Twice-weekly glucocorticosteroids in infants and young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Introduction: Glucocorticosteroids (GC) are effective in slowing weakness in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Methods: This is a multisite, 1-year, open-label trial of twice-weekly prednisolone (5 mg/kg/dose) in infants/young boys (0.4-2.

Clinical trial readiness in non-ambulatory boys and men with duchenne muscular dystrophy: MDA-DMD network follow-up.

Introduction: Outcomes sensitive to change over time in non-ambulatory boys/men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are not well-established.

Methods: Subjects (n = 91; 16.8 ± 4.

Outcome reliability in non-ambulatory boys/men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Introduction: Therapeutic trials in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) often exclude non-ambulatory individuals. Here we establish optimal and reliable assessments in a multicenter trial.

Methods: Non-ambulatory boys/men with DMD (N = 91; 16.

One year outcome of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy using the Bayley-III scales of infant and toddler development.

Background: The pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy starts before birth. Despite this, clinical trials exclude young boys because traditional outcome measures rely on cooperation. We recently used the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development to study 24 infants and boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Rapamycin nanoparticles target defective autophagy in muscular dystrophy to enhance both strength and cardiac function.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys progresses rapidly to severe impairment of muscle function and death in the second or third decade of life. Current supportive therapy with corticosteroids results in a modest increase in strength as a consequence of a general reduction in inflammation, albeit with potential untoward long-term side effects and ultimate failure of the agent to maintain strength. Here, we demonstrate that alternative approaches that rescue defective autophagy in mdx mice, a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, with the use of rapamycin-loaded nanoparticles induce a reproducible increase in both skeletal muscle strength and cardiac contractile performance that is not achievable with conventional oral rapamycin, even in pharmacological doses.

Motor and cognitive assessment of infants and young boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: results from the Muscular Dystrophy Association DMD Clinical Research Network.

Therapeutic trials in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) exclude young boys because traditional outcome measures rely on cooperation. The Bayley III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley III) have been validated in developing children and those with developmental disorders but have not been studied in DMD. Expanded Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (HFMSE) and North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) may also be useful in this young DMD population.

Regional CNS responses to IFN-gamma determine lesion localization patterns during EAE pathogenesis.

The localization of inflammatory foci within the cerebellum is correlated to severe clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS, revealed distinct clinical outcomes correlated with the capacity of the animal to produce IFN-gamma. Outcomes were linked to localization of inflammatory cells in either the spinal cord (wild type [WT]) or the cerebellum and brain stem (IFN-gamma deficient).

RAG2 gene knockout in mice causes fatigue.

The effect of a disrupted immune system on the neuromuscular system is poorly characterized. We compared the strength and fatigue of RAG2(-/-) mice, which lack T-cells and B-cells, with immune intact controls. RAG2(-/-) mice demonstrated fatigue with shorter inverted hang-times (HT) and voluntary wheel-running (VWR) distance and total run times; they increased body weight more slowly but had proportionally normal forelimb grip strength (FGS) and VWR speed.

Strength and corticosteroid responsiveness of mdx mice is unchanged by RAG2 gene knockout.

Corticosteroids improve muscle function in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and mdx mice possibly via effects on T-cell and B-cells. We quantified T-cell/B-cell functional effects and refined prednisolone's therapeutic mechanism in mdx mice. RAG2(-/-) mice, which produce no T-cells or B-cells, were crossed with mdx mice, which lack dystrophin protein.

Weekly oral prednisolone improves survival and strength in male mdx mice.

Although corticosteroids alleviate weakness in mdx mice, no long-term treatment has determined whether this benefit is maintained. We studied mdx mice forelimb grip strength and fatigue from 3 through 84 weeks and followed survival through 104 weeks. The mdx mice were given twice weekly oral prednisolone (5 mg/kg) beginning at 3 or 4 weeks.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and autoantibodies to neural antigens in sera of children with autistic spectrum disorders, Landau-Kleffner syndrome, and epilepsy.

Background: Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) elevation in newborn sera predicts intellectual/social developmental abnormalities. Other autoantibodies (AAs) to endothelial cells (ECs) and myelin basic protein (MBP) are also elevated in some children. We tested relationships between BDNF, BDNF AAs, and other AAs in children with these disorders.