BACKGROUND: Use of artificial intelligence (AI) in rare diseases has grown rapidly in recent years. In this review we have outlined the most common machine-learning and deep-learning methods currently being used to classify and analyse large amounts of data, such as standardized images or specific text in electronic health records. To illustrate how these methods have been adapted or developed for use with rare diseases, we have focused on Fabry disease, an X-linked genetic disorder caused by lysosomal α-galactosidase. A deficiency that can result in multiple organ damage. METHODS: We searched PubMed for articles focusing on AI, rare diseases, and Fabry disease published anytime up to 08 January 2025. Further searches, limited to articles published between 01 January 2021 and 31 December 2023, were also performed using double combinations of keywords related to AI and each organ affected in Fabry disease, and AI and rare diseases. RESULTS: In total, 20 articles on AI and Fabry disease were included. In the rare disease field, AI methods may be applied prospectively to large populations to identify specific patients, or retrospectively to large data sets to diagnose a previously overlooked rare disease. Different AI methods may facilitate Fabry disease diagnosis, help monitor progression in affected organs, and potentially contribute to personalized therapy development. The implementation of AI methods in general healthcare and medical imaging centres may help raise awareness of rare diseases and prompt general practitioners to consider these conditions earlier in the diagnostic pathway, while chatbots and telemedicine may accelerate patient referral to rare disease experts. The use of AI technologies in healthcare may generate specific ethical risks, prompting new AI regulatory frameworks aimed at addressing these issues to be established in Europe and the United States. CONCLUSION: AI-based methods will lead to substantial improvements in the diagnosis and management of rare diseases. The need for a human guarantee of AI is a key issue in pursuing innovation while ensuring that human involvement remains at the centre of patient care during this technological revolution.
- Klíčová slova
- Artificial intelligence, Deep learning, Fabry disease, Machine learning, Rare diseases,
- MeSH
- Fabryho nemoc * diagnóza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- umělá inteligence * MeSH
- vzácné nemoci * diagnóza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Children with hemophilia have a significantly higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) compared to the normal population. Prophylaxis reduces the risk of ICH and earlier initiation of prophylaxis may now be feasible, especially in hemophilia A (HA). The aim of the study is to explore the potential for preventing ICH by earlier start of prophylaxis by assessing the natural course of ICH before the initiation of prophylaxis and describe timing and incidence (clinicaltrials gov. Identifier: NCT02979119). In total, 2,727 children (2,275 with HA; 452 with hemophilia B [HB]) were included from the PedNet Registry, followed from 28 days until 36 months of life. ICH was observed in 61 children (incidence 2.2%; 10 per 1,000 patient years), with 75% of cases occurring before 1 year of age. Cumulative incidence was significantly lower in HB (0.9%) compared to HA (2.5%) and in non-severe HA (0.7%) compared to severe HA (3.5%). ICH occurred early, with a rise at 3 months, and a median age of 7.0 months in severe HA and 5.4 months in severe HB. In 40% of children, ICH occurred before the diagnosis of hemophilia was established, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis. Assuming that prophylaxis would have been started at the time of diagnosis and preventing all ICH in children with severe HA, the number needed to treat with prophylaxis would be 44 patients to prevent one ICH. Hopefully, prophylaxis options allowing initiation early in life, ideally before 3 months of age for children with severe HA, will reduce the incidence of ICH in the future.
- MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- hemofilie A * komplikace farmakoterapie epidemiologie MeSH
- hemofilie B * komplikace farmakoterapie MeSH
- incidence MeSH
- intrakraniální krvácení * prevence a kontrola epidemiologie etiologie diagnóza MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- registrace MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- novorozenec MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients are monitored periodically for cardiac involvement, including cardiac MRI with gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA). Texture analysis (TA) offers an alternative approach to assess late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) without relying on GBCA administration, impacting DMD patients' care. The study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of selected TA features in the LGE assessment of DMD patients. RESULTS: We developed a pipeline to extract TA features of native T1 parametric mapping and evaluated their prognostic value in assessing LGE in DMD patients. For this evaluation, five independent TA features were selected using Boruta to identify relevant features based on their importance, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to reduce the number of features, and hierarchical clustering to target multicollinearity and identify independent features. Afterward, logistic regression was used to determine the features with better discrimination ability. The independent feature inverse difference moment normalized (IDMN), which measures the pixel values homogeneity in the myocardium, achieved the highest accuracy in classifying LGE (0.857 (0.572-0.982)) and also was significantly associated with changes in the likelihood of LGE in a subgroup of patients with three yearly examinations (estimate: 23.35 (8.7), p-value = 0.008). Data are presented as mean (SD) or median (IQR) for normally and non-normally distributed continuous variables and numbers (percentages) for categorical ones. Variables were compared with the Welch t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and Chi-square tests. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. CONCLUSION: IDMN leverages the information native T1 parametric mapping provides, as it can detect changes in the pixel values of LGE images of DMD patients that may reflect myocardial alterations, serving as a supporting tool to reduce GBCA use in their cardiac MRI examinations.
- Klíčová slova
- Cardiac MRI, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Radiomics, Texture analysis,
- MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- Duchennova muskulární dystrofie * diagnostické zobrazování patologie MeSH
- gadolinium MeSH
- kontrastní látky MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie * metody MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- gadolinium MeSH
- kontrastní látky MeSH
Predicting and quantifying phenotypic consequences of genetic variants in rare disorders is a major challenge, particularly pertinent for 'actionable' genes such as thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 (encoded by the X-linked SLC16A2 gene), where loss-of-function (LoF) variants cause a rare neurodevelopmental and (treatable) metabolic disorder in males. The combination of deep phenotyping data with functional and computational tests and with outcomes in population cohorts, enabled us to: (i) identify the genetic aetiology of divergent clinical phenotypes of MCT8 deficiency with genotype-phenotype relationships present across survival and 24 out of 32 disease features; (ii) demonstrate a mild phenocopy in ~400,000 individuals with common genetic variants in MCT8; (iii) assess therapeutic effectiveness, which did not differ among LoF-categories; (iv) advance structural insights in normal and mutated MCT8 by delineating seven critical functional domains; (v) create a pathogenicity-severity MCT8 variant classifier that accurately predicted pathogenicity (AUC:0.91) and severity (AUC:0.86) for 8151 variants. Our information-dense mapping provides a generalizable approach to advance multiple dimensions of rare genetic disorders.
- MeSH
- deep learning * MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- fenotyp * MeSH
- genetická variace MeSH
- genetické asociační studie MeSH
- genomika metody MeSH
- hormony štítné žlázy metabolismus genetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mentální retardace vázaná na chromozom X genetika metabolismus MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mutace ztráty funkce MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- přenašeče monokarboxylových kyselin * genetika metabolismus MeSH
- stupeň závažnosti nemoci MeSH
- svalová atrofie genetika metabolismus patologie MeSH
- svalová hypotonie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- symportéry * genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- hormony štítné žlázy MeSH
- přenašeče monokarboxylových kyselin * MeSH
- SLC16A2 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
- symportéry * MeSH
Many essential proteins require pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6, as a cofactor for their activity. These include enzymes important for amino acid metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, polyamine synthesis, erythropoiesis, and neurotransmitter metabolism. A third of all mammalian pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes are localized in the mitochondria; however, the molecular machinery involved in the regulation of mitochondrial pyridoxal 5'-phosphate levels in mammals remains unknown. In this study, we used a genome-wide CRISPR interference screen in erythroleukemia cells and organellar metabolomics to identify the mitochondrial inner membrane protein SLC25A38 as a regulator of mitochondrial pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Loss of SLC25A38 causes depletion of mitochondrial, but not cellular, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, and impairs cellular proliferation under both physiological and low vitamin B6 conditions. Metabolic changes associated with SLC25A38 loss suggest impaired mitochondrial pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymatic reactions, including serine to glycine conversion catalyzed by serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2 as well as ornithine aminotransferase. The proliferation defect of SLC25A38-null K562 cells in physiological and low vitamin B6 media can be explained by the loss of serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2-dependent production of one-carbon units and downstream de novo nucleotide synthesis. Our work points to a role for SLC25A38 in mitochondrial pyridoxal 5'-phosphate accumulation and provides insights into the pathology of congenital sideroblastic anemia.
- MeSH
- CRISPR-Cas systémy MeSH
- genetické nemoci vázané na chromozom X MeSH
- glycinhydroxymethyltransferasa * metabolismus genetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mitochondriální proteiny metabolismus genetika MeSH
- mitochondrie * metabolismus MeSH
- nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
- proliferace buněk MeSH
- pyridoxalfosfát * metabolismus MeSH
- sideroblastická anemie metabolismus genetika MeSH
- transportní proteiny mitochondriální membrány metabolismus genetika MeSH
- vitamin B6 metabolismus MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- glycinhydroxymethyltransferasa * MeSH
- mitochondriální proteiny MeSH
- pyridoxalfosfát * MeSH
- SHMT protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
- Slc25a38 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
- transportní proteiny mitochondriální membrány MeSH
- vitamin B6 MeSH
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder oftentimes associated with abnormal social behaviors and altered sensory responsiveness. It is hypothesized that the inappropriate filtering of sensory stimuli, including olfaction, can lead to aberrant social behavior in FXS. However, previous studies investigating olfaction in animal models of FXS have shown inconsistent results. Here, we found that Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice, a mouse model of FXS, showed increased sniffing duration for non-social odors during their first exposure. Additionally, while wild-type (WT) males demonstrated differences in behavioral patterns between non-social odors while Fmr1 KO males did not show such distinction. We also showed that Fmr1 KO males spent significantly less time sniffing female urine odor compared to WT males. Moreover, we found an increased volume of the olfactory bulb in Fmr1 KO males. Overall, our findings suggest that the Fmr1 KO mice demonstrate atypical olfactory behaviors as well as structural changes in the olfactory bulb.
- Klíčová slova
- Fmr1 KO mice, Fragile X syndrome, Odor discrimination test, Olfactory behavior, Olfactory bulb,
- MeSH
- bulbus olfactorius * metabolismus MeSH
- chování zvířat MeSH
- čich * fyziologie MeSH
- modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
- myši knockoutované * MeSH
- myši MeSH
- odoranty * MeSH
- protein FMRP * genetika metabolismus MeSH
- syndrom fragilního X * patofyziologie genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- myši MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
- Názvy látek
- Fmr1 protein, mouse MeSH Prohlížeč
- protein FMRP * MeSH
Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder that causes accumulation of glycosphingolipids in body tissues and fluids, leading to progressive organ damage and life-threatening complications. It can affect both males and females and can be classified into classic or later-onset phenotypes. The disease severity in females ranges from asymptomatic to the more severe, classic phenotype. Most females are hemizygous and the X-linked inheritance is associated with variable X-activation pattern and residual enzymatic activity. The heterogeneity of clinical presentation in females requires different approaches to diagnosis and management than males. A European group of 7 physicians, experienced in the management of Fabry disease, convened to discuss patient perspectives and published guidelines. The experts discussed the need to focus on psychological treatment in relation to individual coping styles when monitoring targets, and the lack of data supporting the use of plasma globotriaosylsphingosine over enzyme activity in the diagnosis of these patients. It was suggested that the high phenotypic variability in female patients may be related to the dynamic nature of the X-chromosome inactivation process and further understanding of this process could help predict the progression of Fabry disease in females and facilitate timely intervention. Due to the range of disease severity they exhibit, female patients with Fabry disease may require a more individualized treatment approach than males. Despite current recommendations, the experts agreed that early disease-specific treatment initiation in high-risk females could improve clinical outcome.
- Klíčová slova
- Early diagnosis, Enzyme replacement therapy, Fabry disease, Female, Patient-reported outcome measures,
- MeSH
- Fabryho nemoc * terapie genetika diagnóza MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
Pegunigalsidase alfa, a PEGylated α-galactosidase A enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for Fabry disease, has a longer plasma half-life than other ERTs administered intravenously every 2 weeks (E2W). BRIGHT (NCT03180840) was a phase III, open-label study in adults with Fabry disease, previously treated with agalsidase alfa or beta E2W for ≥3 years, who switched to 2 mg/kg pegunigalsidase alfa every 4 weeks (E4W) for 52 weeks. Primary objective assessed safety, including number of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Thirty patients were enrolled (24 males); 23 previously received agalsidase beta. Pegunigalsidase alfa plasma concentrations remained above the lower limit of quantification throughout the 4-week dosing interval. Thirty-three of 182 TEAEs (in 9 patients) were considered treatment-related; all were mild/moderate. No patients developed de novo anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). In the efficacy analysis (n = 29), median (inter-quartile range) eGFR change from baseline over 52 weeks was -1.9 (-5.9; 1.8) mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 28; males [n = 22]: -2.4 [-5.2; 3.2]; females [n = 6]: -0.7 [-9.2; 2.0]). Overall, median eGFR slope was -1.9 (-8.3; 1.9) mL/min/1.73 m2/year (ADA-negative [n = 20]: -1.2 [-6.4; 2.6]; ADA-positive [n = 9]: -8.4 [-11.6; -1.0]). Lyso-Gb3 concentrations were low and stable in females, with a slight increase in males (9/24 ADA-positive). The BRIGHT study results suggest that 2 mg/kg pegunigalsidase alfa E4W is tolerated well in stable adult patients with Fabry disease. Due to the low number of patients in this study, more research is needed to demonstrate the effects of pegunigalsidase alfa given E4W. Further evidence, outside of this clinical trial, should be factored in for physicians to prolong the biweekly ERT intervals to E4W. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Treatment with 2 mg/kg pegunigalsidase alfa every 4 weeks could offer a new treatment option for patients with Fabry disease.
- Klíčová slova
- Fabry disease, eGFR, enzyme replacement therapy, lysosomal storage disorders, lyso‐Gb3, pegunigalsidase alfa,
- MeSH
- alfa-galaktosidasa * aplikace a dávkování terapeutické užití MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- enzymová substituční terapie * metody MeSH
- Fabryho nemoc * farmakoterapie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- polyethylenglykoly aplikace a dávkování MeSH
- rekombinantní proteiny * aplikace a dávkování terapeutické užití MeSH
- rozvrh dávkování léků MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- sfingolipidy krev MeSH
- trihexosylceramidy krev MeSH
- výsledek terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- klinické zkoušky, fáze III MeSH
- multicentrická studie MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- agalsidase alfa MeSH Prohlížeč
- agalsidase beta MeSH Prohlížeč
- alfa-galaktosidasa * MeSH
- globotriaosyl lysosphingolipid MeSH Prohlížeč
- polyethylenglykoly MeSH
- rekombinantní proteiny * MeSH
- sfingolipidy MeSH
- trihexosylceramidy MeSH
Fabry disease is a progressive, X-linked lysosomal disorder caused by reduced or absent α-galactosidase A activity due to GLA variants. The effects of migalastat were examined in a cohort of 125 Fabry patients with migalastat-amenable GLA variants in the followME Pathfinders registry (EUPAS20599), an ongoing, prospective, patient-focused registry evaluating outcomes for current Fabry disease treatments. We report annualised estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and Fabry-associated clinical events (FACEs) in a cohort of patients who had received ≥3 years of migalastat treatment in a real-world setting. As of August 2022, 125 patients (60% male) had a mean migalastat exposure of 3.9 years. At enrolment, median age was 58 years (males, 57; females, 60) with a mean eGFR of 83.7 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 122; males, 83.7; females, 83.8) and a median left ventricular mass index of 115.1 g/m2 (n = 61; males, 131.2; females, 98.0). Mean (95% confidence interval) eGFR annualised rate of change in the overall cohort (n = 116) was -0.9 (-10.8, 9.9) mL/min/1.73 m2/year with a similar rate of change observed across patients with varying levels of kidney function at enrolment. Despite population age and baseline morbidity, 80% of patients did not experience a FACE during the mean 3.9 years of migalastat exposure. The incidence of renal, cardiac, and cerebrovascular events was 2.0, 83.2, and 4.1 events per 1000 patient-years, respectively. These data support a role of migalastat in preserving renal function and multisystem effectiveness during ≥3 years of migalastat treatment in this real-world Fabry population.
- Klíčová slova
- Fabry disease, migalastat, real world evidence,
- MeSH
- 1-deoxynojirimycin * analogy a deriváty terapeutické užití MeSH
- alfa-galaktosidasa genetika MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- Fabryho nemoc * farmakoterapie komplikace MeSH
- hodnoty glomerulární filtrace účinky léků MeSH
- kohortové studie MeSH
- ledviny účinky léků MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- prospektivní studie MeSH
- registrace MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- výsledek terapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- 1-deoxynojirimycin * MeSH
- alfa-galaktosidasa MeSH
- migalastat MeSH Prohlížeč
X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) was one of the first inborn errors of immunity to be described. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the gene for Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK), which has important functions in B cell development and maturation. Recurrent bacterial infections in the first two years of life and hypogammaglobulinemia with absent B cells in male patients are the most common symptoms. A four-month-old male patient underwent surgical removal of urachus persistens complicated with recurrent scar abscesses. Hypogammaglobulinemia (IgG, IgA, and IgM), low phagocytic activity, mild neutropenia, and a normal percentage of B cells were observed in the patient's immune laboratory profile. Over time, he suffered recurrent respiratory infections (otitis media and rhinosinusitis) and developed B cell depletion, but interestingly, this was with a normalisation of IgG and IgA levels along with undetectable IgM. Molecular-genetic testing confirmed the presence of the pathogenic variant c.1843C>T in the BTK gene, which is associated with a milder phenotype of XLA. Molecular-genetic testing uncovers the variability of clinical and laboratory features of apparently well-known inherited disorders. Patients with mild "leaky" XLA may have normal levels of non-functional or oligoclonal immunoglobulins.
- Klíčová slova
- BTK gene, Inborn error of immunity, X-linked agammaglobulinemia, atypical leaky phenotype, molecular-genetic testing,
- MeSH
- agamaglobulinemie * genetika diagnóza MeSH
- genetické nemoci vázané na chromozom X * genetika diagnóza MeSH
- genetické testování * MeSH
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- proteinkinasa BTK * genetika MeSH
- Check Tag
- kojenec MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- Názvy látek
- BTK protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
- proteinkinasa BTK * MeSH