J Neurol Sci
Department of Pediatrics, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryomachi, Aobaku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.
Published: April 2008
The detailed process of how dystrophic muscles are replaced by fibrotic tissues is unknown. In the present study, the immunolocalization and mRNA expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in muscles from normal and dystrophic human muscles were examined with the goal of elucidating the pathophysiological function of CTGF in muscular dystrophy. Biopsies of frozen muscle from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy, congenital muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, congenital myopathy were analyzed using anti-CTGF polyclonal antibody. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was also performed to evaluate the expression of CTGF mRNA in dystrophic muscles. In normal muscle, neuromuscular junctions and vessels were CTGF-immunopositive, which suggests a physiological role for CTGF in these sites. In dystrophic muscle, CTGF immunoreactivity was localized to muscle fiber basal lamina, regenerating fibers, and the interstitium. Triple immunolabeling revealed that activated fibroblasts were immunopositive for CTGF and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). RT-PCR analysis revealed increased levels of CTGF mRNA in the muscles of DMD patients. Co-localization of TGF-beta1 and CTGF in activated fibroblasts suggests that CTGF expression is regulated by TGF-beta1 through a paracrine/autocrine mechanism. In conclusion, TGF-beta1-CTGF pathway may play a role in the fibrosis that is commonly observed in muscular dystrophy.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2007.09.043 | DOI Listing |
FEBS J
January 2025
Greg Marzolf Jr. Muscular Dystrophy Center and Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Pathogenic variants in HMGCR were recently linked to a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) phenotype. The protein product HMG CoA reductase (HMGCR) catalyzes a key component of the cholesterol synthesis pathway. The two other muscle diseases associated with HMGCR, statin-associated myopathy (SAM) and autoimmune anti-HMGCR myopathy, are not inherited in a Mendelian pattern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovasc Intervent Radiol
January 2025
Clínical Area of Medical Imaging and Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe - Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Valencia, Spain.
Pediatric pain management presents unique challenges due to the intrinsic characteristics of children such as their developmental stages, communication barriers, and varying pain perceptions. Life-limiting conditions affecting children are a growing medical concern, requiring a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to improve quality of life or ensure a dignified end of life. Interventional radiology (IR) plays a critical role in this strategy, similar to its role in adult care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCleft Palate Craniofac J
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Objective: Apart from rupture and displacement of muscle fibers, structural defects exist in cleft muscles but have not been adequately investigated. This study aimed to examine the histological and molecular features of the cleft muscles.
Design: Orbicularis oris (OO) and tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscle samples were obtained from patients with cleft lip and alveolar.
Hum Gene Ther
January 2025
BridgeBio Gene Therapy, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in the form of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) has emerged as an immune complication of systemic adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer that was unforeseen based on nonclinical studies. Understanding this phenomenon in the clinical setting has been limited by incomplete data and a lack of uniform diagnostic and reporting criteria. While apparently rare based on available information, AAV-associated TMA/aHUS can pose a substantial risk to patients including one published fatality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Neurophysiol Pract
December 2024
Department of Neurology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Objective: The staircase phenomenon, which refers to the increases in the force of contraction with repetitive stimulation of the muscle, has been studied for many years, but the method is difficult and not widely used. Our objective was to evaluate the staircase phenomenon in skeletal muscle using a piezoelectric sensor.
Methods: Thirty-five subjects without neuromuscular diseases (normal controls), 11 patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and 19 patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (MyD) were studied.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!
© LitMetric 2025. All rights reserved.