Myology research highlights

The muscle involvement encountered in facio-scapulo-humeral myopathy (FSH) is sometimes confusing for the clinician because of its high selectivity and its often asymmetric nature. Italian researchers have developed an algorithm based on muscle MRI images from 187 patients with FSH and compared to those in a control group: the combination of a precociously affected trapezius … [Read more]

The opinion of the Transparency Committee concerning the reimbursement of Evrysdi® (or risdiplam) has just been published.  In SMA type I, II and III, Evrysdi® obtains a favorable opinion for reimbursement in patients over 2 years of age, with a significant AB and ASMR:  III (or moderate) for patients with non-ambulatory SMA type II and … [Read more]

A first phase I clinical trial of ManNAc (a precursor of sialic acid) in 22 people with GNE myopathy followed for 8 months, showed the safety of use of the product and an increase of sialic acid in the blood ).  A new phase II trial in 12 people with GNE myopathy followed for 6 … [Read more]

The GDAP1 gene is involved in several forms of CMT (including CMT 2K and CMT 4A). It encodes a mitochondrial protein.  After screening in vitro 1018 molecules marketed in the United States, researchers have shown that florfenicol, an antibiotic that activates the respiratory chain, prevents the onset of symptoms (poor motor coordination and overweight) in … [Read more]

Heart complications are part of the natural history of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), especially in adulthood, where they are responsible for a significant number of deaths. Besides cardiomyopathy related to fibrotic degeneration of the myocardial tissue, heart rhythm disorders and, especially, conduction disorders, represent clinical situations that are critical and not uncommon, and that can … [Read more]

An international collaboration that included researchers from the Institute of Myology has discovered a new form of distal myopathy, in 10 men: with adult onset (over 30 years of age to 40 years), the muscle condition is distal and progresses slowly (ability to walk is maintained). There is no heart involvement; it is caused by … [Read more]

Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome (BVVLS) is a very rare form of bulbspinal muscular atrophy which is treated with high doses of riboflavin. It results in motor neuronopathy, polyneuropathy, or even polyradiculopathy, associated with damage to the cranial nerves including the auditory nerve. Originally described in children, BVVLS is increasingly reported in adults.  In an article published … [Read more]

Myasthenia gravis is the result of an imbalance in the immune system, causing the production of autoantibodies that act against one of the building blocks of the neuromuscular junction. This non-hereditary neuromuscular disease is characterised by a muscle deficit that usually comes and goes, with particular ocular and bulbar impact, and when it becomes generalised, … [Read more]

Several countries have already deployed pilot programs for newborn screening in the SMA, such as Germany, Australia, the United States, Taiwan …  In Belgium, a three-year pilot program (March 2018-February 2021) took place in the area of Liège before extending to the whole of southern Belgium:  9 newborns out of 136,339 tested were diagnosed as … [Read more]

SMA classically includes four types  (I to IV) depending on the age of onset of the deficit and the maximum motor ability achieved by the patient. Type III represents one of the smallest contingents of patients (15-20% of the total, depending on the study) and has been the subject of less observational studies than the … [Read more]