Desmin mutations underlie inherited myopathies/cardiomyopathies with varying severity and involvement of the skeletal and cardiac muscles. We developed a transgenic mouse model expressing low level of the L345P desmin mutation (DESMUT mice) in order to uncover changes in skeletal and cardiac muscles caused by this mutation. The most striking ultrastructural changes in muscle from DESMUT mice were mitochondrial swelling and vacuolization. The mitochondrial Ca(2+) level was significantly increased in skeletal and cardiac myocytes from DESMUT mice compared to wild type cells during and after contractions. In isolated DESMUT soleus muscles, contractile function and recovery from fatigue were impaired. A SHIRPA screening test for neuromuscular performance demonstrated decreased motor function in DESMUT compared to WT mice. Echocardiographic changes in DESMUT mice included left ventricular wall hypertrophy and a decreased left ventricular chamber dimension. The results imply that low levels of L345P desmin acts, at least partially, by a dominant negative effect on mitochondria.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10974-008-9139-8 | DOI Listing |
Sports Med Open
January 2025
Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Background: Marathon training and running have many beneficial effects on human health and physical fitness; however, they also pose risks. To date, no comprehensive review regarding both the benefits and risks of marathon running on different organ systems has been published.
Main Body: The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of marathon training and racing on different organ systems.
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle
February 2025
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Background: Chest computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosing and predicting the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and assessing extrapulmonary organs. Reduced muscle mass and visceral fat accumulation are important features of a body composition phenotype in which obesity and muscle loss coexist, but their relationship with COVID-19 outcomes remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the erector spinae muscle (ESM) to epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) ratio (ESM/EAT) on chest CT and disease severity in patients with COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasma protein levels provide important insights into human disease, yet a comprehensive assessment of plasma proteomics across organs is lacking. Using large-scale multimodal data from the UK Biobank, we integrated plasma proteomics with organ imaging to map their phenotypic and genetic links, analyzing 2,923 proteins and 1,051 imaging traits across multiple organs. We uncovered 5,067 phenotypic protein-imaging associations, identifying both organ-specific and organ-shared proteomic relations, along with their enriched protein-protein interaction networks and biological pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSudan J Paediatr
January 2024
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a multisystem autosomal dominant disorder in which patients may have characteristic facial features and involvement of the liver, heart, vessels, bones, eyes, kidneys and central nervous system. As there is little published data on ALGS in Africa, our aim was to describe the presentation and outcomes of ALGS in South Africa. The study constitutes a retrospective analysis of 25 patient medical records diagnosed as ALGS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology clinic between January 1992 and January 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone Rep
March 2025
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America.
High resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) offers detailed bone geometry and microarchitecture assessment, including cortical porosity, but assessing chronic kidney disease (CKD) bone images remains challenging. This proof-of-concept study merges deep learning and machine learning to 1) improve automatic segmentation, particularly in cases with severe cortical porosity and trabeculated endosteal surfaces, and 2) maximize image information using machine learning feature extraction to classify CKD-related skeletal abnormalities, surpassing conventional DXA and CT measures. We included 30 individuals (20 non-CKD, 10 stage 3 to 5D CKD) who underwent HRpQCT of the distal and diaphyseal radius and tibia and contributed data to develop and validate four different AI models for each anatomical site.
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