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- E-ISSN2671-6771
E-ISSN : 2671-6771
Vol.3 No.2
Abstract
Myotonic muscular dystrophy is a disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness with myotonia and multiorgan involvement. Two subtypes have been recognized; each subtype is caused by nucleotide repeat expansion. So far, there has been no cure for myotonic muscular dystrophy. In this article, we introduce ongoing clinical trials for new drugs to modify disease course by correcting genetic derangement or its downstream in myotonic dystrophy type 1.
Abstract
Campomelic dysplasia (CD) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by multiple skeletal anomalies and the abnormal development of male reproductive organs. To date, the SOX9 gene is the only known causal gene for CD, and approximately 90 causative mutations in SOX9 have been identified worldwide. CD is diagnosed based on clinical characteristics of skeletal dysplasia (e.g., short bowed long bones, kyphoscoliosis, bell-shaped thoracic cage with 11 pairs of ribs, and hypoplastic scapulars), typical facial features of Pierre Robin sequence with cleft palate, and gonadal dysgenesis in 46,XY individuals. Most patients with CD exhibit life-threatening respiratory failure owing to laryngotracheomalacia and hypoplastic thorax during the neonatal period. Although fatal complications decrease after infancy, several medical conditions continue to require proper management. A better understanding of this rare but lethal condition may lead to more appropriate treatments for patients.
Abstract
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder which lead to severe neurodevelopmental, endocrine, and metabolic impairment. PWS is genetic disorder related to genomic errors which lead to inactivation of paternally-inherited genes on chromosome 15q11-q13. Epigenetic mechanisms are also involved in PWS, and epigenetic therapies are under investigation. Here we provide review about genetics of PWS, focused on genes involved in pathophysiology of PWS. We will also summarize epigenetics and genetic counseling of PWS.
Abstract
Inherited platelet function disorders (IPFDs) are a disease group of heterogeneous bleeding disorders associated with congenital defects of platelet functions. Normal platelets essential role for primary hemostasis by adhesion, activation, secretion of granules, aggregation, and procoagulant activity of platelets. The accurate diagnosis of IPFDs is challenging due to unavailability of important testing methods, including light transmission aggregometry and flow cytometry, in several medical centers in Korea. Among several IPFDs, Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) is a most representative IPFD and is relatively frequently found compare to the other types of rarer IPFDs. GT is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations of ITGA2B or ITGB3. There are quantitative or qualitative defects of the GPIIb/IIIa complex in platelet, which is the binding receptor for fibrinogen, von Willbrand factor, and fibronectin in GT patients. Therefore, patients with GT have normal platelet count and normal platelet morphology, but they have severely decreased platelet aggregation. Thus, GT patients have a very severe hemorrhagic phenotypes that begins at a very early age and persists throughout life. In this article, the general contents about platelet functions and respective IPFDs, the overall contents of GT, and the current status of genetic diagnosis of GT in Korea will be reviewed.