Chromosomal abnormalities in 163 Tunisian couples with recurrent miscarriages

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is defined as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses before 24 weeks of gestation. Parental chromosomal abnormalities represent an important etiology of RM. The aim of the present study was to identify the distribution of chromosome abnormalities among Tunisian couples with RM referred to the Department of Cytogenetic at the Pasteur Institute of Tunis (Tunisia) during the last five years. Standard cytogenetic analysis was carried out in a total of 163 couples presenting with two or more spontaneous abortions. Karyotypes were analyzed by R-banding. We identified 14 chromosomal abnormalities including autosomal reciprocal translocation, Robertsonian translocation, inversion, mosaic aneuploidy and heteromorphysm. The overall prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities was 8.5% in our cohort. This finding underlies the importance of cytogenetic investigations in the routine management of RM

Changes in Genotype and Fluconazole Susceptibility of Isolates from Patients with

Candida glabrata has emerged as an opportunistic pathogen of considerable importance in invasive and superficial infections. Aims. To analyze the development of fluconazole resistance in patients under treatment through epidemiological survey in our hospital. Patients and methods. Twenty two patients (89 clinical strains) were collected. Molecular typing of isolates was performed by polymorphic markers. Analysis of gene expression was realized by reverse transcriptase-real time polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCR). Results. Genetic analysis showed that 63% persists with apparently unchanged strains (n=14). Among them, four showed fluconazole resistance development. A strain replacement was observed in 6 patients and two patients selected more resistant isolates during the course of treatment. An analysis of Candida glabrata cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 (CgCDR1), Candida glabrata cerebellar degeneration-related protein 2 (CgCDR2) and Candida glabrata sterol 14 alpha-demetylase Erg 11 (CgERG11) expression revealed an over-expression in 10 resistant isolates. Conclusion. This study demonstrated that C. glabrata strain undergo frequent changes in vivo. The increase in CgCDR1 and CgCDR2 expression was the most mechanism associated with fluconazole resistance

Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization, Psychological, and Psychiatric Studies in Children With Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis

International audienceObjective. To estimate the frequency and investigate the clinical features of 7q11.23 microdeletion in unselected patients with supravalvular aortic stenosis, a total of 7 patients originating from the south of Tunisia were evaluated prospectively by molecular cytogenetic studies. Methods. The clinical analysis was performed according to a specific clinical protocol for the diagnosis of congenital cardiovascular malformations. Cytogenetic analysis with RHG banding was used to detect chromosome rearrangements. Cytogenetic molecular analysis was undertaken using one probe: LSI Williams-Beuren Syndrome (WBS) region probe D7S486/D7S522. For the 3 patients carrying a 7q11.2 microdeletion, psychological and psychiatric tests were performed. Results.-All patients had normal karyotype 46,XX or 46,XY. Three patients were found to have a 7q11.2 deletion, whereas all of them had clinically typical WBS features. Conclusions: The clinical observation noted in this study emphasizes the need for more detailed phenotypic studies in patients and their families, We have seen a wide range of phenotypes associated with a deletion at the elastin locus in this series