Maria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira

Maria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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5 March 2024 in Biomedicines
Verified
Journal Article
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MMMaria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira
Maria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira
ISIsabel Solares
Isabel Solares
CMCecilia Muñoz-Delgado
Cecilia Muñoz-Delgado
SSSinziana Stanescu
Sinziana Stanescu
MMMarta Morado
Marta Morado
JVJesús Villarrubia-Espinosa
Jesús Villarrubia-Espinosa
Gaucher disease is an inherited disorder in which there is a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, which leads to the accumulation of glucosylceramide. Although much scientific evidence is now available, there is still limited data on the impact on the different life stages of women with this disease. Among other alterations, a delay in menarche has been described, although it has not been related to fertility problems. Menorrhagia is relatively frequent, being related to the presence of thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopathies or coagulation disorders. On the other hand, pregnancy planning is an increasingly frequent concern. All patients should undergo genetic counseling, and it is important to monitor the appearance or worsening of organomegaly, bone and hematologic abnormalities to establish clinical and therapeutic recommendations. Management during the puerperium will depend on the evolution of gestation, and, during the lactation period, the potential appearance of bone complications should be assessed. An early onset of menopause, compared to the general population, has also been described, which may accelerate the development of osteopenia. Finally, although the usual screening protocols for neoplasms are currently being performed, it is recommended to watch for early signs of liver or renal neoplasms when examining the results of imaging tests performed during evaluations for this disease.

4 April 2024 in Haemophilia
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
MMMaria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira
Maria del Mar Meijon-Ortigueira
MRMaría Teresa Álvarez Román
María Teresa Álvarez Román
HCHortensia De La Corte
Hortensia De La Corte
NBNora Butta
Nora Butta
VJVictor Jimenez-Yuste
Victor Jimenez-Yuste

17 December 2025 in Biomedicines
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Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MDMARIA DOMINGUEZ-RUIZ
MARIA DOMINGUEZ-RUIZ
JGJuan Luis Chico García
Juan Luis Chico García
LLLaura López-Marín
Laura López-Marín
SSSinziana Stanescu
Sinziana Stanescu
PCPablo Crujeiras
Pablo Crujeiras
Ignacio del CastilloIgnacio del Castillo
Ignacio del Castillo
Background/Objectives: Krabbe disease (KD) is a hereditary lysosomal disorder whose hallmark is progressive demyelination, with variable involvement of the central nervous system. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the GALC gene that disrupt the function of its gene product, the lysosomal enzyme galactosylceramidase. We analyzed two unrelated cases (one early infantile and one adult) with a clinical suspicion of KD. Methods: We used a combination of biochemical techniques (high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry), NGS (resequencing gene panels), splicing assays, and molecular modeling to identify and analyze the pathogenicity of the variants underlying the disorder. Results: The two probands were compound heterozygotes for disease-causing variants in the GALC gene, encoding the lysosomal hydrolase galactosylceramidase. Three of the variants were novel and caused aberrant splicing, either by exon skipping (c.908+5G>A and c.1034-1G>C) or by inclusion of a cryptic, deep intronic pseudoexon (c.621+772G>C). The fourth variant was a known missense change (c.956A>G, p.(Tyr319Cys)) with conflicting interpretations of pathogenicity in the databases. Conclusions: We demonstrated the pathogenicity of the three novel splicing variants, all with strong impact on galactosylceramidase function. We also concluded that the c.956A>G missense variant is a hypomorph usually underlying the later-onset, milder phenotypes of KD. Our results stress the importance of integrated approaches combining clinical, biochemical, and genetic testing to obtain a definitive diagnosis of lysosomal diseases.