Perhaps an autoantibody specific for inclusion body myositis
People with sporadic inclusion body myositis are much more likely than others to have autoantibodies directed against a mitochondrial membrane protein: NADH dehydrogenase 1 α subcomplex 11, or NDUFA11. These autoantibodies could even be specific to the disease, a hypothesis validated in 287 European patients, some followed at the Nice University Hospital or at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. Among them, 3.5% were positive for anti-NDUFA11, compared to none in a group of patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis. Note that abnormalities of the mitochondria at the heart of muscle fibers are more common in inclusion body myositis. Their presence is also one of the elements favoring the diagnosis of the disease.
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– Read our news on the new diagnostic criteria for inclusion body myositis
Fight against drowsiness in myotonic dystrophies
Psychostimulant medications (modafinil, methylphenidate, etc.) used for sleep or attention disorders are sometimes prescribed to reduce the tendency to fall asleep during the day present in type 1 myotonic dystrophies (or Steinert's disease) and type 2.
A French-Canadian team reviewed data from six clinical trials on the use of these drugs in myotonic dystrophies. They seem to reduce fatigue during the day without improving the quality of life of patients.
Long-term trials are necessary to better characterize the degree of effectiveness of these treatments and their long-term benefits and risks: they have so far been evaluated only on adults and for a maximum of one month.
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