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Biomedical subjects

J M Opitz

Publications and source records attributed to J M Opitz.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

The trisomy 4p syndrome: case report and review.

We report a further case of trisomy 4p: a 5-year-old mentally retarded boy with characteristic facial features, eye abnormalities, flexion contractures, several bone anomalies, and hyperactivity. In a review of 27 cases (11 male, 16 female, 22 families) the cytogenetic and clinical data were tabulated and analyzed. Diagnosis is established by karyotype: there is always partial or apparently "total" trisomy of the short term arm of chromosome 4. In 19 families a parent carried either a balanced translocation (16 times) or a pericentric inversion (3 times); 3 patients had de novo duplication of 4p. In several cases, additional deletions or trisomies were present. From the analysis of all cases, but particularly of the "pure" trisomies, the phenotypic spectrum of this condition was observed and found to be a specific multiple congenital anomaly/mental retardation (MCA/MR) syndrome. Its main features are a characteristic facial appearance, postnatal growth retardation, severe psychomotor retardation with or without seizures, microcephaly, and various major and minor anomalies.

Bone and Bones↗

Pericentric inversion of chromosome 14 and the risk of partial duplication of 14q (14q31 leads to 14qter).

Cytogenetic analysis after conventional staining and Q-banding demonstrated a pericentric inversion of chromosome 14 in the mother of a child with a mental retardation/multiple congenital abnormality syndrome and an abnormal chromosome 14. The proposita's partial duplication for the distal segment of 14q is apprently the result of crossing over within the inverted segment during meiosis. An attempt is made at assessing the risk that a carrier of the described pericentric inversion faces of having an abnormal child. The estimate of the risk depends on two factors: 1) the probability of a crossover occurring within the inverted segment during meiosis, and 2) the probability of a child with either of the two possible unbalanced recombinant chromosomes being born alive. An explanation is offered as to why some pericentric inversions confer a signifcant risk while others are so benign and occur with such a high frequency that they can be considered normal chromosomal variants, rather than chromosome aberrations.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Heterogeneity of nonlethal severe short-limbed dwarfism.

The Grebe syndrome is a nonlethal form of severe short-limbed dwarfism which was previously called "achondrogenesis-Brazilian or Grebe type". We have studied three patients with severe short-limbed dwarfism originally considered to have this syndrome. On re-evaluation of their clinical and radiographic features, only one of them had the typical features of the Grebe chondrodysplasia, whereas the other two appear to have clearly distinct, previously unreported skeletal dysplasias. These patients illustrate the heterogeneity that exists among the nonlethal forms of severe short-limbed dwarfism.

Adult↗

Principles of genetics applied to medicine.

Genes and environment interact continuously throughout life, from the moment of conception, to regulate and affect all aspects of human structure and function. The normal rules of mendelian inheritance, ie, the transmission of genes over the generations, are usually best studied by observation of abnormal mutations, especially in plants and animals under precise breeding conditions. The study of such didactic models as the guinea pig crosses discussed here is a prerequisite to an understanding of mendelian genetics in man and the terms used in other articles to appear in this series.

Albinism↗

Sudden infant death due to congenital adrenal hypoplasia.

Adrenocortical hypoplasia was found to be the cause of sudden death in a 9-month-old infant. Most sudden infant deaths in the first year of life are related to the sudden infant death syndrome, in which no specific pathologic changes are found at autopsy. Although specific causes for sudden death in infancy are well documented, adrenocortical hypoplasia is not a well-recognized cause of sudden infant death.

Adrenal Glands↗

The WT syndrome--a "new" autosomal dominant pleiotropic trait of radial/ulnar hypoplasia with high risk of bone marrow failure and/or leukemia.

We report 2 families with an autosomal dominant syndrome of limb and hematologic abnormalities. The W Family was ascertained through AW, a 13-year-old girl, who was purportedly born without congenital anomalies and who was normal until 11 1/2 years when she developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She died 2 years later with CNS involvement. Her chromosomes, studied in the first weeks after diagnosis of the disease, were apparently normal. Her father had clinodactyly of both 5th fingers and was found to have panmyelocytopenia refractory to all treatment at 26 years. He died within a year of the onset of his anemia. This man's oldest brother was born with congenital malformations of the elbows and the hands and was healthy until 38 years when he was also found to have an "idopathic anemia" and panmyelocytopenia which was refractory to treatment except for transfusions; he died at age 42 years. Both men were initially thought to have the Fanconi anemia syndrome. Their mother died at 71 years of leukemia. DT, the propositus of the second family, was noted to have malformations of both hands at birth. At 21 months he had anemia for which he received transfusions. Family history reveals that several people on the paternal side have severe hand anomalies and a history of childhood anemia. The paternal grandfather died at age 51 of acute monocytic leukemia. Barring genetic heterogeneity, we think that the trait in the W and T families in the same. It is a pleiotropic autosomal dominant mutant which affects radial and ulnar development of the upper limbs and is associated with a relatively high risk of transient or permanent bone marrow arrest with or without leukemia. We propose the hypothesis that apparently increased risk of leukemia to Fanconi heterozygotes actually represents admixture with the WT syndrome and that Fanconi heterozygotes may not have an increased risk of leukemia.

Adult↗

Grebe chondrodysplasia and similar forms of severe short-limbed dwarfism.

We have studied three patients with severe short-limbed dwarfism, only one of whom had the typical features of Grebe disease, whereas the other two had clearly distinct previously unreported skeletal dysplasias. Unlike the patients with Grebe disease, the latter two patients had involvement of the spine and particularly short humeri. The malformations of the hands and lower limbs were different in each of the three patients.

Adult↗

Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXXXIIB: mother and son affected with the ulnar-mammary syndrome type Pallister.

We report mother and son with the ulnar-mammary syndrome type Pallister: both had postaxial polydactyly in one upper limb and absence or hypoplasia of the axillary apocrine glands bilaterally. The mother had total lack of the mammary gland tissue and absence of one kidney. Her son also had unilateral oligodactyly, an absent ulna and hypoplasia of the ipsilateral shoulder girdle.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXIX: the Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome. Clinical, genetic and pathogenetic studies of 12 cases.

This report describes 12 patients with the Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome (WBS), including 6 familial cases from 2 families. The clinical manifestations do not allow for a differentiation between familial and sporadic cases. Consistent morphologic features include organomegaly, cytomegaly and nucleomegaly. The pathogenetic process may involve few or many organs and tissues and may represent a nuclear/mitotic dysfunction. Clinically, the manifestations are hyperplasia, hypoplasia, dysplasia, neoplasia and defects in differentiation. Secondary functional disturbances are at times prominent. The differential diagnosis of the WBS includes 1) the Wilm's tumor (WT)-aniridia syndrome: 2) the "tumor-hypertrophy syndrome" which includes WT, adenocortical tumors or hepatoblastoma; 3) the WT-pseudohermaphroditism syndrome; and 4) the "tumor-nevus syndrome" with or without malformations (particularly duplications) of the urinary tract. The latter two conditions are apparently not associated with hemihypertrophy. Familial occurrence suggests that some cases of the WBS may be due to delayed mutation. Carriers of the premutated allele appear to belong to two classes: those with a high risk of producing affected offspring and those who transmit the premutated allele but have no affected offspring.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Analysis of etiologic factors in cerebral palsy with severe mental retardation. I. Analysis of gestational, parturitional and neonatal data.

We analyzed the gestational, parturitional, neonatal (GPN) histories of 281 severely mentally retarded patients with cerebral palsy to define the etiology or pathogenesis of cerebral palsy in each patient. No association between type of cerebral palsy and GPN histories was found except for an increase in spastic-athetoid patients in the breech delivery subgroup. Significant findings include: increased incidence of prematurity and postmaturity, small and large for-gestational age (GA) fetal size, a normal birthweight for GA distribution of patients with diabetic mothers, an excess of mothers greater than or equal to 35 and less than or equal to 20 years old, an increased immediately-previous sib interval of 2.59 years suggestive of an "infertility factor", an unremarkable GPN history in one third of the cases, in another one third GPN problems not usually associated with a high risk of CNS damage, and in one third gross complications which were probably responsible for the CP, including: an increased incidence of breech deliveries, twinning, prolonged and precipitous labor and placental complications; no increased association of athetosis and Rh incompatibility or incidence of toxemia was found. Disseminated intravascular coagulation due to prenatal death of a twin may have been the cause of brain damage in several patients.

Adult↗

Chondrodysplasia punctata--rhizomelic form. Pathologic and radiologic studies of three infants.

Pathologic, ultrastructural and radiologic studies are described on 3 infants with the rhizomelic form of chondrodysplasia punctata. Radiologic criteria in the young infant include radiolucent coronal clefts dividing all or most of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies, short humeri with flared metaphyses and punctate calcifications commonly present adjacent to the ossified ischial and pubic bones and less commonly in other locations. In late infancy and childhood the radiologic criteria include demineralization in all bones with slow maturation, flat vertebral bodies, short humeri and femora, metaphyseal flaring, especially in the distal humerus, proximal femur and proximal tibia, immature shape of pelvis, and disappearance of the punctate calcifications with advancing age. The histologic changes of the resting cartilage include areas of degenerating cartilage which had become partially calcified, cystic changes with severe disturbance of the maturation of the cartilage at the physial plate, and the formation of cancellous bone directly on resting cartilage. Ultrastructural changes are characterized by degeneration of chondrocytes, delicate collagenous fibrils without visible periodicity, and the presence of flocculent material within greatly distended endoplasmic reticulum.

Bone and Bones↗

A new familial intrauterine growth retardation syndrome the "3-M syndrome".

Two pairs of siblings are described with proportionate dwarfism due to skeletal hypoplasia of prenatal onset. The head size was normal for age and disproportionately large for height. The patients had a characteristic face different from that seen in the Silver-Russell syndrome. The family data are in accordance with autosomal recessive inheritance. In spite of some similarities, the bulk of clinical and genetic evidence suggests that the described intrauterine growth retardation syndrome is different from the Silver-Russell syndrome and presents an apparently "new" entity which has been designated 3-M syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXXIX: a craniosynostosis-craniofacial dysostosis syndrome with mental retardation and other malformations: "craniofacial dyssynostosis".

We report clinical findings in 2 sisters and 5 sporadic cases with a "new" type of craniosynostosis/craniofacial dysostosis and shortness of stature. Premature closure of lambdoid sutures and posterior part of sagittal suture causes a posteriorly narrow, dolichocephalic skull with small, flat or bulging occiput and protuberance of the forehead; disturbance of the growth of basal skull structures leads to craniofacial dysostosis and (secondary) anomalies of the face. In one patient the coronal suture was also involved. One of the patients had a congenital heart defect. Four untreated patients had mental retardation; 3 had craniosynostectomy with more or less normal psychomotor development afterwards. Some patients had hydrocephalus and 1 had a brain malformation (agenesis of the corpus callosum with presumed interventricular lipoma). The observation of sisters with the same condition suggests autosomal recessive inheritance. This etiologic hypothesis is supported by the fact that 4 of 7 patients are of Spanish, Mexican, or Puerto Rican ancestry; this population probably has a rather high gene frequency and the trait should be relatively common in areas occupied by this population and their descendents. The condition has been designated craniofacial dyssynostosis.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

A severe infantile micromelic chondrodysplasia which resembles Kniest disease.

This paper describes 3 infants with a severe, generalized chondrodysplasia with short limbs, shortness of stature, relative micrognathia and neonatal respiratory distress in all cases, cleft palate in two and dislocation of lenses in one. They died at 7 and 10 weeks and at 17 months respectively. No autopsy was performed on any of the 3 patients. Roentgenological manifestations include short, broad tubular bones with metaphyseal widening, bowing of leg, thigh and forearm bones, neonatal accelerated carpal bone maturation, short, broad pelvis with wide, flared iliac wings, many gross vertebral abnormalities including most prominently coronal clefts of almost any vertebral body, and short ribs with flared anterior ends. Roentgenographically the condition has some similarities with Kniest disease, or more correctly, the Kniest chondrodysplasia. However, we think that the clinical and roentgenological manifestations are sufficiently unique to permit delineation of the condition of our 3 patients as a "new" entity different from the Kniest chondrodysplasia. Similar cases have been described by Rolland et al. from France and by Dinno et al. from the U.S.A. The later case and our 3 patients were sporadic cases, but the former had a probably affected sibling, suggesting that this disorder is an autosomal recessive trait.

Cleft Palate↗