Familial Clustering of Unexplained Transient Respiratory Distress in 12 Newborns from Three Unrelated Families Suggests an Autosomal-Recessive Inheritance

We report on 12 near-term babies from three families in which an unexplained transient respiratory distress was observed. No known risk factor was present in any family and no sequelae were recorded at follow-up. The most common causes of respiratory distress at birth are Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (NRD) and Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN), and their cumulative incidence is estimated to be about 2%. Genetic factors have been identified in NRD (surfactant genes) or suggested for TTN (genes affecting lung liquid clearance). Survivors from NRD may develop clinically relevant sequelae, while TTN does not cause any problem later in life. Our cases do not immediately fit NRD or TTN, while familial recurrence suggests the existence of a previously unreported subgroup on patients with respiratory distress for which autosomal-recessive inheritance is likely

Familial Clustering of Unexplained Transient Respiratory Distress in 12 Newborns from Three Unrelated Families Suggests an Autosomal-Recessive Inheritance

We report on 12 near-term babies from three families in which an unexplained transient respiratory distress was observed. No known risk factor was present in any family and no sequelae were recorded at follow-up. The most common causes of respiratory distress at birth are Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (NRD) and Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN), and their cumulative incidence is estimated to be about 2%. Genetic factors have been identified in NRD (surfactant genes) or suggested for TTN (genes affecting lung liquid clearance). Survivors from NRD may develop clinically relevant sequelae, while TTN does not cause any problem later in life. Our cases do not immediately fit NRD or TTN, while familial recurrence suggests the existence of a previously unreported subgroup on patients with respiratory distress for which autosomal-recessive inheritance is likely

GWAS meta-analysis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy implicates multiple hepatic genes and regulatory elements

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disorder affecting 0.5–2% of pregnancies. The majority of cases present in the third trimester with pruritus, elevated serum bile acids and abnormal serum liver tests. ICP is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes, including spontaneous preterm birth and stillbirth. Whilst rare mutations affecting hepatobiliary transporters contribute to the aetiology of ICP, the role of common genetic variation in ICP has not been systematically characterised to date. Here, we perform genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and meta-analyses for ICP across three studies including 1138 cases and 153,642 controls. Eleven loci achieve genome-wide significance and have been further investigated and fine-mapped using functional genomics approaches. Our results pinpoint common sequence variation in liver-enriched genes and liver-specific cis-regulatory elements as contributing mechanisms to ICP susceptibility