RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful and widely used approach to investigate gene function, but a major limitation of the approach is the high incidence of non-specific phenotypes that arise due to off-target effects. We previously showed that RNAi-mediated knock-down of pico, which encodes the only member of the MRL family of adapter proteins in Drosophila, resulted in reduction in cell numbe...

Robinow syndrome (RS) is a rare genetic condition with two inheritance forms, autosomal dominant RS (DRS) and autosomal recessive RS (RRS). The characteristic features of this syndrome overlap in both inheritance forms, which make the clinical differential diagnosis difficult, especially in isolated cases. The objective of this study was to identify differences in the craniofacial and intraoral...

BACKGROUND Structural abnormalities of the corpus callosum (CC), such as reduced size and increased shape variability, have been documented in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). However, the regional specificity of altered CC structure, which may point to the timing of neurodevelopmental disturbances and/or relate to specific functional impairments, remains unclear. Furth...

PURPOSE: While modern research on coronal craniosynostosis has vastly widened our breadth of knowledge regarding treatment of the condition, the mechanism underlying the development of the deformity remains uncovered and largely uninvestigated. This study evaluates midface and skull base development in nonsyndromic unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS), focusing on zygomatic and cranial base anat...

Facial appearance can be a significant clue in the initial identification of genetic conditions, but their low incidence limits exposure during training and inhibits the development of skills in recognising the facial "gestalt" characteristic of many dysmorphic syndromes. Here we describe the potential of computer-based models of three-dimensional (3D) facial morphology to assist in dysmorpholo...

PURPOSE: While modern research on coronal craniosynostosis has vastly widened our breadth of knowledge regarding treatment of the condition, the mechanism underlying the development of the deformity remains uncovered and largely uninvestigated. This study evaluates midface and skull base development in nonsyndromic unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS), focusing on zygomatic and cranial base anat...

We describe three children with Hirschsprung's disease and microcephaly, two of whom also have an iris coloboma. Two of the children, one with a coloboma and one without, are from the same consanguineous pedigree. The third case is unrelated and was identified by the matching program of the London Dysmorphology Database. This is the first report of this combination of features which are conside...

The oral-facial-digital syndrome type 1 is characterized by following abnormalities: pseudocleft of the upper lip, tongue lobulation, hamartomata on the tongue, alveolar frenulae, and clefting of the soft palate. We report a 9-month-old girl who was referred to our clinic due to facial dysmorphology in addition to cleft palate and multiple masses on the tongue which resulted in feeding problems...