• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2021

Prader-Willi syndrome is a complicated genetic disorder caused by a mutation on chromosome 15q11-13. The disease results in morbid obesity due to hyperphagia, growth disturbance, multiple endocrine problems from hypopituitarism, developmental delay, and cognitive or behavioral problems. Recombinant human growth hormone has been used to improve body composition and muscle mass, which plays a main role in treating patients with Prader-Willi syndrome. We describe previous studies showing the efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in children with Prader-Willi syndrome and provide treatment guidelines. Growth hormone therapy could be beneficial for children with Prader-Willi syndrome and improve their quality of life.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.sup1
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• pp.25-28
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• 2016

Phelan-McDermid syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by the terminal or interstitial deletion of the chromosome 22q13.3. Patients with this syndrome usually have global developmental delay, hypotonia, and speech delays. Several putative genes such as the SHANK3, RAB, RABL2B, and IB2 are responsible for the neurological features. This study describes the clinical features and outcomes of Korean patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Two patients showing global developmental delay, hypotonia, and speech delay were diagnosed with Phelan-McDermid syndrome via chromosome analysis, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging of Patients 1 and 2 showed delayed myelination and severe communicating hydrocephalus, respectively. Electroencephalography in patient 2 showed high amplitude spike discharges from the left frontotemporoparietal area, but neither patient developed seizures. Kidney ultrasonography of both the patients revealed multicystic kidney disease and pelviectasis, respectively. Patient 2 experienced recurrent respiratory infections, and chest computed tomography findings demonstrated laryngotracheomalacia and bronchial narrowing. He subsequently died because of heart failure after a ventriculoperitoneal shunt operation at 5 months of age. Patient 1, who is currently 20 months old, has been undergoing rehabilitation therapy. However, global developmental delay was noted, as determines using the Korean Infant and Child Development test, the Denver developmental test, and the Bayley developmental test. This report describes the clinical features, outcomes, and molecular genetic characteristics of two Korean patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.12
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• pp.1350-1354
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• 2008

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by diffuse proximal and distal weakness due to deletion of the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene localized on chromosome 5 (5q11.2-13.3). SMA has been considered as a pure lower motor neuron disorder, and a definitive diagnosis can be established by molecular genetic testing. Here, we describe two patients with severe hypotonia and frequent aspirations at early infancy. Nerve conduction studies showed more extensive sensory involvement in these patients diagnosed to have SMA by genetic study than in classical cases of SMA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of SMA Type 1 with sensory nerve involvement in Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.694-697
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• 2007

Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD), previously referred to as movement-provoked seizures, is a rare neurological condition that is characterized by short duration dystonic or choreoathetotic movements precipitated by sudden movement, a change in position or hyperventilation. It can be difficult to distinguish this syndrome from seizures. We reported on three brothers in one family all of whom developed abnormal involuntary dystonic or choreoathetotic movement with a tingling or stiffness sensory aura. Evaluations of the patients included general physical examinations, endoclinologic, metabolic studies, chromosomal analysis, video electroencephalograms and brain MRI imaging. All of these studies were normal except for an arachnoid cyst found in one patient. All symptoms showed excellent response to oxcarbamazepine ($Trileptal^{(R)}$) or carbamazepine. Use of the video electroencephalogram can help differentiate familial PKD from seizures.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.9
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• pp.1126-1133
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• 2002

Purpose : Prader-Willi syndrome(PWS) is a complex disorder affecting multisystems with characteristic clinical features. Its genetic basis is an expression defect in the paternally derived chromosome 15q11-q13. We analyzed the clinical features and genetic basis of PWS patients for early detection and treatment. Methods : We retrospectively studied 24 patients with PWS in Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, from September 1997 to September 2001. We performed cytogenetic and molecular genetic techniques using high resolution GTG banding techniques, fluorescent in situ hybridization and methylation-specific PCR for CpG island of SNRPN gene region. Results : The average birth weight of PWS patients was $2.67{\pm}0.47kg$ and median age at diagnosis was 1.3 years. The average height and weight of PWS patients under one year at diagnostic time were located in a 3-10 percentile relatively, and a rapid weight gain was seen between two and six years. Feeding problems in infancy and neonatal hypotonia were the two most consistently positive major criteria in over 95% of the patients. In 18 of the 24 cases(75%), deletion of chromosome 15q11-q13 was demonstrated and one case among 18 had an unbalanced 14;15 translocation. In four cases without any cytogenetic abnormality, it may be considered as maternal uniparental disomy and the rest showed another findings. Conclusion : We suggest diagnostic testing for PWS in all infants/neonates with unexplained feeding problems and hypotonia. It is necessary for clinically suspicious patients to undergo an early genetic test. As the genetic basis of PWS was heterogenous and complex, further study is required.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.11
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• pp.456-459
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• 2016

Triple-A syndrome, also known as Allgrove syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. The 3 features of this syndrome are achalasia, adrenal insufficiency, and alacrima. Achalasia could be the first manifestation of the triple-A syndrome; however, its etiology is unclear. Alacrima is generally asymptomatic but can be detected by obtaining patient history. Although adrenal insufficiency could have manifestations such as asthenia, it might be wrongly diagnosed as muscle fatigue. Vitamin D and calcium supplements are usually prescribed for the prevention of osteoporosis. Neurologic manifestations could be present in adults. In some individuals with this disorder, genetic examination indicates mutations in both alleles of the AAAS gene, which encodes a special 546-amino-acid protein designated ALADIN, and in chromosome 12q13. The genetic cause of the triple A syndrome in some patients who do not have an identified mutation is unknown. While very few such cases have been reported till date, one such case was presented to us as an edentulous child.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.7
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• pp.310-316
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• 2014

Purpose: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder that results from the lack of paternally expressed genes in the chromosome 15q11-q13 region. This study was performed to delineate the clinical features of PWS infants and toddlers and the effects of two-year growth hormone (GH) treatment according to gender and age at the start of treatment. Methods: The clinical characteristics and the results of the GH treatment were reviewed retrospectively for 30 PWS patients diagnosed by molecular genetic testing and clinical manifestations. Results: The mean age at diagnosis with PWS was 13.7 months (2-47 months of age). All patients showed the characteristics of facial dysmorphism, including brown hair and almond-shaped eyes. Most patients showed developmental delays/mental retardation (93.3%), cryptorchidism (75%), feeding problems in infancy (73.3%), and neonatal or infantile hypotonia (66.7%). Among 30 patients, 14 PWS infants and toddlers had been treated with GH for more than two years. Two years of GH treatment resulted in an improvement in head circumference-standard deviation score (HC-SDS), body weight-SDS, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) SDS, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) SDS, lean body mass, and bone mineral content, especially in IGFBP-3 SDS and motor development in PWS patients younger than two years of age. There was significant increase in IGF-1 SDS and IGFBP-3 SDS among male PWS patients after GH treatment. Conclusion: Our study showed increases in IGFBP-3 SDS and an improvement in motor development among individuals under two years of age after GH treatment, and significant difference in IGF-1 SDS and IGFBP-3 SDS by gender.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2012

Kniest syndrome (OMIM #156550) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by a dysfunction of type II collagen, which is encoded by the COL2A1 gene (OMIM +120140) mapped to chromosome 12q13.11. Type II collagen, a molecule found mostly in the cartilage and vitreous tissues, is essential for the normal development of bones and other connective tissues. Kniest syndrome is a type II collagenopathy that presents as skeletal abnormality associated with disproportionate dwarfism, kyphoscoliosis, enlarged joints, visual loss, hearing loss, and cleft palate. This report describes a Korean patient with Kniest syndrome who was diagnosed with typical clinical features and radiologic findings. The patient presented with disproportionately short stature and kyphoscoliosis from birth. A skeletal survey revealed fused lamina in the thoracic spine, hemivertebrae, flexion deformities in multiple joints, and plagiocephaly.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 1998

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder which has been clinically shown to cause progressive weakness and result in atrophy of the facial muscles, shoulder girdle and upper arm muscles. The responsible gene for the FSHD has been located on chromosome 4q35-qter. The probes p13E-11 and pFR-1 detect DNA rearrangements associated with FSHD as under 28 kb DNA fragment in genomic southern analysis digested with EcoRI and the fragment contains 3.3 kb Kpn I tandem repeats. In this study, 4 fetuses with a family history of FSHD were analysed by genomic southern hybridization analysis with probes to determine whether they carried the deleted region. Of the 4 fetuses, three of them had mothers who were FSHD patients and the other one had a father affected with FSHD. After 10-11 weeks of gestation, we performed chorionic villi sampling and extracted DNA from uncultured and cultured tissue cells for the direct DNA analysis. The result of the southern analysis showed two fetuses having received about 15-18 kb of deleted genes from the father and the mother respectively, and found to be FSHD patients. The other two fetuses were shown to have two normal alleles from the parents and found to be normal. Two pregnancies which were determined to be normal were carried to term delivering two healthy babies.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.29-46
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• 2005

Purpose ; 본 연구는 X-염색체와 관련된 장애 중에서 가장 흔하고 심한 Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy(DMD)의 세포유전학 및 분자유전학적 특성을 설명하기 위해서 DMD에 영향을 받고 있는 두 가계의 13명을 대상으로 가계도 분석과 염색체 분석 및 DNA 분석을 하였다. Method ; DNA분석은 DNA probe을 이용한 Southern blotting method로써 RFLPs와 DMD유전자 부위의 exon소실 유무를 조사하여 아래와 같은 결과를 얻었다. Conclusion ; A 염색체 분석 : 말초혈액과 양수를 표본으로 High-Resolution GTG염색에서 A가계와 B가계의 염색체 분석에서 12명의 염색체는 정상 X-염색체였으나 B가계의 I-2(DMD여성)에서 46, x,-x,+t(2:x)(q 21.1 : p21.2)로 나타난다. B. DNA분석3 : 1) RFLPs의 분석 J66,XJ-1.1,754-11로써 B가계의 RELPs(Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms)에서 J66/Pst I은 1.7hb(E), 1.6kb(e)을 보여 주었고 XJ-1.1/Taq I은 3.6kb(F), 3.0kb(f), 754-11/EoR I은 4.2kb(G), 2.0kb(g)의 대립인자를 나타내었다. 이상의 결과를 바탕으로 영향을 받고 있는 남자 (II-2)의 haplotype는 보인자인 어머니의 한쪽 인자를 받았으며 어머니와 딸은 보인자이고 임산부의 태아는 남아였고 태아의 인자들은 그의 할아버지로부터 물려받아 DMD에 영향을 받지 않은 것으로 진단되었다. 2) DMD 유전자의 exon 소실에 대한 분석 cDNA probe 8과 cDNA probe 2b-3으로써 소실에 대한 진단은 영향을 받은 남자(II-2)는 cDNA probe 8에서 12, 7.3, 6.6, 4.2kb에 소실이 있고 cDNA 2b-3은 1.7kb에 소실에 나타났다.