Our study suggests a need for detecting the carriers. This is the first step for the construction of a national database and provides information for health planners and policy makers to help them in planning programs and allocation resources. The molecular testing was well received by pregnant women and appears to be feasible and highly acceptable.

No abstract

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) can be considered as a condition of the whole body as extracolonic features derived from all the three embryonic lineages are recorded with varying frequency in addition to the presence of multiple adenomas in the large intestine. Here, we describe two unrelated cases of FAP with unusual extracolonic phenotypes, namely several abnormalities of mesodermal origin strongly resembling Marfan syndrome (MFS) or a Marfan-like habitus. Conventional cytogenetic and FISH analysis did not reveal any gross chromosomal rearrangement on the long arm of chromosome 5 where the APC and FBN2 genes were located. However, in case 2 the FAP-causing mutation in the APC gene was found in the donor splice site of exon 4 and was shown to result in a frameshift and a premature termination codon. We propose that such connective tissue abnormalities may result from germline APC mutations in combination with specific genetic and/or environmental modifying factors.

No abstract

DFNB1 locus has been linked to a nonsyndromic "invisible disability" called congenital sensorineural hearing loss and deafness. Mutations of GJB2 and GJB6 genes are associated with deafness at the DFNB1 locus. The diagnosis of DFNB1 is made with molecular genetic testing. DNA-based testing can be used both prenatally and postnatally. Purpose: To get evidence for implementation of newborn hearing screening programs at national level; to use the molecular testing of children at risk for confirmation of diagnosis and early intervention. OAEs and ABR were performed for 4303 newborns. Audiologic evaluation of 38 children suspected of having hearing loss was performed too. Physical examinations and family history were used to get information about congenital deafness. DNA from blood samples was isolated, and two PCR multiplex assays were developed to detect DFNB1 mutations. Only 23 newborns were screened positive. Newborns were referred to audiologic evaluation, genetic counseling and testing for the etiologic diagnosis. Physical examination revealed no other abnormal findings. GJB2 mutations were detected in 36.03% of patients, and all of them have 35delG mutation. None of them was found to have GJB6 mutations. Our results suggested that molecular testing was an accurate method of early determining cause of congenital hearing loss and helped us to exclude GJB6 gene from the routine hearing screening protocol.