Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)--prevention of the birth of children affected with endocrine diseases

Temporal sociomedical approaches to intersex* bodies

The history of the field of intersex bodies/bodies with variations of sex development (VSD) reflects the ongoing tension between sociomedical attempts to control uncertainty and reduce the duration of corporeal uncertainty by means of early diagnosis and treatment, and the embodied subjects who resist or challenge these attempts, which ultimately increase uncertainty. Based on various qualitative studies in the field of intersex, this article describes three temporal sociomedical approaches that have evolved over the last decade and aims to address the uncertainty surrounding intersex/VSD bodies. These approaches are (1) the corrective-concealing approach, which includes early surgeries and hormone therapies intended to "correct" intersex conditions and the deliberate concealment of the ambiguity and uncertainty associated with intersex conditions; (2) the preventive approach, which involves early genetic diagnostic methods aimed at regulating or preventing the recurrence of hereditary conditions under the umbrella of VSD; and (3) the wait-and-see approach, which perceives intersex bodies as natural variations and encourages parents to take time, wait, and give their children the right to bodily autonomy. A comparison of these approaches from biopolitical, phenomenological, and pragmatic perspectives reveals that time is an essential social agent in addressing and controlling uncertainty, a gatekeeper of social norms and social and physical orders, and, on the other hand, a sociopolitical agent that enables creative social change.

Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2B in Ethnic Han Chinese

BACKGROUND

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B (MEN 2B) is mainly caused by M918T RET germline mutation, and characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and non-endocrine features. However, the diagnosis and treatment are usually delayed.

METHODS

This study reports 5 Chinese pedigrees with 5 individuals harboring germline RETM918T, and systematically reviewed previous Chinese literature reported.

RESULTS

All 5 patients initially presented MTC, but none had biochemically cured postoperatively. 2 also presented bilateral PHEO after adrenal-sparing surgery, 1 needed steroid replacement. Further, a total of 32 MEN 2B patients from literature were clustered with 28 available for analysis. 26 (92.8%) were diagnosed by endocrine-related symptoms; the remaining 2 (7.2%) due to RET testing and oral symptoms, respectively. 25 patients underwent thyroidectomy with/without neck lymph node dissection at the mean age of (23.3 ± 10.4) years. Histopathological examination revealed MTC (100%). Of them, 17 had definite TNM stage, with 1 in stage III and others in IV. Other information of MEN 2B-related symptoms included penetrance of PHEO (60.7%), constipation (32.1%), Hirschsprung disease (25%), alacrima (17.8%), mucosal ganglioneuroma (96.4%) and marfanoid habitus (71.4%). 19 patients were verified harboring RET-M918T (c.2753T>C), of whom 15 (78.9%) were de novo mutation. The other 9 were clinically diagnosed as MEN 2B.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

The initial diagnosis of MEN 2B is relatively later, and diagnosed by non-endocrine components is extremely lower. Recognition of MEN 2B and its non-endocrine-related components is still the utmost requirement for a Chinese physician. Combined RET screening and serum calcitonin detection can facilitate early diagnosis.

Thyroid nodules and cancer during pregnancy, post-partum and preconception planning: Addressing the uncertainties and challenges

Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer have become increasingly common worldwide. When discovered during pregnancy, they pose unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for both the treating physician and the patient. The benefits of treatment should be carefully weighed against risks that may adversely impact maternal and fetal health. In this review, we present current knowledge and controversies surrounding the management of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer in pregnancy, in the post-partum period and during preconception planning.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2A

Background: When discussing matters of reproduction, the 2015 revised guidelines for the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma recommend that patients diagnosed with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) are informed about the option of Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic Disorders (PGT-M). In addition, patients seem to have a genuine interest in reproductive options. However, there are just two reports worldwide of this technology being used for patients with MEN 2A. We here present, in a Danish couple where the man has MEN 2A, the first European family with children born after PGT-M. Objective: To report the results of PGT-M in relation to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A with the aim to increase awareness among physicians treating this and other genetic disorders. Methods: A Danish couple was referred to the PGT Center at Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet and opted for PGT-M after counseling by a clinical geneticist and a fertility doctor. The embryos were diagnosed using microsatellite polymorphic marker close to RET. Results: The couple had two healthy children born in 2017 and 2019 as a result of a total of three ICSI treatments including controlled ovarian stimulation, oocyte retrieval and PGT-M, and a total of six blastocyst transfers. Conclusion: A session with a clinical geneticist covering all reproductive options for patients in early adult life is a relevant part of the clinical management of patients with MEN 2A, and other patients with hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes.

Trophoblast Retrieval and Isolation From the Cervix for Noninvasive, First Trimester, Fetal Gender Determination in a Carrier of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive defect in cortisol biosynthesis that elevates fetal androgen levels to cause genital ambiguity and external genital masculinization in newborn females. Introducing dexamethasone in utero by 7 weeks gestation precludes virilization of affected females. However, identification of a male fetus prior to week 7 could avert the necessity of steroid treatment in half of pregnancies at risk of CAH. We recently introduced trophoblast retrieval and isolation from the cervix (TRIC), an approach that noninvasively isolate homogeneous trophoblast cells from pregnant women as early as 5 weeks gestation, using a Papanicolaou test. Here, we have used TRIC to correctly identify male fetal DNA when both parents were carriers of the mutation that produces CAH and previously produced an affected child. Trophoblast cells (1400) obtained by TRIC were assessed using immunocytochemistry with an antibody against the trophoblast-specific β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin, which labeled 100% (17 of 17) of isolated cells, while none of the excluded maternal cervical cells were labeled. The isolated cells were examined by fluorescent in situ hybridization for chromosomes 18, X, and Y at a clinical cytogenetics laboratory, demonstrating 100% (18 of 18) of cells to be diploid 18/XY. Aliquots of DNA obtained from the isolated cells assayed for SRY and RNASEH genes by TaqMan assays confirmed a male fetus. This case study demonstrates the utility of TRIC to accurately identify fetal gender as a means of reducing the need for prophylactic administration of exogenous steroids in pregnancies at risk of CAH.

Revised American Thyroid Association guidelines for the management of medullary thyroid carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The American Thyroid Association appointed a Task Force of experts to revise the original Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Management Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association.

METHODS

The Task Force identified relevant articles using a systematic PubMed search, supplemented with additional published materials, and then created evidence-based recommendations, which were set in categories using criteria adapted from the United States Preventive Services Task Force Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The original guidelines provided abundant source material and an excellent organizational structure that served as the basis for the current revised document.

RESULTS

The revised guidelines are focused primarily on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and hereditary MTC.

CONCLUSIONS

The Task Force developed 67 evidence-based recommendations to assist clinicians in the care of patients with MTC. The Task Force considers the recommendations to represent current, rational, and optimal medical practice.

Treatment and health outcomes in adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a genetic disorder caused by defective steroidogenesis that results in glucocorticoid deficiency; the most common underlying mutation is in the gene that encodes 21-hydroxylase. Life-saving glucocorticoid treatment was introduced in the 1950s, and the number of adult patients is now growing; however, no consensus has been reached on the management of CAH beyond childhood. Adult patients are prescribed a variety of glucocorticoids, including hydrocortisone, prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone and combinations of these drugs taken in either a circadian or reverse circadian regimen. Despite these personalized treatments, biochemical control of CAH is only achieved in approximately one-third of patients. Some patients have a poor health status, with an increased incidence of obesity and osteoporosis, and impaired fertility and quality of life. The majority of poor health outcomes seem to relate to inadequate treatment rather than the genotype of the patient. Patients receiving high doses of glucocorticoids and the more potent synthetic long-acting glucocorticoids are at an increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance and a reduced quality of life. Further research is required to optimize the treatment of adult patients with CAH and improve health outcomes.

Gender eugenics? The ethics of PGD for intersex conditions

This article discusses the ethics of the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to prevent the birth of children with intersex conditions/disorders of sex development (DSDs), such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). While pediatric surgeries performed on children with ambiguous genitalia have been the topic of intense bioethical controversy, there has been almost no discussion to date of the ethics of the use of PGD to reduce the prevalence of these conditions. I suggest that PGD for those conditions that involve serious medical risks for those born with them is morally permissible and that PGD for other "cosmetic" variations in sexual anatomy is more defensible than might first appear. However, importantly, the arguments that establish the latter claim have radical and disturbing implications for our attitude toward diversity more generally.