Search

During several consecutive excavations from the 1950s to the 1990s the cave of Cariguela de Pinar (Granada, Baetic System, Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula) has yielded an important sample of Neanderthal fossils. Among these finds is a fragmentary frontal bone of an immature individual (CE-05877), which was described earlier. Here we present a new virtual reconstruction and a quantitative analysis of its three-dimensional morphology. Geometric morphometric analyses show that the Cariguela frontal falls within the range of shape variation of 6–7 year-old Neanderthals, and clearly outside the range of variation exhibited by same-age modern humans. Compared to other Neanderthals of similar age, Cariguela has a relatively wide nasal bridge and low frontal profile. Re-analysis of the fossil's endocranial imprints in the light of cerebral sulcal variability in modern humans indicates that only a reduced number of brain sulci can be identified reliably. Overall, the Cariguela fossil provides further support for the view that Neanderthals and modern humans exhibit distinct frontal bone morphologies, while their cerebral frontal lobes exhibit largely similar but highly variable sulcal patterns.

Pathogenic variants of HIST1H1Egene have recently been associated with a condition known as Rahman syndrome, characterized by overgrowth, intellectual disability and nonspecific dysmorphic features (high hairline, full cheeks, wide nasal bridge). Wide clinical variability is reported, especially regarding the level of neurodevelopment delay and intellectual disability. We report a 10-year-old girl with macrocephaly and global developmental delay, in whom a novel heterozygous variant in the HIST1H1Egene [c.392_395dup (p.Gly133fs)] was discovered, but involving the same C-terminal domain-protein domain reported previously. Comparing the clinical data of our patient with those previously described, a 'core phenotype' with macrocephaly, psychomotor delay/intellectual disability and mild facial dysmorphisms seems evident.

The 8q21.11 microdeletion syndrome (OMIM # 614230) has been recently described and is primarily characterized by intellectual disability and facial dysmorphism. We describe here a male patient of 9 years 9 months of age with moderate intellectual disability and dysmorphic facial features. A high resolution copy number variation analysis, performed with the Affymetrix Cytogenetics Whole-Genome 2.7 M SNP array, allowed the identification of a heterozygous 7.069 Mb microdeletion at chromosome 8q21.11–q21.13. Clinical comparison of our patient with literature shows many similarities. However, the whole facial appearance of our patient, especially the elongated rather than rounded face and the absence of a wide nasal bridge and epicanthal folds, confers him a phenotype similar only to a subset, but not to the majority, of the hitherto described patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genetic studies grounded on monogenic paradigms have accelerated both gene discovery and molecular diagnosis. At the same time, complex genomic rearrangements are also appreciated as potent drivers of disease pathology. Here, we report two male siblings with a dysmorphic face, ambiguous genitalia, intellectual disability, and speech delay. Through quad-based whole-exome sequencing and concomitant molecular cytogenetic testing, we identified two copy-number variants (CNVs) in both affected individuals likely arising from a balanced translocation: a 13.5-Mb duplication on Chromosome 16 (16q23.1 → 16qter) and a 7.7-Mb deletion on Chromosome 5 (5p15.31 → 5pter), as well as a hemizygous missense variant in CXorf36 (also known as DIA1R). The 5p terminal deletion has been associated previously with speech delay, whereas craniofacial dysmorphia and genital/urinary anomalies have been reported in patients with a terminal duplication of 16q. However, dosage changes in either genomic region alone could not account for the overall clinical presentation in our family; functional testing of CXorf36 in zebrafish did not induce defects in neurogenesis or the craniofacial skeleton. Notably, literature and database analysis revealed a similar dosage disruption in two siblings with extensive phenotypic overlap with our patients. Taken together, our data suggest that dosage perturbation of genes within the two chromosomal regions likely drives the syndromic manifestations of our patients and highlight how multiple genetic lesions can contribute to complex clinical pathologies.

Duplications of 4q31-qter have been rarely documented; moreover, triplications at this chromosomal region have never been described. Here we report a family through two generations (mother and three sons) with triplication of 4q32.1-q32.2. Their characteristic features include: macrocephaly, a long midface, hypoplastic zygoma, wide nasal bridge, short nose, downslanting and small palpebral fissures, and small, low-set and squared-off ears. Among the three sons, two had Hirschsprung disease, and one had constipation at birth. The phenotype of triplication of 4q32.1-q32.2 appeared to be distinct from duplications of 4q31-qter.

We report a very rare case of anomaly in the maxillofacial region. This case is a patient with a cleft palate who had Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome. This X-linked symptom was first described by Simpson et al in 1975 and is characterized by prenatal and postnatal overgrowth, as well as visceral and skeletal anomalies. The syndrome consists of a distinctive facial appearance with wide nasal bridge, anteverted nostrils, wide-open mouth, enlarged tongue, and large protruding maxilla and jaw. The cleft palate was repaired surgically using the push-back method.