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Laboratory investigations usually show elevated creatine kinase, myopathic/dystrophic muscle pathology and altered α-dystroglycan. Antenatal diagnosis is possible in families with known mutations. Prenatal ultrasound may be helpful for diagnosis in families where the molecular defect is unknown.
PD diagnosis is based primarily on the presence and position of ulcers on the skin, as well as identifying particular protein markers in urine. To confirm the diagnosis, a blood test is required to measure prolidase activity.
In order to be diagnosed with AGU an individual takes a urine test, which will show indication of an increased amount of aspartylglucosamin being secreted. The confirmation of the diagnosis of aspartylglucosaminuria requires a blood test. This helps show if the enzyme aspartylglucosaminidase is present or partially absent. A skin simple will also show the amount of aspartylglucosaminidase present.
Genetic testing may be available for mutations in the FGDY1 gene. Genetic counseling is indicated for individuals or families who may carry this condition, as there are overlapping features with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Other examinations or tests can help with diagnosis. These can include:
detailed family history
- conducting a detailed physical examination to document morphological features
- testing for genetic defect in FGDY1
- x-rays can identify skeletal abnormalities
- echo cardiogram can screen for heart abnormalities
- CT scan of the brain for cystic development
- X-ray of the teeth
- Ultrasound of abdomen to identify undescended testis
When families have a child who has already been diagnosed with AGU, they have the option to observe the enzyme's activity that codes for AGU in future pregnancy, to help determine if the next child will also have a positive diagnosis for aspartylglucosaminuria.
In general, children with a small isolated nevus and a normal physical exam do not need further testing; treatment may include potential surgical removal of the nevus. If syndrome issues are suspected, neurological, ocular, and skeletal exams are important. Laboratory investigations may include serum and urine calcium and phosphate, and possibly liver and renal function tests. The choice of imaging studies depends on the suspected abnormalities and might include skeletal survey, CT scan of the head, MRI, and/or EEG.
Depending on the systems involved, an individual with Schimmelpenning syndrome may need to see an interdisciplinary team of specialists: dermatologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist, orthopedic surgeon, oral surgeon, plastic surgeon, psychologist.
No specific treatment is available. Management is only supportive and preventive.
Those who are diagnosed with the disease often die within the first few months of life. Almost all children with the disease die by the age of three.
It is suggested that the diagnostic criteria for Malpuech syndrome should include cleft lip and/or palate, typical associated facial features, and at least two of the following: urogenital anomalies, caudal appendage, and growth or developmental delay.
Due to the relatively high rate of hearing impairment found with the disorder, it too may be considered in the diagnosis. Another congenital disorder, Wolf-Hirschhorn (Pitt-Rogers-Danks) syndrome, shares Malpuech features in its diagnostic criteria. Because of this lacking differentiation, karyotyping (microscopic analysis of the chromosomes of an individual) can be employed to distinguish the two. Whereas deletions in the short arm of chromosome 4 would be revealed with Wolf-Hirschhorn, a karyotype without this aberration present would favor a Malpuech syndrome diagnosis. Also, the karyotype of an individual with Malpuech syndrome alone will be normal.
The diagnosis of CTD is usually suspected based on the clinical presentation of mental retardation, abnormalities in cognitive and expressive speech, and developmental delay. Furthermore, a family history of X-linked intellectual disability, developmental coordination disorder, and seizures is strongly suggestive. Initial screening of CTD involves obtaining a urine sample and measuring the ratio of creatine to creatinine. If the ratio of creatine to creatinine is greater than 1.5, then the presence of CTD is highly likely. This is because a large ratio indicates a high amount of creatine in the urine. This, in turn, indicates inadequate transport of creatine into the brain and muscle. However, the urine screening test often fails in diagnosing heterozygous females. Studies have demonstrated that as a group heterozygous females have significantly decreased cerebral creatine concentration, but that individual heterozygous females often have normal creatine concentrations found in their urine. Therefore, urine screening tests are unreliable as a standard test for diagnosing CTD.
A more reliable and sophisticated manner of testing for cerebral creatine concentrations is through "in vivo" proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS). "In vivo" 1H MRS uses proton signals to determine the concentration of specific metabolites. This method of testing is more reliable because it provides a fairly accurate measurement of the amount of creatine inside the brain. Similar to urine testing, a drawback of using 1H MRS as a test for CTD is that the results of the test could be attributed to any of the cerebral creatine deficiencies. The most accurate and reliable method of testing for CTD is through DNA sequence analysis of the SLC6A8 gene. DNA analysis of SLC6A8 allows the identification of the location and type of mutation causing the cerebral creatine deficiency. Furthermore, DNA analysis of SLC6A8 is able to prove that a cerebral creatine deficiency is due to CTD and not GAMT or AGAT deficiency.
Different types of ataxia:
- congenital ataxias (developmental disorders)
- ataxias with metabolic disorders
- ataxias with a DNA repair defect
- degenerative ataxias
- ataxia associated with other features.
Many of the congenital malformations found with Malpuech syndrome can be corrected surgically. These include cleft lip and palate, omphalocele, urogenital and craniofacial abnormalities, skeletal deformities such as a caudal appendage or scoliosis, and hernias of the umbillicus. The primary area of concern for these procedures applied to a neonate with congenital disorders including Malpuech syndrome regards the logistics of anesthesia. Methods like tracheal intubation for management of the airway during general anesthesia can be hampered by the even smaller, or maldeveloped mouth of the infant. For regional anesthesia, methods like spinal blocking are more difficult where scoliosis is present. In a 2010 report by Kiernan et al., a four-year-old girl with Malpuech syndrome was being prepared for an unrelated tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. While undergoing intubation, insertion of a laryngoscope, needed to identify the airway for the placement of the endotracheal tube, was made troublesome by the presence of micrognathia attributed to the syndrome. After replacement with a laryngoscope of adjusted size, intubation proceeded normally. Successful general anesthesia followed.
A rare follow-up of a male with Malpuech syndrome was presented by Priolo et al. (2007). Born at term from an uneventful pregnancy and delivery, the infant underwent a surgical repair of a cleft lip and palate. No problems were reported with the procedure. A heart abnormality, atrial septal defect, was also apparent but required no intervention. At age three years, mental retardation, hyperactivity and obsessive compulsive disorder were diagnosed; hearing impairment was diagnosed at age six, managed with the use of hearing aids. Over the course of the decade that followed, a number of psychiatric evaluations were performed. At age 14, he exhibited a fear of physical contact; at age 15, he experienced a severe psychotic episode, characterized by agitation and a loss of sociosexual inhibition. This array of symptoms were treated pharmocologically (with prescription medications). He maintained a low level of mental deficiency by age 17, with moments of compulsive echolalia.
In most cases, between the age of 2 and 4 oculomotor signals are present. Between the age of 2 and 8, telangiectasias appears. Usually by the age of 10 the child needs a wheel chair. Individuals with autosomal recessive cerebellum ataxia usually survive till their 20s; in some cases individuals have survived till their 40s or 50s.
Prenatal Diagnosis:
- Aymé, "et al." (1989) reported prenatal diagnosis of Fryns syndrome by sonography between 24 and 27 weeks.
- Manouvrier-Hanu et al. (1996) described the prenatal diagnosis of Fryns syndrome by ultrasonographic detection of diaphragmatic hernia and cystic hygroma. The diagnosis was confirmed after termination of the pregnancy. The fetus also had 2 erupted incisors; natal teeth had not been mentioned in other cases of Fryns syndrome.
Differential Diagnosis:
- McPherson et al. (1993) noted the phenotypic overlap between Fryns syndrome and the Pallister–Killian syndrome (601803), which is a dysmorphic syndrome with tissue-specific mosaicism of tetrasomy 12p.
- Veldman et al. (2002) discussed the differentiation between Fryns syndrome and Pallister–Killian syndrome, noting that differentiation is important to genetic counseling because Fryns syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder and Pallister–Killian syndrome is usually a sporadic chromosomal aberration. However, discrimination may be difficult due to the phenotypic similarity. In fact, in some infants with 'coarse face,' acral hypoplasia, and internal anomalies, the initial diagnosis of Fryns syndrome had to be changed because mosaicism of isochromosome 12p was detected in fibroblast cultures or kidney tissue. Although congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a common finding in both syndromes, bilateral congenital diaphragmatic hernia had been reported only in patients with Fryns syndrome until the report of the patient with Pallister–Killian syndrome by Veldman et al. (2002).
- Slavotinek (2004) reviewed the phenotypes of 52 reported cases of Fryns syndrome and reevaluated the diagnostic guidelines. She concluded that congenital diaphragmatic hernia and distal limb hypoplasia are strongly suggestive of Fryns syndrome, with other diagnostically relevant findings including pulmonary hypoplasia, craniofacial dysmorphism, polyhydramnios, and orofacial clefting. Slavotinek (2004) stated that other distinctive anomalies not mentioned in previous guidelines include ventricular dilatation or hydrocephalus, agenesis of the corpus callosum, abnormalities of the aorta, dilatation of the ureters, proximal thumbs, and broad clavicles.
Some people may have some mental slowness, but children with this condition often have good social skills. Some males may have problems with fertility.
The diagnosis of Carpenter Syndrome is made based on the presence of the bicoronal and sagittal skull malformations, which results in a pointed, cone-shaped or short, broad head. The diagnosis is also made based on the presence of extra or fused digits. X rays and/ or CT scans of the skull may be performed in order to accurately diagnose the individual; however, other genetic disorders, which have available genetic tests, are also characterized by skull malformations. A positive result on these tests can rule out a Carpenter Syndrome diagnosis.
No curative treatment is available for prolidase deficiency at this time, although palliative treatment is possible to some extent.
The latter mainly focuses on treating the skin lesions through standard methods and stalling collagen degradation (or boosting prolidase performance, where possible), so as to keep the intracellular dipeptide levels low and give the cells time to resynthesise or absorb what proline they cannot recycle so as to be able to rebuild what collagen "does" degrade. Patients can be treated orally with ascorbate (a.k.a. vitamin C, a cofactor of prolyl hydroxylase, an enzyme that hydroxylates proline, increasing collagen stability), manganese (a cofactor of prolidase), suppression of collagenase (a collagen degrading enzyme), and local applications of ointments that contain L-glycine and L-proline. The response to the treatment is inconsistent between affected individuals.
A therapeutic approach based on enzyme replacement (administering functional prolidase) is under consideration.
Due to the weakened immune response in PD cases, it is also of paramount importance to keep any infections under control, often with heavy antibiotics.
Diagnosis is usually based on clinical findings, although fetal chromosome testing will show trisomy 13. While many of the physical findings are similar to Edwards syndrome there are a few unique traits, such as polydactyly. However, unlike Edwards syndrome and Down syndrome, the quad screen does not provide a reliable means of screening for this disorder. This is due to the variability of the results seen in fetuses with Patau.
Operations to correct the malformations of the skull should be performed within the first year of infancy in patients affected by Carpenter Syndrome. Performing surgery at a young age increases the likelihood of obtaining a greatly improved appearance of the head because modifying bone is much easier to do when the skull is still constantly growing and changing.
In surgery the doctor breaks the fused sutures to allow for brain growth. Doctors remove the cranial plates of the skull, reshape them and replace them back onto the skull in an attempt to reshape the head to appear more normal. Although the sutures are broken during surgery they will quickly refuse, and in some cases holes form in the plates allowing cerebral spinal fluid to escape into cyst like structures on the external surface of the head.
If an individual with Carpenter Syndrome has a serious heart defect they will require surgery to correct the malformation of the heart. Other elective surgeries may also be performed. Some parents opt to have their child’s webbed fingers or toes separated which improves their appearance but not necessarily the functionality of the digits. In order to address the occupational challenges of the disease, many children with Carpenter Syndrome go through speech and occupational therapy in order to achieve more independence in everyday tasks and activities (RN, 2007).
In order to address the vision problems that are associated with bicoronal craniosynostosis, the individual must seek consultation from an ophthalmologist. If the palate is severely affected dental consultation may be necessary to correct the malformation. Obesity is often associated with Carpenter Syndrome, so a lifelong diet plan is often utilized to maintain a healthy weight. In addition surgery must be performed if the testes fail to descend (Paul A. Johnson, 2002). If the procedure is not performed the individual will become infertile.
CTD is difficult to treat because the actual transporter responsible for transporting creatine to the brain and muscles is defective. Studies in which oral creatine monohydrate supplements were given to patients with CTD found that patients did not respond to treatment. However, similar studies conducted in which patients that had GAMT or AGAT deficiency were given oral creatine monohydrate supplements found that patient’s clinical symptoms improved. Patients with CTD are unresponsive to oral creatine monohydrate supplements because regardless of the amount of creatine they ingest, the creatine transporter is still defective, and therefore creatine is incapable of being transported across the BBB. Given the major role that the BBB has in the transport of creatine to the brain and unresponsiveness of oral creatine monohydrate supplements in CTD patients, future research will focus on working with the BBB to deliver creatine supplements. However, given the limited number of patients that have been identified with CTD, future treatment strategies must be more effective and efficient when recognizing individuals with CTD.
Molecular (DNA) testing for PAX6 gene mutations (by sequencing of the entire coding region and deletion/duplication analysis) is available for isolated aniridia and the Gillespie syndrome. For the WAGR syndrome, high-resolution cytogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) can be utilized to identify deletions within chromosome band 11p13, where both the PAX6 and WT1 genes are located.
Very few risk factors for choanal atresia have been identified. While causes are unknown, both genetic and environmental triggers are suspected. One study suggests that chemicals that act as endocrine disrupters may put an unborn infant at risk. A 2012 epidemiological study looked at atrazine, a commonly used herbicide in the U.S., and found that women who lived in counties in Texas with the highest levels of this chemical being used to treat agricultural crops were 80 times more likely to give birth to infants with choanal atresia or stenosis compared to women who lived in the counties with the lowest levels. Another epidemiological report in 2010 found even higher associations between increased incidents of choanal atresia and exposure to second-hand-smoke, coffee consumption, high maternal zinc and B-12 intake and exposure to anti-infective urinary tract medications.
There is no cure for PMD, nor is there a standard course of treatment. Treatment, which is symptomatic and supportive, may include medication for seizures and spasticity. Regular evaluations by physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedic, developmental and neurologic specialists should be made to ensure optimal therapy and educational resources. The prognosis for those with Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease is highly variable, with children with the most severe form (so-called connatal) usually not surviving to adolescence, but survival into the sixth or even seventh decades is possible, especially with attentive care. Genetic counseling should be provided to the family of a child with PMD.
In December 2008, StemCells Inc., a biotech company in Palo Alto, received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct Phase I clinical trials in PMD to assess the safety of transplanting human neural stem cells as a potential treatment for PMD. The trial was initiated in November 2009 at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Children's Hospital.
Researchers are also investigating the genetic similarities between Dubowitz Syndrome and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS). Patients with SLOS and Dubowitz syndromes experience many of the same abnormalities, and the two disorders are hypothesized to be linked. A characteristic of SLOS is a low cholesterol level and a high 7-dehydrocholesterol level. Cholesterol is essential for several key functions of the body, including cell membrane structure, embryogenesis, and steroid and sex hormone synthesis. Impaired cholesterol biosynthesis or transport possibly accounts for most of the symptoms of both SLOS and Dubowitz. Although only a few patients with Dubowitz Syndrome have been identified with altered cholesterol levels, researchers are exploring whether Dubowitz Syndrome, like SLOS, carries a link to a defect in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway.
The exact biochemical pathology of the disease is still under research because of the low prevalence of the disease and the wide array of symptoms associated with it. Several studies have focused on different aspects of the disease to try to find its exact cause and expression. One study examined the specific oral features in one patient. Another found abnormalities in the brain, such as corpus callosum dysgenesis, an underdeveloped anterior pituitary and a brain stalk with an ectopic neurohypophysis.
The cause of Primrose syndrome is currently unknown. This condition is extremely rare and seems to spontaneously occur, regardless of family history.
In the case studied by Dalai et al. in 2010, it was found that an abnormally high amount of calcitonin, a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland to stabilize blood calcium levels, was present in the blood serum. This suggests that the thyroid gland is releasing an abnormal amount of calcitonin, resulting in the disruption of calcium level homeostasis. No molecular cause was found, but an expanded microarray analysis of the patient found a 225.5 kb deletion on chromosome 11p between rs12275693 and rs1442927. Whether or not this deletion is related to the syndrome or is a harmless mutation is unknown. The deletion was not present in the patient's mother's DNA sample, but the father's DNA was unavailable.
Only symptomatic treatment for the management of disturbances can be indicated for affected individuals. The genetic origin of this disease would indicate gene therapy holds the most promise for future development of a cure. But at this time no specific treatments for Flynn–Aird syndrome exist.