No abstract

The clinical, radiological, and neuropathological findings in early onset Cockayne syndrome are illustrated in identical twins and their brother. Their appearance of dwarfism with small head and prominent beaked nose strongly resembled that seen in the Seckel syndrome, but unlike patients with that syndrome they had a normal birth weight (for twins), thick cranial vaults, intracranial calcification, and a severe degree of mental retardation. The twins were deaf and blind, with optic atrophy and retinal pigmentation, while their brother had cataracts. Their hands and feet were large in proportion to their small trunk. They had cutaneous sensitivity to any slight exposure to ultraviolet light and severe neurologic problems with incoordination and spasticity. Radiologic findings included microcephaly, a thick cranial vault, a small pelvis, coxa valga, and "ivory epiphyses" in terminal phalanges of hands and feet. Pathologic findings included atrophy of white matter with widespread patchy demyelination, and massive siderocalcific deposits in the brain, particularly in the basal ganglia and cerebellum. While autosomal recessive inheritance is most likely, formally X-linked inheritance cannot be excluded.

A 15-year-old male with a long history of self-mutilation resembling the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, but with normal uric acid levels, was treated with naloxone. Pain-inducing behavior decreased in the evenings following infusion of the drug, and was markedly reduced for 2 days following the treatment period. Though not recommended as therapy, the observations suggest that naloxone may play a role in the regulation of endorphin/enkephalin neural systems.

A mentally retarded, 10-year-old female with obesity, hypotonia, clumsiness and mild ocular abnormalities excreted in her urine large amounts of alpha-aminoadipic acid. Amino acid analyser studies and gas-liquid chromatography--mass spectrometry (GC--MS) confirmed the presence of alpha-aminoadipic acid in both urine and plasma but, in contrast to most other patients with this disorder, failed to demonstrate significant levels of alpha-ketoadipic acid in urine. Other known causes of alpha-aminoadipic aciduria were eliminated by showing that levels of lysine, saccharopine and pipecolic acid in plasma and urine were normal and that the activity of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase was also normal. Loading with L-lysine and L-tryptophan both increased the concentration of alpha-aminoadipic acid in blood and urine compatible with the primary deficiency of alpha-ketoadipate dehydrogenase, in spite of the absence of alpha-ketoadipic aciduria. Dietary restriction of lysine and administration of vitamins B1 and B6 were unsuccessful in correcting the biochemical abnormality.