Clinical, muscle pathology and gene mutation characteristics of nemaline myopathy caused by mutations in NEB gene / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical, muscle biopsy and gene mutation characteristics of nemaline myopathy caused by the NEB gene variants.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations, muscle biopsies and genetic analysis of 3 nemaline myopathy patients carrying NEB gene mutations diagnosed in the Neuromuscular Pathology Laboratory of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University during 2019-2021 was done. And the related literature was reviewed.Results:All of the 3 patients were congenital onset. The onset symptoms of the 3 patients were weakness of bilateral lower limbs. Physical examinations showed high palatine arches and long narrow faces. Electromyography showed myogenic impairment. Muscle biopsies of the 3 patients revealed myodystrophic changes and nemaline bodies. The ATPase staining of patient 1 showed the predominance and grouping of type 1 muscle fibers. Genetic tests revealed patient 1 carried c.21522+3A>G and c.3471dupC (p.N1158Qfs *5) mutations in the NEB gene, patient 2 carried c.21522+3A>G and c.18991_18992delAG (p.Q6332Afs *8) compound heterozygous mutations and patient 3 carried c.21522+3A>G and c.3448A>T (p.K1150 *) compound heterozygous mutations. All the 3 patients carried the c.21522+3A>G mutation in the NEB gene, which had only been reported in Chinese population. The c.3471dupC (p.N1158Qfs *5), c.18991_18992delAG (p.Q6332Afs *8) and c.3448A>T (p.K1150 *) mutations have not been reported yet. According to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guideline, c.21522+3A>G, c.3471dupC (p.N1158Qfs *5), c.3448A>T (p.K1150 *) and c.18991_18992delAG (p.Q6332Afs *8) mutations were all rated pathogenic. Conclusions:The onset age and clinical symptoms of nemaline myopathy are heterogeneous. Muscle biopsy and genetic analysis are important for diagnosis of nemaline myopathy. The c.21522+3A>G mutation in the NEB gene may be more common in Chinese population.

Guanosine diphosphate-mannose pyrophosphorylase-B gene mutations causing limb-girdle muscular dystrophy overlapping with congenital myasthenic syndrome / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To report four patients with secondary α-dystroglycanopathy caused by guanosine diphosphate-mannose pyrophosphorylase-B ( GMPPB ) gene mutations and review the literature aiming to analyze the clinical manifestations , muscle image , molecular pathology and genetic characteristics of the disease.Methods The medical history , physical examination , electromyography and other clinical data of four patients with secondary α-dystroglycanopathy from two families were collected and retrospectively reviewed from 2009 to 2017.Case 1 ( proband of pedigree 1) and case 2 ( proband of pedigree 2) were then further analyzed with muscle imaging , muscle pathology and targeted next generation gene sequencing (NGS).Results Four patients came from two families (three from the same pedigree), two males and two females, with an onset age of 17 -18 years.All four cases presented as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) overlapping with congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) characterized by evident proximal limb weakness in early adulthood and fluctuating muscle weakness .They all had delayed motor milestone and did not perform well in physical education since childhood . Serum creatine kinase was elevated markedly (1877-5275 U/L).Myogenic changes on electromyography and marked attenuation on three Hz repetitive nerve stimulation were observed in all patients .Muscle MRI showed prominent involvement of bilateral hamstrings in case 1 and case 2.Muscular dystrophic patterns were demonstrated on muscle biopsies . Targeted NGS revealed two compound heterozygous missense mutations in GMPPB for each case .Case 1 carried c.860G>T (p.R287L)/c851T>C (p.V284L).Case 2 and his two affected sisters (case 3 and case 4) carried c.1097A >G ( p.N366S)/c.589G >T ( p.V197F) .All of these mutations were novel variants and pedigree analysis suggested that the two mutations were from parents .Compared with normal controls, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed significantly decreased expression of α-dystroglycan in the muscle tissue from case 1 and case 2.The myasthenic symptoms of all four patients were improved to varying degrees after treatment with pyridostigmine bromide . Conclusions Mutations in GMPPB can lead to dysfunction both in muscle and in neuromuscular transmission causing overlapping between LGMD and CMS phenotypes . Cholinesterase inhibitors can partly improve the symptoms of myasthenia in such patients .

Caveolin-associated myopathy: three cases with muscle rippling and a literature review / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To summarize the clinical , pathological and genetic characteristics of three patients with caveolin-3 associated myopathy and review the literatures .Methods The clinical data of three patients with caveolin-3 associated myopathy were investigated .With informed consent , we performed muscle biopsy and genetic analysis of CAV 3 and PTRF genes.Results All the three patients presented with percussion/pressure-induced rapid contraction , percussion-induced muscle mounding and mechanically induced muscle rippling.Besides, case 1 had weakness and atrophy of hand muscles .Case 2, who manifested with muscle hyperexcitability at onset , developed weakness and atrophy of distal part of lower limbs.Case 3 showed normal muscle strength and tone .All of them had myalgia or tenderness .Muscle biopsy revealed mild myogenic changes in two patients and a muscular dystrophic pattern in one . Immunohistochemical staining of caveolin-3 revealed an even deficiency in case 1 and a mosaic deficiency in cases 2 and 3.Gene analysis revealed a missense mutation ( c.80G>A, p.R27Q) in CAV3 gene of case 1. No mutations were identified in cases 2 and 3.Conclusions There is phenotypic variability in patients with caveolin-associated myopathy , including limb-girdle syndrome , rippling muscle disease , distal myopathy , muscle hypertrophy , idiopathic hyperCKemia and cardiomyopathy .Muscle biopsy and caveolin-3 staining should be performed for the above patients with muscle rippling .

Clinical and pathological study of Guillain-Barré syndrome with treatment-related fluctuations / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical and pathological features of Guillain-Barré syndrome with treatment-related fluctuations (GBS-TRF).Methods Clinical data were obtained from medical records of patients with GBS-TRF during the period 1999 to 2014 in our Hospital.Sural nerve specimens were collected and summarized retrospectively (two cases).Results Eight of 868 cases with GBS had at least one TRF including three chronic hepatitis B patients.The onset of disease was ranged in age from six to 63 years, averaging 34 years.It is more common in men than in women in a ratio of seven to one.Triggering infections occurred in three patients.The initial symptom included weakness of the lower limbs (five cases) and upper extremities (three cases).Sensory symptom was presented in six patients.Five patients had associated respiratory paralysis.None of them had cranial nerve palsy or autonomic dysfunction.The examination of cerebrospinal fluid showed protein and cell separation.Five patients had two attacks, one had three attacks and two had six attacks.The interval between attacks ranged between 14 days and 46 days (mean 23 days).The striking pathologic finding was the presence of sectional selective nerve fiber degeneration (SNFD) with evidence of demyelination.Conclusions Patients with GBS-TRF show similar onset age, preceding infection, cerebrospinal fluid findings, and electrophysiologic characteristics comparing to patients with GBS,while there are more male patients than female patients.SNFD found in sural nerve biopsy reveals ischemic neuropathy, which predicts that injury of arterioles might play an important role in the pathogenesis of GBS-TRF.

A clinical and pathological study of Guillain-Barré syndrome with treatment-related fluctuations / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical and pathological features of Guillain-Barré syndrome with treatment-related fluctuations ( GBS-TRF ).Methods Clinical data were obtained from medical records of patients with GBS-TRF during the period 1999 to 2014 in our Hospital.Sural nerve specimens were collected and summarized retrospectively ( two cases ).Results Eight of 868 cases with GBS had at least one TRF including three chronic hepatitis B patients.The onset of disease was ranged in age from six to 63 years, averaging 34 years.It is more common in men than in women in a ratio of seven:one.Triggering infections occurred in three patients.The initial symptom included weakness of the lower limbs ( five cases ) and upper extremities ( three cases ).Sensory symptom was presented in six patients.Five patients had associated respiratory paralysis.None of them had cranial nerve palsy or autonomic dysfunction.Five patients had two attacks , one had three attacks and two had six attacks.The interval between attacks ranged between 14 days and 46 days ( mean 23 days ).The striking pathologic finding was the presence of sectional selective nerve fiber degeneration ( SNFD ) with evidence of demyelination.Conclusions Patients with GBS-TRF shows similar onset age , preceding infection , cerebrospinal fluid findings, and electrophysiologic characteristics comparing to patients with GBS ,while there are more male patients than female patients.SNFD found in sural nerve biopsy reveals ischemic neuropathy , which predicts that injury of arterioles might play an important role in the pathogenesis of GBS -TRF.

The pathological characteristics of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in muscle tissue of dermatomyositis / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To study the histological features of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) in muscle tissue affected by dermatomyositis (DM) and to discuss the pathological significations of pDC.Methods Muscle tissues from 30 cases of DM and 25 cases of polymyositis (PM) were collected.HE stain, immunohistochemistry studies were carried out in all muscle samples.Results Pathological features of DM included: perifascicular atrophy (25/30); punched-out fiber (14/30); perivasculitis (17/30),inflammatory infiltration in the endomysium(6/30).Using immunohistochemistry study, 19 cases from DM were infiltrated by macrophages which are CD68 positive and CD303 negative, 20 cases with DM were infiltrated by pDC which are CD303 positive.The location of pDC were: perivascular of interfascicular septae only (15/20); endomysium only (3/20) and both (2/20).Myopathic damage such as necrotic and regenerating fibers and inflammatory infiltration could be seen in PM.There was few pDC infiltration in PM.Conclusions There is few pDC in muscle tissue affected by PM and many pDC in muscle tissue affected by DM with infiltration mainly in the wide interfascicular septae.pDC may be connected to perifascicular atrophy and play a roll in the pathogenesis of DM.

The relationship of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and adiponectin with the mild cognitive impairment in senile metabolic syndrome patients / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the relationships of the serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and adiponectin with the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in senile metabolic syndrome (MS)patients. Methods The 74 cases with MS and 30 health controls (control group) were enrolled. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), digit-symbol test (DST), auditory verbal memory test (AVMT), trail making test(TMT), sunderland clock drawing test (CDT) and verbal fluency test (VFT) were applied to evaluate cognitive function. Based on the cognitive assessment, MS patients were divided into two groups: 39 cases with MCI (MS+MCI group) and 35 cases without cognitive impairment (MS group). The levels of MMP-9, ICAM-1 and adiponectin were measured by ELISA. Biochemical variables were measured by routine methods in all subjects. Results (1)MS+MCI group showed the higher levels of BMI, SBP, FBG and MMP-9 (all P＜0.05) and lower level of adiponectin (P＜0.05) than did the MS group. And MS group had higher levels of MMP-9 and ICAM-1 (P＜0.01) and lower adiponectin level (P＜0.01) than did the control group. (2)Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the serum levels of MMP-9 (r=-0.794, P＜0.001) and ICAM-l (r=-0.501, P＜0.001) were negatively correlated with adiponectin. However, MMP-9 was positively correlated with ICAM-1 (r=0.481, P=0.006). (3)Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that there was linear relationship of MoCA with MMP-9 (β=-3.438, P=0.0019), adiponectin (β=1.337, P=0.006), SBP (β=-0.058, P=0.003) and FBG (β=-0.227, P=0.049). (4)Stepwise logistic analysis showed that both high MMP-9 (OR=1.007) and low adiponectin (OR=0.359) were risk factors for the decline of cognitive function. Conclusions Elderly patients with MS may show deterioration in memory, calculation and visuospatial perception. Elevated inflammatory factors might contribute, in combination with abnormal metabolism, to MCI. MMP-9 might contribute to neuronal degeneration. However, adiponectin could strongly counteract the risk factors for cognitive impairment.

Characteristics of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy's vascular inflammatory pathological changes / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the pathological features of blood vessel inflammation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy ( FSHD ) and the role of vasculitis on the pathogenesis of FSHD. Methods The clinical manifestations and myopathological features of 26 FSHD patients were retrospectively analyzed and summarized. All of the patients were divided into 2 groups; inflammatory infiltration group and non-inflammatory infiltration group. The latter was further divided into 3 subgroups;endomysial inflammation subgroup, perivasculitis subgroup and transmural vasculitis subgroup.Immunohistochemical staining were carried out in inflammatory infiltration group with anti-CD3, anti-CD4,anti-CD8,anti-CD20 and anti-SMA antibody. The control group was composed of 10 dermatomyositis ( DM)cases and 10 polymyositis ( PM) cases. Results The age of onset was (25. 2 ± 12. 6) years old and the average course was (7. 8 ±7. 3) years. The sex ratio of male to female was 1.6: 1. Five of them had family history. The main clinical features were progressive weakness and atrophy of facial, shoulder girdles and proximal upper limbs muscles. The lower distal limbs and (or) lower distal limbs and pelvic girdle muscles were involved in 18 cases. The main pathological features were shown as followed. Seventeen of them had focal inflammatory cell infiltration, including endomysial inflammation (4/17) , perivasculitis (7/17) , and transmural vasculitis (6/17). Immunohistochemical staining confirmed the major types of inflammatory cells were CD4* T lymphocytes and CD20B lymphocytes, which was familiar with DM. While in PM, CD8+ T lymphocytes were dominant The proportionality of residual muscle fibers obviously decreased in inflammatory infiltration group ( 48. 0% ± 23. 6% ) than non-inflammatory infiltration group ( 94. 3% ±3. 1% , T = 198. 000, P = 0. 000). As to CK levels, there were no significant deviation. Conclusions Obvious inflammatory cell infiltration can be seen in FSHD, the locations of inflammatory cells are endomyosium inflammation, perivasculitis and transmural vasculitis. Transmural vasculitis indicates vascular pathological factor may have something to do with pathogenesis of FSHD.

Clinical and pathological features of the 5 Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2A patients / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical and molecular pathological features of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2A (LGMD2A) of Chinese patients. Methods Thirty cases of LGMD with excluding LGMD2B were included in this study. The muscle specimens were performed by a standard series methods of histochemistry, enzymohistochemistry, immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The clinical and molecular pathological features of LGMD2A were retrospective analyzed. Results Five cases with no or only trace expression of calpain-3 protein were diagnosed as calpainopathy (LGMD2A) by Western blot analysis. The age of onset of these 5 patients ranged from 10 to 45 years and the duration of the disease were about 2-10 years. Proximal muscles weakness and atrophy of lower limbs were predominantly involved. In all patients,symptoms progressed slowly. The ambulation could be retained for many years but running and jumping were impaired early. The serum creatine kinase level was elevated moderately to markedly. Electromyography showed myopathic patterns in all cases. Two siblings had similar symptoms indicating autosomai recessive inherited pattern. Pathologically, there was marked variation in fibre size and most small fibres were round. Some necrotic and regenerating fibers were seen. Fibres with centrally placed nuclei can be found frequently. No infiltrations of inflammatory cells were seen. Lobulated fibers were observed in 2 patients by NADH-TR stain. The expression of dystrophin, caveolin-3, α-, β-, γ- and δ-sarcoglycan protein were normally staining of 5 LGMD2A patients' specimens by immunohistochemistry. Two patients had reduced staining of dysferlin by immunohistochemistry study. Conclusions Clinical and pathological characteristics of our 5 LGMD2A patients are consistent with typical muscular dystrophy features reported in other countries. Identification of calpian-3 deletion by Western blot is essential for the diagnosis of calpainopathy.