A study concept of expeditious clinical enrollment for genetic modifier studies in Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A.

BACKGROUND: Caused by duplications of the gene encoding peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is the most common hereditary neuropathy. Despite this shared genetic origin, there is considerable variability in clinical severity. It is hypothesized that genetic modifiers contribute to this heterogeneity, the identification of which may reveal novel therapeutic targets. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of clinical examination results from 1564 CMT1A patients sourced from a prospective natural history study conducted by the RDCRN-INC (Inherited Neuropathy Consortium). Our primary objective is to delineate extreme phenotype profiles (mild and severe) within this patient cohort, thereby enhancing our ability to detect genetic modifiers with large effects. METHODS: We have conducted large-scale statistical analyses of the RDCRN-INC database to characterize CMT1A severity across multiple metrics. RESULTS: We defined patients below the 10th (mild) and above the 90th (severe) percentiles of age-normalized disease severity based on the CMT Examination Score V2 and foot dorsiflexion strength (MRC scale). Based on extreme phenotype categories, we defined a statistically justified recruitment strategy, which we propose to use in future modifier studies. INTERPRETATION: Leveraging whole genome sequencing with base pair resolution, a future genetic modifier evaluation will include single nucleotide association, gene burden tests, and structural variant analysis. The present work not only provides insight into the severity and course of CMT1A, but also elucidates the statistical foundation and practical considerations for a cost-efficient and straightforward patient enrollment strategy that we intend to conduct on additional patients recruited globally.

Minimal clinically important differences in six-minute walking distance in late-onset Pompe disease.

BACKGROUND: The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is the smallest change in outcome that physicians or patients would consider meaningful and is relevant when evaluating disease progression or the efficacy of interventions. Studies of patients with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) have used the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) as an endpoint to assess motor function. However, an MCID for 6MWD (% predicted and meters) has yet to be established in LOPD. The objective of the study was to derive 6MWD MCID (% predicted and meters) with different analysis methods and for subgroups of different disease severity for LOPD. METHODS: Data from the PROPEL trial were used to calculate 6MWD MCID in the overall PROPEL population and subgroups of baseline severity as assessed by walking distance and body mass index (BMI), using anchor- and distribution-based approaches. RESULTS: The 6MWD MCIDs varied widely, depending on the method and subgroup, ranging from 2.27%-8.11% predicted for the overall LOPD population (23.7 m-57.2 m). For patients with baseline 6MWD < 150 m, MCIDs ranged from -0.74%-3.37% (-2.1 m-11.3 m). MCIDs increased with distance walked at baseline until a plateau was reached. For BMI subgroups, the MCIDs were generally lowest in obese patients. CONCLUSION: Our analysis shows that MCID depends on the chosen method and disease severity. The findings suggest that applying a single MCID to all patients can be misleading; consequently, a range of possible MCIDs should be considered. This may also be highly relevant for other neuromuscular diseases. This study provides a range of 6MWD MCIDs for LOPD, with lower MCIDs for more severe patients.

Recommendations for the management of myasthenia gravis in Belgium.

International guidelines on the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) have been published but are not tailored to the Belgian situation. This publication presents recommendations from a group of Belgian MG experts for the practical management of MG in Belgium. It includes recommendations for treatment of adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) or ocular myasthenia gravis (oMG). Depending on the MG-related antibody a treatment sequence is suggested with therapies that can be added on if the treatment goal is not achieved. Selection of treatments was based on the level of evidence of efficacy, registration and reimbursement status in Belgium, common daily practice and the personal views and experiences of the authors. The paper reflects the situation in February 2024. In addition to the treatment considerations, other relevant aspects in the management of MG are addressed, including comorbidities, drugs aggravating disease symptoms, pregnancy, and vaccination. As many new treatments might potentially come to market, a realistic future perspective on the impact of these treatments on clinical practice is given. In conclusion, these recommendations intend to be a guide for neurologists treating patients with MG in Belgium.

Lessons for future clinical trials in adults with Becker muscular dystrophy: Disease progression detected by muscle magnetic resonance imaging, clinical and patient-reported outcome measures.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Because Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a heterogeneous disease and only few studies have evaluated adult patients, it is currently still unclear which outcome measures should be used in future clinical trials. METHODS: Muscle magnetic resonance imaging, patient-reported outcome measures and a wide range of clinical outcome measures, including motor function, muscle strength and timed-function tests, were evaluated in 21 adults with BMD at baseline and at 9 and 18 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Proton density fat fraction increased significantly in 10/17 thigh muscles after 9 months, and in all thigh and lower leg muscles after 18 months. The 32-item Motor Function Measurement (MFM-32) scale (-1.3%, p = 0.017), North Star Ambulatory Assessment (-1.3 points, p = 0.010) and patient-reported activity limitations scale (-0.3 logits, p = 0.018) deteriorated significantly after 9 months. The 6-min walk distance (-28.7 m, p = 0.042), 10-m walking test (-0.1 m/s, p = 0.032), time to climb four stairs test (-0.03 m/s, p = 0.028) and Biodex peak torque measurements of quadriceps (-4.6 N m, p = 0.014) and hamstrings (-5.0 N m, p = 0.019) additionally deteriorated significantly after 18 months. At this timepoint, domain 1 of the MFM-32 was the only clinical outcome measure with a large sensitivity to change (standardized response mean 1.15). DISCUSSION: It is concluded that proton density fat fraction imaging of entire thigh muscles is a sensitive outcome measure to track progressive muscle fat replacement in patients with BMD, already after 9 months of follow-up. Finally, significant changes are reported in a wide range of clinical and patient-reported outcome measures, of which the MFM-32 appeared to be the most sensitive to change in adults with BMD.

Digenic inheritance involving a muscle-specific protein kinase and the giant titin protein causes a skeletal muscle myopathy.

In digenic inheritance, pathogenic variants in two genes must be inherited together to cause disease. Only very few examples of digenic inheritance have been described in the neuromuscular disease field. Here we show that predicted deleterious variants in SRPK3, encoding the X-linked serine/argenine protein kinase 3, lead to a progressive early onset skeletal muscle myopathy only when in combination with heterozygous variants in the TTN gene. The co-occurrence of predicted deleterious SRPK3/TTN variants was not seen among 76,702 healthy male individuals, and statistical modeling strongly supported digenic inheritance as the best-fitting model. Furthermore, double-mutant zebrafish (srpk3-/-; ttn.1+/-) replicated the myopathic phenotype and showed myofibrillar disorganization. Transcriptome data suggest that the interaction of srpk3 and ttn.1 in zebrafish occurs at a post-transcriptional level. We propose that digenic inheritance of deleterious changes impacting both the protein kinase SRPK3 and the giant muscle protein titin causes a skeletal myopathy and might serve as a model for other genetic diseases.

104-week efficacy and safety of cipaglucosidase alfa plus miglustat in adults with late-onset Pompe disease: a phase III open-label extension study (ATB200-07).

The phase III double-blind PROPEL study compared the novel two-component therapy cipaglucosidase alfa + miglustat (cipa + mig) with alglucosidase alfa + placebo (alg + pbo) in adults with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). This ongoing open-label extension (OLE; NCT04138277) evaluates long-term safety and efficacy of cipa + mig. Outcomes include 6-min walk distance (6MWD), forced vital capacity (FVC), creatine kinase (CK) and hexose tetrasaccharide (Hex4) levels, patient-reported outcomes and safety. Data are reported as change from PROPEL baseline to OLE week 52 (104 weeks post-PROPEL baseline). Of 118 patients treated in the OLE, 81 continued cipa + mig treatment from PROPEL (cipa + mig group; 61 enzyme replacement therapy [ERT] experienced prior to PROPEL; 20 ERT naïve) and 37 switched from alg + pbo to cipa + mig (switch group; 29 ERT experienced; 8 ERT naive). Mean (standard deviation [SD]) change in % predicted 6MWD from baseline to week 104 was + 3.1 (8.1) for cipa + mig and - 0.5 (7.8) for the ERT-experienced switch group, and + 8.6 (8.6) for cipa + mig and + 8.9 (11.7) for the ERT-naïve switch group. Mean (SD) change in % predicted FVC was - 0.6 (7.5) for cipa + mig and - 3.8 (6.2) for the ERT-experienced switch group, and - 4.8 (6.5) and - 3.1 (6.7), respectively, in ERT-naïve patients. CK and Hex4 levels improved in both treatment groups by week 104 with cipa + mig treatment. Three patients discontinued the OLE due to infusion-associated reactions. No new safety signals were identified. Cipa + mig treatment up to 104 weeks was associated with overall maintained improvements (6MWD, biomarkers) or stabilization (FVC) from baseline with continued durability, and was well tolerated, supporting long-term benefits for patients with LOPD.Trial registration number: NCT04138277; trial start date: December 18, 2019.

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.

Novel OBSCN variants associated with a risk to exercise-intolerance and rhabdomyolysis.

Obscurin, encoded by the OBSCN gene, is a muscle protein consisting of three main splice isoforms, obscurin-A, obscurin-B, and obscurin kinase-only protein (also known as KIAA1639 or Obsc-kin). Obscurin is located at the M-band and Z-disks and interacts with titin and myomesin. It plays an important role in the stability and maintenance of the A- and M-bands and the subsarcolemmal organization of the microtubule network. Furthermore, obscurin is involved in Ca2+ regulation and sarcoplasmic reticulum function and is connected to several other muscle proteins. OBSCN gene variants have been reported to be relatively common in inherited cardiomyopathies. Here we reported two young patients with a history of cramps, myalgia, exercise intolerance, rhabdomyolysis, and myoglobinuria without any evidence of concomitant cardiomyopathy in association with novel OBSCN variants (c.24822C>A and c.2653+1G>C). Obscurin-deficient muscle fibers seem to have increased susceptibility to damage triggered by exercise that may lead to rhabdomyolysis. More studies are needed to clarify the diverse clinical phenotypes and the pathophysiology of OBSCN gene variants.

Peptides From the Variable Domain of Immunoglobulin G as Biomarkers in Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a clinically heterogeneous immune-mediated disease. Diagnostic biomarkers for CIDP are currently lacking. Peptides derived from the variable domain of circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) have earlier been shown to be shared among patients with the same immunologic disease. Because humoral immune factors are hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of CIDP, we evaluated IgG variable domain-derived peptides as diagnostic biomarkers in CIDP (primary objective) and whether IgG-derived peptides could cluster objective clinical entities in CIDP (secondary objective). METHODS: IgG-derived peptides were determined in prospectively collected sera of patients with CIDP and neurologic controls by means of mass spectrometry. Peptides of interest were selected through statistical analysis in a discovery cohort followed by sequence determination and confirmation. Diagnostic performance was evaluated for individual selected peptides and for a multipeptide model incorporating selected peptides, followed by performance reassessment in a validation cohort. Clustering of patients with CIDP based on IgG-derived peptides was evaluated through unsupervised sparse principal component analysis followed by k-means clustering. RESULTS: Sixteen peptides originating from the IgG variable domain were selected as candidate biomarkers in a discovery cohort of 44 patients with CIDP and 29 neurologic controls. For all 16 peptides, univariate logistic regressions and ROC curve analysis demonstrated increasing peptide abundances to associate with increased odds for CIDP (area under the curves [AUCs] ranging from 64.6% to 79.6%). When including age and sex in the logistic regression models, this remained the case for 13/16 peptides. A model composed of 5/16 selected peptides showed strong discriminating performance between patients with CIDP and controls (AUC 91.5%; 95% CI 84.6%-98.4%; p < 0.001). In the validation cohort containing 45 patients and 43 controls, 2/16 peptides demonstrated increasing abundances to associate with increased odds for CIDP, while the five-peptide model demonstrated an AUC of 61.2% (95% CI 49.3%-73.2%; p = 0.064). Peptide-based patient clusters did not associate with clinical features. DISCUSSION: IgG variable domain-derived peptides showed a valid source for diagnostic biomarkers in CIDP, albeit with challenges toward replication. Our proof-of-concept findings warrant further study of IgG-derived peptides as biomarkers in more homogeneous cohorts of patients with CIDP and controls. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that the pattern of serum IgG-derived peptide clusters may help differentiate between patients with CIDP and those with other peripheral neuropathies.

Automated MRI quantification of volumetric per-muscle fat fractions in the proximal leg of patients with muscular dystrophies.

Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a class of rare genetic diseases resulting in progressive muscle weakness affecting specific muscle groups, depending on the type of disease. Disease progression is characterized by the gradual replacement of muscle tissue by fat, which can be assessed with fat-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and objectively evaluated by quantifying the fat fraction percentage (FF%) per muscle. Volumetric quantification of fat replacement over the full 3D extent of each muscle is more precise and potentially more sensitive than 2D quantification in few selected slices only, but it requires an accurate 3D segmentation of each muscle individually, which is time consuming when this has to be performed manually for a large number of muscles. A reliable, largely automated approach for 3D muscle segmentation is thus needed to facilitate the adoption of fat fraction quantification as a measure of MD disease progression in clinical routine practice, but this is challenging due to the variable appearance of the images and the ambiguity in the discrimination of the contours of adjacent muscles, especially when the normal image contrast is affected and diminished by the fat replacement. To deal with these challenges, we used deep learning to train AI-models to segment the muscles in the proximal leg from knee to hip in Dixon MRI images of healthy subjects as well as patients with MD. We demonstrate state-of-the-art segmentation results of all 18 muscles individually in terms of overlap (Dice score, DSC) with the manual ground truth delineation for images of cases with low fat infiltration (mean overall FF%: 11.3%; mean DSC: 95.3% per image, 84.4-97.3% per muscle) as well as with medium and high fat infiltration (mean overall FF%: 44.3%; mean DSC: 89.0% per image, 70.8-94.5% per muscle). In addition, we demonstrate that the segmentation performance is largely invariant to the field of view of the MRI scan, is generalizable to patients with different types of MD and that the manual delineation effort to create the training set can be drastically reduced without significant loss of segmentation quality by delineating only a subset of the slices.

Patient-reported impact of myasthenia gravis in the real world: findings from a digital observational survey-based study (MyRealWorld MG).

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore the impact of myasthenia gravis (MG) - in terms of treatments, side effects, comorbidities, psychological health and work or study- in the real world from a patient perspective. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a prospective, observational, digital, longitudinal study. Adults diagnosed with MG residing in the USA, Japan, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain or Canada were eligible to participate in the study. There were no other exclusion criteria. Participants used a bespoke smartphone application to confirm eligibility, provide consent and enter data about their MG into a profile, a tracker to record MG-related events and a series of patient-reported outcome instruments. 1693 participants completed at least 1 survey and were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Results are presented as a percentage of respondents to each survey question. The study population was largely female (69% of 1586 respondents), with an average age of 49.9 years (SD 14.8). In the previous 12 months, 83.7% of 1412 respondents confirmed that they had received one or more routine treatments for MG, and 67.1% of 255 respondents confirmed that they had experienced a side effect in the previous month. Commonly experienced comorbidities reported by 966 respondents were thyroid problems, hypertension and anxiety, experienced by 37.5%, 31.4% and 28.0% of respondents, respectively.According to 889 respondents to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale survey, 52.7% and 43.2% had a score indicative of at least mild anxiety and mild depression, respectively. Of 257 respondents, 33.0% reported experiencing a work or study impact in the past month. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis of baseline characteristics of the MyRealWorld MG study population indicates that, despite current treatments, patients experience notable burden. Further scheduled analyses will develop a longitudinal picture of MG burden. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04176211.

The emerging spectrum of fetal acetylcholine receptor antibody-related disorders (FARAD).

In utero exposure to maternal antibodies targeting the fetal acetylcholine receptor isoform (fAChR) can impair fetal movement, leading to arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC). Fetal AChR antibodies have also been implicated in apparently rare, milder myopathic presentations termed fetal acetylcholine receptor inactivation syndrome (FARIS). The full spectrum associated with fAChR antibodies is still poorly understood. Moreover, since some mothers have no myasthenic symptoms, the condition is likely underreported, resulting in failure to implement effective preventive strategies. Here we report clinical and immunological data from a multicentre cohort (n = 46 cases) associated with maternal fAChR antibodies, including 29 novel and 17 previously reported with novel follow-up data. Remarkably, in 50% of mothers there was no previously established myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis. All mothers (n = 30) had AChR antibodies and, when tested, binding to fAChR was often much greater than that to the adult AChR isoform. Offspring death occurred in 11/46 (23.9%) cases, mainly antenatally due to termination of pregnancy prompted by severe AMC (7/46, 15.2%), or during early infancy, mainly from respiratory failure (4/46, 8.7%). Weakness, contractures, bulbar and respiratory involvement were prominent early in life, but improved gradually over time. Facial (25/34; 73.5%) and variable peripheral weakness (14/32; 43.8%), velopharyngeal insufficiency (18/24; 75%) and feeding difficulties (16/36; 44.4%) were the most common sequelae in long-term survivors. Other unexpected features included hearing loss (12/32; 37.5%), diaphragmatic paresis (5/35; 14.3%), CNS involvement (7/40; 17.5%) and pyloric stenosis (3/37; 8.1%). Oral salbutamol used empirically in 16/37 (43.2%) offspring resulted in symptom improvement in 13/16 (81.3%). Combining our series with all previously published cases, we identified 21/85 mothers treated with variable combinations of immunotherapies (corticosteroids/intravenous immunoglobulin/plasmapheresis) during pregnancy either for maternal MG symptom control (12/21 cases) or for fetal protection (9/21 cases). Compared to untreated pregnancies (64/85), maternal treatment resulted in a significant reduction in offspring deaths (P < 0.05) and other complications, with treatment approaches involving intravenous immunoglobulin/ plasmapheresis administered early in pregnancy most effective. We conclude that presentations due to in utero exposure to maternal (fetal) AChR antibodies are more common than currently recognized and may mimic a wide range of neuromuscular disorders. Considering the wide clinical spectrum and likely diversity of underlying mechanisms, we propose 'fetal acetylcholine receptor antibody-related disorders' (FARAD) as the most accurate term for these presentations. FARAD is vitally important to recognize, to institute appropriate management strategies for affected offspring and to improve outcomes in future pregnancies. Oral salbutamol is a symptomatic treatment option in survivors.

Histopathological correlations and fat replacement imaging patterns in recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 12.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of proton density fat fraction (PDFF) measurements with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track disease progression in muscle disorders, it is still unclear how these findings relate to histopathological changes in muscle biopsies of patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy autosomal recessive type 12 (LGMDR12). Furthermore, although it is known that LGMDR12 leads to a selective muscle involvement distinct from other muscular dystrophies, the spatial distribution of fat replacement within these muscles is unknown. METHODS: We included 27 adult patients with LGMDR12 and 27 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls and acquired 6-point Dixon images of the thighs and T1 and short tau inversion recovery (STIR) MR images of the whole body. In 16 patients and 15 controls, we performed three muscle biopsies, one in the semimembranosus, vastus lateralis, and rectus femoris muscles, which are severely, intermediately, and mildly affected in LGMDR12, respectively. We correlated the PDFF to the fat percentage measured on biopsies of the corresponding muscles, as well as to the Rochester histopathology grading scale. RESULTS: In patients, we demonstrated a strong correlation of PDFF on MRI and muscle biopsy fat percentage for the semimembranosus (r = 0.85, P < 0.001) and vastus lateralis (r = 0.68, P = 0.005). We found similar results for the correlation between PDFF and the Rochester histopathology grading scale. Out of the five patients with inflammatory changes on muscle biopsy, three showed STIR hyperintensities in the corresponding muscle on MRI. By modelling the PDFF on MRI for 18 thigh muscles from origin to insertion, we observed a significantly inhomogeneous proximo-distal distribution of fat replacement in all thigh muscles of patients with LGMDR12 (P < 0.001), and different patterns of fat replacement within each of the muscles. CONCLUSIONS: We showed a strong correlation of fat fraction on MRI and fat percentage on muscle biopsy for diseased muscles and validated the use of Dixon fat fraction imaging as an outcome measure in LGMDR12. The inhomogeneous fat replacement within thigh muscles on imaging underlines the risk of analysing only samples of muscles instead of the entire muscles, which has important implications for clinical trials.

Anoctamin-5 related muscle disease: clinical and genetic findings in a large European cohort.

Anoctamin-5 related muscle disease is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the anoctamin-5 gene (ANO5) and shows variable clinical phenotypes: limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 12 (LGMD-R12), distal muscular dystrophy type 3 (MMD3), pseudometabolic myopathy or asymptomatic hyperCKaemia. In this retrospective, observational, multicentre study we gathered a large European cohort of patients with ANO5-related muscle disease to study the clinical and genetic spectrum and genotype-phenotype correlations. We included 234 patients from 212 different families, contributed by 15 centres from 11 European countries. The largest subgroup was LGMD-R12 (52.6%), followed by pseudometabolic myopathy (20.5%), asymptomatic hyperCKaemia (13.7%) and MMD3 (13.2%). In all subgroups, there was a male predominance, except for pseudometabolic myopathy. Median age at symptom onset of all patients was 33 years (range 23-45 years). The most frequent symptoms at onset were myalgia (35.3%) and exercise intolerance (34.1%), while at last clinical evaluation most frequent symptoms and signs were proximal lower limb weakness (56.9%) and atrophy (38.1%), myalgia (45.1%) and atrophy of the medial gastrocnemius muscle (38.4%). Most patients remained ambulatory (79.4%). At last evaluation, 45.9% of patients with LGMD-R12 additionally had distal weakness in the lower limbs and 48.4% of patients with MMD3 also showed proximal lower limb weakness. Age at symptom onset did not differ significantly between males and females. However, males had a higher risk of using walking aids earlier (P = 0.035). No significant association was identified between sportive versus non-sportive lifestyle before symptom onset and age at symptom onset nor any of the motor outcomes. Cardiac and respiratory involvement that would require treatment occurred very rarely. Ninety-nine different pathogenic variants were identified in ANO5 of which 25 were novel. The most frequent variants were c.191dupA (p.Asn64Lysfs*15) (57.7%) and c.2272C>T (p.Arg758Cys) (11.1%). Patients with two loss-of function variants used walking aids at a significantly earlier age (P = 0.037). Patients homozygous for the c.2272C>T variant showed a later use of walking aids compared to patients with other variants (P = 0.043). We conclude that there was no correlation of the clinical phenotype with the specific genetic variants, and that LGMD-R12 and MMD3 predominantly affect males who have a significantly worse motor outcome. Our study provides useful information for clinical follow up of the patients and for the design of clinical trials with novel therapeutic agents.

A retrospective survey of patients with hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis treated with patisiran in real-world clinical practice in Belgium.

INTRODUCTION: Hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis, a genetic disease caused by mutations in the transthyretin gene, leads to progressive sensory and autonomic neuropathy and/or cardiomyopathy and is associated with renal and ophthalmologic manifestations and a poor prognosis. METHODS: This is a retrospective study based on data collected from the medical records of patients with hATTR amyloidosis treated with patisiran between 01 July 2018 and 01 February 2021. Six Belgian neuromuscular reference centers participated, covering all patisiran-treated hATTR amyloidosis patients at the study time. This study was conducted to collect data requested in the context of the reimbursement of patisiran in Belgium. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were diagnosed with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy, Coutinho stage 1 or 2, and eligible for active treatment during the data collection period. Of the hATTR amyloidosis patients treated with patisiran (n = 12), seven and five had polyneuropathy stages 1 and 2, respectively. Six patients had cardiac symptoms (New York Heart Association class 2 or above). Follow-up information was available for nine patients. Following patisiran treatment, eight patients showed stable or improved assessments for most neurological or cardiological parameters. Only one patient presented with worsening statuses at the end of the data collection period. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with hATTR amyloidosis in Belgium have similar baseline demographics and disease characteristics to those studied in the patisiran APOLLO study and show a similar therapeutic response in the real-world, altering the expected disease progression in most patients.

Identification of new telomere- and telomerase-associated autoantigens in systemic sclerosis.

PURPOSE: In up to 20% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) no known autoantibody specificity can be identified. Recently discovered autoantigens, such as telomeric repeat binding factor 1 (TERF1), as well as established autoantigens, like RuvBL1/2, are associated with telomere and telomerase biology. We aimed to identify new telomere- and telomerase-associated autoantigens in patients with SSc without known autoantibody specificity. METHODS: Unlabelled protein immunoprecipitation combined with gel-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (IP-MS) was performed with sera of 106 patients with SSc from two tertiary referral centres that had a nuclear pattern on HEp-2 indirect immunofluorescence without previously identified autoantibody. Telomere- or telomerase-associated proteins or protein complexes precipitated by individual sera were identified. Candidate autoantigens were confirmed through immunoprecipitation-western blot (IP-WB). A custom Luminex xMAP assay for 5 proteins was evaluated with sera from persons with SSc (n = 467), other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (n = 923), non-rheumatic disease controls (n = 187) and healthy controls (n = 199). RESULTS: Eight telomere- and telomerase-associated autoantigens were identified in a total of 11 index patients, including the THO complex (n = 3, all with interstitial lung disease and two with cardiac involvement), telomeric repeat-binding factor 2 (TERF2, n = 1), homeobox-containing protein 1 (HMBOX1, n = 2), regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1, n = 1), nucleolar and coiled-body phosphoprotein 1 (NOLC1, n = 1), dyskerin (DKC1, n = 1), probable 28S rRNA (cytosine(4447)-C(5))-methyltransferase (NOP2, n = 1) and nuclear valosin-containing protein-like (NVL, n = 2). A Luminex xMAP assay for THO complex subunit 1 (THOC1), TERF2, NOLC1, NOP2 and NVL revealed high reactivity in all index patients, but also in other patients with SSc and disease controls. However, the reactivity by xMAP assay in these other patients was not confirmed by IP-WB. CONCLUSION: IP-MS revealed key telomere- and telomerase-associated proteins and protein complexes as autoantigens in patients with SSc.

Patient-reported burden of myasthenia gravis: baseline results of the international prospective, observational, longitudinal real-world digital study MyRealWorld-MG.

OBJECTIVES: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare, chronic, autoimmune neuromuscular disease which can affect functional and mental aspects of health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aims to obtain detailed knowledge of the impact of MG on HRQoL in a broad population from the perspective of the patient. DESIGN: Prospective, observational, digital, longitudinal real-world study. SETTING: Adult patients with MG from seven countries (USA, Japan, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain and Canada) downloaded a mobile application onto their phones and entered data about themselves and their MG. OUTCOME MEASURES: Data was collected using the following general and disease-specific patient-reported outcome measurements: EuroQol 5 Domains Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL), Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life 15-item revised scale (MG-QoL-15r), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Health Utilities Index III (HUI3). Patients were categorised by their self-assessed Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class (I-V). RESULTS: Baseline results of 841 participants (mean age 47 years, 70% women) are reported . The distribution across the MGFA classes was: 13.9%, 31.0%, 38.1%, 15.5% and 1.6% for classes I-V. The MGFA class was a strong predictor of all aspects of HRQoL, measured with disease-specific and with generic instruments. The domains in which patients with MG most frequently mentioned problems were usual activities, anxiety and depression, tiredness, breathing and vision. The mean total MG-ADL Score was positively associated with increasing MGFA classes: 2.7, 4.4, 6.3 and 8.4 for MGFA classes I-IV. Mean baseline EQ-5D-5L utility was also associated with MGFA classes and was 0.817, 0.766, 0.648 and 0.530 for MGFA class I-IV. CONCLUSIONS: MG has a large impact on key aspects of health and HRQoL. The impact of this disease increases substantially with increasing disease severity.

Mass spectrometry-based identification of new anti-Ly and known antisynthetase autoantibodies.

OBJECTIVES: To discover new and detect known antisynthetase autoantibodies (ASAs) through protein immunoprecipitation combined with gel-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (IP-MS). METHODS: IP-MS was performed using sera of individuals showing features of antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS) without (n=5) and with (n=12) previously detected ASAs, and healthy controls (n=4). New candidate aminoacyl-tRNA-synthetase (ARS) autoantigens identified through unbiased IP-MS were confirmed by IP-western blot. A targeted IP-MS assay for various ASA specificities was developed and validated with sera of patients with known ASAs (n=16), disease controls (n=20) and healthy controls (n=25). The targeted IP-MS assay was applied in an additional cohort of patients with multiple ASyS features or isolated myositis without previously detected ASAs (n=26). RESULTS: Autoantibodies to cytoplasmic cysteinyl-tRNA-synthetase (CARS1) were identified by IP-MS and confirmed by western blot as a new ASA specificity, named anti-Ly, in the serum of a patient with ASyS features. Rare ASAs, such as anti-OJ, anti-Zo and anti-KS, and common ASAs could also be identified by IP-MS. A targeted IP-MS approach for ASA detection was developed and validated. Application of this method in an additional cohort identified an additional patient with anti-OJ autoantibodies that were missed by line and dot immunoassays. DISCUSSION: CARS1 is the dominant cognate ARS autoantigen of the newly discovered anti-Ly ASA specificity. Rare and common ASA specificities could be detected by both unbiased and targeted IP-MS. Unbiased and targeted IP-MS are promising methods for discovery and detection of autoantibodies, especially autoantibodies that target complex autoantigens.

Validation of an Artificial Intelligence driven framework to automatically detect red flag symptoms in screening for rare diseases in electronic health records: hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis polyneuropathy as a key example.

Rare life-threatening conditions, such as multisystemic hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) polyneuropathy, are often underdiagnosed or diagnosed late in the disease course, although early diagnosis is crucial for treatment success. Red flag symptoms have been identified, but manual screening of multidisciplinary medical records on this set of symptoms is time-consuming. This study aimed to validate a Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithm to perform such a search in an automated manner, in order to improve early diagnosis and treatment. A novel state-of-the-art NLP procedure was applied to extract red flag symptoms from patients' electronic medical records and to select patients at risk for ATTRv polyneuropathy for further clinical review. Accuracy of the algorithm was assessed through comparison with a manual standard on a random sample of 300 patients. Out of a retrospective sample of 1015 patients, the NLP algorithm yielded 128 patients with three or more red flag symptoms of which 69 patients were considered eligible for genetic testing after clinical review. High accuracy was found in the detection of red flag symptoms, with F1 scores between 0.88 and 0.98. A relative increase of 48.6% in genetic testing, to identify patients with a rare disease earlier, was demonstrated. An NLP algorithm, after clinical validation, offers a valid and accurate tool to detect red flag symptoms in medical records across multiple disciplines, supporting better screening for patients with rare diseases. This opens the door to further NLP applications, facilitating rapid diagnosis and early treatment of rare diseases.