Emerging mechanisms and therapeutics in inflammatory muscle diseases.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), or myositis, are rare diseases marked by immune-driven muscle damage and complications like skin lesions and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Despite advances, challenges in diagnosis and treatment persist, particularly in inclusion body myositis (IBM), where no effective therapy exists. Recent breakthroughs, including transcriptomics and insights into antibody-mediated immunity and interferon (IFN) signaling, have clarified IIM pathophysiology and spurred the development of new therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors.

Comparing Expert and Non-Expert Assessment of Patients Presenting with Neurological Symptoms to the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Objective: Referrals to neurology in emergency departments (ED) are continuously increasing, currently representing 15% of all admissions. Existing triage systems were developed for general medical populations and have not been validated for patients with neurological symptoms.

Methods: To characterize neurological emergencies, we first retrospectively analyzed symptoms, service times and resources of the cohort of neurological referrals to a German interdisciplinary ED (IED) during 2017 according to urgency determined by final IED diagnosis.

The use of a dedicated neurological triage system improves process times and resource utilization: a prospective observational study from an interdisciplinary emergency department.

Background: Patients with neurological symptoms have been contributing to the increasing rates of emergency department (ED) utilization in recent years. Existing triage systems represent neurological symptoms rather crudely, neglecting subtler but relevant aspects like temporal evolution or associated symptoms. A designated neurological triage system could positively impact patient safety by identifying patients with urgent need for medical attention and prevent inadequate utilization of ED and hospital resources.

Acute Corticonuclear Tract Ischemic Stroke with Isolated Central Facial Palsy.

Objective: The clinical distinction between habitual facial asymmetry, early stage peripheral facial palsy, and isolated central facial palsy is sometimes difficult. The diagnosis of acute central facial palsy is of importance to identify patients for stroke work-up and appropriate treatment. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and localization of acute ischemic lesions associated with isolated central facial palsy.