Blog Archives
Save the date! 4th Neuromuscular Translational School, Nov. 21st-25th in Leiden, TheNetherlands
The upcoming 4th Neuromuscular Translational School (under auspices of EURO-NMD and TREAT-NMD) will be held from November 21st- November 25th in Leiden (The Netherlands). Organized by Annemieke Aartsma-Rus (Leiden University Medical Center, LUMC, the Netherlands & John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Center, Newcastle University, UK), Teresinha Evangelista (Institut de Myologie, Group Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France), Silvere van der … [Read more]
Foundation of Myology : call for scientific applications
Join the future Foundation to better understand and treat the muscle in every condition. Why a Foundation of Myology? Myology has grown in France, notably through the creation of the Institute of Myology, the establishment of regional myology centers, the creation of the Filnemus health networks and the French Myology Society, all of which … [Read more]
A new biomarker for autoimmune muscle rippling
An American team retrospectively studied the clinical and biological data of ten patients with a non-genetic form of muscle rippling. Rippling is a spontaneous or percussion-induced, painless waving phenomenon visible on the surface of the muscle. From this study, it appears that : the disorders were, in most cases, of late onset; a specific autoantibody … [Read more]
What impact do swallowing disorders have on the survival of patients with inflammatory myopathy?
Japanese clinicians studied dysphagia and other swallowing disorders in 254 patients with one of the forms of myositis (dermatomyositis, polymyositis, others), excluding inclusion myositis: a functional scale, the Food Intake Level Score, was used to quantify the importance of these disorders and to assess their impact on survival; 10% of the cohort had dysphagia; taken … [Read more]
Publication of the results of the phase II trial of amifampridine in SMA
An Italian phase II, randomised, crossover, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of amifampridine, a molecule that improves neuromuscular junction function, in 13 adults with type III SMA. They were on average 34 years old, ambulant and had not previously received other innovative therapies. The results, published in June 2022, show that compared to … [Read more]
An atypical presentation of MELAS syndrome
MELAS syndrome is classically presented as a mitochondrial encephalopathy complicated by lactic acidosis and recurrent strokes. However, this rare disease can have a more atypical presentation, as in the following observation reported by a Chinese team: a 17 year old girl with no previous history of herpes had a clinical picture that initially suggested herpetic … [Read more]
Myositis is very often accompanied by the use of painkillers
In the United States, 423 people with dermatomyositis (n=183), polymyositis (109) or inclusion myositis (131), most of which had been previously diagnosed one to five years earlier, responded to a questionnaire distributed by a patient and caregiver organisation, Myositis Support and Understanding. The analysis of their answers shows that : 91.5% of them reported current … [Read more]
Asian mushroom supplements cause autoimmune necrotizing myopathy outbreak
Rheumatologists from Baltimore (USA) report in the British Medical Journal the case of a thirty year old patient with autoimmune necrotizing myopathy with anti-HMGCR, with no history of statin treatment and well balanced on immunoglobulin infusions: three months after starting a supplementation with Asian mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, reishi), she presented a muscular weakness with elevation … [Read more]
A new imaging tool to assess FSH
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSH) has recently entered the era of therapeutic trials with several innovative molecules in clinical development. An international consortium of researchers has developed innovative techniques and algorithms to study the topographic and evolutionary aspects of muscle degeneration. Seventeen adults with FSH participated in this study, which consisted of whole-body muscle imaging (WB-MSK-MRI) … [Read more]
A new tool for the follow-up of myasthenia gravis in teleconsultation
The Covid-19 pandemic has boosted the use of video consultations and it is in this favourable context that a team of Italian neurologists has designed the Myasthenia Gravis TeleScore (MGTS). This assessment scale dedicated to remote consultations of patients with myasthenia gravis: is derived in part from the Instituto Nazionale Carlo Besta score for Myasthenia … [Read more]
