Journal of medical genetics
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Sarcoidosis is a heterogeneous inflammatory disorder of unknown origin that may affect virtually any organ, although intrathoracic engagement is almost universal. Sarcoidosis may present rather dramatically as an acute disease, which usually resolves either spontaneously or with treatment, while other patients have an insidious onset and a chronic/progressive disease course. The different clinical phenotypes have led to the suggestion that sarcoidosis may consist of several separate entities. ⋯ Conversely, some of the previously identified human leucocyte antigen (HLA) associations with sarcoidosis have already been replicated in different cohorts and found to be quite strong, particularly in specific patient subgroups. In highly specialised centres such HLA associations already represent a useful aid in clinic practice for improving patient management. For the future, there is an urgent need for a better understanding, in particular, of gene-gene as well as gene-environmental interactions, both likely to be of importance for developing sarcoidosis.
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DYRK1A plays different functions during development, with an important role in controlling brain growth through neuronal proliferation and neurogenesis. It is expressed in a gene dosage dependent manner since dyrk1a haploinsufficiency induces a reduced brain size in mice, and DYRK1A overexpression is the candidate gene for intellectual disability (ID) and microcephaly in Down syndrome. We have identified a 69 kb deletion including the 5' region of the DYRK1A gene in a patient with growth retardation, primary microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, seizures, ataxic gait, absent speech and ID. Because four patients previously reported with intragenic DYRK1A rearrangements or 21q22 microdeletions including only DYRK1A presented with overlapping phenotypes, we hypothesised that DYRK1A mutations could be responsible for syndromic ID with severe microcephaly and epilepsy. ⋯ The identification of a truncating mutation in a patient with ID, severe microcephaly, epilepsy, and growth retardation, combined with its dual function in regulating the neural proliferation/neuronal differentiation, adds DYRK1A to the list of genes responsible for such a phenotype. ID, microcephaly, epilepsy, and language delay are the more specific features associated with DYRK1A abnormalities. DYRK1A studies should be discussed in patients presenting such a phenotype.
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Meta Analysis
Distinct and replicable genetic risk factors for acute respiratory distress syndrome of pulmonary or extrapulmonary origin.
The role of genetics in the development of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from direct or indirect lung injury has not been specifically investigated. The aim of this study was to identify genetic variants contributing to ALI/ARDS from pulmonary or extrapulmonary causes. ⋯ Different genetic variants may influence ARDS susceptibility depending on direct versus indirect insults. Functional SNPs in POPDC3 and FAAH genes may be driving the association with direct and indirect ALI/ARDS, respectively.