Background Glycated albumin (GA) reflects glycemic control in patients with neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM). However, GA in NDM patients is apparently low in relation to glycemia. Objective To establish the reference intervals for GA in healthy infants. Subjects and Methods Fifty‐eight healthy, full‐term newborn infants were used to define the GA reference values and to investigate its relationship to plasma glucose (PG) and serum albumin. The infants were categorized into three groups according to age: group A, 5 (4–6) median (range) d: n = 18; group B, 33 (30–38) d: n = 19; and group C, 181 (50–352) d: n = 21. We also studied 212 non‐diabetic adults [group D, 53 (28–78) yr old] and the 5 NDM patients previously reported for GA comparisons. Results In the infants, GA was strongly positively correlated with logarithmic transformation of age [log (age)] (p = 0.831, p < 0.0001). The GA in groups A, B, C, and D were 7.3 ± 1.0%, 8.6 ± 1.1%, 10.9 ± 0.8%, and 14.0 ± 1.1%, respectively. The GA was more strongly positively correlated with serum albumin (r = 0.768, p < 0.0001) than with PG (r = 0.596, p < 0.0001). When GA levels were compared with the age‐dependent reference values, GA in the transient NDM patient was normalized although GA in the four permanent NDM patients decreased but remained high after insulin therapy. Conclusions This study showed that the reference range for GA in infants is lower than that of adults and increases with age, with which we confirmed that GA in the NDM patients reflected the clinical course. Consequently, GA in NDM patients should be compared with the age‐based reference values to assess the accurate glycemic status.

BackgroundVariants in the type IV collagen gene (COL4A1/2) cause early-onset cerebrovascular diseases. Most individuals are diagnosed postnatally, and the prenatal features of individuals with COL4A1/2 variants remain unclear.MethodsWe examined COL4A1/2 in 218 individuals with suspected COL4A1/2-related brain defects. Among those arising from COL4A1/2 variants, we focused on individuals showing prenatal abnormal ultrasound findings and validated their prenatal and postnatal clinical features in detail.ResultsPathogenic COL4A1/2 variants were detected in 56 individuals (n=56/218, 25.7%) showing porencephaly (n=29), schizencephaly (n=12) and others (n=15). Thirty-four variants occurred de novo (n=34/56, 60.7%). Foetal information was available in 47 of 56 individuals, 32 of whom (n=32/47, 68.1%) had one or more foetal abnormalities. The median gestational age at the detection of initial prenatal abnormal features was 31 weeks of gestation. Only 14 individuals had specific prenatal findings that were strongly suggestive of features associated with COL4A1/2 variants. Foetal ventriculomegaly was the most common initial feature (n=20/32, 62.5%). Posterior fossa abnormalities, including Dandy-Walker malformation, were observed prenatally in four individuals. Regarding extrabrain features, foetal growth restriction was present in 16 individuals, including eight individuals with comorbid ventriculomegaly.ConclusionsPrenatal observation of ventriculomegaly with comorbid foetal growth restriction should prompt a thorough ultrasound examination and COL4A1/2 gene testing should be considered when pathogenic variants are strongly suspected.

Short-rib polydactyly syndrome type III is an autosomal recessive lethal skeletal ciliopathy, which is phenotypically similar to nonlethal asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. Mutations in DYNC2H1 have been identified in both of these disorders, indicating that they are variants of a single disorder. However, short-rib polydactyly syndrome type III is the more severe variant. Here, we report novel compound heterozygous mutations in DYNC2H1 (p.E1894fsX10 and p.R3004C) in a patient with typical short-rib polydactyly syndrome type III phenotype. R3004 is located within the microtubule-binding domain of DYNC2H1, and its substitution is predicted to disrupt the interaction with microtubules. Considering the severe phenotype of our patient, our findings suggest that R3004 may be a key residue for the microtubulebinding affinity of dynein.

GHb measured using the affinity method may be a useful glycemic control marker in infants. Although adj-HbA1c measured using the LA method was correlated with GA, it may not be a practical measure because it was not correlated with PG and determining HbF levels using HPLC method can be troublesome. Adj-HbA1c measured using the HPLC method should not be used as a glycemic marker in infants.

1 Background. Disseminated neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection causes a typical2