Guidelines on clinical presentation and management of non-dystrophic myotonias

The non‐dystrophic myotonias (NDMs) are rare muscle hyperexcitability disorders caused by gain‐of‐function mutations in the SCN4A gene or loss‐of‐function mutations in the CLCN1 gene. Clinically, they are characterized by myotonia, defined as delayed muscle relaxation after voluntary contraction, which leads to symptoms of muscle stiffness, pain, fatigue, and weakness. Diagnosis is based on history and examination findings, the presence of electrical myotonia on electromyography (EMG), and genetic confirmation. In the absence of genetic confirmation, the diagnosis is supported by detailed electrophysiological testing, exclusion of other related disorders, and analysis of a variant of uncertain significance (VUS) if present. Symptomatic treatment with a sodium channel blocker, such as mexiletine, is usually the first step in management, as well as educating patients about potential anesthetic complications

Cellular responses of Candida albicans to phagocytosis and the extracellular activities of neutrophils are critical to counteract carbohydrate starvation, oxidative and nitrosative stress

Acknowledgments We thank Alexander Johnson (yhb1D/D), Karl Kuchler (sodD/D mutants), Janet Quinn (hog1D/D, hog1/cap1D/D, trx1D/D) and Peter Staib (ssu1D/D) for providing mutant strains. We acknowledge helpful discussions with our colleagues from the Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms Department, Fungal Septomics and the Microbial Biochemistry and Physiology Research Group at the Hans Kno¨ll Institute (HKI), specially Ilse D. Jacobsen, Duncan Wilson, Sascha Brunke, Lydia Kasper, Franziska Gerwien, Sea´na Duggan, Katrin Haupt, Kerstin Hu¨nniger, and Matthias Brock, as well as from our partners in the FINSysB Network. Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: PM HW IMB AJPB OK BH. Performed the experiments: PM CD HW. Analyzed the data: PM HW IMB AJPB OK BH. Wrote the paper: PM HW OK AJPB BH.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Myasthenic congenital myopathy from recessive mutations at a single residue in NaV1.4

OBJECTIVE: To identify the genetic and physiologic basis for recessive myasthenic congenital myopathy in 2 families, suggestive of a channelopathy involving the sodium channel gene, SCN4A. METHODS: A combination of whole exome sequencing and targeted mutation analysis, followed by voltage-clamp studies of mutant sodium channels expressed in fibroblasts (HEK cells) and Xenopus oocytes. RESULTS: Missense mutations of the same residue in the skeletal muscle sodium channel, R1460 of NaV1.4, were identified in a family and a single patient of Finnish origin (p.R1460Q) and a proband in the United States (p.R1460W). Congenital hypotonia, breathing difficulties, bulbar weakness, and fatigability had recessive inheritance (homozygous p.R1460W or compound heterozygous p.R1460Q and p.R1059X), whereas carriers were either asymptomatic (p.R1460W) or had myotonia (p.R1460Q). Sodium currents conducted by mutant channels showed unusual mixed defects with both loss-of-function (reduced amplitude, hyperpolarized shift of inactivation) and gain-of-function (slower entry and faster recovery from inactivation) changes. CONCLUSIONS: Novel mutations in families with myasthenic congenital myopathy have been identified at p.R1460 of the sodium channel. Recessive inheritance, with experimentally established loss-of-function, is a consistent feature of sodium channel based myasthenia, whereas the mixed gain of function for p.R1460 may also cause susceptibility to myotonia

Prevalence study of genetically defined skeletal muscle channelopathies in England.

To obtain minimum point prevalence rates for the skeletal muscle channelopathies and to evaluate the frequency distribution of mutations associated with these disorders

Components of acquisition-to-acquisition variance in continuous arterial spin labelling (CASL) imaging

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Images of perfusion estimates obtained with the continuous arterial spin labelling technique are characterized by variation between single acquisitions. Little is known about the spatial determinants of this variation during the acquisition process and their impact on voxel-by-voxel estimates of effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We show here that the spatial patterns of covariance between voxels arising during the acquisition of these images uncover distinct mechanisms through which this variance arises: through variation in global perfusion levels; through the action of large vessels and other, less well characterized, large anatomical structures; and through the effect of noisy areas such as the edges of the brain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Knowledge of these covariance patterns is important to experimenters for a correct interpretation of findings, especially for studies where relatively few acquisitions are made.</p

Crystal structure of SEL1L: Insight into the roles of SLR motifs in ERAD pathway

Terminally misfolded proteins are selectively recognized and cleared by the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. SEL1L, a component of the ERAD machinery, plays an important role in selecting and transporting ERAD substrates for degradation. We have determined the crystal structure of the mouse SEL1L central domain comprising five Sel1-Like Repeats (SLR motifs 5 to 9; hereafter called SEL1Lcent). Strikingly, SEL1Lcent forms a homodimer with two-fold symmetry in a head-to-tail manner. Particularly, the SLR motif 9 plays an important role in dimer formation by adopting a domain-swapped structure and providing an extensive dimeric interface. We identified that the full-length SEL1L forms a self-oligomer through the SEL1Lcent domain in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we discovered that the SLR-C, comprising SLR motifs 10 and 11, of SEL1L directly interacts with the N-terminus luminal loops of HRD1. Therefore, we propose that certain SLR motifs of SEL1L play a unique role in membrane bound ERAD machinery.ope

Truncating and missense mutations in IGHMBP2 cause Charcot-Marie Tooth disease type 2.

Using a combination of exome sequencing and linkage analysis, we investigated an English family with two affected siblings in their 40s with recessive Charcot-Marie Tooth disease type 2 (CMT2). Compound heterozygous mutations in the immunoglobulin-helicase-μ-binding protein 2 (IGHMBP2) gene were identified. Further sequencing revealed a total of 11 CMT2 families with recessively inherited IGHMBP2 gene mutations. IGHMBP2 mutations usually lead to spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1), where most infants die before 1 year of age. The individuals with CMT2 described here, have slowly progressive weakness, wasting and sensory loss, with an axonal neuropathy typical of CMT2, but no significant respiratory compromise. Segregating IGHMBP2 mutations in CMT2 were mainly loss-of-function nonsense in the 5' region of the gene in combination with a truncating frameshift, missense, or homozygous frameshift mutations in the last exon. Mutations in CMT2 were predicted to be less aggressive as compared to those in SMARD1, and fibroblast and lymphoblast studies indicate that the IGHMBP2 protein levels are significantly higher in CMT2 than SMARD1, but lower than controls, suggesting that the clinical phenotype differences are related to the IGHMBP2 protein levels

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV

Search for pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decaying to jets in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter in ppcollisions at √s=8TeV

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is used to search for the decay of a scalar boson to a pair of long-lived particles, neutral under the Standard Model gauge group, in 20.3fb−1of data collected in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV. This search is sensitive to long-lived particles that decay to Standard Model particles producing jets at the outer edge of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter or inside the hadronic calorimeter. No significant excess of events is observed. Limits are reported on the product of the scalar boson production cross section times branching ratio into long-lived neutral particles as a function of the proper lifetime of the particles. Limits are reported for boson masses from 100 GeVto 900 GeV, and a long-lived neutral particle mass from 10 GeVto 150 GeV