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Biomedical subjects

P Franceschini

Publications and source records attributed to P Franceschini.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

X/Y translocation in a family with X-linked ichthyosis, chondrodysplasia punctata, and mental retardation: DNA analysis reveals deletion of the steroid sulphatase gene and translocation of its Y pseudogene.

We describe a family with two male members showing an X/Y translocation (karyotype: 46,Y,der(X)t(X;Y)(p22;q11]. At physical examination both patients showed ichthyosis, mental retardation and dysmorphic features. Chondrodysplasia punctata and short stature were present in one case. Direct DNA analysis, using a steroid sulphatase cDNA probe, was performed in one patient, his mother and sister, both carriers of the translocation. We found that the translocated region of the Y chromosome includes the steroid sulphatase pseudogene. These results suggest that in our patients the X/Y translocation may be derived from a recombinational event between homologous regions located on the short arm of the X chromosome and the long arm of the Y chromosome. Clinical and molecular studies on the present family add further information for the construction of a tentative physical map of the distal Xp.

Child↗

Partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 20: 46,XX,del(20)(p11)/46,XX mosaicism.

A 46,XX/46,XX,del(20)(p11) mosaicism was identified in a 10-month-old female infant with multiple congenital anomalies, development retardation and failure to thrive. The 20p partial deletion was observed in 50% of the cells examined. Both parents had normal phenotype and karyotype. Only four other patients with partial 20p deletion are known and they are not mosaics. Their clinical findings are similar to those of our patient; in particular, they share anomalies of the vertebral column such as segmentation errors and "butterfly-shaped" vertebrae.

Chromosome Deletion↗

A new syndrome with ocular, skeletal and renal involvement.

A patient with retinitis pigmentosa, hypertension with interstitial nephropathy, short limb dwarfism with Madelung deformity of the forearms and an unclassified type of brachydactyly is described. Such bone dysplasia has never been reported to date either as a single entity or associated with renal and retinal diseases.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Triphalangeal thumb and brachy-ectrodactyly syndrome. Confirmation of autosomal dominant inheritance.

Two patients with triphalangeal thumbs-ectrodactyly syndrome are described. The first case is a 4-year-old female with triphalangeal thumbs, preaxial polydactyly with rudimentary polydactyly of the 3rd finger of the right hand and ectro-syndactyly of feet. Her stillborn sister had triphalangeal thumbs and ectrodactyly of feet. The mother has triphalangeal thumbs, brachy-syndactyly of the left foot and ectro-syndactyly of the right one. The maternal grandmother has syndactyly of 1st, 2nd, 3rd toes and hypoplasia of the 3rd toe on the right foot. The second case is sporadic and shows triphalangeal thumbs, preaxial polydactyly of the right hand and bilateral lobster-claw feet. Our observations confirm the variability of clinical expression and support the autosomal dominant inheritance of the syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Oro-facial-digital syndrome II. Transitional type between the Mohr and the Majewski syndromes: report of two new cases.

Two patients with the oro-facial-digital syndrome II or Mohr syndrome presented laryngeal anomalies and hallucal and postaxial polysyndactyly of the feet. Those rare malformations are typically observed in patients with the Majewski syndrome, a lethal, short rib-polydactyly skeletal dysplasia with orofacial findings almost identical to those of the Mohr syndrome. Phenotypic overlap between the Mohr and the Majewski syndromes has already been reported in the literature, and it has been suggested that the two syndromes may be mild and severe expressions of the same autosomal recessive disorder. Our two cases give further support to this hypothesis.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Postmortem Menkes diagnosis from carrier testing of female relatives.

A boy who died at 6 months of age was noted to have sparse, stubby and light hair, pili torti were observed microscopically, and his skin was dry and redundant. As a suspicion of Menkes disease was first raised after his death, serum copper and ceruloplasmin in serum were not measured. Unfortunately, no fibroblasts were available - only fixed and paraffin-embedded samples of brain, spleen and liver. The copper contents of the brain and the liver were lower than in an age-matched control. Fibroblast cultures from the mother, the maternal grandmother, and a maternal aunt of the index patient were analysed for 64Cu-uptake. All these females showed the uptake values expected for Menkes carriers, thus supporting the clinical suspicion of Menkes disease in the index patient. From the above-mentioned results it was highly likely that the index patient had suffered from Menkes disease. Adequate genetic counseling could thus be offered to the family, and in the next pregnancy a first trimester prenatal diagnosis was performed.

Brain Chemistry↗

The Coffin-Siris syndrome in two siblings.

Two sisters with Coffin-Siris syndrome, born to healthy unrelated parents, are reported. The accurate X-ray evaluation of the two patients allows the identification of some new features and a better delineation of the radiological phenotype. Our two cases confirm the proposed autosomal recessive inheritance of the syndrome.

Adult↗

Distinctive skeletal dysplasia in Cockayne syndrome.

Cockayne syndrome is a well-known autosomal recessive form of dwarfism with senile-like appearance. Skeletal changes such as flattening of vertebral bodies, ivory epiphyses and thickening of cranial vault, have been observed in some patients with this condition. We describe here a 5.5-year-old girl with the typical clinical signs of Cockayne syndrome and a distinctive form of bone dysplasia with major involvement of the spine.

Bone Diseases, Developmental↗

Asymmetric crying facies with microcephaly and mental retardation. An autosomal dominant syndrome with variable expressivity.

An infant boy with asymmetric crying facies, microcephaly, developmental retardation and failure to thrive is reported. His two siblings died in the newborn period because of complex congenital heart defects. The mother and the maternal grandmother have asymmetric crying facies, microcephaly and normal intelligence. A maternal aunt has severe physical and mental retardation, facial asymmetry, microcephaly, and cleft palate. This family allows an expansion of the spectrum of malformations associated with asymmetric crying facies and suggests autosomal dominant inheritance with variable expressivity.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

[Kala-azar in immunosuppressed patients. Apropos of a case disclosed by skin lesions].

Kala-azar was revealed by skin lesions in a patient treated for recurrent Hodgkin's disease. These lesions, extremely discreet, consisted of papules on the forehead and in the peribuccal area. Histological examinations initially showed nodular infiltration of the dermis with very few Leishman-Donovan bodies; subsequently, foamy, Virchow-type histiocytes appeared, and Leishman-Donovan bodies became numerous. This clinical and histological similarity with leprosy has already been noted for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis which is frequent in India and in Ethiopia. Skin lesions in kala-azar appear to be exceptional since they were not observed in the 7 cases of kala-azar in immunodepressed patients previously published. The fact that they are discreet may account for their apparent rareness. Easily accessible, they make it possible to diagnose visceral leishmaniasis--an often difficult diagnosis in these patients owing to the underlying disease. Immunodepression has little influence on the clinical and biological manifestations of kala-azar, but reserves must be made concerning the usual criteria for cure.

Adult↗

Interstitial deletion of chromosome 1 (q23-q25). Report of a case.

We describe a 3-month-old female with a de novo interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 1 (1q23-25). Clinical features are failure to thrive, psychomotor retardation, cleft lip and palate, short metacarpals, metatarsals and fingers and a severe congenital heart disease. The four previously reported patients with the same deletion share with ours the distinctive pattern of anomalies of the face and limbs; therefore, it seems now possible to delineate a proximal 1 q deletion syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

Kniest disease with Pierre Robin syndrome and hydrocephalus.

A 3-month-old male infant with clinical and radiological features of Kniest disease is reported. Additional findings were severe Pierre Robin syndrome and external hydrocephalus. The patient was retarded in mental and motor development. He died at 4 months of age from the complications of tracheostomy. The parents were both normal clinically and radiologically, thus the disease in the child was presumably due to a new mutation. The reported familial cases of Kniest disease suggest autosomal dominant inheritance. The differential diagnosis is discussed in detail.

Diagnosis, Differential↗