Project description:The project aim is to evaluate the role of whole-genome aCGH for prenatal diagnosis in Hong Kong. Array CGH was performed on 220 samples recruited prospectively as the first-tier test study; and on 150 samples with abnormal ultrasound findings and normal karyotypes as a further-test study using NimbleGen CGX-135K oligonucleotide arrays. After the exclusion of common aneuploidies in the first-tier study, clinically significant CNVs are detected in 23/220 samples. In the further test study, clinically significant CNVs are detected in 9/150 samples, which showed CGX array has an increased diagnostic yield of about 6% compared with conventional cytogenetic methods. CNVs of unclear clinical significance are detected in only 10/370 (2.7%) samples. Only data from sample with positive findings are included in this experiment submission (the samples with normal results are not included here).
Project description:Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of chromosomal microarray (CMA) on the management of paediatric patients in Hong Kong Methods: We performed NimbleGen 135k oligonucleotide array on 327 children with intellectual disability (ID)/ developmental delay (DD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MCAs) in a university-affiliated paediatric unit from January 2011 to May 2013. The medical records of patients were reviewed in September 2013, focusing on the pathogenic/likely pathogenic CMA findings and their “clinical actionability” based on established criteria. Results: Thirty-seven patients were reported to have pathogenic/likely pathogenic results, while 40 had findings of unknown significance. This gives a detection rate of 11% for clinically significant (pathogenic/likely pathogenic) findings. The significant findings have prompted clinical actions in 28 out of 37 patients (75.7%), while the findings with unknown significance have led to further management recommendation in only 1 patient (p<0.001). Nineteen out of the 28 management recommendations are “evidence-based” on either practice guidelines endorsed by a professional society (n=9, Level 1) or peer-reviewed publications making medical management recommendation (n=10, Level 2). CMA results impact medical management by precipitating referral to a specialist (n=24); diagnostic testing (n=24), surveillance of complications (n=19), interventional procedure (n=7), medication (n=15) or lifestyle modification (n=12).
Project description:Objective: To evaluate the clinical impact of chromosomal microarray (CMA) on the management of paediatric patients in Hong Kong Methods: We performed NimbleGen 135k oligonucleotide array on 327 children with intellectual disability (ID)/ developmental delay (DD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and/or multiple congenital anomalies (MCAs) in a university-affiliated paediatric unit from January 2011 to May 2013. The medical records of patients were reviewed in September 2013, focusing on the pathogenic/likely pathogenic CMA findings and their “clinical actionability” based on established criteria. Results: Thirty-seven patients were reported to have pathogenic/likely pathogenic results, while 40 had findings of unknown significance. This gives a detection rate of 11% for clinically significant (pathogenic/likely pathogenic) findings. The significant findings have prompted clinical actions in 28 out of 37 patients (75.7%), while the findings with unknown significance have led to further management recommendation in only 1 patient (p<0.001). Nineteen out of the 28 management recommendations are “evidence-based” on either practice guidelines endorsed by a professional society (n=9, Level 1) or peer-reviewed publications making medical management recommendation (n=10, Level 2). CMA results impact medical management by precipitating referral to a specialist (n=24); diagnostic testing (n=24), surveillance of complications (n=19), interventional procedure (n=7), medication (n=15) or lifestyle modification (n=12).
Project description:Thermal exposure of sessile marine animals inhabiting estuarine intertidal regions is a matter of serious concern. The Hong Kong oyster, Crassostrea hongkongensis is one of the dominant sessile inhabitants of marine intertidal region which undergoes large seasonal temperature fluctuations every year. The oyster has developed several adaptation mechanisms to cope with acute thermal stress. However, the genetic basis of these mechanisms remain largely unclear. To better understand how acute thermal exposure affects the biology of the oyster, two cDNA libraries obtained from the gill of oysters exposed to thermal stress and ambient temperature were sequenced using the Digital Gene Expression (DGE) tag profiling strategy. In total, 5.9 and 6.2 million reads were obtained for thermal stress and control libraries respectively, with approximately 74.25% and 75.02 % of the reads mapping to the C. hongkongensis reference sequence. A total of 605 differentially expressed transcripts could be detected in the thermal stress group as compared to the control group, of which 378 are up-regulated and 227 are down-regulated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that these Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) were enriched with a broad spectrum of biological processes and pathways, including those associated with chaperones, antioxidants, immunity, apoptosis and cytoskeletal reorganization. Among these significantly enriched pathways, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum was the most affected metabolic pathway, which plays an important role in the unfolded protein response (UPR) and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) processes. Our results demonstrate the complex multi-modal cellular response to thermal stress in C. hongkongensis.