Made by DATEXIS (Data Science and Text-based Information Systems) at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
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)
Funded by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Grant: 01MD19013D, Smart-MD Project, Digital Technologies
ARSACS is usually diagnosed in early childhood, approximately 12–24 months of age when a child begins to take their first steps. At this time it manifests as a lack of coordination and balance resulting in frequent falls. Some of the signs and symptoms include:
- Stiffness of the legs
- Appendicular and trunk ataxia
- Hollow foot and hand deformities
- Ataxic dysarthria
- Distal muscle wasting
- Horizontal gaze nystagmus
- Spasticity
People with ODD syndrome often have a characteristic appearance. Visible features of the condition include:
- small teeth that are prone to caries because of underdeveloped tooth enamel;
- a long, thin nose;
- unusually small eyes; and
- type III syndactyly of the fourth and fifth fingers.
Iris atrophy and glaucoma are more common than average. The size of the eyes often interferes with learning to read; special eyeglasses may be required. Hair may be fine, thin, dry, or fragile; in some families, it is curly.
Neurologic abnormalities may be seen in adults. The neurologic changes may appear earlier in each subsequent generation and can include abnormal white matter, conductive deafness, and various kinds of paresis, including ataxia, spastic paraplegia, difficulty controlling the eyes, and bladder and bowel disturbances.
Not all of the DOOR symptoms are consistently present. They can vary in severity, and additional features can be noted in individuals affected by DOOR syndrome.
Some of these additional features are:
- Polyhydramnios (increased amniotic fluid during pregnancy) and increased nuchal fold during pregnancy
- Specific facial features such as a large nose
- Severe and sometimes refractory seizures, abnormalities on the magnetic resonance imaging of the brain
- Increased 2-oxoglutaric acid in the blood and urine - this compound is made or used by several enzymes
- Finger-like thumbs
- Visual impairment
- Peripheral neuropathy (nerves conducting sensation from extremities to the brain) and insensivity to pain
Intellectual impairment is present in all reported cases, but the severity can vary widely. The prognosis in terms of survival also varies greatly from early childhood till adulthood.
Onset usually occurs within the first two decades of life, commonly in the teenage years or the twenties. Life expectancy is normal. High arch of the foot (pes cavus) is common. Patients also have trouble controlling their hands, due to muscle loss on the thumb side of the index finger and palm below the thumb. It is rare for a person with this disorder to lose the ability to walk, though changes in gait may occur later in life.
Frequency of this disorder is unknown.
In an individual with dHMN V, electromyography will show pure motor neuropathy, patterns of weakness without upper motor neuron damage, in the hands. Tendon reflexes will also appear normal. Clinical, electrophysiological, and pathological testing will show a lack of damage to sensory neurons, differentiating this disease from CMT.
The characteristic symptom of Costeff syndrome is the onset of progressively worsening eyesight caused by degeneration of the optic nerve (optic atrophy) within the first few years of childhood, with the majority of affected individuals also developing motor disabilities later in childhood. Occasionally, people with Costeff syndrome may also experience mild cognitive disability.
It is type of 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, the hallmark of which is an increased level in the urinary concentrations of 3-methylglutaconic acid and 3-methylglutaric acid; this can allow diagnosis as early as at one year of age.
Those with Costeff syndrome typically experience the first symptoms of visual deterioration within the first few years of childhood, which manifests as the onset of progressively decreasing visual acuity. This decrease tends to continue with age, even after childhood.
The majority of people with Costeff syndrome develop movement problems and motor disabilities later in childhood, the two most significant of which are choreoathetosis and spasticity. The former causes involuntary erratic, jerky, and twisting movements (see chorea and athetosis), whereas the latter causes twitches and spastic tendencies.
These two symptoms are often severe enough to seriously disable an individual; among 36 people with Costeff syndrome, 17 experienced major motor disability as a result of choreoathetosis, and 12 experienced spasticity-related symptoms severe enough to do the same.
Ataxia (loss of muscle coordination) and speech impairment caused by dysarthria also occur in roughly 50% of cases, but are rarely seriously disabling.
Some individuals with Costeff disease also display mild cognitive impairment, though such cases are relatively infrequent.
Symptoms depend on the type of HSP inherited. The main feature of the disease is progressive spasticity in the lower limbs due to pyramidal tract dysfunction. This also results in brisk reflexes, extensor plantar reflexes, muscle weakness, and variable bladder disturbances. Furthermore, among the core symptoms of HSP are also included abnormal gait and difficulty in walking, decreased vibratory sense at the ankles, and paresthesia.
Initial symptoms are typically difficulty with balance, stubbing the toe or stumbling. Symptoms of HSP may begin at any age, from infancy to older than 60 years. If symptoms begin during the teenage years or later, then spastic gait disturbance usually progresses over many years. Canes, walkers, and wheelchairs may eventually be required, although some people never require assistance devices.
More specifically, patients with the autosomal dominant pure form of HSP reveal normal facial and extraocular movement. Although jaw jerk may be brisk in older subjects, there is no speech disturbance or difficulty of swallowing. Upper extremity muscle tone and strength are normal. In the lower extremities, muscle tone is increased at the hamstrings, quadriceps and ankles. Weakness is most notable at the iliopsoas, tibialis anterior, and to a lesser extent, hamstring muscles.
In the complex form of the disorder, additional symptoms are present. These include: peripheral neuropathy, amyotrophy, ataxia, mental retardation, ichthyosis, epilepsy, optic neuropathy, dementia, deafness, or problems with speech, swallowing or breathing.
Anita Harding classified the HSP in a pure and complicated form. Pure HSP presents with spasticity in the lower limbs, associated with neurogenic bladder disturbance as well as lack of vibration sensitivity (pallhypesthesia). On the other hand, HSP is classified as complex when lower limb spasticity is combined with any additional neurological symptom.
This classification is subjective and patients with complex HSPs are sometimes diagnosed as having cerebellar ataxia with spasticity, mental retardation (with spasticity), or leukodystrophy. Some of the genes listed below have been described in other diseases than HSP before. Therefore, some key genes overlap with other disease groups.
Most patients begin to use a wheelchair for movement around age 30-40. Death usually occurs in their 60s, but some have been reported to live longer.
Gordon syndrome is an extremely rare disorder that belongs to a group of genetic disorders known as the distal arthrogryposes. These disorders typically involve stiffness and impaired mobility of certain joints of the lower arms and legs (distal extremities) including the knees, elbows, wrists, and/or ankles. These joints tend to be permanently fixed in a bent or flexed position (contractures). Gordon syndrome is characterized by the permanent fixation of several fingers in a flexed position (camptodactyly), abnormal bending inward of the foot (clubfoot or talipes), and, less frequently, incomplete closure of the roof of the mouth (cleft palate). In some cases, additional abnormalities may also be present. The range and severity of symptoms may vary from case to case. Gordon syndrome is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.
With so few described cases, establishing the basic pathophysiological mechanisms or genetic abnormalities has not been possible.
Movements of the eyes left to right.
Little or no movement in the arms or legs.
Respiratory troubles/problems.
Dennie–Marfan syndrome is a syndrome in which there is association of spastic paraplegia of the lower limbs and mental retardation in children with congenital syphilis. Both sexes are affected, and the onset of the disease can be acute or insidious, with slow progression from weakness to quadriplegia. Epilepsy, cataract, and nystagmus may be also be found.
The syndrome was described by Charles Clayton Dennie in 1929, and Antoine Marfan in 1936.
In the past, HSP has been classified as early onset beginning in early childhood or later onset in adulthood. The age of onsets has two points of maximum at age 2 and around age 40. New findings propose that an earlier onset leads to a longer disease duration without loss of ambulation or the need for the use of a wheelchair. This was also described earlier, that later onset forms evolve more rapidly.
Fitzsimmons–Guilbert syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disease characterized by a slowly progressive spastic paraplegia, skeletal anomalies of the hands and feet with brachydactyly type E, cone-shaped epiphyses, abnormal metaphyseal–phalangeal pattern profile, sternal anomaly (pectus carinatum or excavatum), dysarthria, and mild intellectual deficit.
The three most common symptoms of Opitz G/BBB syndrome (both type I & II) are hypertelorism (exceptionally wide-spaced eyes), laryngo-tracheo-esophalgeal defects (including clefts and holes in the palate, larynx, trachea and esophagus) and hypospadias (urinary openings in males not at the tip of the penis) (Meroni, Opitz G/BBB syndrome, 2012). Abnormalities in the larynx, trachea and esophagus can cause significant difficulty breathing and/or swallowing and can result in reoccurring pneumonia and life-threatening situations. Commonly, there may be a gap between the trachea and esophagus, referred to as a laryngeal cleft; which can allow food or fluid to enter the airway and make breathing and eating a difficult task.
Genital abnormalities like a urinary opening under the penis (hypospadias), undescended testes (cryptorchidism), underdeveloped scrotum and a scrotum divided into two lobes (bifid scrotum) can all be commonplace for males with the disease.
Developmental delays of the brain and nervous system are also common in both types I and II of the disease. 50% of people with Opitz G/BBB Syndrome will experience developmental delay and mild intellectual disability. This can impact motor skills, speech and learning capabilities. Some of these instances are likened to autistic spectrum disorders. Close to half of the people with Opitz G/BBB Syndrome also have a cleft lip (hole in the lip opening) and possibly a cleft palate (hole in the roof of the mouth), as well. Less than half of the people diagnosed have heart defects, imperforate anus (obstructed anal opening), and brain defects. Of all the impairments, female carriers of X-linked Type I Opitz G/BBB Syndrome usually only have ocular hypertelorism.
Robinow noted the resemblance of affected patients' faces to that of a fetus, using the term "fetal facies" to describe the appearance of a small face and widely spaced eyes. Clinical features also may include a short, upturned nose, a prominent forehead, and a flat nasal bridge. The upper lip may be "tented", exposing dental crowding, "tongue tie", or gum hypertrophy.
Though the eyes do not protrude, abnormalities in the lower eyelid may give that impression. Surgery may be necessary if the eyes cannot close fully. In addition, the ears may be set low on the head or have a deformed pinna.
Patients suffer from dwarfism, short lower arms, small feet, and small hands. Fingers and toes may also be abnormally short and laterally or medially bent. The thumb may be displaced and some patients, notably in Turkey, experience ectrodactyly. All patients often suffer from vertebral segmentation abnormalities. Those with the dominant variant have, at most, a single butterfly vertebra. Those with the recessive form, however, may suffer from hemivertebrae, vertebral fusion, and rib anomalies. Some cases resemble Jarcho-Levin syndrome or spondylocostal dysostosis.
Genital defects characteristically seen in males include a micropenis with a normally developed scrotum and testes. Sometimes, testicles may be undescended, or the patient may suffer from hypospadias. Female genital defects may include a reduced size clitoris and underdeveloped labia minora. Infrequently, the labia majora may also be underdeveloped. Some research has shown that females may experience vaginal atresia or haematocolpos.
The autosomal recessive form of the disorder tends to be much more severe. Examples of differences are summarized in the following table:
The diagnosis of PMD is often first suggested after identification by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of abnormal white matter (high T2 signal intensity, i.e. T2 lengthening) throughout the brain, which is typically evident by about 1 year of age, but more subtle abnormalities should be evident during infancy. Unless there is a family history consistent with sex-linked inheritance, the condition is often misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy. Once a "PLP1" or "GJA12" mutation is identified, prenatal diagnosis or preimplantation genetic diagnostic testing is possible.
Oculodentodigital syndrome (ODD syndrome) is an extremely rare genetic condition that typically results in small eyes, underdeveloped teeth, and syndactyly and malformation of the fourth and fifth fingers. It has also been called oculo-dento-digital syndrome, oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD), and oculodentoosseous dysplasia (ODOD). It is considered a kind of ectodermal dysplasia.
Costeff syndrome, or 3-methylglutaconic aciduria type III, is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the "OPA3" gene. It is typically associated with the onset of visual deterioration (optic atrophy) in early childhood followed by the development of movement problems and motor disability in later childhood, occasionally along with mild cases of cognitive deficiency. The disorder is named after Hanan Costeff, the doctor who first described the syndrome in 1989.
DOOR (deafness, onychdystrophy, osteodystrophy, and mental retardation) syndrome is a genetic disease which is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. DOOR syndrome is characterized by mental retardation, sensorineural deafness, abnormal nails and phalanges of the hands and feet, and variable seizures. A similar deafness-onychodystrophy syndrome is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait and has no mental retardation. Some authors have proposed that it may be the same as Eronen Syndrome, but since both disorders are extremely rare it is hard to make a determination.
Gordon syndrome (GS), or distal arthrogryposis type 3, is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder characterized by cleft palate and congenital contractures of the hands and feet.
The acronym "MASA" describes the four major symptoms - Mental retardation, Aphasia, Shuffling gait, and Adducted thumbs. Another name for this syndrome is "L1 syndrome".
The term "CRASH", for "corpus callosum hypoplasia, retardation, adducted thumbs, spastic paraplegia, and hydrocephalus" has also been used to describe L1CAM-related disorders.
X-linked type I Opitz G/BBB Syndrome is diagnosed on clinical findings, but those findings can vary greatly: even within the same family. Manifestations of X-linked type I are classified in the frequent/major findings and minor findings that are found in less than 50% of individuals.
The three major findings that suggest a person has X-linked Type I Opitz G/BBB Syndrome:
1. Ocular hypertelorism (~100% cases)
2. Hypospadias (85-90% cases)
3. Laryngotracheoesophageal abnormalities (60-70%)
Minor findings found in less than 50% of individuals:
1. Developmental delay (especially intellectually)
2. Cleft lip/palate
3. Congenital heart defects
4. Imperforate (blocked) anus
5. Brain defects (especially corpus callosum)
In 1989, Hogdall used ultrasonographs to diagnose X-linked Type I Opitz G/BBB Syndrome after 19 weeks of pregnancy, by identifying hypertelorism (widely-spaced eyes) and hypospadias (irregular urinary tract openings in the penis).
There is also molecular genetic testing available to identify mutations leading to Opitz G/BBB Syndrome. X-linked Type I testing must be done on MID1, since this is the only gene that is known to cause Type I Opitz G/BBB Syndrome. Two different tests can be performed: sequence analysis and deletion/duplication analysis. In the sequence analysis a positive result would detect 15-50% of the DNA sequence mutated, while a deletion/duplication positive result would find deletion or duplication of one or more exons of the entire MID1 gene.
The most common malformation in patients with the syndrome is kidney hypodysplasia, which are small and underdeveloped kidneys, often leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Estimates show approximately 10% of children with hypoplastic kidneys are linked to the disease. Many different histological abnormalities have been noted, including:
- decrease in nephron number associated with hypertrophy
- focal segmental glomerulosclerosis
- interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy
- multicystic dysplastic kidney
Up to one-third of diagnosed patients develop end stage kidney disease, which may lead to complete kidney failure.
Robinow syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disorder characterized by short-limbed dwarfism, abnormalities in the head, face, and external genitalia, as well as vertebral segmentation. The disorder was first described in 1969 by human geneticist Meinhard Robinow, along with physicians Frederic N. Silverman and Hugo D. Smith, in the "American Journal of Diseases of Children". By 2002, over 100 cases had been documented and introduced into medical literature.
Two forms of the disorder exist, dominant and recessive, of which the former is more common. Patients with the dominant version often suffer moderately from the aforementioned symptoms. Recessive cases, on the other hand, are usually more physically marked, and individuals may exhibit more skeletal abnormalities. The recessive form is particularly frequent in Turkey. However, this can likely be explained by a common ancestor, as these patients' families can be traced to a single town in Eastern Turkey. Clusters of the autosomal recessive form have also been documented in Oman and Czechoslovakia.
The syndrome is also known as Robinow-Silverman-Smith syndrome, Robinow dwarfism, fetal face, fetal face syndrome, fetal facies syndrome, acral dysostosis with facial and genital abnormalities, or mesomelic dwarfism-small genitalia syndrome. The recessive form was previously known as Covesdem syndrome.