Search

Antley-Bixler syndrome (ABS) is a skeletal malformation syndrome primarily affecting the skull and limbs. Although causal mutations in the FGFR2 gene have been found in some patients, mutations in the electron donor enzyme P450 oxidoreductase gene (POR) have recently been found to cause ABS in other patients. In addition to skeletal malformations, POR deficiency also causes glucocorticoid deficiency and congenital adrenal hyperplasia with ambiguous genitalia in both sexes. Here, we report on a 7-month-old Korean girl with ABS and ambiguous genitalia who was confirmed by POR gene analysis. Our patient showed typical skeletal findings with brachycephaly, mid-face hypoplasia, and radiohumeral synostosis. She also had partial labial fusion and a single urogenital orifice, as well as increased 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone levels, suggesting a 21-hydroxylase deficiency. Cortisol and DHEA-sulfate response to rapid adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation was inadequate. Direct sequencing of the POR gene revealed compound heterozygous mutations (I444fsX449 and R457H). This is the first report of a Korean patient with ABS caused by POR gene mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study described the clinical and molecular genetic features of classical galactosemia in Korean population to contribute to the insight in the spectrum of galactosemia in the world, as little is known about the spectrum and incidence of galactosemia in Asia. During the 11-year study period, only three Korean children were identified as having classical galactosemia on the basis of the enzymatic and molecular genetic analysis. Asians have been reported to have mutations distinct from those of Caucasians and African Americans, indicating that galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase mutations are ethnically diverse. Our three patients had a total of three mutations (c.252+1G>A, p.Q169H and p.E363K), two of which were novel (p.E363K and c.252+1G>A) mutations. Interestingly, c.252+1G>A, which leads to skipping of exon 2, was observed in all three patients (three of six alleles), indicating that this mutation may be common in Koreans with classical galactosemia. Screening for classical galactosemia in 158 126 Korean newborns identified no patient with classical galactosemia. In conclusion, our findings provide further evidence for the ethnic diversity of classical galactosemia, which may be as rare in Koreans as in other Asian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To analyse the perspectives of healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding the acceptance of digital health solutions for growth hormone (GH) deficiency care. This study identified factors impacting HCPs' intent to use and recommend digital solutions supporting recombinant-human growth hormone (r-hGH) therapy in Italy and Korea with a use case of connected drug delivery system (Aluetta ® with Smartdot™) integrated in a platform for GH treatment support (the Growzen™ digital health ecosystem)., Methods: Participatory workshops were conducted in Rome, Italy, and Seoul, Korea, to collect the perspectives of 22 HCPs on various predefined topics. HCPs were divided into two teams, each moderated by a facilitator. The workshops progressed in five phases: introduction of the project and experts, capturing views on the current context of digitalisation, perceived usefulness and ease of use of Aluetta ® with Smartdot™, exploration of the perception of health technology evolution, and combined team recommendations. Data shared by HCPs on technology acceptance were independently analysed using thematic analysis, and relevant findings were shared and validated with experts., Results: HCPs from both Italy and Korea perceived Aluetta ® with Smartdot™ and the Growzen™ based digital health ecosystem as user-friendly, intuitive, and easy-to-use solutions. These solutions can result in increased adherence, a cost-effective healthcare system, and medication self-management. Although technology adoption and readiness may vary across countries, it was agreed that using digital solutions tailored to the needs of users may help in data-driven clinical decisions and strengthen HCP-patient relationships., Conclusion: HCPs' perspectives on the digitalisation in paediatric GH therapies suggested that digital solutions enable automatic, real-time injection data transmission to support adherence monitoring and evidence-based therapy, strengthen HCP-patient relationships, and empower patients throughout the GH treatment process., Competing Interests: All attendees (HCPs) received a fee for participation. EV received fee as consultant from Merck Serono Italy. ORR has participated in an advisory board for Merck. EK is an employee of Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and holds shares in the company. JY is an employee of Merck Ltd., Seoul, South Korea, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Rivera Romero, Chae, Faienza, Vergani, Cheon, Di Mase, Frasca, Lee, Giavoli, Kim, Klain, Moon, Iezzi, Yeh, Aversa, Rhie and Koledova.)

Purpose: This study aimed to identify changes in the prevalence of obesity and related diseases among children and adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic., Methods: This study was conducted using data from the 2016-2021 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and included 3,861 children and adolescents aged 10-18 years. The prevalence of obesity and related diseases was adjusted for age, sex, and income. We also analyzed the socioeconomic, nutritional, and physical activity items in the survey., Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity (p=0.02), central obesity (p=0.001), mean body mass index (BMI, p=0.03), and hemoglobin A1c (p=0.005) among children and adolescents aged 10-18 years. The intake of food and calories was significantly reduced in the normal-weight group (p=0.001 and <0.001) but not in the obese group. Incidences of skipping breakfast increased and eating out decreased, regardless of obesity status. However, the changes in health behaviors were not significant. The prevalence of central obesity and increased BMI showed a significant linear association between children and their parents, especially in the 10-12-year-old age group. A clear increase in the proportion of metabolically unhealthy children and adolescents was observed in the obese group, and the frequency of central obesity in parents also increased., Conclusion: The number of metabolically unhealthy, obese children and adolescents increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Age-specific strategies that consider growth, development, and genetic and social factors are required. Health strategies targeting the entire family are required to develop healthier habits.

Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) I/III deficiency can be inherited as autosomal dominant (AD) or as recessive (AR) traits in which mono- or biallelic MAT1A mutations have been identified, respectively. Although most patients have benign clinical outcomes, some with the AR form have neurological deficits. Here we describe 16 Korean patients with MAT I/III deficiency from 15 unrelated families identified by newborn screening. Ten probands had the AD MAT I/III deficiency, while six had AR MAT I/III deficiency. Plasma methionine (145.7 μmol/L versus 733.2 μmol/L, P < 0.05) and homocysteine levels (12.3 μmol/L versus 18.6 μmol/L, P < 0.05) were lower in the AD type than in AR type. In addition to the only reported AD MAT1A mutation, p.Arg264His, we identified two novel AD mutations, p.Arg249Gln and p.Gly280Arg. In the AR type, four previously reported and two novel mutations, p.Arg163Trp and p.Tyr335*, were identified. No exonic deletions were found by quantitative genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three-dimensional structural prediction programs indicated that the AD-type mutations were located on the dimer interface or in the substrate binding site, hindering MAT I/III dimerization or substrate binding, respectively, whereas the AR mutations were distant from the interface or substrate binding site. These results indicate that the AD or AR MAT I/III deficiency is correlated with clinical findings, substrate levels and structural features of the mutant proteins, which is important for the neurological management and genetic counseling of the patients.

Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) catalyzes the first step in mitochondrial short-chain β-oxidation, and its deficiency is caused by mutations in the ACADS We sought to investigate the spectrum ACADS mutations and associated clinical manifestations in Korean patients with SCAD deficiency. The study included ten patients with SCAD deficiency from 8 unrelated families as diagnosed by biochemical profile and mutation analyses. Clinical features, biochemical data, growth, and neurodevelopmental state were reviewed retrospectively. Eight patients were found during newborn screening, and two were diagnosed by family screening. During follow-up ranging from 2 months to 4.5 years, no hypoglycemic event was noted, and the development and growth of the patients were normal, except in two siblings. One exhibited hypotonia and gross motor delay, while one girl showed cyclic vomiting until the age of two years. We identified seven different mutations of ACADS Of these, p.E344G was the most frequent mutation with an allele frequency of 50%, followed by p.P55L with 18.8%. p.G108D and four novel mutations were identified: p.L93I, p.E228K, p.P377L, and p.R386H. Korean patients with SCAD deficiency showed heterogenous clinical features and ACADS genotype. Our data contributes to a better understanding of the distinct molecular genetic characteristics and clinical manifestations of SCAD deficiency., (© 2016 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked recessive glycosphingolipid-storage disorder caused by deficient activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. Intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been used to supplement deficient enzyme activity in patients with FD. Despite its clinical effect and manifestations, clear criteria for the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ERT have not been well established. In this study, we investigated the pharmacodynamic actions and short-term effects of ERT in patients with FD through direct molecular profiling from blood samples of patients before and after ERT. Based on this comparison, we observed that immune/inflammation-related pathways and growth factor-related pathways such as innate/adaptive immune pathway, lymphocyte proliferation and leukocyte proliferation were actively regulated under ERT. We also found that TINAGL1, DAAM2, CDK5R1 and MYO5B known to be related with clinical symptoms of FD showed increased levels after ERT, leading to the amelioration of clinical manifestations. Especially the catabolic process-related genes, including USP15 and ERUN1, showed direct increasing after ERT in vivo in male patients. These results suggest that male patients with FD respond more actively to ERT than do female patients with FD. Pathway analysis revealed that oxidative phosphorylation pathway-related genes are downregulated under ERT. ERT has a role to protect the proteins from oxidative damage and such deactivation of oxidative phosphorylation is one of direct pharmacodynamic actions of ERT. These results extended our understanding of the pathophysiology of ERT. To our knowledge, this is the first study to observe the molecular basis for the mechanism of ERT in vivo through the comprehensive comparison of transcriptome study with next-generation sequencing data.

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common form of familial hypophosphatemic rickets and it is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the PHEX gene. Recently, a wide variety of PHEX gene defects in XLH have been revealed; these include missense mutations, nonsense mutations, splice site mutations, insertions, and deletions. Recently, we encountered a 2-year-9-month-old female with sporadic hypophosphatemic rickets. She underwent osteotomy, dental abscess was evident, and there was severe bowing of the legs. A low serum phosphorus level in combination with elevated serum alkaline phosphatase activity and normal serum calcium is suggestive of hypophosphatemic rickets. PHEX gene analysis revealed a splice acceptor site mutation, c.934-1G>T (IVS8(-1)G>T), at the intron8 and exon9 junction. To the best of our knowledge, this mutation is novel and has not been reported. The results of this study expand and improve our understanding of the clinical and molecular characteristics and the global pool of patients with sporadic hypophosphatemic rickets.