Beals syndrome (congenital contractural arachnodactyly) in children: Clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

The paper deals with a rare monogenic connective tissue disease from a group of fibrillinopathies with autosomal dominant inheritance — Beals syndrome caused by a mutation in the FBN2 gene. Attention is drawn to the high phenotypic similarity of this disease and Marfan syndrome (FBN1 gene mutation), which is associated with the almost complete identity of two proteins: fibrillin 1 and fibrillin 2.The paper describes a clinical case of a child with Beals syndrome and the typical manifestations of the disease: asthenic constitution, arachnodactyly of the hands and feet, congenital contractures of the large and small joints, chest deformity, kyphoscoliosis, talpes, and crushed ears. The investigators made a differential diagnosis with other connective tissue diseases, such as Marfan syndrome, Stickler syndrome, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, homocystenuria, and arthrogryposis. DNA diagnosis verified the Beals syndrome in the proband. Exon 28 in the FBN2 gene showed the previously undescribed missense mutation of c.3719G>A, resulting in the amino acid substitution of cysteine for tyrosine (p.Cys1240Tyr) in the structure of the protein fibrillin 2. A de novo mutation occurred. There is evidence for its pathogenicity in the development of the clinical symptoms of the disease. The problems of effective medical genetic counseling in this family are discussed

Multifunctional Biosensor Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Monitoring Small Molecule–Protein Interaction

We report an optical sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to study small-molecule protein interaction combining high sensitivity refractive index sensing for quantitative binding information and subsequent conformation-sensitive plasmon-activated circular dichroism spectroscopy. The interaction of α-amylase and a small-size molecule (PGG, pentagalloyl glucose) was log concentration-dependent from 0.5 to 154 μM. In situ tests were additionally successfully applied to the analysis of real wine samples. These studies demonstrate that LSPR sensors to monitor small molecule–protein interactions in real time and in situ, which is a great advance within technological platforms for drug discovery

Fabry’s disease in children: analysis of personal observations, treatment possibilities

The article is devoted to the rare disease of the lysosomal storage disease group – Fabry’s disease. The disease is associated with the sphingolipids dysmetabolism, is caused by the accumulation of the globotriosylceramide (Gb3 ) and othersphingolipidsin the organism tissues and cells; it is characterized by the progression and severity of the course. The diagnostic results of 6 patient children aged from 5 to 17 years are analyzed; 2 boys and 4 girls from 3 families. The hereditary burden with a large number of the disease cases, 16 patients in 3 families including 6 children, comes under notice. All 6 children were diagnosed with Fabry’s disease based on the genealogical analysis as well as biochemical and molecular genetic examination. The activity of α-galactosidase A enzyme in the blood leukocytes was significantly decreased in two boys, insignificantly decreased in two sisters, and was normal in two girls. When performing the molecular genetic analysis, 3 mutations in exon 5 of GLA gene were identified. It has been established that the damages of cardiovascularsystem and nervoussystem, kidneys and visual organ, depression of the perspiratory gland function shall be considered as the first clinical signs of the disease in the children; it seems likely that the angiokeratoma appearance is characteristic only for boys. The presence of the non-specific symptoms and signs of the connective tissue dysplasia is noteworthy. The emphasis is made towards the importance of the early Fabry’s disease diagnosis, as it is essential for the timely (prior to appearance of the clinical symptoms and signs) beginning of the pathogenic treatment with the enzyme replacement drug

The structure of hereditary diseases in children hospitalized in a specialized clinic

Purpose: to analyze the structure of hereditary pathology and the results of genetic studies in children in a specialized clinic.Results.1045 children from 79 regions of the Russian Federation were examined and treated in the pediatric department of congenital and hereditary diseases in 2018. There were 25% of patients from Moscow and Moscow region and 75% from other territories. After examination all patients were divided into 2 large cohorts: patients with hereditary diseases diagnosed by clinical and laboratory data (737 children; 70%) and patients with undifferentiated pathological conditions with unclear genesis at the time of discharge from the hospital (308 children; 30%). In the cohort of hereditary diseases there were the most numerous (about 100 children in each) groups of patients with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, imperfect osteogenesis and rare heterogeneous genetic syndromes. The groups of rickets- like diseases, chromosomal syndromes and Rett syndrome included 50-70 patients. Other groups were smaller. Half of the hospitalized patients required genetic analysis. The highest percentage of molecular genetically / cytogenetically confirmed diagnoses was found in the groups of chromosomal diseases, rare genetic syndromes of lysosomal and mitochondrial diseases, Rett syndrome, and aminoacidopathy. It is worth mentioning that a primary diagnosis was not established during a genetic study in 57 children (18%) children from the general cohort of patients with hereditary diseases, so the researchers used other methods of analysis or bioinformatic revision of the results.Conclusion: The authors found a large variety of genetic diseases in children requiring examination and treatment in a specialized hospital. 1/5 of the examined children require additional genetic testing or repeated bioinformatic interpretation of the data