Publications by authors named "Kornblum C"

Article Synopsis
  • The MMPOWER-3 clinical trial initially found no overall benefit of elamipretide for adults with primary mitochondrial myopathy, but a subgroup with nuclear DNA variants showed improvement in a six-minute walk test.
  • A large portion of the trial subjects had mitochondrial DNA variants, with particular improvements noted among those possessing pathogenic variants related to mtDNA maintenance.
  • Further analyses aim to identify trends among responders to assist in designing a more targeted Phase 3 trial for those likely to benefit from elamipretide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Two new enzyme replacement therapies for late-onset Pompe disease received approval from the European Medicines Agency between 2022 and 2023, prompting an update to treatment guidelines by the European Pompe Consortium (EPOC).
  • The EPOC, consisting of 25 experts from eight countries, developed a consensus on when to start, switch, or stop ERT based on in-person meetings and discussions.
  • Recommendations emphasize starting ERT in symptomatic patients, criteria for switching treatments based on muscle function stabilization, and the option of stopping ERT if there are severe reactions or lack of improvement, with regular assessments every six months to monitor progress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: Primary mitochondrial diseases (PMDs) are common inborn errors of energy metabolism, with an estimated prevalence of one in 4300. These disorders typically affect tissues with high energy requirements, including heart, muscle and brain. Epilepsy may be the presenting feature of PMD, can be difficult to treat and often represents a poor prognostic feature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The EURO-NMD Registry collects data from all neuromuscular patients seen at EURO-NMD's expert centres. In-kind contributions from three patient organisations have ensured that the registry is patient-centred, meaningful, and impactful. The consenting process covers other uses, such as research, cohort finding and trial readiness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Primary mitochondrial diseases (PMDs) are rare and difficult to diagnose, with insufficient management programs in Europe, leading to a survey by five European Reference Networks to explore care needs.
  • The survey received responses from 220 healthcare providers across 24 EU member states, revealing issues with accessing comprehensive genetic testing, long waiting times for results, and a lack of satisfactory ICD-10 codes for classifying PMDs.
  • The findings highlight a strong need for improved education, tailored healthcare, and specific ICD codes to enhance clinical management and reimbursement, emphasizing key priorities for stakeholders in rare disease care and research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The molecular characteristics of sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) have been intensively studied, and specific patterns on the cellular, protein and RNA level have emerged. However, these characteristics have not been studied in the context of HIV-associated IBM (HIV-IBM). In this study, we compared clinical, histopathological, and transcriptomic patterns of sIBM and HIV-IBM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Primary mitochondrial myopathies (PMMs) encompass a group of genetic disorders that impair mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, adversely affecting physical function, exercise capacity, and quality of life (QoL). Current PMM standards of care address symptoms, with limited clinical impact, constituting a significant therapeutic unmet need. We present data from MMPOWER-3, a pivotal, phase-3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of elamipretide in participants with genetically confirmed PMM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • In utero exposure to maternal antibodies against fetal acetylcholine receptors can cause severe conditions like arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) and the milder fetal acetylcholine receptor inactivation syndrome (FARIS), but the full impact remains unclear.
  • A study of 46 cases reveals that many affected mothers did not have prior diagnoses of myasthenia gravis, suggesting underreporting and missed preventative measures.
  • Among the findings, significant long-term effects in surviving infants included various physical weaknesses, respiratory issues, and unexpected conditions like hearing loss; treatment with oral salbutamol showed promising improvement in symptoms for many children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recessive mutations in the DNAJB2 gene, encoding the J-domain co-chaperones DNAJB2a and DNAJB2b, have previously been reported as the genetic cause of progressive peripheral neuropathies, rarely involving pyramidal signs, parkinsonism and myopathy. We describe here a family with the first dominantly acting DNAJB2 mutation resulting in a late-onset neuromyopathy phenotype. The c.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Outcome assessment in stroke patients is essential for evidence-based stroke care planning. Computed tomography (CT) is the mainstay of diagnosis in acute stroke. This study aimed to investigate whether CT-derived cervical fat-free muscle fraction (FFMF) as a biomarker of muscle quality is associated with outcome parameters after acute ischemic stroke.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of multisystem disorders caused by impaired mitochondrial function. These disorders occur at any age and involve any tissue, typically affecting organs highly dependent on aerobic metabolism. Diagnosis and management are extremely difficult due to various underlying genetic defects and a wide range of clinical symptoms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human acid alpha-glucosidase (rhGAA) in late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) shows beneficial effects in the first years often followed by a decline. We aimed to examine long-term ERT effects in an elderly LOPD cohort. Patients with age at diagnosis/start of ERT >50 years and ERT duration > seven years were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To review our diagnostic and treatment approaches concerning sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and polymyositis with mitochondrial pathology (PM-Mito), we conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical and histological data of 32 patients diagnosed as sIBM and 7 patients diagnosed as PM-Mito by muscle biopsy. Of 32 patients identified histologically as sIBM, 19 fulfilled the 2011 European Neuromuscular Center (ENMC) diagnostic criteria for "clinico-pathologically defined sIBM" at the time of biopsy. Among these, 2 patients developed sIBM after years of immunosuppressive treatment for organ transplantation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The C22 mouse is a Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A transgenic model with minimal axonal loss.

Objective: To analyse early skeletal muscle changes resulting from this dysmyelinating neuropathy.

Methods: Histology of tibialis anterior muscles of C22 mice and wild type litter mate controls for morphometric analysis and (immuno-)histochemistry for known denervation markers and candidate proteins identified by representational difference analysis (RDA) based on mRNA from the same muscles; quantitative PCR and Western blotting for confirmation of RDA findings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study explores the retinal characteristics and related genetic and health issues in patients suffering from various mitochondrial diseases, including conditions like CPEO and MELAS.
  • The research involved examining patient history, retinal images, and conducting genetic tests and muscle biopsies to identify phenotypic traits of mitochondrial retinopathy.
  • Findings revealed three distinct retinal phenotypes correlating with the severity of mitochondrial disease, with some patients showing atypical retinopathy features but maintaining good visual acuity in milder cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * More than 400 genes can cause these conditions, with some linked to mitochondrial DNA and others to nuclear DNA, often affecting energy-demanding organs like the brain and muscles.
  • * Diagnosis typically involves molecular-genetic methods, and while treatments mainly focus on alleviating symptoms, idebenone is the only approved drug for a specific mitochondrial disorder, with potential new therapies like gene therapy on the horizon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Mitochondrial diseases are common inherited conditions, and recent research has greatly improved our understanding, diagnosis, and treatment options in the last five years.
  • - International collaboration and the creation of national disease cohorts have expanded knowledge about the various clinical features and progression of these diseases.
  • - New genetic testing methods are making diagnoses quicker and more accurate, while current treatments focus on managing symptoms; ongoing research aims to find better therapies and prevent transmission of these disorders through advanced reproductive technologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Using deep phenotyping and high-throughput sequencing, we have identified a novel type of distal myopathy caused by mutations in the Small muscle protein X-linked (SMPX) gene. Four different missense mutations were identified in ten patients from nine families in five different countries, suggesting that this disease could be prevalent in other populations as well. Haplotype analysis of patients with similar ancestry revealed two different founder mutations in Southern Europe and France, indicating that the prevalence in these populations may be higher.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a genetic eye disease that mostly comes from changes in DNA from the mother but can also be caused by different genetic changes.
  • Researchers found mutations in a gene called DNAJC30 in patients who didn't have the usual mutations, showing that LHON can be passed down differently than before thought.
  • They discovered that this DNAJC30 gene is important for helping mitochondria (the cell's energy makers) work properly, suggesting it plays a big role in the disease's symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The VWA1 gene encodes the von Willebrand Factor A domain containing 1 protein, which is crucial for the integrity of muscle and peripheral nerve tissues and interacts with collagen VI and perlecan, linked to neuromuscular disorders.
  • Researchers discovered bi-allelic loss of function variants in VWA1 through exome sequencing, identifying it as the cause of a previously undefined neuromuscular disorder in affected individuals from diverse backgrounds.
  • Symptoms of the disorder usually appeared in childhood or adulthood, featuring muscle weakness in the lower limbs, with myopathological and neurophysiological signs indicating both nerve and muscle damage, but without sensory issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To clinically characterize patients with anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) 1 encephalitis, to identify prognostic factors, and to study the immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses and effects of antibodies on neuronal mGluR1 clusters.

Methods: Clinical information on new and previously reported patients was reviewed. Antibodies to mGluR1 and IgG subclasses were determined with brain immunohistochemistry and cell-based assays, and their effects on mGluR1 clusters were studied on rat hippocampal neurons.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is increasing evidence of central nervous system involvement in numerous neuromuscular disorders primarily considered diseases of skeletal muscle. Our knowledge on cerebral affection in myopathies is expanding continuously due to a better understanding of the genetic background and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Intriguingly, there is a remarkable overlap of brain pathology in muscular diseases with pathomechanisms involved in neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental disorders.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF