An abnormal ratio between Na+ and K+ conductances seems to be the cause for the depolarization and paralysis of skeletal muscle in primary hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Recently we have shown that the "K+ channel opener" cromakalim hyperpolarizes mammalian skeletal muscle fibers. Now we have studied the effects of this drug on the twitch force of muscle biopsies from normal and diseased human...

primary hypokalemic periodic paralysis is a familial channelopathy inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. the first attack of paralysis may be evolved at any age, but has been reported to be most common in the second decade, so that some authorities believe that an episodic weakness beginning after age 25 is almost never due to primary periodic paralysis. in this retrospective study, we revi...

Unilateral paralysis of the diaphragm in the newborn infant is not a common condition. It does not appear to be well known in this country, for there have been no reports of the condition in the British literature. It is, however, a serious condition, and is often fatal because of respiratory difficulty and, to a lesser extent, of the feeding difficulties always associated with dyspnoea in infa...

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is a nightmare for professional voice users or people with high voice demand such as singers, lawyers, teachers, training consultants and etc. The UVFP occurs due to physical or physiological injury to the vagus nerve or, more commonly, its branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN). Common aetiologies of UVFPare iatrogenic, neoplastic and idiopathic. How...

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In May 1988 the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution for the global eradication of poliomyelitis. Since then two target dates for eradication (2000 and 2003) have passed and the struggle to eradicate the poliovirus continues. Australia’s commitment to the worldwide campaign began in December 1994 with the designation of the National Poliovirus Reference Laboratory at the Victorian Infecti...

A 51-year-old woman was referred for evaluation of progressive dyspnea of 3 months- duration. She had received 3 doses of adalimumab for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis prior to the onset of her dyspnea. Her chest examination revealed absent diaphragmatic movement with inspiration. Spirometry showed a severe restrictive defect. Radiologic studies confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral diaphragm...

Ion channel disorders are rare inherited diseases providing interesting models to study dysfunction of excitability in vivo and in vitro. The first socalled ‘channelopathies’ identified were skeletal muscle diseases, the myotonias and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HyperPP), which are sodium or chloride channel disorders. Within the last 5–10 years, complementary genetic and electrophysiologi...

Channelopathies are a heterogeneous group of disorders resulting from the dysfunction of ion channels located in the membranes of all cells and many cellular organelles. These include diseases of the nervous system (e.g., generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus, familial hemiplegic migraine, episodic ataxia, and hyperkalemic and hypokalemic periodic paralysis), the cardiovascular system...