BackgroundRemethylation defects are rare inherited disorders in which impaired remethylation of homocysteine to methionine leads to accumulation of homocysteine and perturbation of numerous methylation reactions.ObjectiveTo summarise clinical and biochemical characteristics of these severe disorders and to provide guidelines on diagnosis and management.Data sourcesReview, evaluation and discussion of the medical literature (Medline, Cochrane databases) by a panel of experts on these rare diseases following the GRADE approach.Key recommendationsWe strongly recommend measuring plasma total homocysteine in any patient presenting with the combination of neurological and/or visual and/or haematological symptoms, subacute spinal cord degeneration, atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome or unexplained vascular thrombosis. We strongly recommend to initiate treatment with parenteral hydroxocobalamin without delay in any suspected remethylation disorder; it significantly improves survival and incidence of severe complications. We strongly recommend betaine treatment in individuals with MTHFR deficiency; it improves the outcome and prevents disease when given early.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10545-016-9991-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

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Introduction-Combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, cobalamin C (cblC) type, is an inherited disorder of vitamin B 12 metabolism caused by mutations in MMACHC. CblC typically presents in the neonatal period with neurological deterioration, failure to thrive, cytopenias, and multisystem pathology including renal and hepatic dysfunction. Rarely, affected individuals present in adulthood with gait ataxia and cognitive decline. Treatment with hydroxycobalamin may ameliorate the clinical features of early-onset disease and prevent clinical late-onset disease. Propionic acidemia (PA), methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), and various disorders of cobalamin metabolism are characterized by elevated propionylcarnitine (C3) on Newborn Screening (NBS). Distinctions can be made between these disorders with secondary analyte testing. Elevated methionine is already routinely used as a NBS marker for cystathionine ß-synthase deficiency. We propose that low methionine may be useful as a secondary analyte for specific detection of cbl disorders among a larger pool of infants with elevated C3 on NBS.Methods-Retrospective analysis of dried blood spot (DBS) data in patients with molecularly confirmed cblC disease.Results-9 out of 10 patients with confirmed cblC born in New York between 2005 and 2008 had methionine below 13.4 μmol/L on NBS. Elevated C3, elevated C3:C2 ratio, and low methionine were incorporated into a simple screening algorithm that can be used to improve the specificity of newborn screening programs and provide a specific and novel method of distinguishing cblC from other disorders of propionate metabolism prior to recall for confirmatory testing.Conclusions-It is anticipated that this algorithm will aid in early and specific detection of cobalamin C, D, and F diseases, with no additional expense to NBS laboratories screening for organic acidemias and classical homocystinuria.

BackgroundFloating-Harbor syndrome (FHS) is a rare condition characterized by short stature, delays in expressive language, and a distinctive facial appearance. Recently, heterozygous truncating mutations in SRCAP were determined to be disease-causing. With the availability of a DNA based confirmatory test, we set forth to define the clinical features of this syndrome.Methods and resultsClinical information on fifty-two individuals with SRCAP mutations was collected using standardized questionnaires. Twenty-four males and twenty-eight females were studied with ages ranging from 2 to 52 years. The facial phenotype and expressive language impairments were defining features within the group. Height measurements were typically between minus two and minus four standard deviations, with occipitofrontal circumferences usually within the average range. Thirty-three of the subjects (63%) had at least one major anomaly requiring medical intervention. We did not observe any specific phenotype-genotype correlations.ConclusionsThis large cohort of individuals with molecularly confirmed FHS has allowed us to better delineate the clinical features of this rare but classic genetic syndrome, thereby facilitating the development of management protocols.