The initial molecular response predicts the deep molecular response but not treatment-free remission maintenance in a real-world chronic myeloid leukemia cohort.

In chronic myeloid leukemia, the identification of early molecular predictors of stable treatment-free remission (TFR) after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) discontinuation is challenging. The predictive values of residual disease (BCR::ABL1 quantification) at month 3 and 6 and more recently, BCR::ABL1 transcript halving time (HT) have been described, but no study compared the predictive value of different early parameters. Using a real-world cohort of 408 patients, we compared the performance of the EUTOS long-term survival (ELTS) score, BCR::ABL1 HT, and residual disease at month 3 and 6 to predict the molecular response, achievement of the TKI discontinuation criteria, and TFR maintenance. The performances of BCR::ABL1 HT and residual disease at month 3 were similar. Residual disease at month 6 displayed the best performance for predicting the optimal response (area under the ROC curve between 0.81 and 0.92; cut-off values: 0.11% for MR4 at month 24 and 0.12% for MR4.5 at month 48). Conversely, no early parameter predicted reaching the TKI discontinuation criteria and TFR maintenance. We obtained similar results when patients were divided in subgroups by first-line treatment (imatinib vs. second-generation TKI [2G-TKI]). We identified a relationship between ELTS score, earlier milestones and TFR maintenance only in the 2G-TKI group. In conclusion, this first comparative study of early therapeutic response parameters showed that they are excellent indicators of TKI efficacy (BCR::ABL1 transcript reduction) and best responders. Conversely, they did not predict the achievement of the TKI discontinuation criteria and TFR maintenance, suggesting that other parameters are involved in TFR maintenance.

Bulbar muscle impairment in patients with late onset Pompe disease: Insight from the French Pompe registry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Late onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare neuromuscular disorder caused by a deficit in acid alpha-glucosidase. Macroglossia and swallowing disorders have already been reported, but no study has focused yet on its frequency and functional impact on patients' daily life. METHODS: We reviewed 100 adult LOPD patients followed in 17 hospitals in France included in the French national Pompe disease registry. The Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Sydney Swallow Questionnaire were completed by patients, and a specialist carried out a medical examination focused on swallowing and assigned a Salassa score to each patient. Respiratory and motor functions were also recorded. Subgroup analysis compared patients with and without swallowing difficulties based on Salassa score. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of patients presented with swallowing difficulties, often mild but sometimes severe enough to require percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (1%). Daily dysphagia was reported for 20% of our patients and aspirations for 18%; 9.5% were unable to eat away from home. Macroglossia was described in 18% of our patients, and 11% had lingual atrophy. Only 15% of patients presenting with swallowing disorders were followed by a speech therapist. Swallowing difficulties were significantly associated with macroglossia (p = 0.015), longer duration of illness (p = 0.032), and a lower body mass index (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Swallowing difficulties in LOPD are common and have significant functional impact. Increased awareness by physicians of these symptoms with systematic examination of the tongue and questions about swallowing can lead to appropriate multidisciplinary care with a speech therapist and dietitian if needed.

Real-world therapeutic response and tyrosine kinase inhibitor discontinuation in chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukemia: data from the French observatory.

Guidelines for tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-treated chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) management are essentially based on data from clinical research trials; however, real-world data should be valuable for optimizing such recommendations. Here, we analyzed the data collected in the French CML Observatory database, a multicenter real-world cohort (n = 646), using a first-line "intention-to-treat" analysis strategy. This cohort included patients treated with first-line imatinib (n = 484), nilotinib (n = 103), dasatinib (n = 17), imatinib and interferon (n = 9), or second-generation (2G)-TKIs and interferon (n = 29). The cumulative incidence of major molecular response (MMR), MR4, MR4.5 and MR5 confirmed the faster response kinetics with 2G-TKIs. Multivariate analysis identified being a woman and residual disease at month 6 as the main predictive factors of deep molecular response (DMR). Moreover, 30% of patients met the criteria for treatment discontinuation (5 years of treatment and ≥ 2 years of DMR), but only 38% of them stopped treatment. Among the 92 patients who actually discontinued treatment due to optimal response, 31.5% relapsed (48% of them after > 6 months of TKI discontinuation). Multivariate analysis identified age and TKI duration as factors positively correlated with treatment-free remission maintenance. Late (> 6 months) relapses were more frequent in patients with the e14a2 BCR::ABL transcript. Relapse rate was higher in patients who stopped TKI before than after 5 years of treatment (52.6% vs 26%; p = 0.040). These results advocate caution concerning early treatment withdrawal, including in patients receiving 2G-TKIs. This still recruiting database is a valuable source of information for the real-world follow-up of patients with CML.

Macroglossia: A potentially severe complication of late-onset Pompe disease.

BACKGROUND: Pompe disease is a rare neuromuscular disorder caused by a deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid α-glucosidase. Macroglossia is a classic clinical sign of several inherited myopathies and has also been reported to occur progressively in late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). METHODS: We describe patients with LOPD and macroglossia included in the French national Pompe disease registry. Clinical, functional, and radiological data were collected during periodic follow-up and analyzed retrospectively. These cases were compared with 15 previously reported cases. RESULTS: Five patients, three females and two males, aged 71-88 years, were included in this study. All but one of the patients suffered from symptoms related to macroglossia before the diagnosis of Pompe disease. Three had localized tongue atrophy and one had significant localized tongue hypertrophy which led to glossectomy 10 years before diagnosis. Two patients had severe dysphagia, one of whom underwent gastrostomy for enteral nutritional support. One patient experienced the persistence of numerous sleep apneas despite nocturnal bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilation. All our patients had dysarthria, and two required speech therapy. Four patients had a tongue hypersignal on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1 sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of macroglossia should be part of the clinical diagnosis and follow-up of patients with LOPD, with a careful evaluation of its main consequences. Macroglossia can have severe functional impacts on speech, swallowing, and sleep. Whole-body MRI with facial sections may facilitate the early diagnosis of Pompe disease with the "bright tongue sign".

CRB1-Related Retinal Dystrophies in a Cohort of 50 Patients: A Reappraisal in the Light of Specific Müller Cell and Photoreceptor CRB1 Isoforms.

Pathogenic variants in CRB1 lead to diverse recessive retinal disorders from severe Leber congenital amaurosis to isolated macular dystrophy. Until recently, no clear phenotype-genotype correlation and no appropriate mouse models existed. Herein, we reappraise the phenotype-genotype correlation of 50 patients with regards to the recently identified CRB1 isoforms: a canonical long isoform A localized in Müller cells (12 exons) and a short isoform B predominant in photoreceptors (7 exons). Twenty-eight patients with early onset retinal dystrophy (EORD) consistently had a severe Müller impairment, with variable impact on the photoreceptors, regardless of isoform B expression. Among them, two patients expressing wild type isoform B carried one variant in exon 12, which specifically damaged intracellular protein interactions in Müller cells. Thirteen retinitis pigmentosa patients had mainly missense variants in laminin G-like domains and expressed at least 50% of isoform A. Eight patients with the c.498_506del variant had macular dystrophy. In one family homozygous for the c.1562C>T variant, the brother had EORD and the sister macular dystrophy. In contrast with the mouse model, these data highlight the key role of Müller cells in the severity of CRB1-related dystrophies in humans, which should be taken into consideration for future clinical trials.

Long-term benefit of enzyme replacement therapy with alglucosidase alfa in adults with Pompe disease: Prospective analysis from the French Pompe Registry.

Despite a wide clinical spectrum, the adult form of Pompe disease is the most common one, and represents more than 90% of diagnosed patients in France. Since the marketing of enzyme replacement therapy (alglucosidase alfa, Myozyme), all reports to date in adults demonstrated an improvement of the walking distance, and a trend toward stabilization of respiratory function, but the majority of these studies were less than 5 years of duration. We report here the findings from 158 treated patients included in the French Pompe Registry, who underwent regular clinical assessments based on commonly used standardized tests (6-minute walking test, MFM scale, sitting vital capacity, MIP and MEP). For longitudinal analyses, the linear mixed effects models were used to assess trends in primary endpoints over time under ERT. A two-phase model better described the changes in distance traveled in the 6-minute walk test and MFM. 6MWT showed an initial significant increase (1.4% ± 0.5/year) followed by a progressive decline (-2.3%/year), with a cut-off point at 2.2 years. A similar pattern was observed in total MFM score (6.6% ± 2.3/year followed by a - 1.1%/year decline after 0.5 years). A single-phase decline with a slope of -0.9 ± 0.1%/year (P < .001) was observed for FVC, and MEP remained stable over the all duration of follow-up. This study provides further evidence that ERT improves walking abilities and likely stabilizes respiratory function in adult patients with Pompe disease, with a ceiling effect for the 6MWT in the first 3 years of treatment.

Immunoglobulin Abnormalities in Gaucher Disease: an Analysis of 278 Patients Included in the French Gaucher Disease Registry.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare lysosomal autosomal-recessive disorder due to deficiency of glucocerebrosidase; polyclonal gammopathy (PG) and/or monoclonal gammopathy (MG) can occur in this disease. We aimed to describe these immunoglobulin abnormalities in a large cohort of GD patients and to study the risk factors, clinical significance, and evolution. Data for patients enrolled in the French GD Registry were studied retrospectively. The risk factors of PG and/or MG developing and their association with clinical bone events and severe thrombocytopenia, two markers of GD severity, were assessed with multivariable Cox models and the effect of GD treatment on gammaglobulin levels with linear/logarithmic mixed models. Regression of MG and the occurrence of hematological malignancies were described. The 278 patients included (132 males, 47.5%) were followed up during a mean (SD) of 19 (14) years after GD diagnosis. PG occurred in 112/235 (47.7%) patients at GD diagnosis or during follow-up and MG in 59/187 (31.6%). Multivariable analysis retained age at GD diagnosis as the only independent risk factor for MG (> 30 vs. ≤30 years, HR 4.71, 95%CI [2.40-9.27]; p < 0.001). Risk of bone events or severe thrombocytopenia was not significantly associated with PG or MG. During follow-up, non-Hodgkin lymphoma developed in five patients and multiple myeloma in one. MG was observed in almost one third of patients with GD. Immunoglobulin abnormalities were not associated with the disease severity. However, prolonged surveillance of patients with GD is needed because hematologic malignancies may occur.

Late-onset Pompe disease in France: molecular features and epidemiology from a nationwide study.

Pompe disease (PD) is caused by a deficiency of lysosomal acid α-glucosidase resulting from mutations in the GAA gene. The clinical spectrum ranges from a rapidly fatal multisystemic disorder (classic PD, onset < 1 year) to a milder adult onset myopathy. The aims of this study were to characterize the GAA mutations, to establish the disease epidemiology, and to identify potential genotype-phenotype correlations in French late-onset PD patients (onset ≥ 2 years) diagnosed since the 1970s. Data were collected from the two main laboratories involved in PD diagnosis and from the French Pompe registry. Two hundred forty-six patients (130 females and 116 males) were included, with a mean age at diagnosis of 43 years. Eighty-three different mutations were identified in the GAA gene, among which 28 were novel. These variants were spread all over the sequence and included 42 missense (one affecting start codon), 8 nonsense, 15 frameshift, 14 splice mutations, 3 small in-frame deletions, and one large deletion. The common c.-32-13T>G mutation was detected in 151/170 index cases. Other frequent mutations included the exon 18 deletion, the c.525del, and the missense mutations c.1927G>A (p.Gly643Arg) and c.655G>A (p.Gly219Arg). Patients carrying the c.-32-13T>G mutation had an older mean age at onset than patients non-exhibiting this mutation (36 versus 25 years). Patients with the same genotype had a highly variable age at onset. We estimated the frequency of late-onset PD in France around 1/69,927 newborns. In conclusion, we characterized the French cohort of late-onset PD patients through a nationwide study covering more than 40 years.

Corticosteroids in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: impact on the motor function measure sensitivity to change and implications for clinical trials.

AIM: To monitor the evolution of the motor function of ambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treated by corticosteroids for 2 years in comparison with untreated patients. METHOD: This observational, multicentre cohort study explores the evolution of the motor function measure (MFM) over a 24-month period for 29 ambulant corticosteroids-treated and 45 ambulant untreated patients with DMD. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between mean MFM scores in corticosteroids-treated and untreated groups for domain 1 of the MFM (standing position and transfers; D1), domain 2 of the MFM (axial and proximal motor function; D2), and domain 3 of the MFM (distal motor function; D3). Subscores were between 0 months and 6 months, and 0 months and 24 months. For the D1 subscore specifically, there was a significant increase in the corticosteroids-treated group (mean±standard deviation [SD] slope of change=12.6±15.5%/y), while a decrease was observed in the untreated group (-17.8±17.7%/y) between 0 months and 6 months (p<0.001). Sensitivity to change as assessed by standardized response means was high between 12 months and 24 months for D1 of both corticosteroids-treated and untreated groups (1.0 and 1.2 respectively), and low for D2 and D3 of both treated and untreated groups. INTERPRETATION: Patients with DMD treated by corticosteroids present a different course of the disease as assessed by MFM, confirming the sensitivity to change of the MFM in this population. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Corticosteroids have a quantitative impact on muscle strength 6 to 24 months after starting treatment. Motor function measure is a valid outcome measure in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients under corticosteroid treatment.

Is Going Beyond Rasch Analysis Necessary to Assess the Construct Validity of a Motor Function Scale?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether a Rasch analysis is sufficient to establish the construct validity of the Motor Function Measure (MFM) and discuss whether weighting the MFM item scores would improve the MFM construct validity. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional multicenter study. SETTING: Twenty-three physical medicine departments, neurology departments, or reference centers for neuromuscular diseases. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=911) aged 6 to 60 years with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), or myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Comparison of the goodness-of-fit of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model vs that of a modified multidimensional Rasch model on MFM item scores in each considered disease. RESULTS: The CFA model showed good fit to the data and significantly better goodness of fit than the modified multidimensional Rasch model regardless of the disease (P<.001). Statistically significant differences in item standardized factor loadings were found between DM1, CMT, and FSHD in only 6 of 32 items (items 6, 27, 2, 7, 9 and 17). CONCLUSIONS: For multidimensional scales designed to measure patient abilities in various diseases, a Rasch analysis might not be the most convenient, whereas a CFA is able to establish the scale construct validity and provide weights to adapt the item scores to a specific disease.

Effect of enzyme replacement therapy with alglucosidase alfa (Myozyme®) in 12 patients with advanced late-onset Pompe disease.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in patients at an advanced stage of Pompe disease has only been addressed in a few studies. Our objective was to assess the long term effects of ERT in a cohort of patients with severe Pompe disease. METHODS: We identified patients from the French Pompe Registry with severe respiratory failure and permanent wheelchair use (assisted walk for a few meters was allowed) when starting ERT. Patients' medical records were collected and reviewed and respiratory and motor functions, before ERT initiation and upon last evaluation were compared. RESULTS: Twelve patients (7 males) were identified. Median age at symptom onset was 24years [IQR=15.5; 36.0]. At baseline ventilation was invasive in 11 patients and noninvasive in one, with a median ventilation time of 24h [IQR=21.88; 24.00] (min 20; max 24). ERT was initiated at a median age of 52.5years [IQR=35.75; 66.50]. Median treatment duration was 55months [IQR=39.5; 81.0]. During observational period no adverse reaction to ERT was recorded, five patients (41.67%) died, three decreased their ventilation time by 30, 60 and 90min and two increased their assisted walking distance, by 80 and 20m. CONCLUSION: Some patients at a very advanced stage of Pompe disease may show a mild benefit from ERT, in terms of increased time of autonomous ventilation and of enlarged distance in assisted walk. ERT can be initiated in these patients in order to retain their current level of independence and ability to perform daily life activities.

Rasch analysis of the motor function measure in patients with congenital muscle dystrophy and congenital myopathy.

OBJECTIVES: To monitor treatment effects in patients with congenital myopathies and congenital muscular dystrophies, valid outcome measures are necessary. The Motor Function Measure (MFM) was examined for robustness, and changes are proposed for better adequacy. DESIGN: Observational study based on data previously collected from several cohorts. SETTING: Nineteen departments of physical medicine or neuromuscular consultation in France, Belgium, and the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=289) aged 5 to 77 years. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A Rasch analysis examined the robustness of the MFM across the disease spectrum. The 3 domains of the scale (standing position and transfers, axial and proximal motor function, and distal motor function) were independently examined with a partial credit model. RESULTS: The original 32-item MFM did not sufficiently fit the Rasch model expectations in either of its domains. Switching from a 4- to a 3-category response scale in 18 items restored response order in 16. Various additional checks suggested the removal of 7 items. The resulting Rasch-scaled Motor Function Measure with 25 items for congenital disorders of the muscle (Rs-MFM25(CDM)) demonstrated a good fit to the Rasch model. Domain 1 was well targeted to the whole severity spectrum-close mean locations for items and persons (0 vs 0.316)-whereas domains 2 and 3 were better targeted to severe cases. The reliability coefficients of the Rs-MFM25(CDM) suggested sufficient ability for each summed score to distinguish between patient groups (0.9, 0.8, and 0.7 for domains 1, 2, and 3, respectively). A sufficient agreement was found between results of the Rasch analysis and physical therapists' opinions. CONCLUSIONS: The Rs-MFM25(CDM) can be considered a clinically relevant linear scale in each of its 3 domains and may be soon reliably used for assessment in congenital disorders of the muscle.

English cross-cultural translation and validation of the neuromuscular score: a system for motor function classification in patients with neuromuscular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an English version of the Neuromuscular (NM)-Score, a classification for patients with NM diseases in each of the 3 motor function domains: D1, standing and transfers; D2, axial and proximal motor function; and D3, distal motor function. DESIGN: Validation survey. SETTING: Patients seen at a medical research center between June and September 2013. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients (N=42) aged 5 to 19 years with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of congenital muscular dystrophy. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: An English version of the NM-Score was developed by a 9-person expert panel that assessed its content validity and semantic equivalence. Its concurrent validity was tested against criterion standards (Brooke Scale, Motor Function Measure [MFM], activity limitations for patients with upper and/or lower limb impairments [ACTIVLIM], Jebsen Test, and myometry measurements). Informant agreement between patient/caregiver (P/C)-reported and medical doctor (MD)-reported NM scores was measured by weighted kappa. RESULTS: Significant correlation coefficients were found between NM scores and criterion standards. The highest correlations were found between NM-score D1 and MFM score D1 (ρ=-.944, P<.0001), ACTIVLIM (ρ=-.895, P<.0001), and hip abduction strength by myometry (ρ=-.811, P<.0001). Informant agreement between P/C-reported and MD-reported NM scores was high for D1 (κ=.801; 95% confidence interval [CI], .701-.914) but moderate for D2 (κ=.592; 95% CI, .412-.773) and D3 (κ=.485; 95% CI, .290-.680). Correlation coefficients between the NM scores and the criterion standards did not significantly differ between P/C-reported and MD-reported NM scores. CONCLUSIONS: Patients and physicians completed the English NM-Score easily and accurately. The English version is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used in clinical practice and research to describe the functional abilities of patients with NM diseases.

EURO-NMD registry: federated FAIR infrastructure, innovative technologies and concepts of a patient-centred registry for rare neuromuscular disorders.

BACKGROUND: The EURO-NMD Registry collects data from all neuromuscular patients seen at EURO-NMD's expert centres. In-kind contributions from three patient organisations have ensured that the registry is patient-centred, meaningful, and impactful. The consenting process covers other uses, such as research, cohort finding and trial readiness. RESULTS: The registry has three-layered datasets, with European Commission-mandated data elements (EU-CDEs), a set of cross-neuromuscular data elements (NMD-CDEs) and a dataset of disease-specific data elements that function modularly (DS-DEs). The registry captures clinical, neuromuscular imaging, neuromuscular histopathology, biological and genetic data and patient-reported outcomes in a computer-interpretable format using selected ontologies and classifications. The EURO-NMD registry is connected to the EURO-NMD Registry Hub through an interoperability layer. The Hub provides an entry point to other neuromuscular registries that follow the FAIR data stewardship principles and enable GDPR-compliant information exchange. Four national or disease-specific patient registries are interoperable with the EURO-NMD Registry, allowing for federated analysis across these different resources. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the Registry Hub brings together data that are currently siloed and fragmented to improve healthcare and advance research for neuromuscular diseases.

Aortic event rate in the Marfan population: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Optimal management, including timing of surgery, remains debated in Marfan syndrome because of a lack of data on aortic risk associated with this disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used our database to evaluate aortic risk associated with standardized care. Patients who fulfilled the international criteria, had not had previous aortic surgery or dissection, and came to our center at least twice were included. Aortic measurements were made with echocardiography (every 2 years); patients were given systematic ß-blockade and advice about sports activities. Prophylactic aortic surgery was proposed when the maximal aortic diameter reached 50 mm. Seven hundred thirty-two patients with Marfan syndrome were followed up for a mean of 6.6 years. Five deaths and 2 dissections of the ascending aorta occurred during follow-up. Event rate (death/aortic dissection) was 0.17%/y. Risk rose with increasing aortic diameter measured within 2 years of the event: from 0.09%/y per year (95% confidence interval, 0.00-0.20) when the aortic diameter was <40 mm to 0.3% (95% confidence interval, 0.00-0.71) with diameters of 45 to 49 mm and 1.33% (95% confidence interval, 0.00-3.93) with diameters of 50 to 54 mm. The risk increased 4 times at diameters ≥50 mm. The annual risk dropped below 0.05% when the aortic diameter was <50 mm after exclusion of a neonatal patient, a woman who became pregnant against our recommendation, and a 72-year-old woman with previous myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of sudden death or aortic dissection remains low in patients with Marfan syndrome and aortic diameter between 45 and 49 mm. Aortic diameter of 50 mm appears to be a reasonable threshold for prophylactic surgery.

Characteristics of Patients With Late-Onset Pompe Disease in France: Insights From the French Pompe Registry in 2022.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The French Pompe disease registry was created in 2004 for study of the natural course of the disease in patients. It rapidly became a major tool for assessing the long-term efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) after the market release of alglucosidase-alfa. METHODS: Approximately 10 years after publication of the baseline characteristics of the 126 initial patients of the French Late-Onset Pompe Disease registry, we provide here an update of the clinical and biological features of patients included in this registry. RESULTS: We describe 210 patients followed at 31 hospital-based French neuromuscular or metabolic centers. The median age at inclusion was 48.67 ± 14.91 years. The first symptom was progressive lower limb muscle weakness, either isolated (50%) or associated with respiratory symptoms (18%), at a median age of 38 ± 14.9 years. At inclusion, 64% of the patients were able to walk independently and 14% needed a wheelchair. Positive associations were found between motor function measure, manual motor test, and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) results, and these parameters were inversely associated with the time taken to sit up from a lying position at inclusion. Seventy-two patients had been followed for at least 10 years in the registry. Thirty-three patients remained untreated a median of 12 years after symptom onset. The standard ERT dose was administered for 177 patients. DISCUSSION: This update confirms previous findings for the adult population included in the French Pompe disease registry, but with a lower clinical severity at inclusion, suggesting that this rare disease is now diagnosed earlier; thanks to greater awareness among physicians. The 6MWT remains an important method for assessing motor performance and walking ability. The French Pompe disease registry provides an exhaustive, nationwide overview of Pompe disease and can be used to assess individual and global responses to future treatments.

UMD-DYSF, a novel locus specific database for the compilation and interactive analysis of mutations in the dysferlin gene.

Mutations in the dysferlin gene (DYSF) lead to a complete or partial absence of the dysferlin protein in skeletal muscles and are at the origin of dysferlinopathies, a heterogeneous group of rare autosomal recessive inherited neuromuscular disorders. As a step towards a better understanding of the DYSF mutational spectrum, and towards possible inclusion of patients in future therapeutic clinical trials, we set up the Universal Mutation Database for Dysferlin (UMD-DYSF), a Locus-Specific Database developed with the UMD® software. The main objective of UMD-DYSF is to provide an updated compilation of mutational data and relevant interactive tools for the analysis of DYSF sequence variants, for diagnostic and research purposes. In particular, specific algorithms can facilitate the interpretation of newly identified intronic, missense- or isosemantic-exonic sequence variants, a problem encountered recurrently during genetic diagnosis in dysferlinopathies. UMD-DYSF v1.0 is freely accessible at www.umd.be/DYSF/. It contains a total of 742 mutational entries corresponding to 266 different disease-causing mutations identified in 558 patients worldwide diagnosed with dysferlinopathy. This article presents for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the dysferlin mutational spectrum based on all compiled DYSF disease-causing mutations reported in the literature to date, and using the main bioinformatics tools offered in UMD-DYSF.

Dissection in Marfan syndrome: the importance of the descending aorta.

AIMS: To better characterize patients with Marfan syndrome who have survived an acute aortic dissection and to estimate the risks of events in the descending aorta. Up until now, this portion of the aorta has not been well studied but is gaining importance due to improved patient survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report a retrospective cohort of 100 Marfan patients who survived an aortic dissection. Dissection occurred in either the ascending aorta (AscAo) (n = 37), the descending aorta (DescAo) (n = 20), or both (As + DescAo, n = 43). During a mean follow-up of 9.8 ± 6.0 years (complete for 88% of the patients), 17 patients died and 52 had a clinical event (new aortic dissection, surgery, ischaemia, haemorrhage), 60% of which involved the descending aorta. Event-free survival was similar whatever the location of the aortic dissection. However, a better event-free survival was observed when no dissected portion of the aorta remained after surgery, which was the case in 62% (23/37) of the AscAo patients (30% incurred an event vs. 86%; P = 0.008 by log-rank test). Interestingly, the diameter of the ascending aorta was below the surgical threshold in 60% of the patients who incurred a dissection of the descending aorta, and within the normal range in 25%. CONCLUSION: The descending aorta may dissect whatever the diameter of the ascending aorta. The descending aorta is the location of most late clinical events after any dissection of the aorta. The rate of clinical events is much lower when all the dissected aorta has been removed in patients with AscAo dissection.

Implementation of Motor Function Measure score percentile curves - Predicting motor function loss in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The Motor Function Measure is a standardized scoring system to evaluate motor function and monitor disease progression in neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. There are no available reference percentile curves for this measure. The aim of this analysis was to generate Motor Function Measure percentile curves for ambulant and non-ambulant patients affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, providing the opportunity to better evaluate the status and progression of an individual patient compared to other patients in the same age group. Data of patients aged between 6 and 15 years (819 measurements) was obtained from the international Motor Function Measure database. Age-dependent percentile curves were estimated using a "Generalized additive model for location, scale and shape" as suggested by the World Health Organisation Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. Percentile curves for the Motor Function Measure total score and its sub-scores for patients with and without treatment with glucocorticoids are presented. Mean scores decline with age. Patients treated with glucocorticoids have higher mean values compared to glucocorticoid-naïve patients at the same age. The percentile curves with the online tool extend the clinical utility of the Motor Function Measure by facilitating the interpretation of individual standing and disease progression.

Human Splicing Finder: an online bioinformatics tool to predict splicing signals.

Thousands of mutations are identified yearly. Although many directly affect protein expression, an increasing proportion of mutations is now believed to influence mRNA splicing. They mostly affect existing splice sites, but synonymous, non-synonymous or nonsense mutations can also create or disrupt splice sites or auxiliary cis-splicing sequences. To facilitate the analysis of the different mutations, we designed Human Splicing Finder (HSF), a tool to predict the effects of mutations on splicing signals or to identify splicing motifs in any human sequence. It contains all available matrices for auxiliary sequence prediction as well as new ones for binding sites of the 9G8 and Tra2-beta Serine-Arginine proteins and the hnRNP A1 ribonucleoprotein. We also developed new Position Weight Matrices to assess the strength of 5' and 3' splice sites and branch points. We evaluated HSF efficiency using a set of 83 intronic and 35 exonic mutations known to result in splicing defects. We showed that the mutation effect was correctly predicted in almost all cases. HSF could thus represent a valuable resource for research, diagnostic and therapeutic (e.g. therapeutic exon skipping) purposes as well as for global studies, such as the GEN2PHEN European Project or the Human Variome Project.