Costello syndrome is emerging as a better delineated condition and should be included in the differential diagnosis of cutis laxa in association with postnatal growth retardation and developmental delay. We present a further case of Costello syndrome which illustrates the natural history of this condition.

Characteristics suggestive of connective tissue dysfunction have been described in Sotos syndrome and include joint hyperextensibility, pes planus, and a high arched palate. A variety of cutis laxa syndromes have also been described, some of them exhibiting mental retardation, but no reports have drawn an association with overgrowth or abnormal facies characteristic of Sotos syndrome. We report...

Galactinol synthase (GS, UDP-alpha-d-galactose:1l-myo-inositol-1-O- alpha-d-galactopyranosyltransferase) is a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of the raffinose family of oligosaccharides. The subcellular location of GS was studied in the parenchyma of stachyose-storing tubers of Japanese artichoke (Stachys sieboldii) by isolation of protoplasts and vacuoles. A comparison of the activities...

BACKGROUND The global resurgence of tuberculosis is a significant threat. Lamiaceae members have been used in folk remedies for centuries. This study was designed to assess the in-vitro antimycobacterial activity of eighteen crude extracts from six plants (Lamiaceae) and to characterize their phenolic and flavonoid compounds. METHODS Six Turkish medicinal plants of the family Lamiaceae (Stach...

Skin fibroblasts from two cases of autosomal recessive cutis laxa (CL), having insignificant elastin production and mRNA levels, were challenged with transforming growth factor beta-i (TGF-fi1). Elastin production was brought from undetectable values to amounts typical of normal human skin fibroblasts in a dose-dependent fashion. Basic fibroblast growth factor (100 ng/ml) alone or in combinatio...

Science for Conservation presents the results of investigations contracted to science providers outside the Department of Conservation. Reports are subject to peer review within the Department and, in some instances, to a review from outside both the Department and the science providers.

OBJECTIVES Stachys lavandulifolia is commonly used for many health problems including anxiety. A couple of reports indicate that this plant might have an abortifacient effect on pregnant women. Here we examined this effect on pregnant mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Incremental doses of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg of the extracts or normal saline (control group) were injected intraperitoneally ...

Cutis laxa (CL) is a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by phenotypic appearance of loose and redundant skin. CL can be congenital or acquired. Congenital forms include autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive and X-linked recessive. Apart from cutaneous abnormalities, CL can present with visceral involvement. In this article, we report a case of CL presenting as recurrent ileus.