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Glycosylation defects of alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-DG) cause various muscular dystrophies. We performed clinical, pathological and genetic analyses of 62 Japanese patients with congenital muscular dystrophy, whose skeletal muscle showed deficiency of glycosylated form of alpha-DG. We found, the first Japanese patient with congenital muscular dystrophy 1C with a novel compound heterozygous mutat...

Splice-modulation therapy, whereby molecular manipulation of premessenger RNA splicing is engineered to yield genetic correction, is a promising novel therapy for genetic diseases of muscle and nerve-the prototypical example being Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common childhood genetic disease, affecting one in 3500 newborn boys, causing progressive muscle ...

This chapter focuses on the gene therapy advances made in relation to Duchenne muscular dystrophy and discusses principles and perspectives of strategies currently being developed. The chapter explains the genetic mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and the differences between the two are discussed in relation to disease severity. The histo...

The ability of anticholinergic agents microinjected into the subthalamic nucleus to reduce reserpine-induced muscular rigidity was assessed in rats. The electromyographical activity of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle was used as a parameter of muscular rigidity. Reserpine (5 mg/kg i.p.) produced the appearance of electromyographical activity. The muscarinic antagonists M3 (1.27 nmol of 4-DAMP) ...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common and severe form of the childhood muscular dystrophies. The disease is typically diagnosed between 3 and 7 years of age and follows a predictable clinical course marked by progressive skeletal muscle weakness with loss of ambulation by 12 years of age. Death occurs in early adulthood secondary to respiratory or cardiac failure. Becker muscular dystr...

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder resulting in progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. It is universally fatal, especially if the respiratory muscles are involved leading to repetitive aspiration and respiratory failure. Historically, the treatment for this disease was only supportive. Herein we describe an adult patient who presented with worsening weaknes...

Rippling muscle disease (RMD) is a benign myopathy with symptoms and signs of muscular hyperirritability. We report a 17-year-old patient who presented with muscular hypertrophy, local mounding on percussion, and a rippling phenomenon. Needle electromyography showed electrical silence during the rippling phenomenon. Muscle protein immunohistochemical analysis showed a partial deficiency of cave...

Merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy is an autosomal recessive disease that can manifest differently in different ethnic groups. This often presents as a floppy infant, and normal mental development. The creatine kinase is usually elevated with white matter abnormalities on brain imaging. In this report, we describe an infant with Merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy who p...

Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, is an inherited disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. Besides the relatively well-described skeletal muscle degenerative processes, DMD and some other muscular dystrophy types are also associated with cardiovascular complications including cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrhyth...