A Japanese male with a novel ANO5 mutation with minimal muscle weakness and muscle pain till his late fifties.

Limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2L (LGMD2L) is an adult-onset slowly progressive muscular dystrophy associated with anoctamin 5 (ANO5) gene mutation, mainly reported from Northern and Central Europe. We report the case of a Japanese male patient with a novel homozygous mutation of c.2394dup, p.

Biallelic Mutations in MYPN, Encoding Myopalladin, Are Associated with Childhood-Onset, Slowly Progressive Nemaline Myopathy.

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a common form of congenital nondystrophic skeletal muscle disease characterized by muscular weakness of proximal dominance, hypotonia, and respiratory insufficiency but typically not cardiac dysfunction. Wide variation in severity has been reported. Intranuclear rod myopathy is a subtype of NM in which rod-like bodies are seen in the nucleus, and it often manifests as a severe phenotype.

Study of Duchenne muscular dystrophy long-term survivors aged 40 years and older living in specialized institutions in Japan.

The national muscular dystrophy wards database of Japan lists 118 long-term Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients who were at least 40 years old as of October 1, 2013. To elucidate the clinical features of DMD patients aged 40 years and older, we obtained gene analysis and muscle biopsy findings, as well as medical condition information. Ninety-four of the registered patients consented to participate, of whom 55 meeting genetic or biochemical criteria confirming DMD were analyzed.

[Survey of the actual state of medical care of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Japan].

It has been suggested that many physicians feel it is difficult to manage patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and that support from experts is required. Therefore, to assess the effects of Japanese practical guidelines for DMD, we distributed a survey questionnaire to certified neurologists and child neurologists in Japan. The survey revealed the actual state of medical care for patients with DMD in Japan prior to publication of guidelines.

[Neuromuscular disease and sleep disturbance].

In neuromuscular diseases, respiratory disorder is related to sleep disorder. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, respiratory muscle disorder progresses and induces alveolar hypoventilation. Hypoxemia and hypercapnia develop, requiring appropriate management.

[Infrastructure for the clinical research of muscular dystrophies: remudy and MDCTN].

Remudy, operated by the NCNP, runs two national registries for Dystrophinopathy and GNE myopathy in Japan under the collaboration with the TREAT-NMD alliance. The aim is to construct the clinical research infrastructure and accelerate the clinical development research for these rare diseases. We successfully provide the data sets for the feasibility studies, send out the appropriate information of the clinical trials for the candidates to speed up the recruitment for trials, collaboration with the Muscular Dystrophy Clinical Trial Network: MDCTN, as well as present the natural history and epidemiological data of the rare diseases with a new 'registry based' research style.

[Changes in clinical condition and causes of death of inpatients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Japan from 1999 to 2012].

To elucidate changes in medical treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in Japan, we analyzed the clinical courses and causes of death of inpatients with DMD registered in the muscular dystrophy ward database of 27 hospitals in Japan specializing in muscular dystrophy treatment since 1999. The total number of hospitalized cases in 1999 was 873, which gradually reduced to 733 in 2012. The mean age of DMD patients in 1999 was 23.

Prednisolone improves walking in Japanese Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.

We evaluated the long-term efficacy of prednisolone (PSL) therapy for prolonging ambulation in Japanese patients with genetically confirmed Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). There were clinical trials have shown a short-term positive effect of high-dose and daily PSL on ambulation, whereas a few study showed a long-term effect. Especially in Japan, "real-life" observation was lacking.

Analysis using histograms of muscle CT images in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

We showed that the shape of the thigh CT value histogram, which was reflecting muscle and fat, changed with the disease progression in a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and this shape of the histogram will employ a new analytical method. CT images of the middle part of the thigh were acquired in a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy once a year from 6 to 11 years of age. Regions apparently corresponding to subcutaneous fat, bone and bone marrow were manually excluded, and the CT values were calculated to prepare histograms.

Characteristics of Japanese Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy patients in a novel Japanese national registry of muscular dystrophy (Remudy).

Background: Currently, clinical trials for new therapeutic strategies are being planned for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). However, it is difficult to obtain adequate numbers of patients in clinical trials. As solutions to these problems, patient registries are an important resource worldwide, especially in rare diseases such as DMD/BMD.

Budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy via Turbuhaler versus fixed-dose budesonide/formoterol plus terbutaline in patients with asthma: phase III study results.

Background And Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of budesonide/formoterol as maintenance and reliever therapy versus budesonide/formoterol maintenance plus terbutaline in adults with persistent asthma not adequately controlled with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy alone.

Methods: In this 12-month, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, phase III study (NCT00839800), patients (age ≥ 16 years; receiving maintenance ICS; ≥ 1 severe exacerbation in the 12 months prior to study entry) were randomized to either budesonide/formoterol 160/4.5 μg 1 inhalation twice daily plus budesonide/formoterol 160/4.

A novel SACS mutation in an atypical case with autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS).

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder with symptoms of spastic ataxia, neuropathy, pyramidal sign, finger and foot deformities, and hypermyelination of retinal nerve fibers. SACS is mutated in ARSACS. The clinical diversity of ARSACS is recognized, which sometimes makes its diagnosis difficult.

Reduction rate of body mass index predicts prognosis for survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a multicenter study in Japan.

Malnutrition in the early stage has been reported as an independent predictor of survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We analyzed retrospectively the effect of variation of body mass index (BMI) on survival in ALS patients. In total, 77 consecutive ALS patients were enrolled from nine hospitals in Japan.

Selective muscle involvement in a family affected by a second LIM domain mutation of fhl1: an imaging study using computed tomography.

Mutations in the four-and-a-half LIM domains 1 gene (fhl1) are associated with various phenotypes of hereditary myopathies, including reducing body myopathy. We describe here a mother, daughter and son suffering from FHL1 myopathy with a mutation in the second LIM domain of fhl1. We investigated whether there is a characteristic muscle involvement in both sexes.

[Registry of muscular dystrophy (Remudy). Construction of the patient self-report registry and collaboration with overseas network].

The development of orphan medicines presents many challenges. Clinical trials with new therapeutic strategies are now being planned and conducted for many orphan diseases such as Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD). However, since adequate numbers of patients are needed to achieve significant results for clinical trials, patient registries are an important infrastructure worldwide, especially in the case of rare diseases.

[Infrastructure for new drug development to treat muscular dystrophy: current status of patient registration (remudy)].

Clinical trials for new therapeutic strategies are now being planned for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD); however, many challenges exist in the planning and conduction of a clinical trial for rare diseases. The epidemiological data, total number of patients, natural history, and clinical outcome measures are unclear. Adequate numbers of patients are needed to achieve significant results in clinical trials.

Decreased resting energy expenditure in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Background: Skeletal muscle metabolism is a major determinant of resting energy expenditure (REE). Although the severe muscle loss that characterizes Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) may alter REE, this has not been extensively investigated.

Methods: We studied REE in 77 patients with DMD ranging in age from 10 to 37 years using a portable indirect calorimeter, together with several clinical parameters (age, height, body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), vital capacity (VC), creatine kinase, creatinine, albumin, cholinesterase, prealbumin), and assessed their influence on REE.

[An experience of administration of modafinil for excessive daytime sleepiness in a patient with myotonic dystorophy].

We report the beneficial and adverse effects of modafinil for daytime sleepiness in a 62-year-old female patient with myotonic dystrophy. Although it was effective for excessive daytime sleepiness, orolingual dyskinesia appeared the day following administration of modafinil (100 mg/day), and dyskinesia disturbed her daily life including dental treatment. When modafinil was stopped, dyskinesia was improved.

Carvedilol can prevent cardiac events in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: Heart failure is one of the most serious complications in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Beta-blocker medication is known to improve the prognosis of chronic heart failure of adults, but its efficacy and safety for DMD patients has not been fully assessed. Thus we conducted a multicenter open trial.

[Establishment of an evaluation method for muscular dystrophy and a patient registration system for clinical trials].

About 20 years have passed since the discovery of the causative protein of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in 1987, and treatments targeting causative factors such as exon skipping, read-through of stop codons, and the upregulation of utrophin are approaching practical levels. In Japan, also, clinical trials are planned as the final stage of treatment development. In this field, an appropriate outcome measure has not been established due to the lack of experience in clinical trials.

Brain volume analyses and somatosensory evoked potentials in multiple system atrophy.

We investigated a progression of brain atrophy and somatosensory system dysfunction in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Subjects were 21 MSA patients [12 MSA-C (cerebellar type) and 9 MSA-P (parkinsonism type)]. The relative volumes of cerebrum, brainstem and cerebellum to the intracranial volume were obtained from three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) of the brain.

[Nasal flaring during hypoxemia in myotonic dystrophy and duchenne muscular dystrophy].

We investigated the relationship between nasal flaring and SpO2 in 19 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and 26 patients with myotonic dystrophy (DM1). In DMD patients, nasal flaring was observed when SpO2 was lower than 96%, while it was not seen even at 82% of SpO2 in DM1. None of the DM1 patients could perform voluntary nasal flaring.

Heart rate variability and hypercapnia in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between heart rate variability and hypercapnia.

Patients And Methods: We measured the coefficient of variation of R-R interval (CVrr) and arterial blood gas pressures in 73 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Results: CVrr was negatively correlated with arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)).

Mental retardation and lifetime events of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Japan.

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between mental retardation and lifetime events in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Methods: The data on mental retardation and ages of lifetime events (first walking, loss of ambulation, introductions of ventilator support and tube nutrition and death) were collected retrospectively, and the relationships between the factors were analyzed.

Patients: Among 194 DMD patients admitted to our hospital between 1995 and 2007, 74 patients underwent evaluation of their intelligence quotient (IQ).