Hypoplasia of the nose and eyes, hyposmia, hypogeusia, and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism in two males

Two males, 9-11 and 29-31 years of age, with severe hypoplasia of the nose, hypoplasia of the eyes, sensory abnormalities of taste and smell, and hypogonadism were studied. The nasal septum, cribriform plates and foramina of the vomeronasal (vn) nerves were demonstrated in both; the capsule of the vn organ was shown in one. Their nasal skeleton, demonstrated by tomoradiography, had grown in early embryological form. The nose was not patent in either patient. In both, the cranial vaults, orbits, epipharynges, and oral cavities were indented toward the hypoplastic nasal composite and the peripheral dimensions of their faces were normal for their respective ages. Each patient had impaired visual function with cataracts and colobomata. Each was unable to recognize the smell of any vapor (Type I hyposmia), and had severe impairment of recognition of any tastant (recognition hypogeusia); detection of vapors and of tastants were in appropriate anatomical areas. Each was unable orally to recognize standard plastic forms (astereognosis) though each could recognize the forms manually. Each patient had bilateral inguinal hernias, one or two undescended testes, and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. These patients do not fall within the spectrum of arrhinencephaly because of the presence of medial structure of attachment of the falx cerebri and because of their normal intelligence. Distinction of patients with this pattern of abnormalities from arrhinencephaly is important by reason of their potentiality of normal mental development. We hypothesize that their abnormalities resulted from an embryological disruption that occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy. The embryogenesis of the nasal composite is presumed to have been adequate for reciprocal induction of the anlagen of the forebrain. Development of their faces to normal peripheral dimensions indicates that the nasal composite is not essential for gross facial enlargement.     

A case of Keutel syndrome diagnosed in the neonatal period: associated with Binder phenotype

Keutel syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by brachytelephalangia (short, broad distal phalanges), midfacial hypoplasia, abnormal cartilage calcifications, peripheral pulmonary stenosis and hearing loss. Binder profile is a well known maxillonasal dysplasia composed of midfacial hypoplasia with absence of anterior nasal spine and facial dysmophism (short nose, flat nasal bridge, perialar flatness, convex upper lip). Here we report a Keutel syndrome presenting with Binder phenotype, abnormal calcifications, hearing loss and respiratory insufficiency in the newborn period. Keutel syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children with tracheobronchial calcifications, midfacial hypoplasia and stippled epiphysis.     

The skeletal anatomy of mandibulofacial dysostosis (Treacher Collins syndrome)

Three-dimensional osseous surface re-formation imaging from CT scans was used to examine the facial skeletons of 14 living patients with mandibulofacial dysostosis. Partial to complete aplasia of the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, mild hypoplasia to aplasia of the frontal process of the zygoma, antimongoloid slant of the transverse orbital axis, and hypoplasia of the medial pterygoid plates and muscles are common to all patients examined. Deformities of the zygoma, zygomatic process of the frontal bone, mandible, and lateral pterygoid plates and muscles vary from minimal to severe, including aplasia. The body of the zygoma is the least affected part of the bone. Right-left asymmetry characterizes these deformities in all patients. The most consistent skeletal aplasia (cleft) in mandibulofacial dysostosis involves the zygomatic process of the temporal bone rather than the zygoma itself.     

Acrodysostosis

Acrodysostosis refers to a group of rare skeletal dysplasias that share in common characteristic clinical and radiological features including brachydactyly, facial dysostosis, and nasal hypoplasia. In the past, the term acrodysostosis has been used to describe patients with heterogeneous phenotypes, including, in some cases, patients that today would be given alternative diagnoses. The recent finding that mutations impairing the cAMP binding to PRKAR1A are associated with "typical" acrodysostosis and hormonal resistance initiates the era where this group of disorders can be categorized on a genetic basis. In this review, we will first discuss the clinical, radiologic, and metabolic features of acrodysostosis, emphasizing evidence that several forms of the disease are likely to exist. Second, we will describe recent results explaining the pathogenesis of acrodysostosis with hormonal resistance (ADOHR). Finally, we will discuss the similarities and differences observed comparing patients with ADOHR and other diseases resulting from defects in the PTHR1 signaling pathway, in particular, pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1a and pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism.     

Biliary lithiasis in early pregnancy and abnormal development of facial and distal limb bones (Binder syndrome): a possible role for vitamin K deficiency

BACKGROUND: Binder syndrome is a maxillonasal dysostosis characterized by midface and nasal hypoplasia, sometimes associated with short terminal phalanges of fingers and toes and transient radiological features of chondrodysplasia punctata. Warfarin- or phenytoin-induced vitamin K deficiency during early pregnancy is a well-established etiology for this syndrome, which occurs nevertheless sporadically in most cases. CASE(S): We describe here the first case, to our knowledge, of Binder syndrome in a child whose mother presented with biliary lithiasis in early pregnancy. The mother proved to have a decrease in clotting factors II, VII, and X, and in prothrombin time, at 11 weeks of gestation, which was highly suggestive of vitamin K deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The biliary lithiasis-induced vitamin K deficiency in early pregnancy is likely to have resulted in Binder syndrome. This observation should prompt physicians to carefully check for vitamin K deficiency in pregnant women presenting with biliary lithiasis, in order to prevent Binder syndrome in the fetus by providing intravenous vitamin K supplementation as soon as possible. Finally, reassuring genetic counseling regarding the genetic risk for future pregnancies is to be provided to the parents.     

Frontofacial advancement with bony separation in craniofacial dysostosis

A new technique in craniofacial surgery to separate the cranial and nasal cavities from each other is described. This can be achieved by preserving the complete anterior cranial fossa while simultaneously correcting the forehead, orbit, and face in craniofacial dysostosis. With this procedure, the risk of infection deriving from nasal sinuses and cavities should be minimized.     

Partial trisomy 1p (1p36.22-->pter) and partial monosomy 9p (9p22.2-->pter) associated with achalasia, flexion deformity of the fingers and epilepsy in a girl

We report on a 12-year-old girl presenting with mental retardation, trigonocephaly, midface hypoplasia, upward-slanting palpebral fissures, arched eyebrows, bilateral epicanthal folds, hypertelorism, a flattened nasal bridge, a short nose, anteverted nares, a long philtrum, a small mouth, micrognathia, low-set ears, a short neck, long digits, flexion deformity of the fingers of the hands, hypoplasia of the labia majora, hyperplasia of the labia minora, flat feet, dysphagia, frequent regurgitation, prominent esophageal dilation, and achalasia. Seizures were noted since 5 years of age. Cytogenetic analysis of her peripheral blood revealed a karyotype of 46,XX, der(9)t(1;9)(p36.22;p22.2)pat. Achalasia, an uncommon esophageal motor disorder, has not been previously described in association with either a deletion of 9p or a duplication of 1p.     

Brachytelephalangic chondrodysplasia punctata: a possible X-linked recessive form

Summary The author describes four cases of chondrodysplasia punctata with an hypoplasia of the distal phalange of the fingers. In these cases, growth disturbance is moderate without asymmetry of the limbs, and the facial dysmorphism is similar to that found in Binder's maxillo-facial dysostosis. The phalangeal anomaly is very important for the diagnosis of chondrodysplasia punctata at an age when epiphyseal stippling is no longer present. The relationship of this form of chondro-dysplasia with cases in which there is a deletion of the terminal short arm of the X chromosome is discussed. A possible hypothesis is that this form, which is always observed in males, is secondary to an isolated mutation of the Xp localized gene.     

MCA/MR syndrome with severe pre- and postnatal growth retardation, deep mental retardation, distinct facial appearance with nasal hypoplasia, cleft palate and retino-choroidal coloboma in two unrelated female patients

We describe the clinical findings and natural history in two unrelated deeply mentally retarded females, now 28 and 20 years old respectively. Both presented prenatal growth retardation and severe postnatal growth retardation. Their craniofacial appearance is distinct with nasal hypoplasia, triangular mouth and thin lips. Both have a cleft palate and a retinal coloboma at the right eye. Motor development is below the age of 1 year with a complex neurological syndrome with axial hypotonia and spastic quadriplegia.     

Terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 4. Report of a case of 46, XY, del(4)(q31) and review of 4q- syndrome

Using Q banding technique we recently identified a terminal deletion of the distal segment of the long arm of chromosome 4 in a male infant with multiple long arm of chromosome 4 in a male infant with multiple congenital anomalies. The breakpoint is at 4q31. The infant had hypertelorism, epicanthal folds, depressed nasal bridge, short nasal septum with upturned nose, bilateral open cleft lip and palate, retro- and micrognathia, low set, malformed ear, short neck, distally placed nipples, a sacral dimple, hypospadias, dysplastic nails, overriding toes, simian creases, patterns on interdigital and hypothenar areas, hypoplasia of gallbladder, and cardiac defects consisting of tricuspid atresia, left sided vena cava and anomalous aortic arch. This case is compared to the eight previously reported 4q- cases.     

Nasal fossa malformations and paramedian facial cleft: new perspectives.

Choanal atresia may be associated with other cranio-facial malformations, including various degrees of nasal fossa malformation, and may be a part of paramedian facial clefts (as described by Tessier et al. [1977]). We identified five such cases with combined clinical elements corresponding to Tessier's paramedian facial cleft, including eyelid coloboma, mild to severe choanal and nasal fossa anomalies, ethmoidal hypoplasia and anterior skull base malformation, sometimes with proboscis lateralis and half-nose hypoplasia. These observations incited us, first, to elaborate a conception which accounts for the likely embryological mechanisms involved; second, to propose a new classification based on anatomical and pathogenic embryological considerations; and last, to propose the use of transpalatal approach to restore choanal permeability, since endonasal laser therapy is particularly dangerous in such cases.     

An additional manifestation in acrocallosal syndrome: temporal lobe hypoplasia

Acrocallosal Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which is characterized by moderate to severe mental retardation, agenesis or hypoplasia of the corpus callosum and polydactyly of fingers and toes. The spectrum of this syndrome is very variable. Prominent forehead, broad nasal bridge, short nose and mandible, hypertelorism, epicanthic folds, large anterior fontanelle and tapered fingers, omphalocele and inguinal hernia are some other common findings in this syndrome. Twenty percent of the patients have associated brain abnormalities such as cerebral atrophy, hypothalamic dysfunction, small cerebrum, micropolygyria, hypoplasia of pons, hypoplasia of cerebellar hemispheres, hypoplasia of medulla oblongata, agenesis or hypoplasia of cerebellar vermis and corpus callosum abnormalities. Here we present a 10-month-old female infant with clinical and radiological findings indicative of acrocallosal syndrome. She was noted to have craniofacial abnormalities suggestive of acrocallosal syndrome, optic atrophy and polydactyly. MRI revealed cerebral atrophy, corpus callosum agenesis, dilated lateral ventricules and unilateral right temporal lobe hypoplasia, the latter not previously reported in the spectrum of this syndrome. Based on this observation we conclude the importance of screening brain abnormalities and present temporal lobe hypoplasia as a new additional anomaly in this syndrome.     

The warfarin embryopathy: a rat model showing maxillonasal hypoplasia and other skeletal disturbances.

Sprague-Dawley rats were given daily subcutaneous doses of sodium warfarin (100 mg/kg) and vitamin K1 (10 mg/kg) for up to 12 weeks, starting on the day after birth. This dosing regimen creates an extrahepatic vitamin K deficiency while preserving the vitamin K-dependent processes of the liver. Control rats received either vitamin K1 only or were untreated. All rats survived without any signs of hemorrhage. The warfarin-treated rats developed a marked maxillonasal hypoplasia associated with a 11-13% reduction in the length of the nasal bones compared with controls. The length of the posterior part of the skull was not significantly different from controls. In the warfarin-treated rats, the septal cartilage of the nasal septum showed large areas of calcification, not present in controls, and abnormal calcium bridges in the epiphyseal cartilages of the vertebrae and long bones. The ectopic calcification in the septal cartilage may have been the cause of the reduced longitudinal growth of the nasal septum and the associated maxillonasal hypoplasia. It is proposed that (1) the facial features of the human warfarin embryopathy are caused by reduced growth of the embryonic nasal septum, and (2) the septal growth retardation occurs because the warfarin-induced extrahepatic vitamin K deficiency prevents the normal formation of the vitamin K-dependent matrix gla protein in the embryo.     

Clinical and pathologic features of maxillonasal dysplasia (Binder's syndrome): significance of the prenasal fossa on etiology

Clinical and pathologic anatomic parameters were studied in 50 patients with maxillonasal dysplasia (Binder's syndrome). The skeletal deformity causing the flat and low-set nose was in typical patients a palpable depression in the anterior nasal floor (fossa prenasalis) and a localized maxillary hypoplasia in the alar base region. Class III malocclusion was found in 54 percent. In 6 percent of the patients a slope (sulcus prenasalis) was found instead of a fossa in the anterior nasal floor, and in one patient a rudimentary fossa was found. Concomitant malformations were noted in 18 percent, and a hereditary connection was seen in 16 percent. The etiology is discussed in relation to the development of the premaxilla and the appearance of a secondary external trabecular network of bone in the canine region. An inhibition of the latter ossification center would explain the localized hypoplasia in the floor and walls of the piriform aperture in maxillonasal dysplasia.     

Definitive repair of the unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity

The majority of patients with a unilateral cleft nasal deformity still benefit from additional nasal surgery in their teenage years, despite having undergone a primary nasal repair. However, the secondary nasal deformity of these patients stands in sharp contrast to those of children who have not benefited from primary repair. The authors' algorithm for the definitive correction of these secondary deformities considers the differences in these two patient groups and defines their indications for rib cartilage grafts and their method of using septal and ear cartilage in the repair. Balancing the muscle forces on the septum and alar cartilage is emphasized in both the primary and secondary repair. Both cartilage malposition and hypoplasia of the lower lateral cartilage complex have been identified as factors contributing to the deformity.     

Anatomy of the nasal cartilages of the unilateral complete cleft lip nose

The purpose of this study was to disclose the relationship between the anomaly of the cartilaginous framework and the nasal deformity of cleft lip. The noses of six stillborn infants with unilateral complete cleft lip were carefully dissected. The size and weight of the lower lateral cartilages were measured to determine whether there was a significant difference between the normal and involved sides. The position of the nasal cartilages was observed, and the distance between them was measured to determine whether they were normal. The surgical dissection revealed that the lower lateral cartilages from both sides were asymmetrical in three dimensions, indicating the displacement of the lower lateral cartilage on the involved side. There was displacement of the cartilaginous septum and the upper lateral cartilage. The statistical evaluation did not demonstrate a significant difference between weight and size of the two sides. One of the major causative factors of nasal deformity is displacement of the nasal cartilages. There is no hypoplasia of nasal cartilage in newborn infants with cleft lip.     

Delineation of a contiguous gene syndrome with multiple exostoses, enlarged parietal foramina, craniofacial dysostosis, and mental retardation, caused by deletions in the short arm of chromosome 11.

A contiguous gene syndrome due to deletions of the proximal short arm of chromosome 11 is described in eight patients belonging to four families. The main clinical features are multiple exostoses, enlarged parietal foramina, craniofacial dysostosis, and mental retardation. The patients have cytogenetic and/or molecular deletions of chromosome 11p11-p13. These deletions are located between the centromere and D11S914 in a region of approximately 20cM. The present study confirms the presence of a multiple exostoses gene on chromosome 11p. Furthermore, it suggests that the gene for isolated foramina parietalie permagna and genes associated with craniofacial dysostosis and mental retardation reside in the same chromosomal region.     

Expression of Toll-like Receptor 9 in nose, peripheral blood and bone marrow during symptomatic allergic rhinitis

Background

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disease of the upper airway mucosa that also affects leukocytes in bone marrow and peripheral blood. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is a receptor for unmethylated CpG dinucleotides found in bacterial and viral DNA. The present study was designed to examine the expression of TLR9 in the nasal mucosa and in leukocytes derived from different cellular compartments during symptomatic allergic rhinitis.

Methods

The study was based on 32 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and 18 healthy subjects, serving as controls. Nasal biopsies were obtained before and after allergen challenge. Bone marrow, peripheral blood and nasal lavage fluid were sampled outside and during pollen season. The expression of TLR9 in tissues and cells was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, respectively.

Results

TLR9 was found in several cell types in the nasal mucosa and in different leukocyte subpopulations derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood and nasal lavage fluid. The leukocyte expression was generally higher in bone marrow than in peripheral blood, and not affected by symptomatic allergic rhinitis.

Conclusion

The widespread expression of TLR9 in the nasal mucosa along with its rich representation in leukocytes in different compartments, demonstrate the possibility for cells involved in allergic airway inflammation to directly interact with bacterial and viral DNA.     

Maxillary hypoplasia secondary to midfacial trauma in childhood

Three normal children who suffered midfacial trauma and developed midfacial retrusion that would require Le Fort III advancements for correction of the deformity are described. The common denominator in these three cases seems to be an injury to the medial facial structure including the nasal septum. It is concluded that midfacial fractures in childhood may be a cause of subsequent midfacial hypoplasia.     

Peripheral projections of nervus terminalis LHRH-containing neurons in the tiger salamander,Ambystoma tigrinum

The peripheral projections of the nervus terminalis (NT) have been difficult to examine due to the weak immunoreactivity of the processes to various antibodies. We performed two experimental manipulations in the tiger salamander in an attempt to increase the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone-immunoreactive (LHRH-ir) labelling in the peripheral processes of the NT: 1) the NT was sectioned centrally, or 2) a 100 mg melatonin pellet was embedded subcutaneously for 3 days prior to sacriffice. Following these manipulations, animals were sacrifficed and tissue was processed with standard immunocytochemical techniques for the analysis of the distribution of LHRH-ir processes. In the nasal cavity, LHRH-ir fibers were observed projecting 1) into the rostral olfactory epithelium, 2) to Bowman's glands in the lamina propria of the rostromedial olfactory mucosa and ventrolateral mucosa between the main nasal cavity and Jacobson's organ, 3) into the naris constrictor muscle, and 4) along the palatine nerves and ganglia. These lesion and hormone manipulations have enabled the detection of peripheral projections of the NT not observed previously with immunocytochemical procedures alone. The wide distribution of LHRH-ir NT processes in the nasal cavity and cranium suggests that this nerve may influence many different cranial structures during appropriate pheromonal or neuroendocrine events.