Defective polymorphonuclear chemotaxis in patients with Turner's syndrome (45,X)

Turner's syndrome in dermatology

Turner's syndrome (TS) is a common genetic disorder of girls and women, for which the defining clinical triad is short stature, impaired sexual development, and infertility. Although classically known as monosomy X, genetic heterogeneity is frequent in TS, with mosaicism conferring a survival advantage. Several genetic loci have been implicated in TS including the short stature homeobox gene. TS effects many organs, with cutaneous stigmata providing critical clues for early detection of TS. The presence of lymphedema and its cutaneous sequelae are predictive of other systemic disorders, such as cardiac disease. Although an increased number of benign nevi have been reported in TS, the decreased melanoma rate in this population suggests some protective factor is active. Keloids were thought to be prevalent in TS, but recent data suggest otherwise. Autoimmune diseases are common in TS, with a possible increased prevalence of alopecia areata and vitiligo. The following review discusses new insights into the genetics and pathogenesis of this complex disorder, summarizes the major systemic effects, and reviews skin manifestations of TS and their implications.

Microcephaly, characteristic facies, joint abnormalities, and deficient leucocyte chemotaxis: a further case of the syndrome of Say et al

We report on a 13 year old boy with microcephaly, sloping forehead, prominent nose, scoliosis, and flexion contractures involving the elbows and knees. The patient showed severe mental and growth retardation. Since birth and up to the present he has suffered from multiple and varied infections. Immunological studies showed a marked decrease in leucocyte chemotaxis. Clinical and laboratory findings confirm the similarity of this case to the two brothers described by Say et al. We have not found any descriptions of similar patients. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the phenotypic delineation of this syndrome and to highlight the need for immunological investigation in patients with multiple congenital malformations.

Turner syndrome as a candidate pseudoautosomal disorder

Turner syndrome has been clearly associated with the absence of an X chromosome, but it remains uncertain how this deletion produces either the range of defects regularly associated with the syndrome or those only occasionally seen. It is of particular interest in this regard that the pseudoautosomal portion of the X chromosome has recently been identified as the location for the GM-CSF receptor gene. It is submitted that Turner syndrome, with its hemizygosity for the psuedoautosome, may be an important model for studying the GM-CSF receptor gene as well as other associated genetic material.