scholarly journals The Reproductive Journey in the Genomic Era: From Preconception to Childhood

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1521
Author(s):  
Sandra Garcia-Herrero ◽  
Blanca Simon ◽  
Javier Garcia-Planells

It is estimated that around 10–15% of the population have problems achieving a pregnancy. Assisted reproduction techniques implemented and enforced by personalized genomic medicine have paved the way for millions of infertile patients to become parents. Nevertheless, having a baby is just the first challenge to overcome in the reproductive journey, the most important is to obtain a healthy baby free of any genetic condition that can be prevented. Prevention of congenital anomalies throughout the lifespan of the patient must be a global health priority. Congenital disorders can be defined as structural or functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life and can be identified prenatally, at birth, or sometimes may only be detected later during childhood. It is considered a frequent group of disorders, affecting 3–6% of the population, and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Congenital anomalies can represent up to 30–50% of infant mortality in developed countries. Genetics plays a substantial role in the pathogenesis of congenital anomalies. This becomes especially important in some ethnic communities or populations where the incidence and levels of consanguinity are higher. The impact of genetic disorders during childhood is high, representing 20–30% of all infant deaths and 11.1% of pediatric hospital admissions. With these data, obtaining a precise genetic diagnosis is one of the main aspects of a preventive medicine approach in developed countries. The field of reproductive health has changed dramatically from traditional non-molecular visual microscope-based techniques (i.e., fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or G-banding karyotype), to the latest molecular high-throughput techniques such as next-generation sequencing (NGS). Genome-wide technologies are applied along the different stages of the reproductive health lifecycle from preconception carrier screening and pre-implantation genetic testing, to prenatal and postnatal testing. The aim of this paper is to assess the new horizon opened by technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), in new strategies, as a genomic precision diagnostic tool to understand the mechanisms underlying genetic conditions during the “reproductive journey”.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Hazan ◽  
Sheldon Jordan

Abstract Background: Reports have been surfacing surrounding CNS-associated symptoms in individuals affected by coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder with usual onset in childhood. Gut microbiota can affect central physiology and function via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The authors of this case report describe Tourette’s-like symptoms in a patient resulting from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection disrupting gut microbiota. Case Presentation: This case involves a 16-year-old female that developed acute onset Tourette’s-like symptoms along with neuropsychiatric symptoms after exposure to and infection from SARS-CoV-2. The patient had negative nasopharyngeal (NP) real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 on five occasions from August of 2020 through June of 2021. The patient’s symptoms continued to worsen over the next six months until next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool. Her treatment was adjusted as NGS revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool. Repair of the gastrointestinal microbiota, treatment with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical agents, as well as alterations in her surroundings resulted in dramatic improvement in the microbiome and a significant reduction of symptoms.Discussion: The use of (RT-PCR) testing to determine the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 may be inadequate and inaccurate for individuals that have been exposed to the virus. In addition, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection of the GI tract may cause significant havoc in the gut microbiota. Additional testing, eradication of infectious agents, as well as restoration of the gut microbiome are needed to effectively manage and treat this condition. The patient’s symptoms worsened over the next six months until next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed SARS-CoV-2 in her stool and her treatment was adjusted. Treatment with nutraceuticals and alterations in her surroundings was followed by a more normal microbiome and a dramatic reduction in symptoms.


2015 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
TONY SHEN ◽  
ARIEL LEE ◽  
CAROL SHEN ◽  
C.JIMMY LIN

SummaryThere are an estimated 6000–8000 rare Mendelian diseases that collectively affect 30 million individuals in the United States. The low incidence and prevalence of these diseases present significant challenges to improving diagnostics and treatments. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized research of rare diseases. This article will first comment on the effectiveness of NGS through the lens of long-tailed economics. We then provide an overview of recent developments and challenges of NGS-based research on rare diseases. As the quality of NGS studies improve and the cost of sequencing decreases, NGS will continue to make a significant impact on the study of rare diseases moving forward.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. vi14-vi15
Author(s):  
S. Coquerelle ◽  
M. Darlington ◽  
M. Michel ◽  
M. Durand ◽  
J. Gutton ◽  
...  

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2928
Author(s):  
Katia Nones ◽  
Ann-Marie Patch

Next generation sequencing (NGS) describes the technical revolution that enabled massively parallel sequencing of fragmented nucleic acids, thus making possible our current genomic understanding of cancers [...]


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 2341-2341
Author(s):  
Marlise R. Luskin ◽  
Campbell L. Stewart ◽  
Jennifer JD Morrissette ◽  
David Lieberman ◽  
David J. Margolis ◽  
...  

Abstract Background:Leukemia cutis (LC) occurs in 10-30% of AML cases and may be a marker of poor prognosis. However, outside of monocytic AML (FAB M4/M5), no clinical or genetic predictors of LC are known. Recently, a number of somatic molecular mutations have been described in AML. Using amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) of a panel of recurrent, hematologic malignancy-associated mutations, we sought to determine potential molecular markers associated with the development of LC. Methods: A cohort of non-M3 AML patients treated at the University of Pennsylvania was identified in which NGS had been performed on either leukemic blasts obtained during clinical care or from the institutional tissue bank.Average read depth for 33 hematologic malignancy-associated genes was approximately 3000X, minimal depth was 250x, and reporting frequency cutoff for variants was 5%. Mutations were reported as pathogenic or variants of uncertain significance (VUS, further sub-classified internally as likely disease associated, VUS, or likely benign) based on the University’s Center for Personalized Diagnostics (CPD) review of publically available data; only pathogenic or likely disease-associated mutations were included in this analysis. A database maintained by dermatopathology was reviewed to identify cases of leukemia cutis at any time during the disease course. Independent dermatopathology review was obtained for indeterminate cases. Association between presence of each of the 3 most common molecular mutations (FLT3-ITD, DNMT3A, and NPM1) and development of LC was assessed by logistic regression, with adjustment for FAB M4/M5, as appropriate. The association between presence of a molecular mutation in different functional classes (tumor suppressors, activated signaling, chromatin modifiers, transcription factors, splicing machinery) and the development of LC was also assessed. Results:279 adult patients with AML with known molecular genotype were identified. Molecular profile was determined from AML diagnosis in (243, 88%) with the remainder undergoing assessment after prior therapy (relapsed or refractory). 56% were male with median age of 60 years (range 18-87) and median WBC count at diagnosis of 22 K/uL (range 0.4 -388 K/uL; 17% ≥100K/uL). The majority of patients had intermediate cytogenetic risk (12% favorable, 59% intermediate, 23% unfavorable, 6% unknown) and 41% of patients had FAB M4/M5 AML (9% unknown). The three most common mutations were NPM1 (29%), DNMT3A (25%), and FLT3-ITD (23%). NPM1mutations were enriched in patients with FAB M4/M5 AML (41% vs 23%, p=0.003). Leukemia cutis was present in 26 (9%) of patients. NPM1 mutant status was present in 14 of 26 cases of leukemia cutis (OR 3.17, 95% CI 1.40-7.20, p=0.006). No association was detected for LC and the presence of mutant FLT3-ITD (OR 1.27, p=0.613), mutant DNMT3A (OR 1.7, p=0.224), or a mutation in any functional class of AML mutations (all p-values NS). The impact of NPM1 mutant status remained significant after adjustment for association with M4/M5 AML (OR 3.91, p=0.005). As the histologic subtype of AML might modify the association between NPM1 mutations and leukemia cutis, we next examined the impact of NPM1 mutant status on patients with FAB M4/M5 AML and non-M4/M5 AML. Among patients with M4/M5 AML, 10/12 (80%) patients with LC were NPM1 mutant compared to 32/91 (35%) without LC suggesting that the presence of mutated NPM1 was significantly associated with the development of LC (OR 9.22, p=0.006). Among patients with non-M4/M5 AML, 3/9 (33%) of patients with leukemia cutis were NPM1 mutant compared to 32/142 (22.5%) without LC indicating no association in the non-M4/M5 subgroup (OR 1.72, p=0.461). Interestingly, M4/M5 AML was not associated with LC in the NPM1 WT cohort (OR 0.65, p=0.6). Conclusion: Using NGS, we identify a novel association between NPM1 mutation status and the presence of leukemia cutis, particularly within monocytic AML. Confirmation of these observations in a larger dataset is planned. Our data suggest potential cellular effects of NPM1 mutation affecting homing of leukemic blasts to skin and support the World Health Organization’s provisional classification of NPM1-mutated AML as a distinct biologic entity. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


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