Hepatoblastoma in a 4-year-old girl with Fanconi anaemia

CASE REPORT: Hepatoblastoma was diagnosed in a 4-year-old girl receiving growth hormone substitution therapy for short stature. Owing to multiple congenital malformations, VACTERL-H (vertebral, anal, cardiac, tracheal, renal and limb anomalies with hydrocephalus) association had been suggested. Elevated chromosomal breakage rates and G2 phase arrest induced by DNA-crosslinking agents in cellular assays confirmed the diagnosis of Fanconi anaemia (FA), a tumour susceptibility syndrome known to be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma following androgen therapy. Subsequent genotyping revealed biallelic mutations in the FANCD1/BRCA2 gene. CONCLUSION: We describe the first case of hepatoblastoma in a patient with FA to raise awareness of this tumour type in the close clinical observation of early cancer-prone forms of this condition, particularly in the presence of FANCD1/BRCA2 mutations. The present case also underscores the importance of FA testing in patients with VACTERL(-H).     

Abdominal vascular malformations and Down syndrome

Malformations of the abdominal venous system are rare vascular disorders. These entities are associated with other malformations and with chromosomal anomalies such as trisomy 21. Abdominal venous malformations are probably the most frequent congenital vascular malformations in Down syndrome. Prenatal diagnosis allows the early follow-up and treatment of complications. We present a case of Down syndrome associated with an abdominal venous malformation diagnosed at the first trimester of pregnancy.     

Early diagnosis of congenital heart disease

Routine examination of apparently healthy newborn babies detects less than half of those with congenital cardiac malformations because they are asymptomatic and without signs. More severe cardiac malformations are not detected more easily. A normal clinical examination does not exclude serious congenital cardiac malformation. Left heart obstruction is easily overlooked but often causes serious deterioration in less than 3 weeks. It is important to arrange early echocardiography of babies with signs and to consider cardiac malformation in a sick baby even if a previous routine examination was normal. All babies with Down syndrome should have early expert cardiological assessment.     

Long-term bowel function,quality of life and sexual function in patients with anorectal malformations treated during the PSARP era

Anorectal malformations are an important group of congenital anomalies that vary widely in their anatomical characteristics and complexity. Understanding the long-term functional outcomes after modern treatments, and how these compare to the general population, are essential for ensuring that patients receive optimal, evidence-based care. With increasing appreciation of the wider impact of the illness on patients and their families, minimizing social disability from fecal incontinence and enabling normal social integration from the outset are key management concerns. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the functional outcomes by type of malformation, reflecting on the literature, and our institutional experience over a follow-up period of nearly 30 years.     

Zur Häufigkeit und ätiologie der Omphalozelen

Omphaloceles are congenital malformations with herniation of the abdominal viscera into the umbilical cord. The incidence in newborns is 1:4300, the sex ratio 1.24:1 in favour to boys. Children with this malformation are neither more frequent at the beginning nor at the end of the sibship; the average maternal age is not increased. In about 50% other different malformations are found. All those omphaloceles, which are found as an obligatory symptom in the EMG syndrome (Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome) to be probably in most cases autosomal recessively inherited or which are seen within a chromosomal malformation syndrome are of etiologically known origin. Omphaloceles without other malformations are mainly sporadic, less frequent in sibs, possibly due to a polygenic or multifactorial mode of inheritance. Findings in population genetics and animal experiments suggest that exogenous factors, too, can be the cause of malformation syndromes with omphaloceles.     

先天性呼吸系统畸形234例临床分析

目的 探讨先天性呼吸系统畸形的类型和临床特点,提高对该类疾病的早期诊断率.方法 对温州医学院附属育英儿童医院呼吸科2003年7月至2008年6月收治的234例先天性呼吸系统畸形的类型、临床和影像学资料等进行总结分析.结果 234例先天性呼吸系统畸形患儿诊断时年龄1 d～14岁,平均1.12岁,主要症状为持续喉喘鸣、反复喘息、反复呼吸道感染、呼吸困难等.通过胸片、螺旋CT三维重建、纤维支气管镜和喉镜等检查,确诊复合畸形21例,单发畸形213例.单发畸形213例中,喉部畸形(97例)包括先天性喉软骨软化症90例,先天性喉蹼5例,先天性喉囊肿2例;气管支气管畸形(35例)包括先天性(支)气管狭窄17例,先天性支气管起源异常7例,气管支气管软化10例,气管食管瘘1例;肺部畸形(43例)包括肺隔离症5例,先天性肺囊肿22例,先天性大叶性肺气肿1例,肺不发育和发育不全8例,先天性肺囊性腺瘤样畸形7例;膈肌畸形(38例)包括先天性膈疝20例,先天性膈肌膨出症18例.经手术确诊的37例肺部畸形和36例膈肌畸形中,术前经临床和影像学做出初步诊断分别占83.78%和91.67%.28例先天性(支)气管狭窄(含复合畸形11例)经螺旋CT三维蕈建联合纤维支气管镜检查确诊;10例先天性支气管起源异常(含复合畸形3例)经螺旋CT三维重建诊断.喉软化和(支)气管软化的诊断依靠喉镜和纤维支气管镜检查.结论 对于持续喉喘鸣、反复喘息、反复呼吸道感染、呼吸困难的患儿应考虑到先天性呼吸系统畸形的诊断,其类型分为喉部畸形、气管支气管畸形、肺部畸形和膈肌畸形.影像学检查和呼吸内镜对先天性呼吸系统畸形的诊断有着十分重要的作用.     

Congenital absence of the portal vein in a child with Turner syndrome

Congenital absence of the portal vein (CAPV) is a rare malformation associated with hepatic encephalopathy and liver function abnormalities. We report a case of a 2-year-old with Turner syndrome, CAPV, and congenital heart malformations.     

3例Mowat-Wilson综合征患儿的临床特点及遗传学分析

Mowat-Wilson综合征（MWS）是一种由E盒结合锌指蛋白2（ZEB2）基因突变导致的罕见常染色体显性遗传病,临床表现多样,主要表现为智力障碍/全面发育迟缓、面容特殊,并伴有多种先天畸形。该文报道3例经ZEB2基因分析确诊为MWS患儿的临床特点和基因突变结果。3例均有先天性巨结肠及面容异常,其中病例1于4月龄死于重型心衰和肺炎,因年龄小,家长未能发现其全面发育迟缓,另2例均有重度全面发育迟缓。3例患儿均为ZEB2基因新生杂合无义突变携带者,其中c.756C > A （p.Y252X）为未见报道的新发突变,该类突变可产生截短蛋白,具有明确致病性。MWS临床和遗传异质性大,若患儿面容与MWS高度符合,且存在智力障碍/全面发育迟缓,合并多种先天畸形,临床医生应警惕MWS,基因检测有助于确立诊断。     

Socioeconomic inequalities in risk of congenital anomaly.

AIMS: To investigate socioeconomic inequalities in the risk of congenital anomalies, focusing on risk of specific anomaly subgroups. METHODS: A total of 858 cases of congenital anomaly and 1764 non-malformed control births were collected between 1986 and 1993 from four UK congenital malformation registers, for the purposes of a European multicentre case control study on congenital anomaly risk near hazardous waste landfill sites. As a measure of socioeconomic status, cases and controls were given a value for the area level Carstairs deprivation index, by linking the postcode of residence at birth to census enumeration districts (areas of approximately 150 households). RESULTS: Risk of non-chromosomal anomalies increased with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. The risk in the most deprived quintile of the deprivation index was 40% higher than in the most affluent quintile. Some malformation subgroups also showed increasing risk with increasing deprivation: all cardiac defects, malformations of the cardiac septa, malformations of the digestive system, and multiple malformations. No evidence for socioeconomic variation was found for other non-chromosomal malformation groups, including neural tube defects and oral clefts. A decreasing risk with increasing deprivation found for all chromosomal malformations and Down's syndrome in unadjusted analyses, occurred mainly as a result of differences in the maternal age distribution between social classes. CONCLUSION: Our data, although based on limited numbers of cases and geographical coverage, suggest that more deprived populations have a higher risk of congenital anomalies of non-chromosomal origin and some specific anomalies. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore their aetiological implications.     

Differential diagnosis between Pendred and pseudo-Pendred syndromes: clinical, radiologic, and molecular studies

The disease gene for Pendred syndrome has been recently characterized and named PDS. It codes for a transmembrane protein called pendrin, which is highly expressed at the apical surface of the thyroid cell and functions as a transporter of chloride and iodide. Pendrin is also expressed at the inner ear level, where it appears to be involved in the maintenance of the endolymph homeostasis in the membranous labyrinth, and in the kidney, where it mediates chloride-formate exchange and bicarbonate secretion. Mutations in the PDS gene and the consequent impaired function of pendrin leads to the classic phenotype of Pendred syndrome, i.e. dyshormonogenic goiter and congenital sensorineural hearing loss. In the present study, we performed a detailed clinical, radiologic, and molecular analysis of six families presenting with clinical diagnosis of Pendred syndrome. In two families a homozygous pattern for PDS mutations was found, whereas the affected members of the other four families were compound heterozygotes. One family did not harbor PDS mutations. Among the four novel mutations described, one is a transversion in exon 2 (84C>A), leading to the substitution S28R. Two other novel mutations lie in exon 4 (398T>A) and in exon 16 (1790T>C), leading to the substitutions S133T and L597S, respectively. The fourth novel mutation (1614+1G>A) is located in the first base pair of intron 14, probably affecting the splicing of the PDS gene. Clinically, all patients had goiter with positive perchlorate test, hypothyroidism, and severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss. In all the individuals harboring PDS mutations, but not in the family without PDS mutations, inner ear malformations, such as enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct and of the endolymphatic duct and sac, were documented. The pseudo-Pendred phenotype exhibited by the family without PDS mutations is likely caused by an autoimmune thyroid disease associated with a sensorineural hearing loss of different origin.     

Goldenhar's syndrome associated with multiple congenital abnormalities

Goldenhar's syndrome is characterized by a combination of dermal epibulbar cysts, auricular appendices, malformation of ears, and vertebral anomalies. The average incidence ratio of Goldenhar's syndrome is estimated to be 1/5600, and the frequency of cardiovascular malformations of this syndrome is 5-58 per cent. Although the etiology of this disease is not fully understood, autosomal recessive or dominant inheritance is possible. The disease occurs as sporadic cases. Male:female ratio for the Goldenhar's syndrome is 2:1. A 72-day-old Goldenhar's syndrome case is reported who presented with multiple congenital anomalies.     

新生儿常见多发畸形的遗传特征

新生儿多发畸形（MCAs）是指新生儿出生时即有2个或以上的形态结构畸形。常见MCAs表现为面容异常、先天性心脏病及其他器官畸形等。染色体异常、单个基因突变、拷贝数变异是常见的导致MCAs遗传性病因。文章将从这3方面来阐述常见MCAs综合征的遗传表型特征,以期为MCAs的早期临床识别与诊治提供帮助。     

Single-center experience with sirolimus therapy for vascular malformations

Vascular malformations (VMs) are described as congenital malformations of the vasculature derived from capillaries, veins, lymphatic vessels, arteries, or a combination of these vessels. They can cause significant morbidity resulting from soft tissue hypertrophy-related disfiguration, bony abnormalities, and even organ compromise. They are usually treated with various interventional procedures to achieve local control; however, the chance of success decreases as the anatomical distribution of the malformation widens. Unfortunately, medical treatment options have been quite limited in these patients. Sirolimus is an antiangiogenetic and antiproliferative pharmacologic agent that has been used for the management of VM in the last decade. We report 6 pediatric patients (4 with capillary lymphaticovenous malformations, 1 with lymphaticovenous malformation, and 1 with venous malformation) seen at our clinic within the last 2 years with lesions covering wide anatomical areas. After the patients had unsuccessfully undergone various treatments at various centers, they were treated at our facility with peroral sirolimus. The mean duration of treatment was 13 months, but in 3 patients, tapered dosing continues. Five patients achieved partial responses. The response to sirolimus treatment increased as the lymphatic component of the VM increased. All patients tolerated sirolimus well; side effects were acceptable. Sirolimus is a safe and effective medical treatment for widely distributed VMs with significant lymphatic components and no further local treatment option.     

Possible association between different congenital abnormalities and use of different sulfonamides during pregnancy

The objective of the study presented here was to check the debated human teratogenic potential of sulfonamide drugs. Five different sulfonamides such as sulfamethazine, sulfathiourea, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfamethoxydiazine and the combination of sulfamethazine-sulfathiourea-sulfamethoxypyridazine were differentiated. Cases with congenital abnormalities were compared with their matched controls without congenital abnormalities in the population-based large data set of the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities between 1980 and 1996. Of 38,151 newborn infants without any congenital abnormalities (control group), 163 (0.4%) had mothers who were treated with the sulfonamides studied during pregnancy, while of 22,843 cases with congenital abnormalities, 140 (0.6%) had mothers who were treated with the sulfonamides studied during pregnancy. The analysis of cases and matched controls indicated a higher rate of cardiovascular malformation (adjusted prevalence odds ratios [POR] with 95% CI: 3.5, 1.9-6.4) and clubfoot (adjusted POR with 95% CI: 2.6, 1.1-6.2) in infants born to mothers with sulfonamide treatment in the second and third months of pregnancy. The detailed analysis of different sulfonamides showed a possible association between cardiovascular malformations (adjusted POR with 95%; CI: 6.5, 2.6-15.9), particularly ventricular septal defect (17.1, 1.3-141.1) and sulfamethoxydiazine during the second and third months of pregnancy. In addition, a possible association was found between clubfoot and sulfathiourea, both during the entire pregnancy (adjusted POR with 95% CI: 2.3, 1.2-4.3) and in the second and third months of gestation (3.9, 1.1-13.8). Thus, maternal treatment of sulfamethoxydiazine may cause ventricular septal defect, while sulfathiourea may induce clubfoot; however, further studies are needed to verify or reject these associations.     

Severe muscle-eye-brain disease is associated with a homozygous mutation in the POMGnT1 gene.

Muscle-eye-brain (MEB) disease is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a broad clinical spectrum including congenital muscular dystrophy, ocular abnormalities, and brain malformation (type-II lissencephaly). Herein, we report on two Turkish siblings with a homozygous mutation in the POMGnT1 gene. A 6-year-old sibling has a severe form of MEB disease, which in some aspects is more suitable with the diagnosis of Walker-Warburg syndrome. However, the same mutation resulted in a less severe form of MEB in the older sibling, who is 14 years old. These two cases suggest that POMGnT1 mutations may cause MEB disease with different phenotypes even in the same family.     

Congenital malformations among infants whose mothers had gestational diabetes or preexisting diabetes

BACKGROUND: Diabetes type 1 is associated with an increased risk for infant congenital malformations. It is debated whether this is true also at gestational diabetes. AIMS: To study occurrence of congenital malformations in infants whose mothers had preexisting or gestational diabetes. STUDY DESIGN: A register study covering over 1.2 million Swedish births in 1987-1997 based on the Swedish health registries. SUBJECTS: We identified from the Medical Birth Registry 3864 infants born of women with preexisting diabetes and 8688 infants born of women with gestational diabetes. OUTCOMES MEASURES: Congenital malformations identified in the Medical Birth Registry, the Registry of Congenital Malformations, and the Hospital Discharge Registry. The rates of congenital malformations among these infants was compared with the population rates. RESULTS: At preexisting diabetes, the total malformation rate was 9.5% while the rate at gestational diabetes was similar to the population rate, 5.7%. At preexisting diabetes, certain conditions were more common than expected: orofacial clefts, cardiovascular defects, oesophageal/intestinal atresia, hypospadias, limb reduction defects, spine malformations, and polydactyly. For some of these conditions, an excess was found also for infants whose mothers had gestational diabetes. Infants with multiple malformations were in excess at preexisting diabetes but not at gestational diabetes but the specific type of malformations involved were similar in the two diabetes groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that in the group of gestational diabetes exists a subgroup with an increased risk for a diabetes embryopathy, perhaps due to preexisting but undetected diabetes type 2.     

Socioeconomic inequalities in risk of congenital anomaly

AIMS—To investigate socioeconomic inequalities in the risk of congenital anomalies, focusing on risk of specific anomaly subgroups.METHODS—A total of 858 cases of congenital anomaly and 1764 non-malformed control births were collected between 1986 and 1993 from four UK congenital malformation registers, for the purposes of a European multicentre case control study on congenital anomaly risk near hazardous waste landfill sites. As a measure of socioeconomic status, cases and controls were given a value for the area level Carstairs deprivation index, by linking the postcode of residence at birth to census enumeration districts (areas of approximately 150households).RESULTS—Risk of non-chromosomal anomalies increased with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. The risk in the most deprived quintile of the deprivation index was 40% higher than in the most affluent quintile. Some malformation subgroups also showed increasing risk with increasing deprivation: all cardiac defects, malformations of the cardiac septa, malformations of the digestive system, and multiple malformations. No evidence for socioeconomic variation was found for other non-chromosomal malformation groups, including neural tube defects and oral clefts. A decreasing risk with increasing deprivation found for all chromosomal malformations and Down''s syndrome in unadjusted analyses, occurred mainly as a result of differences in the maternal age distribution between social classes.CONCLUSION—Our data, although based on limited numbers of cases and geographical coverage, suggest that more deprived populations have a higher risk of congenital anomalies of non-chromosomal origin and some specific anomalies. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore their aetiological implications.     

Congenital malformation among newborns at Dr. Pirngadi Hospital Medan during 1981-1984

A study on the incidence of congenital malformation had been assessed among 15,185 newborns delivered in the Neonatal Unit, Dr. Pirngadi Hospital Medan during 1981-1984. Still-births were not included in this study. Out of these 15,185 newborns there were 77 cases (0.51%) of congenital malformation. The four leading malformations were pes-equinovarus 7 cases (9.1%), labiognathopalatoschizis, hydrocephalus and anencephalus 6 cases each (7.7%). The number of congenital malformations was higher in the age group of mothers older than 35 years (0.78%) and in the group of babies born in the birth order as third and further (53.85%) and as first born babies (33.33%). From 77 cases with congenital malformation only 2 (2.56%) were operated soon after birth, while 49 cases (64.1%) went home without surgical intervention, and 28 cases (35.9%) died during hospitalization.     

先天性甲状腺功能减低症35例甲状腺过氧化物酶基因突变检测

目的 检测35例先天性甲状腺功能减低症(CH)患儿甲状腺过氧化物酶(TPO)基因突变.方法 抽取35例先天性甲状腺功能减低症患儿外周血并提取DNA,用PCR扩增患儿TPO基因所有17个外显子、外显子-内含子交界区以及3'端和5'端非翻译区,用DNA测序技术和限制性内切酶检测基因突变,并对发现突变的CH患儿父母进行对照分析.结果 5例CH患儿存在TPO基因突变:1例为c.961A＞G和c.2422delT突变复合杂合子,1例为c.2268insT和c.1477G＞A突变复合杂合子,3例为c.2268insT突变纯合子.其中c.961 A＞G[p.Thr321 Ala]为未见文献报道的突变.结论 在35例先天性甲状腺功能减低症检测到4种TPO基因突变.

Abstract：

Objective To identify thyroid peroxidase (TPO) gene mutations in 35 patients with congenital hypothyroidism. Method Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples of 35 patients with congenital hypothyroidism. All of the 17 exons and flanking introns of TPO gene were amplified by PCR, then the PCR products were sequenced bi-directionally and were analyzed by restriction endonucleases. Result One patient had compound heterozygous mutations c. 961A ＞ G/c. 2422delT, one was c. 2268insT/c. 1477G ＞ A, and three was homozygous mutation c. 2268insT. The TPO gene mutation c.961A ＞ G [p. Thr321Ala] was one novel mutation. Conclusion High frequency mutation in TPO gene was detected in patients with congenital hypothyroidism.