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Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
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Depending upon the treatment required, it is sometimes most appropriate to wait until later in life for a surgical remedy – the childhood growth of the face may highlight or increase the symptoms. When surgery is required, particularly when there is a severe disfiguration of the jaw, it is common to use a rib graft to help correct the shape.
According to literature, HFM patients can be treated with various treatment options such functional therapy with an appliance, distraction osteogenesis, or costochondral graft. The treatment is based on the type of severity for these patients. According to Pruzanksky's classification, if the patient has moderate to severe symptoms, then surgery is preferred. If patient has mild symptoms, then a functional appliance is generally used.
Patients can also benefit from a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA).
Treatment is usually confined to such surgical intervention as may be necessary to help the child to develop e.g. jaw distraction/bone grafts, ocular dermoid debulking (see below), repairing cleft palate/lip, repairing heart malformations or spinal surgery. Some patients with Goldenhar syndrome will require assistance as they grow by means of hearing aids or glasses.
Stem cell grafting (womb tissue grafting) has been successfully used to "reprogram" eye dermoids, effectively halting the regrowth of eye dermoids.
These tissues that grow on the eye are "mis-programmed" cells (sometimes tooth or nail cells instead of eye cells).
Each child is different and it entirely depends on which sutures are fused and how it is affecting the child as to how it is treated. Some children have severe breathing issues due to shallow mid face and may require a tracheostomy. All should be treated at a specialist centre. Cranio bands are not used in the UK.
Surgery is typically used to prevent the closure of sutures of the skull from damaging the brain's development. Without surgery, blindness and mental retardation are typical outcomes. Craniofacial surgery is a discipline of both plastic surgery and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) . To move the orbits forward, craniofacial surgeons expose the skull and orbits and reshape the bone. To treat the midface deficiency, craniofacial surgeons can move the lower orbit and midface bones forward. For jaw surgery, either plastic surgeons or OMFS surgeons can perform these operations.
Crouzon patients tend to have multiple sutures involved, most specifically bilateral coronal craniosynostoses, and either open vault surgery or strip craniectomy (if child is under 6 months) can be performed. In the later scenario, a helmet is worn for several months following surgery.
Once treated for the cranial vault symptoms, Crouzon patients generally go on to live a normal lifespan.
A number of features found with Nasodigitoacoustic syndrome can be managed or treated. Sensorineural hearing loss in humans may be caused by a loss of hair cells (sensory receptors in the inner ear that are associated with hearing). This can be hereditary and/or within a syndrome, as is the case with nasodigitoacoustic syndrome, or attributed to infections such as viruses. For the management of sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids have been used. Treatments, depending upon the cause and severity, may include a pharmacological approach (i.e., the use of certain steroids), or surgical intervention, like a cochlear implant.
Pulmonary, or pulmonic stenosis is an often congenital narrowing of the pulmonary valve; it can be present in nasodigitoacoustic-affected infants. Treatment of this cardiac abnormality can require surgery, or non-surgical procedures like balloon valvuloplasty (widening the valve with a balloon catheter).
Simple surgical excision is curative. The recommended treatment is that the skin is peeled off the extra-auricular tissue and protruding cartilage remnants are trimmed. Normal appearance is achieved in majority of cases. The reconstruction successful in true cases of accessory auricle, as it also is in individuals with auricular appendages.
Treatment can involve operations to lengthen the leg bones, which involves many visits to the hospital. Other symptoms can be treated with medicine or surgery. Most female patients with the syndrome can live a long and normal life, while males have only survived in rare cases.
Treatments are usually based on the individuals symptoms that are displayed. The seizures are controlled with anticonvulsant medication. For the behavior problems, the doctors proscribe to a few medications and behavioral modification routines that involve therapists and other types of therapy. Even if mental retardation is severe, it does not seem to shorten the lifespan of the patient or to get worse with age.
While there is no specific treatment for the underlying genetic cause of LFS; corrective procedures, preventive intervention measures and therapies may be considered in the treatment and management of the many craniofacial, orthopedic and psychiatric problems associated with the disorder. More pressing issues such as cardiac involvement or epileptic seizures should be routinely examined and monitored. Close attention and specialized follow-up care, including neuropshycological evaluation methods and therapies, and special education, should be given to diagnose and prevent psychiatric disorders and related behavioral problems such as psychosis and outbursts of aggression.
There is no standard treatment for the hand malformations in Apert due to the differences and severity in clinical manifestations in different patients. Every patient should therefore be individually approached and treated, aiming at an adequate balance between hand functionality and aesthetics.
However, some guidelines can be given depending on the severity of the deformities.
In general it is initially recommended to release the first and fourth interdigital spaces, thus releasing the border rays.
This makes it possible for the child to grasp things by hand, a very important function for the child's development. Later the second and third interdigital spaces have to be released.
Because there are three handtypes in Apert, all with their own deformities, they all need a different approach regarding their treatment:
- Type I hand usually needs only the interdigital web space release. First web release is rarely needed but often its deepening is necessary. Thumb clynodactyly correction will be needed.
- In type II hands it is recommended to release the first and fifth rays in the beginning, then the second and the third interdigital web spaces have to be freed. The clynodactyly of the thumb has to be corrected as well. The lengthening of the thumb phalanx may be needed, thus increasing the first web space. In both type I and type II, the recurrent syndactyly of the second web space will occur because of a pseudoepiphysis at the base of the index metacarpal. This should be corrected by later revisions.
- Type III hands are the most challenging to treat because of their complexity. First of all, it is advised to release the first and fourth webspace, thus converting it to type I hand. The treatment of macerations and nail-bed infections should also be done in the beginning. For increasing of the first web space, lengthening of the thumb can be done. It is suggested that in severe cases an amputation of the index finger should be considered. However, before making this decision, it is important to weigh the potential improvement to be achieved against the possible psychological problems of the child later due to the aesthetics of the hand. Later, the second and/or third interdigital web space should be released.
With growing of a child and respectively the hands, secondary revisions are needed to treat the contractures and to improve the aesthetics.
There is no single course of medical treatment or cure for Möbius syndrome. Treatment is supportive and in accordance with symptoms. If they have difficulty nursing, infants may require feeding tubes or special bottles to maintain sufficient nutrition. Physical, occupational, and speech therapy can improve motor skills and coordination and can lead to better control of speaking and eating abilities. Often, frequent lubrication with eye drops is sufficient to combat dry eye that results from impaired blinking. Surgery can correct crossed eyes, protect the cornea via tarsorraphy, and improve limb and jaw deformities. Sometimes called smile surgery by the media, muscle transfers grafted from the thigh to the corners of the mouth can be performed to provide the ability to smile. Although "smile surgery" may provide the ability to smile, the procedure is complex and can take twelve hours for each side of the face. Also, the surgery cannot be considered a "cure" for Möbius syndrome, because it does not improve the ability to form other facial expressions.
There is no cure and no standard course of treatment for Coffin–Lowry syndrome. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive, and may include occupational, physical and speech therapy and educational services.
The treatment of genetic disorders is an ongoing battle with over 1800 gene therapy clinical trials having been completed, are ongoing, or have been approved worldwide. Despite this, most treatment options revolve around treating the symptoms of the disorders in an attempt to improve patient quality of life.
Gene therapy refers to a form of treatment where a healthy gene is introduced to a patient. This should alleviate the defect caused by a faulty gene or slow the progression of disease. A major obstacle has been the delivery of genes to the appropriate cell, tissue, and organ affected by the disorder. How does one introduce a gene into the potentially trillions of cells which carry the defective copy? This question has been the roadblock between understanding the genetic disorder and correcting the genetic disorder.
To treat the trigonocephaly, expanding the distance between orbits using springs seems to work. It allows enough space for the brain to grow and it creates a normal horizontal axis of the orbits and supraorbital bar. The endoscopic surgery started to become popular since the early 90's, but it has some technical limitations (only strip cranictomy is possible). There have been few attempts to go beyond the limits.
Aesthetic outcomes of metopic surgery have been good. Surgery does not have a perfect outcome because there will most likely be minor irregularities. Sometimes reoperations are needed for the severe cases. Trying to hollow out the temporal, and the hypoterlorism are very hard to correct. The hypotelorism usually stays not corrected and in order to correct the temporal hollowing, a second operation is most likely needed.
Currently, purine replacement via S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) supplementation in people with Arts syndrome appears to improve their condition. This suggests that SAM supplementation can alleviate symptoms of PRPS1 deficient patients by replacing purine nucleotides and open new avenues of therapeutic intervention. Other non-clinical treatment options include educational programs tailored to their individual needs. Sensorineural hearing loss has been treated with cochlear implantation with good results. Ataxia and visual impairment from optic atrophy are treated in a routine manner. Routine immunizations against common childhood infections and annual influenza immunization can also help prevent any secondary infections from occurring.
Regular neuropsychological, audiologic, and ophthalmologic examinations are also recommended.
Carrier testing for at-risk relatives and prenatal testing for pregnancies at increased risk are possible if the disease-causing mutation in the family is known.
CDPX1 activity may be inhibited by warfarin because it is believed that ARSE has enzymatic activity in a vitamin K producing biochemical pathway. Vitamin K is also needed for controlling binding of calcium to bone and other tissues within the body.
Since the symptoms caused by this disease are present at birth, there is no “cure.” The best cure that scientists are researching is awareness and genetic testing to determine risk factors and increase knowledgeable family planning. Prevention is the only option at this point in time for a cure.
Children with blue diaper syndrome are put on restricted diets. This is in effort to reduce kidney damage. Restrictions include: calcium, protein, vitamin D, and tryptophan. Calcium is restricted to help prevent kidney damage. Examples of food with high levels of tryptophan include turkey and warm milk.
Antibiotics may be used to control or eliminate particular intestinal bacteria. Nicotinic acid may be used to control intestinal infections.
Genetic counseling can also be beneficial, as well as taking part in clinical trials.
There is no known cure available for the Wilson-Turner Syndrome. Instead, treatment options are available to fight individual symptoms. For obesity, a nutritional diet manipulation is combined with an exercise regimen that has a greater energy expenditure than intake. For hypogonadism, testosterone replacement is done. Finally, for gynecomastia, weight loss using similar methods for obesity is prescribed. However, if the individual finds his increased breast tissue psychologically distressing and/or is too severe, reduction mammaplasty is done. Currently, researchers are investigating therapy using antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors to treat persistent pubertal gynecomastia.
There is no cure for Menkes disease. Early treatment with injections of copper supplements (in the form of acetate salts) may be of some slight benefit. Among 12 newborns who were diagnosed with MNK, 92% were alive at age 4.6. Other treatment is symptomatic and supportive. Treatments to help relieve some of the symptoms includes, pain medication, anti-seizure medication, feeding tube when necessary, and physical and occupational therapy.
In May 2013, the US FDA granted Orphan drug status to Diiodothyropropionic acid (DITPA) in the treatment of MCT8 deficiency. This was following the use of DITPA towards a child in Australia, under compassionate grounds.
There is no established treatment for AHDS. Theoretical considerations suggested TRIAC (triiodothyroacetate or tiratricol, a natural non-classical thyroid hormone) to be beneficial. In 2014, a case was demonstrated in which therapy with TRIAC in early childhood led to significant improvement of cognition and mobility. Currently, the effect of Triac is under investigation.
In terms of treatment the following are done to manage the IPEX syndrome in those affected individuals(corticosteroids are the first treatment that is used):
- TPN(nutritional purpose)
- Cyclosporin A and FK506
- Sirolimus(should FK506 prove non-effective)
- Granulocyte colony stimulating factor
- Bone marrow transplant
- Rituximab
Treatment of Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome is currently based on correcting symptoms. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided, since these may interfere with platelet function. A protective helmet can protect children from bleeding into the brain which could result from head injuries. For severely low platelet counts, patients may require platelet transfusions or removal of the spleen. For patients with frequent infections, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) can be given to boost the immune system. Anemia from bleeding may require iron supplementation or blood transfusion.
As Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome is primarily a disorder of the blood-forming tissues, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, accomplished through a umbilical cord blood or bone marrow transplant offers the only current hope of cure. This may be recommended for patients with HLA-identical donors, matched sibling donors, or even in cases of incomplete matches if the patient is age 5 or under.
Studies of correcting Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome with gene therapy using a lentivirus have begun.
Proof-of-principle for successful hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy has been provided for patients with Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome.
Currently, many investigators continue to develop optimized gene therapy vectors. In July 2013 the Italian San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (HSR-TIGET) reported that three children with Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome showed significant improvement 20–30 months after being treated with a genetically modified lentivirus. In April 2015 results from a follow-up British and French trial where six children with Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome were treated with gene therapy were described as promising. Median follow-up time was 27 months.
Not all genetic disorders directly result in death, however there are no known cures for genetic disorders. Many genetic disorders affect stages of development such as Down syndrome. While others result in purely physical symptoms such as muscular dystrophy. Other disorders, such as Huntington's disease show no signs until adulthood. During the active time of a genetic disorder, patients mostly rely on maintaining or slowing the degradation of quality of life and maintain patient autonomy. This includes physical therapy, pain management, and may include a selection of alternative medicine programs.
Conservative (i.e. no treatment), or surgical . With surgical excision, recurrence is common, usually due to incomplete excision. Often, the tracts of the cyst will pass near important structures, such as the internal jugular vein, carotid artery, or facial nerve, making complete excision impractical.
Surgery is needed to prevent the closing of the coronal sutures from damaging brain development. In particular, surgeries for the LeFort III or monobloc midface distraction osteogenesis which detaches the midface or the entire upper face, respectively, from the rest of the skull, are performed in order to reposition them in the correct plane. These surgeries are performed by both plastic and oral and maxillofacial (OMS) surgeons, often in collaboration.