by Tobias Geis  , Ute Hehr  , Roland Brandl  , Saskia Herbst  , Hugo Segerer  , Michael Melter  and Sophie Hinreiner

Received: 31 August 2017;  Published: 06 March 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1801015

Background: Neonatal muscular hypotonia is a common clinical feature on neonatal intensive care units with a broad spectrum of etiologies. Besides more common and obvious underlying conditions like prematurity or Down syndrome many rare disorders with often poor prognosis need to be considered. Congenital brain malformations detected on ultrasound or/and magnetic resonance imaging might constitute the clinical hallmark in differential diagnosis. We report on our approach combining cerebral imagi [...]

by Jiani Yin  , David Oleson  and Christian P. Schaaf

Received: 31 August 2017;  Published: 24 February 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1801014

Autism spectrum disorder is a clinically heterogeneous condition, characterized by social deficits, language impairment, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interest. Autism displays significant genetic heterogeneity. In the past one and a half decades, next generation sequencing has enabled identification of many variants that predispose to autism. These discoveries have improved understanding of the disease etiology of autism spectrum disorder. In this review article, we will address how deve [...]

by Martina C Cornel

Received: 13 July 2017;  Published: 11 February 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1801013

Technology makes it possible to expand many of the current screening programs. In preconception screening for carrier status of recessive diseases, prenatal screening for aneuploidies and neonatal screening initially programs were targeting one or a few conditions. Tandem mass spectrometry and genomic technologies, such as sequencing and panel testing, make it possible to increase the scope of the programs to include more disorders or markers. While inclusion of more similar conditions may lead [...]

by Khue Vu Nguyen

Received: 18 January 2018;  Published: 31 January 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.genet.1801012

With the increasing ability to control infectious and nutritional diseases in developed countries, there has come the realization that genetic and epigenetic regulation in diseases are a major cause of disability, death, and human tragedy. Here, I discuss current knowledge about this matter including the diagnosis, counseling, treatment and management as well as some current therapeutic interventions such as gene, stem cell, epigenetic therapies and future directions in the field.