Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy type 1A combined with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

We report a 24-year-old male with an unusual combination of two inherited neuromuscular disorders – Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease type 1A and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A phenotypic presentation of this patient included features of both these disorders. Nerve conduction studies revealed demyelinating peripheral neuropathy. Electromyography showed a profound myogenic pattern. The serum creatine kinase level was highly elevated. Muscle biopsy revealed a dystrophic picture with deficient dystrophin immunostaining. CMT1A duplication on chromosome 17p11.2 was found. The frame-shift mutation c.3609–3612delTAAAinsCTT (p.K1204LfsX11) was detected in the dystrophin gene by analysing mRNA isolated from the muscle tissue. The patient inherited both these mutations from his mother. The combination of CMT1A and DMD has not been reported as yet.     

Expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and carriers

The expression of MHC isoforms in the skeletal muscles of nine patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) (from 2.5 to 15 yr of age) and three DMD carriers was studied using different specific anti-MHC MAbs. We also analyzed muscle fiber size and fiber reactivity with acridine orange and/or with a surface antigen marker. One-quarter of all fibers of DMD patients, or less with age, were of normal size and contained only adult slow MHC. Half of the muscle fibers contained adult and developmental MHCs. Only half of these fibers were representative of an active regenerative process. MHC co-expression also altered the proportion of normal fast or slow fibers. Adult fast MHCs were expressed as unique MHC only in small and very small fibers in the oldest DMD patients. In DMD carrier muscles, the greatest alterations in MHC expression were observed in patients with the most reduced dystrophin expression. However, MHC changes in dystrophin-positive fibers were similar to those observed in dystrophin-free fibers. In conclusion, disruptions or delays in the switching of all genes coding for adult fast and slow MHC and developmental MHC coincided with dystrophin deletion and with perturbations in its expression.     

Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Interphotoreceptor Matrix: Vectorial Secretion and Regulation

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) play an essential role in both normal and pathological extracellular matrix degradation, and a TIMP has been associated with at least one type of retinal degeneration. We have studied expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 by zymography, immunocytochemistry, and immunoblotting in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from normal, aged and diseased retinas. MMPs and TIMPs were found in the rat RPE, interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM), and in media conditioned by human and rat RPE in culture. In other polarized cells, MMPs and TIMP-2 are secreted vectorially towards the basal lamina. In the RPE, however, MMP-2 and TIMP-1 were secreted preferentially from the apical surface, the surface bordering the IPM. These findings provide new evidence that MMPs and TIMPs could play a role in the turnover of IPM components.Cell homogenates and conditioned media from RPE isolated from mutant Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats with inherited retinal dystrophy had similar amounts of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 as those from congenic control rats. The secretion of MMP-2 and TIMP-1 from RPE cell cultures isolated from young and aged human donors varied widely. However, with increasing cell passage number, secretion of MMPs and TIMPs from human RPE increased dramatically. Also, growing human RPE on bovine corneal endothelial cell-generated extracellular matrix instead of plastic reduced the secretion of both MMPs and TIMPs. These data suggest that the integrity of Bruch's membrane may serve to regulate RPE functions in MMP and TIMP secretion and that extracellular matrices contain signals that regulate MMP and TIMP synthesis and/or secretion by the RPE.     

Duchenne型肌营养不良症105例临床分析及其发病机制的探讨（附4例肌纤维膜冷冻断裂电镜检查）

报告１０５例Ｄｕｃｈｅｎｎｅ型肌营养不良症（ＤＭＤ），其中男１０３例，女２例。年龄４～１９岁，平均６５岁。３２例有阳性家族史。文中对ＤＭＤ的临床表现，血清酶、肌肉病理、组织化学、电镜检查等特点进行了讨论。对其中４例骨骼肌进行肌纤维膜冷冻断裂电镜检查。结果表明，本病肌膜的Ｅ面和Ｐ面的膜蛋白颗粒密度降低，与２例正常骨骼肌相比有显著性差异，支持本病发病机理中的“膜缺陷”学说。     

Cardiac arrest after isoflurane anaesthesia in a patient with Duchenne''s muscular dystrophy

An 8-year-old boy known to have Duchenne's muscular dystrophy suffered a cardiac arrest 10 minutes after he regained consciousness after isoflurane anaesthesia for an orchidopexy procedure. Resuscitation was successful 2 hours after the start of external cardiac compression and after correction of hyperkalaemia and the administration of dantrolene. He later developed myoglobinuria elevated creatine kinase and a metabolic and respiratory acidosis. He demonstrated a delayed increase in rectal temperature.     

Decreased expression of DMPK: correlation with CTG repeat expansion and fibre type composition in myotonic dystrophy type 1

Abstract Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a trinucleotide repeatexpansion, cytosine-thymine-guanine (CTG)_n, in the 3′ untranslated region of a gene encoding the myotonic dystrophy protein kinase (DMPK). To correlate CTG expansion and protein expression, we studied muscle specimens from 16 adult DM1 patients using three anti-DMPK antibodies for immunoblotting. We estimated the amount of the full-length DMPK (85 kDa) in muscle biopsies from normal controls and from DM1 patients carrying different (CTG)_n expansions. We found that DMPK concentration was decreased to about 50% in DM patients’ muscles; the protein decrease did not seem correlated with the CTG repeat length. However, the fibre type composition in skeletal muscle seemed somehow to affect DMPK decrease, as the lowest level of the enzyme was found in patients with the lowest content of type 1 fibre.     

一个进行性肌营养不良症家系的研究

目的寻找由DNA损伤(如突变)引起的人类表型缺陷,为人类遗传资源的收集与保藏以及人类基因结构与功能的研究打下基础。方法通过实地调查得到表型缺陷家系,然后进行系谱分析。结果得到一进行性肌营养不良家系,4代41位成员中有12例患者。结论进行性肌营养不良是由DNA损伤引起的人类表型缺陷;该病症符合常染色体显性遗传;该病的发生具有一定的外显率和表现度。     

Towards the development of a low-cost robotic arm with residual finger movement input

Abstract Robotics has been applied to the rehabilitation of patients suffering from upper limb-related diseases such as stroke, upper spinal cord injuries and neuromuscular diseases (e. g. muscular dystrophy) alone, or combined with appropriate orthotic devices. In all cases, expensive industrial manipulators, as much as relatively low-cost commercial systems with specific modifications have been used. However, no reference has been made in the literature on the technology of such devices. This article presents the development of a joystick-computer system for the control of a step motor. Further research can lead to the development of an extremely low-cost robotic arm which uses residual finger movement input and can be used by research centers with restricted funding. Reference is made to the technology on which the circuitry is based, as well as to the design concept of it.