Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) represents the most common cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in adult and pediatric surgical series. However, genetic factors contributing to severe phenotypes of FCD remain unknown. We present a patient with an exceptionally rapid development of drug-resistant epilepsy evolving in super-refractory status epilepticus. We performed multiple clinical (serial EEG, MRI), biochemical (metabolic and immunological screening), genetic (WES from blood- and brain-derived DNA), and histopathological investigations. The patient presented 1 month after an uncomplicated varicella infection. MRI was negative, as well as other biochemical and immunological examinations. Whole-exome sequencing of blood-derived DNA detected a heterozygous paternally inherited variant NM_006267.4(RANBP2):c.5233A>G p.(Ile1745Val) (Chr2[GRCh37]:g.109382228A>G), a gene associated with a susceptibility to infection-induced acute necrotizing encephalopathy. No combination of anti-seizure medication led to a sustained seizure freedom and the patient warranted induction of propofol anesthesia with high-dose intravenous midazolam and continuous respiratory support that however failed to abort seizure activity. Brain biopsy revealed FCD type IIa; this finding led to the indication of an emergency right-sided hemispherotomy that rendered the patient temporarily seizure-free. Postsurgically, he remains on antiseizure medication and experiences rare nondisabling seizures. This report highlights a uniquely severe clinical course of FCD putatively modified by the RANBP2 variant. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We report a case summary of a patient who came to our attention for epilepsy that could not be controlled with medication. His clinical course progressed rapidly to life-threatening status epilepticus with other unusual neurological findings. Therefore, we decided to surgically remove a piece of brain tissue in order to clarify the diagnosis that showed features of a structural brain abnormality associated with severe epilepsy, the focal cortical dysplasia. Later, a genetic variant in a gene associated with another condition, was found, and we hypothesize that this genetic variant could have contributed to this severe clinical course of our patient.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- DNA MeSH
- epilepsie * komplikace MeSH
- fokální kortikální dysplazie * MeSH
- komplex proteinů jaderného póru * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- midazolam MeSH
- molekulární chaperony * MeSH
- nemoci mozku * MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- progrese nemoci MeSH
- refrakterní epilepsie * genetika chirurgie MeSH
- status epilepticus * genetika chirurgie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
Epilepsie jsou heterogenní skupinou onemocnění s významným etiologickým podílem patogenních variant v genech exprimovaných v centrálním nervovém systému. Monogenní epilepsie jsou jednotlivě vzácné, prevalence většiny z nich je neznámá, ale pravděpodobně je u většiny menší než 1 : 10 000. Prognózu mají různou v závislosti na postiženém genu a typu patogenní varianty. Ozřejmění genetické příčiny epilepsie může vést nejen ke stanovení rizika opakování epilepsie v rodině, ale v některých případech také k optimalizaci protizáchvatové medikace. V přehledovém článku přinášíme informace o vzácných geneticky podmíněných epilepsiích, u nichž může znalost patogenní varianty přispět k optimalizaci léčby.
Epilepsies are heterogeneous group of diseases with a significant etiological role of pathogenic variants in the genes expressed in the central nervous system. Monogenic epilepsies are individually rare, prevalence of most of them is unknown, but it is probably less than 1 : 10000. The outcome is variable, depending on the affected gene and type of the variant. The identification of the genetic causes of epilepsy can not only determine the risk of recurrence of epilepsy in the family, but in some cases also to optimize anti-seizure medication. In the overview article, we bring information about rare genetically conditioned epilepsies, in which knowledge of the pathogenic variant may contribute to the optimization of treatment.
INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: We report two series of individuals with DDX3X variations, one (48 individuals) from physicians and one (44 individuals) from caregivers. RESULTS: These two series include several symptoms in common, with fairly similar distribution, which suggests that caregivers' data are close to physicians' data. For example, both series identified early childhood symptoms that were not previously described: feeding difficulties, mean walking age, and age at first words. DISCUSSION: Each of the two datasets provides complementary knowledge. We confirmed that symptoms are similar to those in the literature and provides more details on feeding difficulties. Caregivers considered that the symptom attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were most worrisome. Both series also reported sleep disturbance. Recently, anxiety has been reported in individuals with DDX3X variants. We strongly suggest that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and sleep disorders need to be treated.
Chromosomal band 17q12 is a gene-rich region flanked by segmental duplications, making the region prone to deletions and duplications via the non-allelic homologous recombination mechanism. While deletions cause a well-described disorder with a specific phenotype called renal cysts and diabetes mellitus, the phenotype caused by reciprocal duplications is less specific, primarily because of variable expressivity, and incomplete penetrance. We present an unusual family with four children carrying the 17q12 microduplication inherited from their clinically healthy mother, who was a carrier of both the duplication and, interestingly, also of an atypical deletion of the 17q12 region. The duplication was inherited from her diabetic father and the deletion from her diabetic mother who also suffered from a renal disorder. Clinical manifestations in the family were variable, but all children showed some degree of a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as epilepsy, intellectual disability, delayed speech development, or attention deficit disorder. The simultaneous occurrence of a deletion and duplication in the same chromosomal region in one family is very rare, and to our knowledge, individuals carrying both a deletion and a duplication of this region have never been described.
- MeSH
- chromozomální delece MeSH
- duplikace chromozomů genetika MeSH
- fenotyp MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mentální retardace * genetika MeSH
- mnohočetné abnormality * genetika MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- kazuistiky MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Fetal intracranial hemorrhage represents a rare event with an estimated prevalence of 1:10 000 pregnancies. We report a patient diagnosed prenatally with intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculomegaly carrying a novel, previously unreported, likely pathogenic variant in COL4A1. At the gestational age of 27 weeks, dilation of lateral ventricles was detected during a routine prenatal ultrasound scan, confirmed by prenatal MRI at 30 + 3 weeks of gestation. Prenatal examinations included amniocentesis with conventional G-band karyotyping and arrayCGH, and maternal testing for TORCH and parvovirus B19 infections. Virtual gene panel based on whole-exome sequencing data was performed postnatally. At the age of 2.5 months, the patient manifested epileptic seizures that remain difficult to control. Postnatal MRI showed partial thalamic fusion and polymicrogyria, in addition to severe enlargement of lateral ventricles, multiple deposits of hemosiderin in cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres, and thin optic nerve and chiasma. Virtual gene panel based on whole-exome sequencing data led to a detection of a de novo previously unreported in-frame deletion NM_001845.5:c.4688_4711del in COL4A1 located in the highly conserved NC1 domain initiating collagen helix assembly. The presented case lies one a more severe end of the COL4A1 mutation-related disease spectrum, manifesting as fetal intracranial bleeding, malformation of cortical development, drug-resistant epilepsy, and developmental delay.
- MeSH
- hydrocefalus * MeSH
- intrakraniální krvácení MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- kolagen typu IV genetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mutace MeSH
- plod MeSH
- polymikrogyrie * genetika MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- Check Tag
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- těhotenství MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
OBJECTIVE: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a group of severe, early-onset epilepsies characterised by refractory seizures, developmental delay, or regression and generally poor prognosis. DEE are now known to have an identifiable molecular genetic basis and are usually examined using a gene panel. However, for many patients, the genetic cause has still not been identified. The aims of this study were to identify causal variants for DEE in patients for whom the previous examination with a gene panel did not determine their genetic diagnosis. It also aims for a detailed description and broadening of the phenotypic spectrum of several rare DEEs. METHODS: In the last five years (2015-2020), 141 patients from all over the Czech Republic were referred to our department for genetic testing in association with their diagnosis of epilepsy. All patients underwent custom-designed gene panel testing prior to enrolment into the study, and their results were inconclusive. We opted for whole exome sequencing (WES) to identify the cause of their disorder. If a causal or potentially causal variant was identified, we performed a detailed clinical evaluation and phenotype-genotype correlation study to better describe the specific rare subtypes. RESULTS: Explanatory causative variants were detected in 20 patients (14%), likely pathogenic variants that explain the epilepsy in 5 patients (3.5%) and likely pathogenic variants that do not fully explain the epilepsy in 11 patients (7.5%), and variants in candidate genes in 4 patients (3%). Variants were mostly de novo 29/40 (72.5%). SIGNIFICANCE: WES enables us to identify the cause of the disease in additional patients, even after gene panel testing. It is very important to perform a WES in DEE patients as soon as possible, since it will spare the patients and their families many years of a diagnostic odyssey. In particular, patients with rare epilepsies might significantly benefit from this approach, and we propose using WES as a new standard in the diagnosis of DEE instead of targeted gene panel testing.
- MeSH
- epilepsie generalizovaná * genetika MeSH
- epilepsie * diagnóza genetika MeSH
- fenotyp MeSH
- genetické asociační studie MeSH
- genetické testování MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- sekvenování exomu MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: KCNH5 encodes the voltage-gated potassium channel EAG2/Kv10.2. We aimed to delineate the neurodevelopmental and epilepsy phenotypic spectrum associated with de novo KCNH5 variants. METHODS: We screened 893 individuals with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies for KCNH5 variants using targeted or exome sequencing. Additional individuals with KCNH5 variants were identified through an international collaboration. Clinical history, EEG, and imaging data were analyzed; seizure types and epilepsy syndromes were classified. We included 3 previously published individuals including additional phenotypic details. RESULTS: We report a cohort of 17 patients, including 9 with a recurrent de novo missense variant p.Arg327His, 4 with a recurrent missense variant p.Arg333His, and 4 additional novel missense variants. All variants were located in or near the functionally critical voltage-sensing or pore domains, absent in the general population, and classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic using the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics criteria. All individuals presented with epilepsy with a median seizure onset at 6 months. They had a wide range of seizure types, including focal and generalized seizures. Cognitive outcomes ranged from normal intellect to profound impairment. Individuals with the recurrent p.Arg333His variant had a self-limited drug-responsive focal or generalized epilepsy and normal intellect, whereas the recurrent p.Arg327His variant was associated with infantile-onset DEE. Two individuals with variants in the pore domain were more severely affected, with a neonatal-onset movement disorder, early-infantile DEE, profound disability, and childhood death. DISCUSSION: We describe a cohort of 17 individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic missense variants in the voltage-sensing and pore domains of Kv10.2, including 14 previously unreported individuals. We present evidence for a putative emerging genotype-phenotype correlation with a spectrum of epilepsy and cognitive outcomes. Overall, we expand the role of EAG proteins in human disease and establish KCNH5 as implicated in a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- draslíkové kanály ether-a-go-go * genetika MeSH
- epilepsie generalizovaná * genetika MeSH
- epilepsie * genetika MeSH
- fenotyp MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mutace MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- záchvaty genetika MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
OBJECTIVE: Although genetic causes of drug-resistant focal epilepsy and selected focal malformations of cortical development (MCD) have been described, a limited number of studies comprehensively analysed genetic diagnoses in patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation, their outcomes and the effect of genetic diagnosis on surgical strategy. METHODS: We analysed a prospective cohort of children enrolled in epilepsy surgery program over January 2018-July 2022. The majority of patients underwent germline and/or somatic genetic testing. We searched for predictors of surgical outcome and positive result of germline genetic testing. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients were enrolled in epilepsy surgery program and 64 underwent resective epilepsy surgery. We ascertained germline genetic diagnosis in 13/74 patients having underwent germline gene testing (pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in CHRNA4, NPRL3, DEPDC5, FGF12, GRIA2, SZT2, STXBP1) and identified three copy number variants. Thirty-five patients underwent somatic gene testing; we detected 10 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in genes SLC35A2, PTEN, MTOR, DEPDC5, NPRL3. Germline genetic diagnosis was significantly associated with the diagnosis of focal epilepsy with unknown seizure onset. SIGNIFICANCE: Germline and somatic gene testing can ascertain a definite genetic diagnosis in a significant subgroup of patients in epilepsy surgery programs. Diagnosis of focal genetic epilepsy may tip the scales against the decision to proceed with invasive EEG study or surgical resection; however, selected patients with genetic focal epilepsies associated with MCD may benefit from resective epilepsy surgery and therefore, a genetic diagnosis does not disqualify patients from presurgical evaluation and epilepsy surgery.
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- epilepsie parciální * komplikace MeSH
- epilepsie * genetika chirurgie komplikace MeSH
- fibroblastové růstové faktory genetika MeSH
- genetické testování MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- malformace mozkové kůry * genetika MeSH
- prospektivní studie MeSH
- proteiny aktivující GTPasu genetika MeSH
- proteiny nervové tkáně genetika MeSH
- refrakterní epilepsie * diagnóza genetika chirurgie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Czechs commonly share their homes with pet animals. However, the likelihood of transmission of filamentous fungi (FF) between the pet and the owner is not well known. The aim of this study was to define the frequency of such transmission. At the same time, the degree of closeness of owner-animal cohabitation, the effect on the spectrum of shared FF and health risk assessment were defined. The effect of previous antibiotic therapy on fungal flora was also assessed. In total, 150 pet owners and 135 pet animals from 125 households provided 911 samples; 80 non-owners provided 320 samples. All owners completed a questionnaire focusing on the level of contact with the pet and information on previous antibiotic treatment. The relationship between the contact index (CI) and the effect of previous antibiotic treatment on the number of FF species shared was quantified. Results were compared with those of non-owners. The CI was very close (CI > 4) in 131 owners (87.3%). A total of 110 FF were isolated. Common FF were found in 42 households (33.6%); 65 FF were identified in the non-owners. In the last year, 46 pets, 43 owners and 25 non-owners used antimicrobial agents. Aspergillus niger was most prevalent in owners and pets and Alternaria alternata in non-owners. The degree of contact intimacy did not seem to have any effect on the joint abundance of FF, but antibiotic treatment had a significant effect on FF abundance in non-owners. This effect was not significant in either owners or pets.
