1 and the TIMP2 coding sequences. All differences occurred in the third base positions of codons and were neutral polymorphisms. A significant difference was observed in the frequency of TIMP2 nt 573 polymorphism between 168 alleles from AAA patients and 102 control alleles.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Cardiac anomalies associated with congenital absence of the portal vein.

The authors discovered congenital absence of the portal vein, with visceral venous return to the right atrium, in a 5-year-old girl with aortic valvar stenosis. Interestingly, of the 19 patients, it was discovered that 11 reported with portal venous agenesis also had cardiac defects. We have, therefore, investigated the hypothesis that the congenital absence of the portal vein and the associated cardiac malformations may result from a similar embryologic insult, and that cardiac development may be affected by the systemic diversion of portal venous flow.

Child↗
PubMed1999

Familial acromegaly: case report and review of the literature.

Familial acromegaly is an exceptional clinical entity when not associated with features of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). We report here 3 pedigrees in each of which 2 patients have been shown to develop acromegaly. In 4 patients, clinical follow-up, and biological screening allowed to confidently exclude MEN1. Absence of mutation in the MEN1 gene after direct DNA analysis in 2 pedigrees reinforces the conviction that the families do not have MEN1. In families 1 and 2, diagnosis was made at a very early age and voluminous adenomas with suprasellar expansion were already present at the time of diagnosis. We review the 20 previous reports of familial acromegaly, some of them questionable. Our 3 families, combined with some other published pedigrees, allow the delineation of a familial form of acromegaly, distinct from MEN1. Dominant inheritance with reduced, age-dependant penetrance is the most parsimonious model to explain the recurrences. Gs protein pathway could be the site of action of the gene responsible of familial acromegaly, but no data have been published to sustain or reject this hypothesis.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed1999

Cardiac involvement in Coffin-Lowry syndrome.

Coffin-Lowry syndrome is an X-linked recessive syndrome of mental retardation, characteristic facies and skeletal anomalies. In one patient with the syndrome, we observed early recurrent episodes of congestive heart failure with intercurrent normalization and the late development of mitral insufficiency due to annular dilation and congenital abnormalities of the valve apparatus. This unusual course of cardiac involvement, the non-adaptation of the left ventricular contractility to the aggravation of the mitral insufficiency and the postoperative persistence of the ventricular dysfunction, underline the possible role of an associated primary myocardial disease. This clinical observation demonstrates clearly that a mitral valve malformation can occur in patients with the syndrome, but also the role of a dilated cardiomyopathy, which can be secondary to the mitral regurgitation, but is more likely a myocardial disorder occurring as part of the syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1999

[Genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis].

Fetal medicine is in full expansion thanks to the tremendous progress made in both fetal access techniques and genetic analysis. In this article, we discuss the role of the genetician within a group of prenatal diagnosis and his contribution to the assessment of fetal diagnosis and prognosis. We describe the different approaches (invasive and non invasive) to fetal investigation i.e. ultrasonography, maternal serum screening, preimplantation diagnosis and FISH.

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed1999

Hydrometrocolpos and polydactyly: a common neonatal presentation of Bardet-Biedl and McKusick-Kaufman syndromes.

McKusick-Kaufman syndrome (MKKS) is a rare, recessively inherited syndrome reported mainly in young children and is characterised by vaginal atresia with hydrometrocolpos, postaxial polydactyly, and congenital heart defect. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is the generic name for a genetically heterogeneous group of autosomal recessive disorders characterised by retinal dystrophy or retinitis pigmentosa (appearing usually between 10 and 20 years of age), postaxial polydactyly, obesity, nephropathy, and mental disturbances, or, occasionally, mental retardation. Typically, MKKS is diagnosed (and reported) in very young children, whereas the diagnosis of BBS often is delayed to the teenage years. We report here a series of nine patients diagnosed in infancy with MKKS because of the presence of vaginal atresia and postaxial polydactyly, who later developed obesity and retinal dystrophy, thus turning out to be instances of BBS. The overlap of BBS and MKKS is a real diagnostic pitfall and its importance has to be stressed, for genetic counselling, for clinical management and follow up, and for molecular approaches. The diagnosis of MKKS should be considered with caution in all published cases described exclusively in the neonatal period and in those with mental retardation. We strongly recommend all children seen in infancy with a diagnosis of MKKS to be re-evaluated for RP and other signs of BBS.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1999

[Aorto-pulmonary collaterals in an infant with 22q11 monosomy].

The authors present the case of a young girl in whom the diagnosis of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and multiple aorto-pulmonary collateral vessels was established in the context of microdeletion of chromosome 22. Surgical treatment was excluded following the discovery by angiography of the absence of central pulmonary arteries, a multifocal pulmonary collateral circulation and the appearance of multiple peripheral pulmonary artery stenoses on various aorto-pulmonary collateral vessels during the first months of life. This case illustrates the hypothesis recently developed in the literature according to which the chromosomal abnormality is responsible not only for an anomaly of conotrunkal septation, but also early disorders of branching of the pulmonary vascular bed and disturbances of the connection of peripheral pulmonary segments to central arteries, which are responsible for severe pulmonary vascular abnormalities making biventricular repair of this heart disease in children with 22q11 microdeletion almost always impossible.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1998

Central nervous system malformations and early end-stage renal disease in oro-facio-digital syndrome type I: a review.

Intracerebral cysts and porencephaly or arachnoid cysts are rarely but are repeatedly reported in orofaciodigital (OFD) syndrome type 1. We report on 2 families in which OFD syndrome type 1 was observed with central nervous system (CNS) malformations and 3 sporadic cases of OFD with CNS defects, most likely representing fresh mutations for OFD 1. In one case, vermis hypoplasia was present; in another, periventricular heterotopiae were noted. We review the literature on CNS anomalies in OFD syndromes and stress the difficulties in genetic counseling and functional prognosis for children of OFD 1 female carriers prenatally diagnosed with a malformation of the brain. As for CNS malformations, renal cystic disease is an often overlooked complication specific to OFD 1. In 1 family, cystic medullary disease was noted in OFD 1 carriers, leading 1 patient to dialysis by age 35 years and the other to severe renal insufficiency by age 28 years. Longitudinal follow-up of OFD 1 carriers should be performed, and renal function should be assessed in those with cysts because the functional prognosis of this developmental anomaly may be worse than usually reported in the literature.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1998

Pfeiffer syndrome type 2: further delineation and review of the literature.

We present 5 unrelated patients, 3 boys and 2 girls, with Pfeiffer syndrome (PS) type 2. They all had cloverleaf skull, severe proptosis, ankylosis of the elbows, broad thumbs and/or broad halluces and variable accompanying anomalies. We review the literature on all subtypes of PS. Most patients with PS type 2 died shortly after birth. Causes of death include pulmonary problems, brain abnormalities, prematurity and post-operative complications. DNA studies were performed in 3 of the 5 patients. Two of them showed a 1036T --> C mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene, that was earlier reported in PS and in Crouzon syndrome. Probably most, if not all, PS type 2 cases are caused by a de novo mutation in the FGFR2 gene or in another, yet unidentified gene. To date all type 2 cases have been non-familial. A low recurrence risk for parents can be advised.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1998

Prenatal diagnosis of pyruvate carboxylase deficiency by direct measurement of catalytic activity on chorionic villi samples.

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) deficiency is a rare metabolic disorder in infants and children, most frequently with fatal outcome. Its prenatal diagnosis by radiometric assay in cultured amniocytes has previously been reported. We present and discuss the prenatal diagnosis of PC deficiency by direct measurement of PC activity in chorionic villi, in two subsequent pregnancies in a family who previously lost a child affected by PC deficiency. In the next pregnancy PC was unmeasurably low in chorionic villi whereas in control samples its activity was between 0.8 and 3.3 nmol min-1 mg protein-1. Following elective termination of the pregnancy PC was shown to be totally inactive in post-mortem fetal liver. In the most recent pregnancy of the proband's mother PC was normally active in the chorionic villi. The product of this pregnancy was a normal boy.

Chorionic Villi↗
PubMed1998

Bruck syndrome: neonatal presentation and natural course in three patients.

Three unrelated patients with congenital arthrogryposis and brittle bones, the main neonatal signs of Bruck syndrome, are presented. In infancy and early childhood recurrent fractures of ribs and long bones and persistent Wormian bones in the calvarium are reminiscent of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) even with white sclerae, normal dental quality and normal hearing as important clinical negatives. The diagnosis was made before two years of age in two, and in adolescence in the third patient. The latter's radiologically documented long-term natural course reveals slow progressivity of osteopenia and growth deficiency, worsening tendon contractures and pterygia in addition to increasing spine and pelvis deformation. Mental development remains normal. Bruck syndrome is monogenic and probably due to homozygosity of an as yet unidentified gene. As no alteration in the collagens I and III is detected and molecular screening reveals no mutation in the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes, the pathogenesis of this severe disorder of connective tissue remains largely unknown.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1998

Paternal uniparental disomy for chromosome 1 revealed by molecular analysis of a patient with pycnodysostosis.

Molecular analysis of a patient affected by the autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia, pycnodysostosis (cathepsin K deficiency; MIM 265800), revealed homozygosity for a novel missense mutation (A277V). Since the A277V mutation was carried by the patient's father but not by his mother, who had two normal cathepsin K alleles, paternal uniparental disomy was suspected. Karyotyping of the patient and of both parents was normal, and high-resolution cytogenetic analyses of chromosome 1, to which cathepsin K is mapped, revealed no abnormalities. Evaluation of polymorphic DNA markers spanning chromosome 1 demonstrated that the patient had inherited two paternal chromosome 1 homologues, whereas alleles for markers from other chromosomes were inherited in a Mendelian fashion. The patient was homoallelic for informative markers mapping near the chromosome 1 centromere, but he was heteroallelic for markers near both telomeres, establishing that the paternal uniparental disomy with partial isodisomy was caused by a meiosis II nondisjunction event. Phenotypically, the patient had normal birth height and weight, had normal psychomotor development at age 7 years, and had only the usual features of pycnodysostosis. This patient represents the first case of paternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 1 and provides conclusive evidence that paternally derived genes on human chromosome 1 are not imprinted.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and del(22q11) syndrome: a non-random association.

Del(22q11) is a common microdeletion syndrome with an extremely variable phenotype. Besides classical manifestations, such as velocardiofacial (Shprintzen) or DiGeorge syndromes, del(22q11) syndrome may be associated with unusual but probably causally related anomalies that expand its phenotype and complicate its recognition. We report here three children with the deletion and a chronic, erosive polyarthritis resembling idiopathic cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Patient 1, born in 1983, initially presented with developmental delay, facial dysmorphism, velopharyngeal insufficiency, and severe gastro-oesophageal reflux requiring G tube feeding. From the age of 3 years, he developed JRA, which resulted in severe restrictive joint disease, osteopenia, and platyspondyly. Patient 2, born in 1976, had tetralogy of Fallot and peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. She developed slowly, had mild dysmorphic facial features, an abnormal voice, and borderline intelligence. JRA was diagnosed at the age of 5 years. The disorder followed a subacute course, with relatively mild inflammatory phenomena, but an extremely severe skeletal involvement with major osteopenia, restrictive joint disease (bilateral hip replacement), and almost complete osteolysis of the carpal and tarsal bones with phalangeal synostoses, leading to major motor impairment and confinement to a wheelchair. Patient 3, born in 1990, has VSD, right embryo-toxon, bifid uvula, and facial dysmorphism. She developed JRA at the age of 1 year. She is not mentally retarded but has major speech delay secondary to congenital deafness inherited from her mother. In the three patients, a del(22q11) was shown by FISH analysis. These observations, and five other recently published cases, indicate that a JRA-like syndrome is a component of the del(22q11) spectrum. The deletion may be overlooked in those children with severe, chronic inflammatory disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Programs of systematic screening in neonatology. Pharmaco-economic aspects].

Systematic neonatal screening offers many advantages for the patients, its family and the community. The Genetic center of the University Hospital of Liège provides neonatal screening for the following diseases: phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidy, cystic fibrosis, alpha-1-antitrypsin, adrenal hyperplasia and biotinidase deficiency. On economical grounds, it is clear that the organisation of neonatal screening costs less to the community than the cost of the disease if diagnosis is made too late as to allow an alleviation, or even a total recovery, of the symptomatology.

Acyltransferases↗