Transoral decompression and posterior stabilisation in Morquio's disease. (17/75)

A 3.5 year old boy with Morquio's disease was referred with a persisting left hemiparesis four months after a fall and was found to have craniocervical junction compression due to atlantoaxial subluxation and significant anterior soft tissue compression. Transient unconsciousness at the time of the fall was probably due to medullary concussion as a result of hyperextension, not a head injury. Spinal cord compression due to atlantoaxial subluxation at the craniovertebral junction is a major cause of disability and death in these patients. Once cervical myelopathy appears, early posterior occipitocervical fusion has been advocated in order to arrest the progression of neurological disability and this is successful in most cases. This conventional approach was considered unsafe because of the significant anterior compression. A combined anterior transoral decompression with posterior fusion to deal with this particularly difficult problem is described.  (+info)

Expression and characterization of 14 GLB1 mutant alleles found in GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B patients. (18/75)

GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B disease are lysosomal storage disorders caused by beta-galactosidase deficiency attributable to mutations in the GLB1 gene. On reaching the endosomal-lysosomal compartment, the beta-galactosidase protein associates with the protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA) and neuraminidase proteins to form the lysosomal multienzyme complex (LMC). The correct interaction of these proteins in the complex is essential for their activity. More than 100 mutations have been described in GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B patients, but few have been further characterized. We expressed 12 mutations suspected to be pathogenic, one known polymorphic change (p.S532G), and a variant described as either a pathogenic or a polymorphic change (p.R521C). Ten of them had not been expressed before. The expression analysis confirmed the pathogenicity of the 12 mutations, whereas the relatively high activity of p.S532G is consistent with its definition as a polymorphism. The results for p.R521C suggest that this change is a low-penetrant disease-causing allele. Furthermore, the effect of these beta-galactosidase changes on the LMC was also studied by coimmunoprecipitations and Western blotting. The alteration of neuraminidase and PPCA patterns in several of the Western blotting analyses performed on patient protein extracts indicated that the LMC is affected in at least some GM1-gangliosidosis and Morquio B patients.  (+info)

Prenatal diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis by continuous, monodimensional electrophoresis of amniotic fluid glycosaminoglycans. (19/75)

A continuous dimensional electrophoretic method was used in 15 urine samples of clinically diagnosed mucopolysaccharidoses I or IV. Twelve of the 15 were glycosaminoglycans band positive. Of the 12 one was KS band positive but methyl toluidine blue test was negative. The other 11 were positive with both methods. Prenatal diagnosis was done in 10 cases during their next pregnancy with the same method on the amniotic fluid. Two affected fetuses were diagnosed and proved, one after induced abortion and the other after full-term delivery.  (+info)

A single injection of an adeno-associated virus vector into nuclei with divergent connections results in widespread vector distribution in the brain and global correction of a neurogenetic disease. (20/75)

Neurogenetic disorders typically affect cells throughout the brain. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated transfer of a normal cDNA can correct the metabolic defects at the site of injection, but treatment of the entire brain requires widespread delivery of the normal gene and/or protein. Current methods require multiple injections for widespread distribution. However, some AAV vectors can be transported along neuronal pathways associated with the injected region. Thus, targeting widely dispersed systems in the CNS might be a pathway for gene dispersal from a limited number of sites. We tested this hypothesis in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a region with numerous efferent and afferent projections. A single 1 mul injection resulted in transport of the vector genome to projection sites in distal parts of the brain. When compared with injections into the striatum, the VTA injection resulted in higher enzyme levels in more regions of the brain. The AAV-9 serotype vector was the most widely disseminated, but AAV-Rh.10 and AAV-1 were also transported after VTA injection. The effect on global lesions of a neurogenetic disease was tested in the mouse model of MPS VII (mucopolysaccharidosis VII), a lysosomal storage disorder. Widespread distribution of the vector genome after AAV-9 VTA injection resulted in even further distribution of the enzyme product, by secretion and uptake by surrounding cells, and complete correction of the storage lesions throughout the entire brain. This unprecedented level of correction from a single injection into the developed brain provides a potential strategy to correct a large volume of brain while minimizing the number of injections.  (+info)

Enzyme replacement therapy in a murine model of Morquio A syndrome. (21/75)

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS), leading to accumulation of keratan sulfate (KS) and chrondroitin-6-sulfate. The pharmacokinetics and biodistributions were determined for two recombinant human GALNSs produced in CHO cell lines: native GALNS and sulfatase-modifier-factor 1 (SUMF1) modified GALNS. Preclinical studies of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) by using two GALNS enzymes were performed on MPS IVA mice. The half-lives in blood circulation of two phosphorylated GALNS enzymes were similar (native, 2.4 min; SUMF1, 3.3 min). After intravenous doses of 250 units/g body weight were administered, each enzyme was primarily recovered in liver and spleen, with detectable activity in other tissues including bone and bone marrow. At 4 h post-injection, enzyme activity was retained in the liver, spleen, bone and bone marrow at levels that were 20-850% of enzyme activity in the wild-type mice. After intravenous doses of 250 units/g of native GALNS, and 250, 600 or 1000 units/g of SUMF1-GALNS were administered weekly for 12 weeks, MPS IVA mice showed marked reduction of storage in visceral organs, sinus lining cells in bone marrow, heart valves, ligaments and connective tissues. A dose-dependent clearance of storage material was observed in brain. The blood KS level assayed by tandem mass spectrometry was reduced nearly to normal level. These preclinical studies demonstrate the clearance of tissue and blood KS by administered GALNS, providing the in vivo rationale for the design of ERT trials in MPS IVA.  (+info)

Normal MPS excretion, but dermatan sulphaturia, combined with a mild Maroteaux-Lamy phenotype. (22/75)

A mildly affected Maroteaux-Lamy patient is described. Electrophoretic separation of acid mucopolysaccharides (MPS) in the urine showed an increased excretion of dermatan sulphate in spite of a normal total excretion of MPS.  (+info)

Morquio syndrome (MPV IV)--a case report. (23/75)

A child, of normal intelligence, belonging to a nonconsanguineous marriage was diagnosed as MPS type IV the so called Morquio syndrome. Despite mild corneal cloudiness no other ophthalmological abnormalities were observed. Reilly granules in the leukocytes and abnormal mucopolysaccharides in urine confirmed the diagnosis.  (+info)

Mannose 6-phosphate receptor-mediated transport of sulfamidase across the blood-brain barrier in the newborn mouse. (24/75)

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