The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the link between advanced paternal ages (APA) (i.e., APA ≥ 35 years and APA ≥ 50 years) and genetic diseases and congenital anomalies. Currently, the relationship between both advanced paternal ages and genetic diseases and congenital anomalies remains unclear. However, there is room for improvement to systematically investigate the relationship between specific congenital anomalies in newborns and advanced paternal ages. More recently, the link between advanced paternal age (as opposed to existing studies analyzing advanced maternal age alone) and genetic diseases has been recognized by researchers, epidemiologists, and various health experts. Thus, this study serves to examine the effect of advanced paternal ages on the likelihood of birth defects using a new dataset intended to discover those relationships. I create three different datasets and utilize 12 statistical models to analyze the relationship between advanced paternal ages (APA ≥ 35 years and APA ≥ 50 years) (while including advanced maternal age or AMA [AMA ≥ 35 years]) and genetic diseases and congenital anomalies. I focus on Down syndrome, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and meningocele/spina bifida and explore the relationship between both advanced parental ages. I explore whether (a) the advanced paternal ages and (b) the advanced maternal age increase the likelihood of newborn reproductive defects: (a) Down syndrome, (b) cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and (c) meningocele/spina bifida. This study includes all U.S. births between 2016 and 2019 using the CDC Natality Registry[1] database (2020). I perform the analyses using logistic regression models (to estimate odds ratios) that provide explanations of the relationship between each birth defect and advanced paternal ages. Analysis results suggest that advanced paternal ages (APA ≥ 35 years and APA ≥ 50 years) are positively associated with Down syndrome, whereas advanced paternal age (APA ≥ 35 years) is negatively associated with cleft lip with or without cleft palate. The results from the advanced paternal ages models do not suggest any causal relationship/effect on spina bifida. The results of this study are expected to offer some insight of the following reproductive defects: (a) Down syndrome, (b) cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and (c) meningocele/spina bifida. [1] Collection of data for all variables used in this research are obtained with full permission from: United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" "(CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics, Natality public-use data 2016-2019, on CDC" WONDER Online Database, October 2020. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/natality-expanded-current.html on Jun 6, 2021, 1:24:47 PM;" United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" "(CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics, Natality public-use data 2016-2019, on CDC" "WONDER Online Database, October 2020. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/natality-expanded-current.html on Jun 6, 2021, 1:29:36 PM;" And United States Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention""(CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Division of Vital Statistics, Natality public-use data 2016-2019, on CDC" "WONDER Online Database, October 2020. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/natality-expanded-current.html on Jun 6, 2021, 1:07:36 PM."

No description available.

Le diagnostic des rétinopathies pigmentaires pose différents problèmes, au niveau clinique comme au niveau moléculaire. En premier lieu, il s'agit de maladies rares, la faible prévalence de chaque pathologie à l'échelle de la population mondiale rend difficile leur étude. En second lieu, la caractérisation phénotypique de ces maladies est délicate car les symptômes qui en découlent s'avèrent très similaires. De manière liée, l'œil et le processus de la vision s'avèrent complexes et impliquent les produits d'expression de nombreux gènes. Ainsi, bien que les rétinopathies soient majoritairement monogénique et respectent le modèle d'hérédité mendélienne, les causes génétiques des maladies sont variées. Sur la base de ce double constat, nous proposons deux approches méthodologiques complémentaires menant à une meilleure compréhension de ce groupe de pathologies. Une première approche a pour finalité l'acquisition du jeu exhaustif des gènes impliqués. Les travaux portent sur l'exploitation des puces de génotypage. Nous effectuons une étude de liaison génétique entre les variations ponctuelles et les pathologies. Une seconde approche porte sur la représentation des connaissances associées aux phénotypes cliniques. Un composant ontologique est construit afin d'expliciter les savoirs nécessaires au diagnostic. Les données collectées sur le long terme par les experts sont étiquetées au travers de termes organisés au sein d'un thésaurus dédié. Les profils cliniques des patients et des maladies sont manipulés sous forme de collections de caractéristiques et comparés au moyen d'une mesure de similarité adaptée. L'objectif est alors de proposer un système d'aide au diagnostic. / Diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa could be difficult regarding both to clinics or molecular issues. Firstly, there are rare diseases, so the prevalence of each pathology in the world population is very low. Secondly, the symptoms of diseases are very similar, so their phenotypic characterization is hard. Moreover, the eye and the visual process are complex and numerous genes' products are implicated. Although retinopathies are mainly monogenic and mendelian inherited diseases, the polymorphisms involved in these diseases are very diverse.These both observations lead us to develop two complementary methodological approaches in a view to better understand the retinopathies.The first approach aims to identify all the genes involved in the diseases using genotyping chips. For this purpose, we studied genetic linkage between single nucleotide variations and pathologies. The second approach leads to the representation of clinical knowledge. An ontological compound was built to make explicit the knowledge involved in the process of diagnosis. The data previously collected by experts were labeled by terms that were organized in a specific thesaurus. The clinic profiles of the patients and diseases were handled as features collections and were compared by similarity calculations. The goal of this work is to build a knowledge-based system for diagnosis.

目前廣泛應用于胎兒醫學的唐氏綜合症篩查法，即結合早孕期胎兒頸項透明層的超聲檢查，及母體血清生化指標的綜合篩查法。頸項透明層是指在早孕期利用超聲檢測到的胎兒頸后的皮下積水，其作為預測胎兒異常的一項重要“軟指標，其臨床意義，尤其是與胎兒染色體異常及器官結構異常之間的關係，逐漸得到深入的認識，但其形成機制尚未明確。現在已知有一百餘種畸形及遺傳綜合征與胎兒頸項透明層增厚相關，但其染色體異常譜系，尤其是亞顯微的染色體異常仍有待明確。大部分頸項透明層增厚但核型正常的胎兒預後良好，但約3-10%的這部分胎兒會伴有畸形或出生后的神經智力發育缺陷。而傳統核型分析無法檢測到亞顯微的染色體異常，從而無法判斷這部分核型正常卻伴有缺陷的胎兒是否因為這類染色體異常而致病。 / 微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片作為檢測兒童發育遲緩者及器官結構異常原因的重要手段已廣泛應用于臨床。在染色體核型正常的胎兒中，若伴有器官結構異常的胎兒，5-12%被檢出與該畸形相關的微缺失及微重複；若僅伴有孕婦高齡或唐氏篩查高危，則微缺失及微重複檢出率約1%。 / 該課題旨在研究頸項透明層增厚但核型正常的胎兒中，染色體拷貝數變異發生的頻率及頻譜；評估微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片在協助臨床判斷胎兒預後中的作用。因此，我們開展該多中心隊列研究，通過納入449例頸項透明層厚度≧3.5 mm但正常核型胎兒的，檢測其染色體拷貝數變異，監測并記錄其圍產、產後及新生兒期情況。微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片總共檢出2.8%的異常拷貝數變異，其大小範圍為0.1 kb至18Mb。在伴有器官結構異常的胎兒組中，異常拷貝數變異檢出率達7.8%。對於頸項透明層厚度≧4.0 mm的胎兒，異常拷貝數變異檢出率可達7.3%。 / 對於頸項透明層增厚的胎兒，致病拷貝數變異暫未發現特定的頻譜。但，該研究中發現重複的致病拷貝數變異，如22號染色體長臂1區1帶的微重複或微缺失，2號染色體長臂2區2帶的微缺失。未在3號、7號、12號、13號、18號、20號、21號或Y染色體上發現與胎兒頸項透明層增厚相關的致病拷貝數變異。 / 頸項透明層增厚的胎兒79.3%預後良好；若經微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片未檢出致病拷貝數變異，則81.2%預後良好。如果僅頸項透明層增厚不伴有結構異常的胎兒，經微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片未檢出致病拷貝數變異，則93.5%預後良好。 / 綜上所述，微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片顯著提高了致病拷貝數變異的檢出率。可考慮將微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片作為頸項透明層厚度≧4.0 mm的胎兒染色體異常檢查的首要方法。對於僅頸項透明層增厚不伴有結構異常的胎兒，且經微陣列比較基因組雜交芯片未檢出致病拷貝數變異，絶大部分預後良好。對於頸項透明層增厚的胎兒，致病拷貝數變異暫未發現特定的頻譜，但發現重複出現的致病拷貝數變異。通過初步的基因本體分析及基因通路分析，神經嵴細胞的分化遷徙功能異常可作為今後研究頸項透明層增厚的病理生理機制的方向。 / Measurement of nuchal translucency (NT) has been recognized as a sensitive marker for fetal chromosomal disorders for more than a decade, and is presently used as a routine first-trimester screening test. Although over 100 abnormalities and genetic syndromes have been reported to be associated with increased NT, these associations have not been fully explored and the relevant spectrum of associated submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities has not been sufficiently investigated. The majority of euploid fetuses with increased NT have a good outcome, but around 3-10% of fetuses present with structural or neurodevelopmental abnormalities postnatally. A range of genetic syndromes has been reported, many of which are linked to submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities that are typically missed by conventional karyotyping. / Microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (arrayCGH) has been applied as the first-tier diagnostic tool for the evaluation of developmental delay and structural malformations in children. In fetuses with a normal karyotype, microarray analysis revealed clinically relevant deletions or duplications in 5-12% with a structural anomaly and in about 1% of those whose indications were advanced maternal age or positive screening results. / The objectives of this study were to delineate the frequency and spectrum of pathogenic chromosome copy number variants (CNVs) among fetuses with increased NT and normal karyotype; to evaluate the role of arrayCGH to predict the prognosis of the high NT fetuses; to explore the genotype-phenotype correlations of increased NT. Therefore, a multi-centre cohort of 449 fetuses with NT ≧3.5 mm and normal karyotype were further investigated by arrayCGH. Antenatal surveillance, pregnancy outcome and paediatric follow up were documented. ArrayCGH detected abnormal CNVs in 2.8% (14 of 449) of the fetuses with high NT; the size of CNVs ranged from 0.1 kb to 18Mb. Among fetuses with major congenital abnormalities the incidence of abnormal CNV reached 7.8% (4 of 51). By adjusting the NT to ≧4.0 mm as the referral indication, 7.3% (14 of 192) of the fetuses would have abnormal arrayCGH results. The spectrum of pathogenic CNVs found associated with increased NT was diverse. However, there were recurrent ones such as the deletions or duplications at chromosomal region 22q11, and deletions in ZEB2. There was no pathogenic CNV related with increased NT found in chromosomes 3, 7, 12, 13, 18, 20, 21, or Y. The total normal outcome rate of euploid fetuses with an increased NT was 79.3%; for fetuses with normal arrayCGH results 81.2% had a normal outcome. In fetuses with isolated increased NT, normal arrayCGH results predict a favorable prognosis of 93.5%. / In conclusion, arrayCGH significantly increased the diagnostic yield of pathogenic CNVs. In clinical practice arrayCGH may be considered as the first tier investigation in fetuses with an increased NT more than 4.0 mm. In cases with an isolated increased NT with normal arrayCGH results the pregnancy outcome is likely to be favorable. The spectrum of abnormal CNVs found by arrayCGH is diverse but there are recurrent cases such as del/dup 22q11 and del ZEB2. Our preliminary gene ontology and pathway analysis showed that gene pathways related to neural crest cells may be considered as a future study for physiopathologic mechanisms of NT. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Huang, Jin. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-120). / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)s provide an unbiased means of exploring the landscape of complex genetic disease. As such, these studies have identified genetic variants that are robustly associated with a multitude of conditions. I hypothesize that these genetic variants serve as excellent tools for evaluation of the genetic interface between epidemiologically related conditions. Herein, I test the association between SNPs associated with either (i) plasma lipids, (ii) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or (iii) diabetes mellitus (DM) and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to identify shared genetic variants. Regarding the most significantly AD-associated variants, I have also attempted to elucidate their molecular function. Only cholesterol-associated SNPs, as a group, are significantly associated with AD. This association remains after excluding APOE SNPs and suggests that peripheral and or central cholesterol metabolism contribute to AD risk. The general lack of association between RA-associated SNPs and AD is also significant in that these data challenge the hypothesis that genetic variants that increase risk of RA confer protection against AD. Functional studies of variants exhibiting novel associations with AD reveal that the lipid-associated SNP rs3846662 modulates HMGCR exon 13 splicing differentially in different cell types. Although less clear, trends were also observed between the RA-associated rs2837960 and the expression of several BACE2 isoforms, and between the DM-associated rs7804356 and expression of a rare SKAP2 isoform, respectively. In conclusion, the overlap of lipid-, RA- or DM-associated SNPs with AD is modest but in several instances significant. Continued analysis of the interface between GWAS of separate conditions will likely facilitate novel associations missed by conventional GWAS. Furthermore, the identification of functional variants associated with multiple conditions should provide insight into novel mechanisms of disease and may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets in an era of personalized genomic medicine.

Orientador: Egle Cristina Couto de Carvalho / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T14:08:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Simoni_RenataZaccaria_D.pdf: 2332845 bytes, checksum: fc29ed8709fbdf31408d1968e76a01a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Contexto e objetivo: Algumas malformações congênitas têm origem vascular, e a trombose durante a organogênese já foi aventada como possível mecanismo para esta ocorrência. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a associação entre trombofilia fetal e malformações de origem vascular. Tipo de estudo e local: Foi realizado um estudo caso-controle, desenvolvido no ambulatório de Medicina Fetal do CAISM UNICAMP, de 2005 a 2010. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 100 fetos com malformações de sistema nervoso central (SNC), gastrosquise, limb body wall e redução de membros (casos), submetidos a cordocentese como rotina do serviço, cujos resultados de cariótipo foram normais. Como controles, foram incluídos 100 fetos sem malformações cujo sangue de cordão fora previamente doado para o Banco de Sangue de Cordão do HEMOCENTRO UNICAMP. A pesquisa das mutações Fator V de Leiden, G20210A-FII e C677T-MTHFR foi realizada no sangue fetal dos dois grupos, e os resultados foram comparados. A análise descritiva foi feita utilizando Qui-quadrado e Teste Exato de Fisher. Para avaliar a associaçãoo entre as variáveis, foram utilizados o teste de Wilcoxon e a regressão logística. Resultados: Foram incluídos 78 fetos com malformações de SNC, 14 com gastrosquise, 3 com redução de membros e 2 com limb body wall. As mutações fator V de Leiden e G20210A-FII não foram encontradas nos casos e nos controles. A mutação C677T-MTHFR foi encontrada na forma heterozigota (CT) em 24 casos (24,8%) e em 6 controles. A mutação homozigota (TT) foi encontrada em 7 casos (7,2%) e em 1 controle. Estas diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas (p<0,0001). Quando avaliados os fetos com malformações de SNC (Artigo 1), a mutação CT foi encontrada com frequência significativamente maior nos casos do que nos controles (OR 10.309 IC95% 3.344-32.258), e a mutação TT também mostrou diferença significativa (OR 12.346 IC95% 1.388-111.11). A avaliação dos 14 fetos com gastrosquise (Artigo 2) não mostrou diferenças significativas quanto à presença da mutação CT ou TT entre os casos e os controles. Conclusão: A presença da mutação C677T-MTHFR no sangue fetal mostrou associação com malformações de SNC, tanto na forma homozigota quanto heterozigota / Abstract: Context and objective: Some congenital malformations have vascular origin, and a thrombosis during organogenesis is a possible mechanism for them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between fetal thrombophilia and malformations of vascular origin. Study type and location: A case-control study was performed at the Fetal Medicine Outpatient Clinic of CAISM UNICAMP, from 2005 to 2010. Methods: Ninety-seven fetuses with central nervous system malformations, gastroschisis, limb body wall and limb reduction were included in the study (cases), after routine cordocentesis showed normal karyotype results. A hundred fetuses without malformations were included as controls. These fetuses' cord blood had been donated to the Cord Blood Bank of HEMOCENTRO UNICAMP. DNA was extracted from fetal cord blood to study the mutations Factor V Leiden, G20210A-FII and MTHFR-C677T in both groups. Descriptive analysis was realized using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact Test. Wilcoxon test and logistic regression were used to analise the associations among variables. Results: We found 78 fetuses with central nervous system malformations, 14 with gastroschisis, 3 with member reduction and 2 with limb body wall. The mutations Factor V Leiden and G20210A-FII were not detected in cases nor in controls. The mutation MTHFR-C677T was encountered in 24 cases (24.8%) and in 6 controls its heterozygous form (CT). The homozygous mutation (TT) was found in 7 cases (7.2%) and in one control. These differences were statistically significant (p <0.0001). When the fetuses with central nervous system malformations were evaluated separately (Article 1), the frequency of the CT mutation was significantly higher in cases than in controls (OR 10.309 95% CI 3.344-32.258), as did the TT mutation (OR 12.346 95% CI 1.388-111.11). The 14 fetuses with gastroschisis were also evaluated separately (Article 2), and the results showed no statistically significant differences between cases and controls when concerning to the presence of the mutation MTHFR-C677T. Conclusion: The presence of the mutation MTHFR-C677T in fetal blood was associated with central nervous system malformations, both in homozygous and heterozygous form / Doutorado / Saúde Materna e Perinatal / Doutora em Ciências da Saúde

Le projet de recherche que j’ai suivi depuis 2015 concerne le diagnostic des troubles respiratoires du sommeil chez les enfants ayant une maladie génétique et leur prise en charge. Le projet a été développé entièrement dans l’unité de ventilation non invasive (VNI) et du sommeil de l’enfant de l’hôpital Necker Enfants malades de Paris.Dans le premier parti je me suis concentré sur le développement des nouveaux outils pour le diagnostic des troubles respiratoires du sommeil. La polysomnographie (PSG) représente l’examen de référence pour l’étude de troubles respiratoires du sommeil chez l’enfant. Néanmoins cet examen n’est pas disponible dans la plupart des centres hospitalier, est couteux et d’interprétation difficile. En plus, la qualité de l’examen est souvent réduite à cause de la perte involontaire ou à cause de l’intolérance de l’enfant aux capteurs posés. Pour cette raison, une de tache plus importante dans ce domaine c’est de développer des outils diagnostiques capables d’ameliorer la tolérance à l’examen et aussi sa performance. La première étude que j’ai suivie regarde la validation d’un particulaire capteur sous sternal pour la caractérisation des évènements respiratoires pendant une polygraphie ventilatoire. Les résultats de cette étude ont été publiés en 2016 (J Clin Sleep Med. 2016 Sep 13.). Une deuxième partie concerne la validation du même capteur pour la détection des évènements respiratoires chez l’enfant. Cette étude est actuellement en cours. Le but de ce projet est donc de démontrer la validité de ce capteur pour la détection et la caractérisation des évènements respiratoires chez l’enfant pour pouvoir permettre un ‘analyse complémentaire par rapport aux signaux dérivant des canules nasales et des bandes thoraco abdominales.La deuxième étude a analysé l’utilité de réductions de l’amplitude de l’onde de pouls pendant une polysomnographie, comme mesure des réveils corticaux liés aux évènements respiratoires. Le but de cette étude était de valider l’utilisation d’un outil simple pour remplacer l’analyse de l’EEG pour la détection des réveils corticaux associé aux évènements respiratoires. Les résultats de cette étude ont été publiés (Sleep Med. 2017 Jun;34:64-70).En ce qui concerne le deuxième parti je me suis concentré sur le traitement des troubles respiratoires du sommeil. La première étude a concerné l’efficacité du traitement par PPC dans une cohorte d’enfants ayant une séquence de Pierre Robin. Le but de cette etude etait de prouver l’efficacité de ce traitement pour eviter la tracheostomie dans ce groupe d’enfants ayant une obstruction severe des voies aeriennes superieures. Les résultats de cette étude ont été publiés en 2016 (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Upper Airway Obstruction in Infants with Pierre Robin Sequence (Reconstr Surg. 2016 Feb;137(2):609-12). La deuxième étude a permis d’analyser les critères de début de ventilation noninvasive (VNI) ou PPC dans une population d’enfant ayant des maladies génétiques hétérogènes. Les résultats de cette étude ont été publiés en 2016 (Sep;51(9):968-74). J’ai ensuite conclu une étude sur le début d’un traitement par PPC en ambulatoire. L’etude est actuellement en révision.J’ai aussi collaboré dans l’analyse des données et dans la rédaction des plusieurs études concernant les caractéristiques des troubles respiratoires du sommeil et de leur prise en charge chez des enfants porteurs de trisomie 21, de myasthénie congénitale et d’achondroplasie.J’ai ensuite recueilli les caractéristiques des troubles du sommeil dans une cohorte des patientes porteuses d’un syndrome de Rett. / The research project I carried out since 2015 concerns the “diagnosis and treatment of SDB in children with genetic diseases”. The entire project was developed at the NIV and sleep unit of Necker Children Hospital in Paris.The first aim of my research project is focused on the development and improvement of new tools to diagnose SDB in children. PSG remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of SDB, but this exam is expensive, time consuming, difficult to interpret and most important, not available in most paediatric centres. Moreover, PSG quality is often affected by the involuntary displacement or loss of sensors or by the intolerance of the different sensors by the child. Given these considerations, one of the main challenges in paediatric sleep medicine is the development and validation of simplified tools, capable of improving the tolerance issues while assuring high and reliable accuracy.The first project I developed concerned the validation of a suprasternal pressure sensor to characterise sleep apnoea during respiratory polygraphy. This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in December 2016. A second part of this study is currently ongoing and explores the usefulness of the same sensor for the detection of respiratory events. The aim of this two part project is to demonstrate the validity of this sensor for the detection of airflow and respiratory efforts in children, thus allowing complementary analysis to nasal cannula and thoraco abdominal belts.The second project I carried out regards the use of the variations of pulse wave amplitude (PWA) as a surrogate of cortical microarousals. This study aimed at the validation of a surrogate of cortical microarousals in order to replace the standard EEG signal for their detection and to use PWA as a simple tool for the scoring of hypopneas during respiratory polygraphy. This study was published in Sleep Medicine in June 2017.During my PhD program, I also collaborate to another study concerning the use of pulse transit time (PTT) for the characterisation of respiratory events during polygraphy. This study was published in Sleep and Breathing in March 2017.The second axe of my research concerned the treatment of SDB in children with genetic and congenital disorders. The first study concerned the use of CPAP in the treatment algorithm of a series of infants with Pierre Robin sequence. This study highlighted the usefulness of CPAP in avoiding tracheostomy in this particular group of patients with severe OSAS. This paper was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in February 2016. The second study aimed at the identification of objective criteria that lead to the initiation of CPAP or NIV in children and infants. This study was published in Pediatric Pulmonology in September 2016. I also collaborated to the conception, data analysis and draft redaction of a second manuscript regarding the criteria authorising the weaning from CPAP and NIV in children. This paper was published in Pediatric Pulmonology in September 2017. A third article concerning a programme of outpatient initiation of CPAP in children is currently under revision in the Journal of Clinical and Sleep Medicine.I also collaborated in the conception, data analysis and manuscript revision of other papers regarding the description and management of SDB in children with Down syndrome, congenital myasthenia and achondroplasia.Finally, I am the first investigator of a study concerning sleep structure and sleep related respiratory events in girls with Rett syndrome.

As mucopolissacaridoses (MPS) são um grupo de doenças metabólicas hereditárias causadas pela deficiência de enzimas lisossomais específicas, que causam alterações físicas e/ou comportamentais crônicas e progressivas. Um fenótipo comportamental é um padrão característico de observações motoras, cognitivas, linguísticas e sociais consistentemente associado a uma condição biológica. Tal fenótipo pode ser um transtorno mental ou outras características de comportamento não necessariamente associadas a transtornos. No caso específico das mucopolissacaridoses, embora haja diversos relatos na literatura sobre as altas taxas de ocorrência de problemas de comportamento na síndrome de Sanfilippo (MPS III), muito pouco é conhecido sobre as características comportamentais das outras entidades (MPS I, II, IV, VI e VII). Este trabalho pretendeu avaliar e descrever as alterações psiquiátricas encontradas em 22 pacientes com MPS atendidos em três serviços de genética clínica (4 MPS I, 5 MPS II, 1 MPS III, 4 MPS IV, 7 MPS VI, 1 MPS VII). As avaliações foram feitas através de instrumentos específicos, traduzidos e validados para nossa população, a saber: K-SADS PL, ATA, CARS, CGAS; e um instrumento traduzido, mas ainda sem validação brasileira: Escalas de Comportamento Adaptativo de Vineland. Os resultados mostraram que esses indivíduos apresentam altas taxas de transtornos mentais ao longo da vida, comportamento adaptativo deficitário e funcionamento global prejudicado. Além disso, observou-se um grande impacto familiar da doença, abandono escolar por falta de condições de acesso e de preparo da própria escola, grande dependência dos indivíduos avaliados e sobrecarga de um único cuidador, geralmente a mãe. Também ficou evidente o peso trazido pelo próprio tratamento, traduzido em uma recusa em aceitar novas propostas clínicas oferecidas. Concluiu-se que a população estudada é altamente vulnerável dos pontos de vista pessoal, familiar e social, sendo necessários mais estudos para seu melhor conhecimento e elaboração de programas e políticas de atendimento mais direcionados para suas necessidades / Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of hereditary metabolic diseases caused by deficient lysossomal enzymes, that lead to progressive physic and/or behavioral abnormalities. A behavioral phenotype is a characteristic pattern of motor, cognitive, linguistic and social observations, consistently associated to a biological condition. That phenotype may be a mental disorder or other behavioral characteristics not necessarily associated to any specific disorder. Referring to MPS, altohugh there are several descriptions of high ocurrence of behavioral problems in patients with Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS III), the knowledge about behavioral characteristics of the other types of MPS is scarce. This work intended to analyse and describe psychiatric alterations in 22 patients with MPS from three services of medical genetics. Evaluation was made using specific instruments, translated and validated for use with brazilian population: K-SADS-PL, ATA, CARS, CGAS; and one instrument translated but not validated for brazilian population: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Results showed high lifetime prevalence of mental disorders, deficient adaptive behavior, and poor global functioning. Besides, it was observed intense familiar impact, high drop out rates from school, highly dependent individuals, and excessive burden for the caretaker. It was also evidenced the burden of the treatment itself. The conclusion was that this population is extremely vulnerable, and that it is necessary the realization of more studies for the better understanding of its specific necessitites

Os estudos de associação de genoma inteiro têm encontrado alguns marcadores associados a doenças notoriamente hereditárias com herança complexa, mas, muitas vezes, estes marcadores somente explicam uma pequena parte da herdabilidade. Este relativo insucesso é atribuído, entre outras causas, à epistasia, ou seja, interação entre diferentes locos genéticos. A busca por epistasia é complexa e exige intensos recursos computacionais. Diversos métodos têm sido propostos para abordar este problema, incluindo métodos estatísticos tradicionais, busca estocástica e métodos heurísticos. Poucos destes métodos são capazes de processar as grandes massas de dados produzidas nos estudos caso-controle de genoma inteiro, e ainda menos métodos buscam conjuntos de três ou mais marcadores. A busca exaustiva de conjuntos de marcadores epistáticos é inviável hoje em dia para estes conjuntos, mas o algoritmo BOOST (WAN et al., 2010) mostrou que ela é relativamente fácil para pares de locos, em especial com o uso de placas gráficas como processadores (GPGPU). Partindo deste recente sucesso, propomos um algoritmo em fases para a busca de trios de locos que interagem, utilizando a busca de pares como passo inicial, uma abordagem ainda não utilizada. Outra ideia fundamental do algoritmo proposto é a extensão da concepção de trio de marcadores para um trio de blocos haplotípicos, onde cada bloco é formado por marcadores próximos entre si. Usando os dados do WTCCC, o Troost (de TRio+bOOST) sugeriu trios potencialmente epistáticos em todas a sete doenças. Quando submetidos à confirmação em amostra independente, os trios não puderam ser confirmados, exceto os trios para diabetes tipo 1 (T1D). Duzentos e oito trios foram confirmados para T1D, com baixos valores-P e genótipos combinados de risco com altas razões de chances. Os SNPs que compõem estes trios estão todos na região MHC, sabidamente associada à doença, exceto por um deles que está no cromossomo cinco e não havia sido previamente relacionado à T1D. / Genome-wide association studies have found some markers associated with diseases with complex inheritance. However, these markers explain only a fraction of the previously estimated heritability of the trait. This relative failure has been credited, among other causes, to epistasis, i.e. the interaction among genotypes at different loci. The search for epistasis is complex and requires intense computational resources. Many methods have been proposed to approach this problem, including traditional statistics, stochastic search, and heuristic methods. Few of them are capable of extracting, from the large amount of data produced in genome-wide case-control studies, useful information about sets of markers associated with the trait in question. Exhaustive search of sets of interacting markers is unfeasible nowadays for sets of three or more markers, but the BOOST algorithm (WAN et al., 2010) showed that the search is relatively easy for pairs of SNPs, in particular with the use of graphic cards for general processing (GPGPU). Starting from this recent success, we propose an algorithm in phases for the search for trios of interacting loci, using the search for pairs as the initial step, an approach not tried yet, to our knowledge. Another important idea of our algorithm is the extension of the concept of trio of markers to a trio of haplotypic blocks, where each block is formed by neighbor markers. Using data from WTCCC, the Troost (from TRio+bOOST) algorithm suggested potentially epistatic trios in all seven diseases. When submitted to a confirmation in an independent sample, the results could not be confirmed, except for type-1 diabetes (T1D). Two hundred eight trios were confirmed for T1D, with low p-values and risk combined genotypes with high odds ratio. The SNPs that form those trios are all in the MHC region, which is known to be strongly associated to T1D, except by one SNP in chromosome five that has not been previously associated with T1D.

Os estudos de associação de genoma inteiro têm encontrado alguns marcadores associados a doenças notoriamente hereditárias com herança complexa, mas, muitas vezes, estes marcadores somente explicam uma pequena parte da herdabilidade. Este relativo insucesso é atribuído, entre outras causas, à epistasia, ou seja, interação entre diferentes locos genéticos. A busca por epistasia é complexa e exige intensos recursos computacionais. Diversos métodos têm sido propostos para abordar este problema, incluindo métodos estatísticos tradicionais, busca estocástica e métodos heurísticos. Poucos destes métodos são capazes de processar as grandes massas de dados produzidas nos estudos caso-controle de genoma inteiro, e ainda menos métodos buscam conjuntos de três ou mais marcadores. A busca exaustiva de conjuntos de marcadores epistáticos é inviável hoje em dia para estes conjuntos, mas o algoritmo BOOST (WAN et al., 2010) mostrou que ela é relativamente fácil para pares de locos, em especial com o uso de placas gráficas como processadores (GPGPU). Partindo deste recente sucesso, propomos um algoritmo em fases para a busca de trios de locos que interagem, utilizando a busca de pares como passo inicial, uma abordagem ainda não utilizada. Outra ideia fundamental do algoritmo proposto é a extensão da concepção de trio de marcadores para um trio de blocos haplotípicos, onde cada bloco é formado por marcadores próximos entre si. Usando os dados do WTCCC, o Troost (de TRio+bOOST) sugeriu trios potencialmente epistáticos em todas a sete doenças. Quando submetidos à confirmação em amostra independente, os trios não puderam ser confirmados, exceto os trios para diabetes tipo 1 (T1D). Duzentos e oito trios foram confirmados para T1D, com baixos valores-P e genótipos combinados de risco com altas razões de chances. Os SNPs que compõem estes trios estão todos na região MHC, sabidamente associada à doença, exceto por um deles que está no cromossomo cinco e não havia sido previamente relacionado à T1D. / Genome-wide association studies have found some markers associated with diseases with complex inheritance. However, these markers explain only a fraction of the previously estimated heritability of the trait. This relative failure has been credited, among other causes, to epistasis, i.e. the interaction among genotypes at different loci. The search for epistasis is complex and requires intense computational resources. Many methods have been proposed to approach this problem, including traditional statistics, stochastic search, and heuristic methods. Few of them are capable of extracting, from the large amount of data produced in genome-wide case-control studies, useful information about sets of markers associated with the trait in question. Exhaustive search of sets of interacting markers is unfeasible nowadays for sets of three or more markers, but the BOOST algorithm (WAN et al., 2010) showed that the search is relatively easy for pairs of SNPs, in particular with the use of graphic cards for general processing (GPGPU). Starting from this recent success, we propose an algorithm in phases for the search for trios of interacting loci, using the search for pairs as the initial step, an approach not tried yet, to our knowledge. Another important idea of our algorithm is the extension of the concept of trio of markers to a trio of haplotypic blocks, where each block is formed by neighbor markers. Using data from WTCCC, the Troost (from TRio+bOOST) algorithm suggested potentially epistatic trios in all seven diseases. When submitted to a confirmation in an independent sample, the results could not be confirmed, except for type-1 diabetes (T1D). Two hundred eight trios were confirmed for T1D, with low p-values and risk combined genotypes with high odds ratio. The SNPs that form those trios are all in the MHC region, which is known to be strongly associated to T1D, except by one SNP in chromosome five that has not been previously associated with T1D.