Scutellaria lateriflora, a traditional herbal remedy for stress and anxiety, was tested on human volunteers for its effects on mood. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, 43 healthy participants were randomised to a sequence of three times daily S. lateriflora (350 mg) or placebo, each over two weeks. In this relatively non-anxious population (81% were mildly anxious or less, i.e. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores ≤ 15), there was no significant difference between skullcap and placebo with BAI (p = 0.191). However, there was a significant group effect (p = 0.049), suggesting a carryover effect of skullcap. For Total Mood Disturbance measured by the Profile of Mood States, there was a highly significant (p = <0.001) decrease from pre-test scores with skullcap but not placebo (p = 0.072). The limitations of carryover effect, generally low anxiety scores and differences in anxiety levels between groups at baseline (p = 0.022), may have reduced the chances of statistical significance in this study. However, as S. lateriflora significantly enhanced global mood without a reduction in energy or cognition, further study assessing its putative anxiolytic effects in notably anxious subjects with co-morbid depression is warranted.

Objective: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is marked by ‘the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by history and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation’. The cause is unknown.Excessive subglottic submucosal glandular tissue and excessive sulphated mucus glycoprotein in the larynges of SIDS babies have been previously reported from our institution. We now report on laryngeal immunohistology. Methods:Larynges from 7 children who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at under 16 weeks of age were examined immunohistologically and compared to those from 8 age- matched control infants who died from other causes.Results: The SIDS babies had increased inflammatory changes in the laryngeal epithelium and sub- epithelium with raised numbers of cells staining for elastase (p<0.01), EG2(a marker for activated eosinophils) (p<0.01) and CD4(p<0.05) suggesting that some SIDS deaths involve preceding inflammation. Conclusions: Although death may be sudden and unexpected it appears that, at least in some SIDS victims, there is a preceding inflammatory process in the larynx which may allow hyper-reactivity of laryngeal reflexes and consequent apnoea. This observation concurs with others in the SIDS literature and offers a field for further research and possible prevention.

Anxiety is a common but potentially serious disorder as it can lead to somatic and social dysfunction. Orthodox anxiolytics are associated with unpleasant side-effects and dependency. American skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is a popular herb in traditional medicine systems and the western materia medica for anxiety and related disorders. Preliminary clinical and in vitro research provides encouraging support for its potential as a safe, well-tolerated and effective alternative. Key points• Research has demonstrated the capacity of American skullcap's flavonoids to bind to brain receptors implicated in modulation of anxiety • In one year up to one in six UK adults in the UK may suffer from an unexplained psychological disorder, the most common being anxiety • Anxiety and stress are common reasons for visits to herbal medicine practitioners.• An initial survey of UK and Ireland herbal medicine practitioners indicated American skullcap as their treatment of choice for anxiety and related disorders • Quality control of the raw herb and its commercial products is important.

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Larynges from 24 victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (.S.I.D.S.) and 10 controls, with ages ranging from two days to 24 weeks in the controls and from two toN 16 weeks in theS.1.D.S. victims, were transversely, step-serially sectioned and then stained to show acid, neutral and mixed mucus glycoproteinsThe proportion of sulphated mucus glycoprotein and sialylated mucus glycoprotein to total acid mucus glycoprotein was determined by the use of various staining techniques and a comparison was made for each type between S.I.D.S. and controls. The differences were significant with a mean of 27 per cent in the controls compared to 59 per cent in the S.I.D.S. for sulphomucin (difference 32 per cent; standard error of difference 6 per cent; p<0.01) and 73 per cent in the controls compared to 41 per cent in the S.I.D.S. larynges (difference 32 per cent; standard error of difference six per cent; p<0.01) for sialomucin. The results suggest that sulphated mucus glycoprotein is secreted in excess in some victims of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.