@article {1002, title = {Plasma Exchange to Rescue Patients with Autoantibodies Against Type I Interferons and Life-Threatening COVID-19 Pneumonia.}, journal = {J Clin Immunol}, volume = {41}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 04}, pages = {536-544}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: To report four cases of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with high blood concentrations of neutralizing autoantibodies against type I interferons (IFNs), who were treated with plasma exchange (PE) as a rescue therapy.

METHODS: Prospective case series, which included patients, diagnosed with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and positive autoantibodies against type I IFNs in two French intensive care units (ICUs) between October 8 and November 14, 2020. Six critically ill COVID-19 patients with no anti-IFN antibodies were used as controls. Anti-IFN autoantibodies and IFN concentrations, together with the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, were measured sequentially in serum. Viral load was determined in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Patients were followed during hospital stay.

RESULTS: Three men and one woman were included. Three of the patients had four PE sessions each, while another had three PE sessions. PE decreased the concentrations of autoantibodies against type I IFN in all four patients, whereas anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels remained stable. Autoantibodies against type I IFN levels were high in tracheal aspirates of one patient and decreased after three PE sessions. By contrast, anti-IFN autoantibodies were not detected in tracheal aspirates from five control patients without detectable anti-IFN autoantibodies in serum. During PE, serum IFN-α levels slightly increased in three out of four patients, and upper respiratory tract viral load decreased in all patients. All patients were alive at day 28 of ICU admission. Two patients eventually died in the ICU, while the two survivors were discharged from the ICU at days 50 and 66.

CONCLUSIONS: PE efficiently removes autoantibodies against type I IFNs, including those detected in tracheal aspirates, without affecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels, in patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia. The clinical benefit of PE in patients with autoantibodies against type I IFNs should be tested in a larger study.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Autoantibodies, COVID-19, Female, Humans, Interferon Type I, Male, Plasma Exchange, Prospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2}, issn = {1573-2592}, doi = {10.1007/s10875-021-00994-9}, author = {de Prost, Nicolas and Bastard, Paul and Arrestier, Romain and Fourati, Slim and Mah{\'e}vas, Mathieu and Burrel, Sonia and Dorgham, Karim and Gorochov, Guy and Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Yacine and Azzaoui, Iname and Fernandes, Ignacio and Combes, Alain and Casanova, Jean-Laurent and Mekontso-Dessap, Armand and Luyt, Charles-Edouard} } @article {888, title = {Serum sphingolipids and incident diabetes in a US population with high diabetes burden: the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).}, journal = {Am J Clin Nutr}, volume = {112}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07 01}, pages = {57-65}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of de novo sphingolipid synthases prevented diabetes in animal studies.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate prospective associations of serum sphingolipids with incident diabetes in a population-based cohort.

METHODS: We included 2010 participants of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) aged 18-74 y who were free of diabetes and other major chronic diseases at baseline (2008-2011). Metabolomic profiling of fasting serum was performed using a global, untargeted approach. A total of 43 sphingolipids were quantified and, considering subclasses and chemical structures of individual species, 6 sphingolipid scores were constructed. Diabetes status was assessed using standard procedures including blood tests. Multivariable survey Poisson regressions were applied to estimate RR and 95\% CI of incident diabetes associated with individual sphingolipids or sphingolipid scores.

RESULTS: There were 224 incident cases of diabetes identified during, on average, 6 y of follow-up. After adjustment for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, a ceramide score (RR Q4 versus Q1~=~2.40; 95\% CI: 1.24, 4.65; P-trend~=~0.003) and a score of sphingomyelins with fully saturated sphingoid-fatty acid pairs (RR Q4 versus Q1~=~3.15; 95\% CI: 1.75, 5.67; P-trend~<0.001) both were positively associated with risk of diabetes, whereas scores of glycosylceramides, lactosylceramides, or other unsaturated sphingomyelins (even if having an SFA base) were not associated with risk of diabetes. After additional adjustment for numerous traditional risk factors (especially triglycerides), both associations were attenuated and only the saturated-sphingomyelin score remained associated with risk of diabetes (RR Q4 versus Q1~=~1.98; 95\% CI: 1.09, 3.59; P-trend~=~0.031).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a cluster of saturated sphingomyelins may be associated with elevated risk of diabetes beyond traditional risk factors, which needs to be verified in other population studies. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02060344.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Diabetes Mellitus, Female, Hispanic Americans, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Sphingolipids, United States, Young Adult}, issn = {1938-3207}, doi = {10.1093/ajcn/nqaa114}, author = {Chen, Guo-Chong and Chai, Jin Choul and Yu, Bing and Michelotti, Gregory A and Grove, Megan L and Fretts, Amanda M and Daviglus, Martha L and Garcia-Bedoya, Olga L and Thyagarajan, Bharat and Schneiderman, Neil and Cai, Jianwen and Kaplan, Robert C and Boerwinkle, Eric and Qi, Qibin} } @article {608, title = {Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Longitudinal Study of Lung Disease by Ultrastructure Defect and Genotype.}, journal = {Am J Respir Crit Care Med}, volume = {199}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 01 15}, pages = {190-198}, abstract = {

RATIONALE: In primary ciliary dyskinesia, factors leading to disease heterogeneity are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVES: To describe early lung disease progression in primary ciliary dyskinesia and identify associations between ultrastructural defects and genotypes with clinical phenotype.

METHODS: This was a prospective, longitudinal (5 yr), multicenter, observational study. Inclusion criteria were less than 19 years at enrollment and greater than or equal to two annual study visits. Linear mixed effects models including random slope and random intercept were used to evaluate longitudinal associations between the ciliary defect group (or genotype group) and clinical features (percent predicted FEV and weight and height z-scores).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 137 participants completed 732 visits. The group with absent inner dynein arm, central apparatus defects, and microtubular disorganization (IDA/CA/MTD) (n = 41) were significantly younger at diagnosis and in mixed effects models had significantly lower percent predicted FEV and weight and height z-scores than the isolated outer dynein arm defect (n = 55) group. Participants with CCDC39 or CCDC40 mutations (n = 34) had lower percent predicted FEV and weight and height z-scores than those with DNAH5 mutations (n = 36). For the entire cohort, percent predicted FEV decline was heterogeneous with a mean (SE) decline of 0.57 (0.25) percent predicted/yr. Rate of decline was different from zero only in the IDA/MTD/CA group (mean [SE], -1.11 [0.48] percent predicted/yr; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: Participants with IDA/MTD/CA defects, which included individuals with CCDC39 or CCDC40 mutations, had worse lung function and growth indices compared with those with outer dynein arm defects and DNAH5 mutations, respectively. The only group with a significant lung function decline over time were participants with IDA/MTD/CA defects.

}, keywords = {Child, Cilia, Cohort Studies, Female, Genotype, Humans, Kartagener Syndrome, Longitudinal Studies, Lung, Male, Mutation, Phenotype, Prospective Studies, Respiratory Function Tests}, issn = {1535-4970}, doi = {10.1164/rccm.201803-0548OC}, author = {Davis, Stephanie D and Rosenfeld, Margaret and Lee, Hye-Seung and Ferkol, Thomas W and Sagel, Scott D and Dell, Sharon D and Milla, Carlos and Pittman, Jessica E and Shapiro, Adam J and Sullivan, Kelli M and Nykamp, Keith R and Krischer, Jeffrey P and Zariwala, Maimoona A and Knowles, Michael R and Leigh, Margaret W} } @article {387, title = {Novel Genetic Triggers and Genotype-Phenotype Correlations in Patients With Left Ventricular Noncompaction.}, journal = {Circ Cardiovasc Genet}, volume = {10}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Aug}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous disease and, although increasingly recognized in clinical practice, there is a lack of widely accepted diagnostic criteria. We sought to identify novel genetic causes of LVNC and describe genotype-phenotype correlations.

METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 190 patients from 174 families with left ventricular hypertrabeculation (LVHT) or LVNC were referred for cardiac magnetic resonance and whole-exome sequencing. A total of 425 control individuals were included to identify variants of interest (VOIs). We found an excess of 138 VOIs in 102 (59\%) unrelated patients in 54 previously identified LVNC or other known cardiomyopathy genes. VOIs were found in 68 of 90 probands with LVNC and 34 of 84 probands with LVHT (76\% and 40\%, respectively; <0.001). We identified 0, 1, and >=2 VOIs in 72, 74, and 28 probands, respectively. We found increasing number of VOIs in a patient strongly correlated with several markers of disease severity, including ratio of noncompacted to compacted myocardium (<0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction (=0.01). The presence of sarcomeric gene mutations was associated with increased occurrence of late gadolinium enhancement (=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS: LVHT and LVNC likely represent a continuum of genotypic disease with differences in severity and variable phenotype explained, in part, by the number of VOIs and whether mutations are present in sarcomeric or nonsarcomeric genes. Presence of VOIs is common in patients with LVHT. Our findings expand the current clinical and genetic diagnostic approaches for patients with LVHT and LVNC.

}, keywords = {Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cardiac Myosins, Carrier Proteins, Child, Connectin, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Variation, Heart Ventricles, Humans, LIM Domain Proteins, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine, Male, Middle Aged, Muscle Proteins, Myocardium, Myosin Heavy Chains, Prospective Studies, Severity of Illness Index, Tropomyosin, Ventricular Dysfunction, Left, Young Adult}, issn = {1942-3268}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.117.001763}, author = {Miszalski-Jamka, Karol and Jefferies, John L and Mazur, Wojciech and G{\l}owacki, Jan and Hu, Jianhong and Lazar, Monika and Gibbs, Richard A and Liczko, Jacek and K{\l}y{\'s}, Jan and Venner, Eric and Muzny, Donna M and Rycaj, Jaros{\l}aw and Bia{\l}kowski, Jacek and Kluczewska, Ewa and Kalarus, Zbigniew and Jhangiani, Shalini and Al-Khalidi, Hussein and Kukulski, Tomasz and Lupski, James R and Craigen, William J and Bainbridge, Matthew N} } @article {262, title = {Laterality defects other than situs inversus totalis in primary ciliary dyskinesia: insights into situs ambiguus and heterotaxy.}, journal = {Chest}, volume = {146}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Nov}, pages = {1176-1186}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Motile cilia dysfunction causes primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), situs inversus totalis (SI), and a spectrum of laterality defects, yet the prevalence of laterality defects other than SI in PCD has not been prospectively studied.

METHODS: In this prospective study, participants with suspected PCD were referred to our multisite consortium. We measured nasal nitric oxide (nNO) level, examined cilia with electron microscopy, and analyzed PCD-causing gene mutations. Situs was classified as (1) situs solitus (SS), (2) SI, or (3) situs ambiguus (SA), including heterotaxy. Participants with hallmark electron microscopic defects, biallelic gene mutations, or both were considered to have classic PCD.

RESULTS: Of 767 participants (median age, 8.1 years, range, 0.1-58 years), classic PCD was defined in 305, including 143 (46.9\%), 125 (41.0\%), and 37 (12.1\%) with SS, SI, and SA, respectively. A spectrum of laterality defects was identified with classic PCD, including 2.6\% and 2.3\% with SA plus complex or simple cardiac defects, respectively; 4.6\% with SA but no cardiac defect; and 2.6\% with an isolated possible laterality defect. Participants with SA and classic PCD had a higher prevalence of PCD-associated respiratory symptoms vs SA control participants (year-round wet cough, P < .001; year-round nasal congestion, P = .015; neonatal respiratory distress, P = .009; digital clubbing, P = .021) and lower nNO levels (median, 12 nL/min vs 252 nL/min; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS: At least 12.1\% of patients with classic PCD have SA and laterality defects ranging from classic heterotaxy to subtle laterality defects. Specific clinical features of PCD and low nNO levels help to identify PCD in patients with laterality defects.

TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT00323167; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Biopsy, Child, Child, Preschool, Cilia, DNA, DNA Mutational Analysis, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Kartagener Syndrome, Male, Microscopy, Electron, Transmission, Middle Aged, Mutation, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, United States, Young Adult}, issn = {1931-3543}, doi = {10.1378/chest.13-1704}, author = {Shapiro, Adam J and Davis, Stephanie D and Ferkol, Thomas and Dell, Sharon D and Rosenfeld, Margaret and Olivier, Kenneth N and Sagel, Scott D and Milla, Carlos and Zariwala, Maimoona A and Wolf, Whitney and Carson, Johnny L and Hazucha, Milan J and Burns, Kimberlie and Robinson, Blair and Knowles, Michael R and Leigh, Margaret W} } @article {229, title = {Parental somatic mosaicism is underrecognized and influences recurrence risk of genomic disorders.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {95}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Aug 07}, pages = {173-82}, abstract = {

New human mutations are thought to originate in germ cells, thus making a recurrence of the same mutation in a sibling exceedingly rare. However, increasing sensitivity of genomic technologies has anecdotally revealed mosaicism for mutations in somatic tissues of apparently healthy parents. Such somatically mosaic parents might also have germline mosaicism that can potentially cause unexpected intergenerational recurrences. Here, we show that somatic mosaicism for transmitted mutations among parents of children with simplex genetic disease is more common than currently appreciated. Using the sensitivity of individual-specific breakpoint PCR, we prospectively screened 100 families with children affected by genomic disorders due to rare deletion copy-number variants (CNVs) determined to be de novo by clinical analysis of parental DNA. Surprisingly, we identified four cases of low-level somatic mosaicism for the transmitted CNV in DNA isolated from parental blood. Integrated probabilistic modeling of gametogenesis developed in response to our observations predicts that mutations in parental blood increase recurrence risk substantially more than parental mutations confined to the germline. Moreover, despite the fact that maternally transmitted mutations are the minority of alleles, our model suggests that sexual dimorphisms in gametogenesis result in a greater proportion of somatically mosaic transmitting mothers who are thus at increased risk of recurrence. Therefore, somatic mosaicism together with sexual differences in gametogenesis might explain a considerable fraction of unexpected recurrences of X-linked recessive disease. Overall, our results underscore an important role for somatic mosaicism and mitotic replicative mutational mechanisms in transmission genetics.

}, keywords = {Cell Division, DNA Copy Number Variations, Female, Gametogenesis, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genomics, Germ Cells, Germ-Line Mutation, Humans, Male, Models, Genetic, Mosaicism, Mutation, Pedigree, Prospective Studies, Recurrence, Risk, Sex Characteristics, Smith-Magenis Syndrome}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.07.003}, author = {Campbell, Ian M and Yuan, Bo and Robberecht, Caroline and Pfundt, Rolph and Szafranski, Przemyslaw and McEntagart, Meriel E and Nagamani, Sandesh C S and Erez, Ayelet and Bartnik, Magdalena and Wi{\'s}niowiecka-Kowalnik, Barbara and Plunkett, Katie S and Pursley, Amber N and Kang, Sung-Hae L and Bi, Weimin and Lalani, Seema R and Bacino, Carlos A and Vast, Mala and Marks, Karen and Patton, Michael and Olofsson, Peter and Patel, Ankita and Veltman, Joris A and Cheung, Sau Wai and Shaw, Chad A and Vissers, Lisenka E L M and Vermeesch, Joris R and Lupski, James R and Stankiewicz, Pawe{\l}} }