American journal of medical genetics. Part A
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Am. J. Med. Genet. A · Mar 2009
Case ReportsCase report: Adult phenotype of Mulvihill-Smith syndrome.
Mulvihill-Smith syndrome (MSS) is characterized by premature aging, multiple pigmented nevi, decreased facial subcutaneous fat, microcephaly, short stature, mental retardation and recurrent infections, however the adult phenotype of MSS has yet to be delineated. We report a 28-year-old woman with Mulvihill-Smith syndrome, who had a solid pseudopapillary cystic tumor of her pancreas at age 17 years. Her distinctive sleep pattern includes severe insomnia with disappearance of sleep spindles and K-complexes, persisting muscle tone, and loss of slow wave sleep. ⋯ Brain magnetic resonance imaging and single photon emission computed tomography revealed structural and functional deficits in the dorsomedial region of the thalamus and indicated that an alteration in the thalamo-limbic system may underlie the sleep disturbances in MSS. Furthermore, the rapid and severe decline in acquired cognitive function showed the distinct cognitive impairments resembling dementia, including intellectual deficits, memory disorder and executive dysfunction. We posit that an early onset tumor, sleep disorder and cognitive decline are adult manifestations of Mulvihill-Smith syndrome.
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Am. J. Med. Genet. A · Nov 2008
Review Case ReportsTetra-amelia and lung hypo/aplasia syndrome: new case report and review.
Tetra-amelia is a rare malformation that may be associated with other anomalies and is usually inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. We describe a fetus, born to a nonconsanguineous couple, with tetra-amelia, bilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral lung agenesis, without other anomalies. ⋯ We reviewed the literature and the differential diagnosis to clarify the clinical delineation of conditions associated with tetra-amelia. The present report describes the sixth family with this pattern of malformations and reinforces the evidence that the "tetra-amelia and lung hypo/aplasia syndrome" is a distinct autosomal recessive condition, with no identified gene thus far.
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Am. J. Med. Genet. A · Sep 2008
Case ReportsNovel subtype of congenital generalized lipodystrophy associated with muscular weakness and cervical spine instability.
Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by extreme paucity of adipose tissue from birth, and early onset of metabolic complications related to insulin resistance. Mutations in three genes, 1-acylglycerol 3-phosphate-O-acyltransferase 2 (AGPAT2), Berardinelli Seip Congenital Lipodystrophy 2 (BSCL2), and Caveolin-1 (CAV1) are associated with the three subtypes of this disorder, CGL1, CGL2 and CGL3, respectively. We report two siblings of Hispanic origin who displayed characteristic features of CGL such as generalized loss of subcutaneous fat from birth, acanthosis nigricans, acromegaloid habitus, umbilical prominence, hepatosplenomegaly, hypoleptinemia, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. ⋯ Both patients were also found to have atlantoaxial dislocation requiring surgical intervention. Thus, this pedigree represents a novel subtype of CGL characterized by generalized loss of body fat but with preservation of bone marrow fat, congenital muscular weakness and cervical spine instability. The genetic basis of this novel subtype remains to be determined.
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Am. J. Med. Genet. A · Jul 2008
Congenital heart defects in patients with oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (Goldenhar syndrome).
The oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS) is a non-random association of microtia, hemifacial microsomia with mandibular hypoplasia, ocular epibulbar dermoid, and cervical vertebral malformations. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) have been reported in 5-58% of the patients. We analyze the frequency and anatomic features of CHD in a series of 87 patients with OAVS examined between January 1990 and February 2007 with normal chromosomes, ranging in age between 0.1 and 16.8 years. ⋯ CHDs were diagnosed in 28/87 (32%) patients, and classified into categories of postulated developmental mechanisms including 9 (32%) atrial and ventricular septal defects, 11 (39%) conotruncal defects, 4 (14%) targeted growth defects, two (7%) with situs and looping defects, one (4%) with a left-sided obstructive lesion and one (4%) with patent ductus arteriosus. As noted in other series, the most common individual CHDs were ventricular septal defect (six patients) and tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) (classic or with pulmonary atresia) (six patients). Comparing the frequencies of CHDs groups observed in the OAVS patients with the findings of the Emilia-Romagna Registry which ascertained CHDs prevalence in the general population, conotruncal defects, targeted growth defects, and heterotaxia were significantly associated with OAVS.