Diana García-Cruz

A distinct osteochondrodysplasia with hypertrichosis—Individualization of a probable autosomal recessive entity

SummaryTwo sibs and two other unrelated patients presented a distinct previously undescribed syndrome consisting of generalized congenital hypertrichosis, macrosomy at birth, narrow thorax, cardiomegaly, wide ribs, platyspondyly, hypoplastic ischiopubic branches, small obturator foramen, bilateral coxa valga, enlarged medullar canal, long bones shaped like an ‘Erlenmeyer flasks’ and generalized osteopenia. The family data suggest autosomal recessive inheritance.

Poland-Moebius syndrome in a boy and Poland syndrome in his mother.

A 4 4/12‐year‐old boy with the Poland‐Moebius syndrome, whose mother had the Poland syndrome, is presented. This is the first report of the occurrence of both syndromes in the same family, suggesting that they are expressions of the same autosomal dominant gene.

Ring-20-syndrome and loss of telomeric regions

A patient aged 10 years and 8 months with a ring-20-syndrome was studied. Clinically he presented normal psychomotor development until 25 months of age when he began with right simple partial motor seizures. He presented minimal dysmorphism, generalized tonic-clonic seizures refractory to medical therapy and behavioral troubles. He was submitted to a callosotomy when he presented an electric status, subsequently, he was treated with anticonvulsivants and felbamate and the seizures were controlled. The karyotype showed a chromosomal complement 46,XY,r(20)(p13q13.3) with loss of the telomeric regions evidenced by FISH. The mother had normal karyotype. The clinical and cytogenetic features of previous cases described in the literature were compared leading to a better characterization of this syndrome.

Pure monosomy and trisomy 2q24.2→q3105 due to an inv ins(7;2)(q21.2;q3105q24.2) segregating in four generations

SummaryAn inv ins(7;2)(q21.2;q3105q24.2) was found to segregate through four generations of a family. Adjacent-1 segregation aneusomies were ascertained in five patients: three monosomics and two trisomics; and the corresponding syndromes were delineated. The comparative analysis between these and other previously described 2q aneusomic individuals led to the conclusion that a large cleft between first and second toes is a constant feature in monosomy 2q24→q31. No other trait could plausible be mapped. Risks of 7.9 to 31.9% for aneusomic children and of 26.3% for abortion were estimated in the present family.

Autosomal recessive microcephaly associated with chorioretinopathy

SummaryTwo sisters and their brother affected with microcephaly, microphthalmia, chorioretinal degeneration, and optic atrophy were studied. Besides the clinical features derived from the main abnormalities, nanosomy and cutis marmorata were found in the three patients. Both parents and three other sibs were normal. Possible intrauterine non-genetic etiologic factors (X-rays, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus) which can lead to phenocopies were investigated with negative results. Based on these and previous observations, it seems clear that a distinct form of autosomal recessive microcephaly associated with chorioretinal degeneration can be separated from the heterogeneous group of entities which presents microcephaly.

Inherited hypertrichoses: Inherited hypertrichoses

Hypertrichosis is a rare condition characterized by excessive growth of hair (terminal, vellus or lanugo) in areas of the body that are not predominantly androgen dependent, and it is independent of age, race or sex. It can be congenital, late‐onset, generalized, localized, inherited or acquired. More than 50 different OMIM entries related to hypertrichosis exist, few of them with a localized gene locus or with a candidate gene. The review of generalized hypertrichoses from a historical point of view, including a review of their clinical and genetic features, shows heterogeneity with at least nine different entities. A short analysis of other forms of hypertrichosis is presented.

Red blood cell sorbitol dehydrogenase deficiency in a family with cataracts

SummarySorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD) was quantitatively assayed in a family in which four out of five brothers and their father had bilateral cataracts. Three sibs (two of them with cataracts) and both their father and paternal grandfather had SORD activity of about 25% of the reference values; of the other two affected sibs one had about 50% and the other had 75%; the mother and two paternal uncles had about 75%. These results do not define a clear cataract-SORD deficiency etiopathogenic relationship, nevertheless, they strongly suggest activity polymorphism in human red cell SORD, which would be highly relevant not only to the study of cataracts but of other major complications in diabetes.

The Myhre syndrome: report of two cases

Garcia‐Cruz D, Figuera LE, Feria‐Velazco A, Sanchez‐Corona J, Garcia‐Cruz MO, Ramirez‐Dueñas RM, Hernandez‐Cordova A, Ruiz MX, Bitar‐Alatorre WE, Ramirez‐Dueñas ML, Cantu JM. The Myhre syndrome: report of two cases.

Neocentromere at 13q32 in one of two stable markers derived from a 13q21 break.

A 10-month-old girl with psychomotor retardation, microcephaly, bilateral microphthalmia, and postaxial polydactyly of the feet was karyotyped using banding techniques and (single or dual color) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with four probes: D13Z1/D21Z1, pancentromeric, pantelomeric, and a mix of 13q subtelomeric and 13/21 alphoid repeats. She was found to have a 47-chromosome karyotype in which a normal 13 was replaced by two stable markers derived from a breakpoint at 13q21.1, namely a del(13)(q21.1) and an isofragment(13) (qter-->q21.1::q21.1-->qter). The latter had a single C-negative but Cd-positive primary constriction at 13q32 which, however, was not obvious in about 12% of the cells. FISH studies showed that the small 13q- had the 13-centromere and a 13q telomere (as shown for a specific 13q subtelomeric signal) onto the broken end whereas the isofragment lacked alphoid signals but had 13q subtelomeric sequences on both ends. Parental karyotypes were normal. The patients rearrangement represents the eighth chromosome-13-derived marker with a nonalphoid neocentromere located at 13q. All in all, such neocentromeres have been described in 29 markers derived from chromosomes 2, 3, 8-11, 13-15, 20, and Y, and plausibly result from the epigenetic activation of a latent centromere, which may even be a telomere with neocentric activity. The 13q telomere found in the del(13q) was probably captured from the homologous chromosome.

Congenital hypertrichosis, osteochondrodysplasia, and cardiomegaly: Further delineation of a new genetic syndrome

The hypertrichosis and osteochondrodysplasia syndrome is a rare entity with clinical findings including macrosomia at birth cardiomegaly. Autosomal recessive inheritance is presumed based on the report of two affected sibs born to healthy parents. Here we report on four new patients with their follow-up data, as well as on one of the four cases from the original report. Comparison of all eight cases indicates that they share 50% of clinical and radiological changes. This report contributes to the further delineation of this newly recognized syndrome.