• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.800-808
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• 2019

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a group of rare peripheral neuropathies characterized by progressive muscle weakness and atrophy and areflexia in the upper and lower extremities. The most common subtype of CMT is CMT1A, which is caused by a tandem duplication of the PMP22 gene in the 17p12 region. Patients with CMT1A show a loose genotype-phenotype correlation, which suggests the existence of secondary genetic or association factors. Recently, polymorphisms of rs71428439 (n.83A>G) and rs2292832 (n.86T>C) in the MIR149 have been reported to be associated with late onset and mild phenotypic CMT1A severity. The aim of this study was to examine the intrafamilial heterogeneities of clinical phenotypes according to the genotypes of these two SNPs in MIR149. For this study, we selected 6 large CMT1A families who showed a wide range of phenotypic variation. This study suggested that both SNPs were related to the onset age and severity in the dominant model. In particular, the AG+GG (n.83A>G) and TC+CC genotypes (n.86T>C) were associated to late onset and mild symptoms. Motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) was not related to the MIR149 genotypes. These results were consistent with the previous studies. Therefore, we suggest that the rs71428439 and rs2292832 variants in MIR149 may serve as genetic modifiers of CMT1A intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity, as they have a role in the unrelated patients. This is the first study to show an association using large families with variable clinical CMT1A phenotypes. The results will be helpful in the molecular diagnosis and treatment of patients with CMT1A.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.11
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• pp.1158-1166
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• 2006

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to make a diagnostic classification and discuss a diagnostic strategy of floppy infants by investigating clinical, neurological, electrophysiological, and genetic analysis of infants admitted to intensive care units with the complaint of hypotonia. Methods : A retrospective study was performed from Jan. 1993 to Dec. 2005 in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units of Seoul National University Children's Hospital. Clinical features and all tests related to hypotonia were investigated. Results : There were 21 cases of floppy infants admitted to intensive care units. Final diagnosis was classified as centra (7 cases[33.3 percent]), peripheral (11 cases [52.4 percent]), and unspecified (3 cases [14.3 percent]). Among the central group, three patients were diagnosed as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, two patients as Prader-Willi syndrome, one patient as chromosomal disorder, and one patient as transient hypotonia. Among the peripheral group, four patients were diagnosed as myotubular myopathy, three patients as SMA type 1, two patients as congenital myotonic dystrophy, one patient as congenital muscular dystrophy, and one as unspecified motor-neuron disease. Motor power was above grade 3 on average, and deep tendon reflex was brisk in the central group. Among investigations, electromyography showed 66 percent sensitivity in the peripheral group, and muscle biopsy was all diagnostic in the peripheral group. Brain image was diagnostic in the central group, and Prader-Willi FISH or karyotyping was helpful in diagnosis in central group. Morbidity and mortality was more severe in the peripheral group Conclusion : Classification of diagnosis by clinical characteristics in this study, and application of investigations step by step, may provide an effective diagnostic strategy.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2004

Objectives : Child and adolescent onset obsessive compulsive disorder(C-OCD) is known to be associated with poor drug response, high comorbid rate and strong genetic tendencies. Till now studies for C-OCD have been very rare in Korea. We conducted this study to investigate the informations about clinical features, familial psychiatric loading, treatment profiles and course of server C-OCD from the retrospective analysis of inpatient data of Seoul National University Children's Hospital. Method : Retrospective chart review and data analysis was performed. Twenty(male 16 : female 4) patients with final C-OCD diagnosis by DSM-IV at discharge from 1994 to 2002 were found and their medical chart, psychological data, family interview data and nursing reports were collected and analyzed. Results : 1) The sex ratio of C-OCD was male dominant(4:1). 2) Phenomenological, most common obsession was pathologic doubt, contamination fear, followed by aggressive obsession, need for symmetry, sexual obsession, most common compulsion was checking and washing, followed by breathing, movement, symmetry, repetitive asking, hoarding, mental compulsion. 3) Most common comorbid diagnosis was depression. Other axis-I diagnosis associated OCD were anxiety disorder, tic disorder, conduct and oppositional defiant disorder and psychosis. 4) Regarding psychiatric familial loadings, 17 patients(85%) had relatives with psychiatric disorders, OC-spectrum disorders(OCD or OCPD) were found in 9 patients(45%). 5) The majority of patients(75%) have received SSRI and antipsychotics treatment. The response rate above 'moderate improved" by CGI was 75%. 6) During follow-up period in outpatient clinic, five patients(25%) showed continuous complete remission, 10 patients (50%) did residual symptoms with chronic course. Conclusion : This seems to be the first systemic investigation of severe pediatric OCD patients in Korea. The children & adolescents with severe OCD in inpatient-setting showed the high comorbid rate, familial psychiatric loading, and combined pharmacotherapy with antipsychotics, As for symptoms, high rate of aggressive-sexual obsession and atypical compulsions like breathing and moving was reported in this study. Severe pediatric OCD patients, however, responded well to the combined SSRI and antipsychotics regimen.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2019

Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency (OMIM#201475) is an autosomal recessively inherited metabolic disorder of mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation. The clinical features of VLCAD deficiency is classified by three clinical forms according to the severity. Here, we report a case of later-onset episodic myopathic form of VLCAD deficiency whose diagnosis was confirmed by plasma acylcarnitine analysis and" multigene panel multigene panel sequencing. A 34-year old female patient visited genetics clinic for genetic evaluation for history of recurrent myopathy with intermittent rhabdomyolysis. She suffered first episode of rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis at twelve years old. After then, she suffered several times of recurrent rhabdomyolysis provoked by prolonged exercise or fasting. Physical and neurologic exam was normal. Serum AST/ALT and creatinine kinase (CK) levels were mildly elevated. However, according to her previous medical records, her AST/ALT, CK were highly elevated when she had rhabdomyolysis. In suspicion of fatty acid oxidation disorder, multigene panel sequencing and plasma acylcarnitine analysis were performed in non-fasting, asymptomatic condition for the differential diagnosis. Plasma acylcarnitine analysis revealed elevated levels of C14:1 ($1.453{\mu}mol/L$; reference, 0.044-0.285), and C14:2 ($0.323{\mu}mol/L$; 0.032-0.301) and upper normal level of C14 ($0.841{\mu}mol/L$; 0.065 -0.920). Two heterozygous mutation in ACADVL were detected by multigene panel sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing: c.[1202G>A(;) 1349G>A] (p.[(Ser 401Asn)(;)(Arg450His)]). Diagnosis of VLCAD deficiency was confirmed and frequent meal with low-fat diet was educated for preventing acute metabolic derangement. Fatty acid oxidation disorders have diagnostic challenges due to their intermittent clinical and laboratorial presentations, especially in milder late-onset forms. We suggest that multigene panel sequencing could be a useful diagnostic tool for the genetically and clinically heterogeneous fatty acid oxidation disorders.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.179-187
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• 2006

Objectives: The risk of aneuploidies of embryos increases in advanced maternal age or parental karyotype abnormality and it results in poor reproductive outcomes such as recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) or repeated implantation failure (RIF). Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy screening (PGD-AS) can be applied for better ART outcome by selecting chromosomally normal embryos. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical outcome of PGD-AS and which group can get much benefit from PGD-AS among the patients expected to have poor reproductive outcome. Methods: In 42 patients, 77 PGD cycles were performed for aneuploidy screening. Patients were allocated to 3 groups according to the indication of PGD-AS: group I-patients with old age (${\geq}37$) and RIF more than 3 times (n=11, mean age=42.2 yrs.), group II-patients with RSA (${\geq}3$ times) associated with aneuploid pregnancy (n=19, mean age=38.9 yrs.), group III-parental sex chromosome abnormality or mosaicism (n=18, mean age=29.6 yrs.) including Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome and 47, XYY. PGD was performed by using FISH for chromosome 13, 16, 18, 21, X and Y in group I and II, and chromosome X, Y and 18 (or 17) in group III. Results: Blastomere biopsy was successful in 530 embryos and FISH efficiency was 92.3%. The proportions of transferable embryos in each group were $32.5{\pm}17.5%$, $23.0{\pm}21.7%$ and $52.6{\pm}29.2%$ (mean ${\pm}$ SD), respectively, showing higher normal rate in group III (group II vs. III, p<0.05). The numbers of transferred embryos in each group were $3.9{\pm}1.5$, $1.9{\pm}1.1$ and $3.1{\pm}1.4$ (mean ${\pm}$ SD), respectively. The clinical pregnancy rates per transfer was 0%, 30.0% and 20.0%, and it was significantly higher in group II (group I vs. group II, p<0.05). The overall pregnancy rate per transfer was 19.6% (10/51) and the spontaneous abortion rate was 20% (2/10) of which karyotypes were euploid. Nine healthy babies (one twin pregnancy) were born with normal karyotype confirmed on amniocentesis. Conclusion: Our data suggests that PGD-AS provides advantages in patients with RSA associated with aneuploidy or sex chromosome abnormality, decreasing abortion rate and increasing ongoing pregnancy rate. It is not likely to be beneficial in RIF group due to other detrimental factors involved in implantation.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.74-78
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• 2007

Purpose : Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystemic autoimmune disease with complex clinical manifestations. It probably involves genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. In this study, we investigated the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and prognosis of pediatric SLE to aid clinical care of pediatric SLE. Methods : The data of 45 patients who were diagnosed as pediatric SLE in Severance Children's Hospital from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 2005 were analysed retrospectively. Results : The mean age at diagnosis was 10.8 (0-15) years old. And the ratio of male to female patients was 1:4. The initial manifestations were facial edema (51.1 percent), malar rash (44.4 percent), and fever (28.9 percent). The ANA (97.8 percent), anti-ds DNA antibody (82.2 percent), lupus nephritis (71.1 percent), malar rash (71.1 percent), and cytopenia (66.7 percent) were the most common findings among the classification criteria by ACR (American College of Rhematology, 1997). Conclusion : Clinical manifestations and prognosis are various in pediatric SLE. Intensive studies of SLE in children should be continued for more effective treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.6813-6823
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• 2015

Glioblastoma, also known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive of human brain tumors and has a stunning progression with a mean survival of one year from the date of diagnosis. High cell proliferation, angiogenesis and/or necrosis are histopathological features of this cancer, which has no efficient curative therapy. This aggressiveness is associated with particular heterogeneity of the tumor featuring multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations, but also with implications of aberrant signaling driven by growth factors. The transforming growth factor ${\beta}$ ($TGF{\beta}$) superfamily is a large group of structurally related proteins including $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily members Nodal, Activin, Lefty, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and growth and differentiation factor (GDF). It is involved in important biological functions including morphogenesis, embryonic development, adult stem cell differentiation, immune regulation, wound healing and inflammation. This superfamily is also considered to impact on cancer biology including that of GBM, with various effects depending on the member. The $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily, in particular, is overexpressed in some GBM types which exhibit aggressive phenotypes. This subfamily impairs anti-cancer immune responses in several ways, including immune cells inhibition and major histocompatibility (MHC) class I and II abolishment. It promotes GBM angiogenesis by inducing angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-I) and insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), contributes to GBM progression by inducing metalloproteinases (MMPs), "pro-neoplastic" integrins (${\alpha}v{\beta}3$, ${\alpha}5{\beta}1$) and GBM initiating cells (GICs) as well as inducing a GBM mesenchymal phenotype. Equally, Nodal promotes GICs, induces cancer metabolic switch and supports GBM cell proliferation, but is negatively regulated by Lefty. Activin promotes GBM cell proliferation while GDF yields immune-escape function. On the other hand, BMPs target GICS and induce differentiation and sensitivity to chemotherapy. This multifaceted involvement of this superfamily in GBM necessitates different strategies in anti-cancer therapy. While suppressing the $TGF{\beta}$ subfamily yields advantageous results, enhancing BMPs production is also beneficial.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7211-7217
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• 2015

Background: The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic roles of serum osteopontin (OPN) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPN promoter in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Four groups were studied, which included 157 patients with HCC, 73 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 97 with chronic hepatitis (CH), along with 80 healthy subjects. Serum OPN and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were measured. The SNPs -66 T/G, -156 G/${\Delta}G$ and -433 C/T within the OPN promoter were determined by direct sequencing. Results: Serum OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC than in the other groups. Area under receiver operating characteristics curves in distinguishing HCC from chronic liver disease (CLD; CH and LC) were 0.782 (95% CI; 0.729-0.834) for OPN and 0.888 (95% CI; 0.850-0.927) for AFP. Using the optimal cut-off value (70 ng/mL), OPN had sensitivity and specificity of 72% and 71%, respectively. Serum OPN was superior to AFP in detecting early-stage HCC (68% vs. 46%). A combination of both markers yielded an improved sensitivity for detecting early HCC to 82%. A high OPN level was significantly correlated with advanced BCLC stage and was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The SNPs -156 and -443 were associated with susceptibility to HCC, but were not related to overall survival. Conclusions: Serum OPN is a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker for HCC. The combined use of serum OPN and AFP improved the diagnosis of early HCC. Genetic variation in the OPN promoter is associated with the risk, but not the prognosis of HCC.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.115-119
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• 2000

Objectives Summary: A 20-year-old man was presented with a history of difficult waking for 10 years. He suffered from morning headache, chronic fatigue and mild daytime sleepiness but had no history of irresistible sleep attack, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucination or sleep paralysis. Methods: Night polysomnography (PSG), multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and HLA-typing were carried out. Results: The PSG showed short sleep latency (4.0 min) and REM latency (2.5 min), increased arousal index (15.7/hour), periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS index=8.1/hr) with movement arousal index 2.1/hr and normal sleep efficiency (97.5%). The MSLT revealed normal sleep latency (15 min 21 sec) and 4 times sleep-onset REM (SOREM). HLA-typing showed DQ6- positive, that corresponded at the genomic level to the subregion DQB1*0601, which was different from the usual locus in narcolepsy patients (DQB1*0602 and DQA1*0102). Conclusion: Differential diagnosis should be made with circadian rhythm disorder and other causes of primary waking disorder. The possibility of a variant type of narcolepsy could be suggested with an unusual clinical manifestation and a new genetic marker.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.438-444
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• 2012

Mucolipidosis II (ML II) or inclusion cell disease (I-cell disease) is a rarely occurring autosomal recessive lysosomal enzyme-targeting disease. This disease is usually found to occur in individuals aged between 6 and 12 months, with a clinical phenotype resembling that of Hurler syndrome and radiological findings resembling those of dysostosis multiplex. However, we encountered a rare case of an infant with ML II who presented with prenatal skeletal dysplasia and typical clinical features of severe secondary hyperparathyroidism at birth. A female infant was born at $37^{+1}$ weeks of gestation with a birth weight of 1,690 g (<3rd percentile). Prenatal ultrasonographic findings revealed intrauterine growth retardation and skeletal dysplasia. At birth, the patient had characteristic features of ML II, and skeletal radiographs revealed dysostosis multiplex, similar to rickets. In addition, the patient had high levels of alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone, consistent with severe secondary neonatal hyperparathyroidism. The activities of ${\beta}$-D-hexosaminidase and ${\alpha}$-N-acetylglucosaminidase were moderately decreased in the leukocytes but were 5- to 10-fold higher in the plasma. Examination of a placental biopsy specimen showed foamy vacuolar changes in trophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts. The diagnosis of ML II was confirmed via GNPTAB genetic testing, which revealed compound heterozygosity of c.3091C>T (p.Arg1031X) and c.3456_3459dupCAAC (p.Ile1154GlnfsX3), the latter being a novel mutation. The infant was treated with vitamin D supplements but expired because of asphyxia at the age of 2 months.