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Objectives To prospectively compare ultrasound (US) and whole-body MRI for detection of muscle abnormalities compatible with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Methods Newly diagnosed IIM patients underwent US (14 muscles) and MRI (36 muscles) at diagnosis and after nine weeks monotherapy with intravenous immunoglobulin. Muscles were compatible with IIM when quantitative US echo-intensity (EI) z scores was ≥1.5, semi-quantitative US Heckmatt score was ≥2, qualitative US was abnormal, or when MRI showed oedema on T2-weighted images. At patient level, findings were classified as abnormal when quantitative US EI z scores was >1.5 (n  = 3 muscles), >2.5 (n  = 2 muscles) or >3.5 (n  = 1 muscle), or if ≥3 muscles showed abnormalities as described above for the other diagnostic methods. Results At diagnosis, in 18 patients US of 252 muscles revealed abnormalities in 36 muscles (14%) with quantitative, in 153 (61%) with semi-quantitative and in 168 (67%) with qualitative analysis. MRI showed oedema in 476 out of 623 muscles (76%). Five patients (28%) reached abnormal classification with quantitative US, 16 (89%) with semi-quantitative and qualitative US, and all patients (100%) with MRI. Nine-week follow-up of 12 patients showed no change over time with quantitative US or MRI, and a decrease in abnormalities with semi-quantitative US (P  <0.01), and qualitative US (P  <0.01). Conclusion At diagnosis, MRI was more sensitive than US to detect muscle abnormalities compatible with IIM. Semi-quantitative US and qualitative US detected abnormalities in the majority of the patients while evaluating fewer muscles than MRI and showed change over time after nine weeks of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate the clinimetric properties of the Academic Medical Centre Disability Score (ALDS) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). Methods We used prospectively collected data of IIM patients who completed a phase-2 study with first-line IVIG monotherapy. The ALDS is a patient-reported questionnaire which contains 25 items relevant for disability in myositis. ALDS and all core set measures (CSMs) for myositis [including HAQ-Disability Index (HAQ-DI)] were evaluated at baseline and 9 weeks follow-up. In addition, the 2016 ACR/EULAR myositis response criteria outcome called Total Improvement Score (TIS) was evaluated at 9 weeks. We examined floor/ceiling effects, reliability and construct validity of the ALDS. To examine known-group validity, ALDS change scores over time were compared with TIS and physician impression of clinical response. Results Nineteen patients with IIM [median age 59 years, 12 (63%) female] were enrolled. At baseline, ALDS showed a median score of 65.4 (IQR 58.2–73.5), good Cronbach's alpha (α = 0.84) and a small ceiling effect (11%). Construct validity was confirmed by moderate to strong correlations between ALDS and HAQ-DI [rs = −0.57 (baseline); −0.86 (follow-up)]. ALDS change score correlated with TIS (rs = 0.70), discriminated between responders and non-responders (TIS ≥ 40; P  = 0.001), between groups based on physician impression of clinical response (P  = 0.03), and detected deterioration. Conclusion The ALDS showed promising clinimetric properties and detected relevant changes in disability in patients with myositis. These results warrant further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoglycanopathies comprise four subtypes of autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDR3, LGMDR4, LGMDR5 and LGMDR6) that are caused, respectively, by mutations in the SGCA, SGCB, SGCG and SGCD genes. In 2016, several clinicians involved in the diagnosis, management and care of patients with LGMDR3-6 created a European Sarcoglycanopathy Consortium. The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical and genetic spectrum of a large cohort of patients with sarcoglycanopathy in Europe. This was an observational retrospective study. A total of 33 neuromuscular centres from 13 different European countries collected data of the genetically confirmed patients with sarcoglycanopathy followed-up at their centres. Demographic, genetic and clinical data were collected for this study. Data from 439 patients from 13 different countries were collected. Forty-three patients were not included in the analysis because of insufficient clinical information available. A total of 159 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of LGMDR3, 73 of LGMDR4, 157 of LGMDR5 and seven of LGMDR6. Patients with LGMDR3 had a later onset and slower progression of the disease. Cardiac involvement was most frequent in LGMDR4. Sixty per cent of LGMDR3 patients carried one of the following mutations, either in a homozygous or heterozygous state: c.229C>T, c.739G>A or c.850C>T. Similarly, the most common mutations in LMGDR5 patients were c.525delT or c.848G>A. In LGMDR4 patients the most frequent mutation was c.341C>T. We identified onset of symptoms before 10 years of age and residual protein expression lower than 30% as independent risk factors for losing ambulation before 18 years of age, in LGMDR3, LGMDR4 and LGMDR5 patients. This study reports clinical, genetic and protein data of a large European cohort of patients with sarcoglycanopathy. Improving our knowledge about these extremely rare autosomal recessive forms of LGMD was helped by a collaborative effort of neuromuscular centres across Europe. Our study provides important data on the genotype-phenotype correlation that is relevant for the design of natural history studies and upcoming interventional trials in sarcoglycanopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been increasing evidence that exposure to air pollution is linked to neurodegenerative diseases, but little is known about the association with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). OBJECTIVES: We investigated the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and risk of developing ALS. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Netherlands from 1 January 2006 to 1 January 2013. Data from 917 ALS patients and 2,662 controls were analyzed. Annual mean air pollution concentrations were assessed by land use regression (LUR) models developed as part of the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE). Exposure estimates included nitrogen oxides (NO2, NOx), particulate matter (PM) with diameters of <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10), between 10 μm and 2.5 μm (PMcoarse), and PM2.5 absorbance. We performed conditional logistic regression analysis using two different multivariate models (model 1 adjusted for age, gender, education, smoking status, alcohol use, body mass index, and socioeconomic status; model 2 additionally adjusted for urbanization degree). RESULTS: Risk of ALS was significantly increased for individuals in the upper exposure quartile of PM2.5 absorbance [OR = 1:67; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27, 2.18], NO2 (OR = 1:74; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.30), and NOx concentrations (OR = 1:38; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.77). These results, except for NOx, remained significant after adjusting additionally for urbanization degree. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a large population-based case-control study, we report evidence for the association between long-term exposure to trafficrelated air pollution and increased susceptibility to ALS. Our findings further support the necessity for regulatory public health interventions to combat air pollution levels and provide additional insight into the potential pathophysiology of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Purpose: Inadequate classification criteria for IIM are a fundamental limitation in clinical studies. An international, multidisciplinary collaboration, the International Myositis Classification Criteria Project (IMCCP), supported by ACR and EULAR, was established to address this problem. Methods: Identification and definition of potential criterion Candidate variables to be included in classification criteria were assembled from published criteria and inclusion criteria in controlled trials of myositis and refined using Nominal Group Technique. Comparator groups confused with IIM were defined. Data collection Within this retrospective case control study, clinical and laboratory data from IIM and comparator patients were collected from 47 rheumatology, dermatology, neurology and pediatrics clinics worldwide from 2008-2011. Analysis Crude pair-wise associations among all variables measured and between each variable and clinician's diagnosis were assessed. Three approaches for derivation of classification criteria were explored: Traditional: case defined by specified number of items from a set, Risk score: patient assigned a probability risk score by summing score-points associated with the variables (Probability model 1 and 2), Classification tree: case defined by a decision tree, A random forest algorithm explored the most important variables. Results obtained with each approach were utilized to improve others iteratively. Validation Internal validation using bootstrap methods was performed. External validation using extracted data from the Euromyositis register and an UK juvenile myositis register was performed. Results: Data from 973 IIM patients (74% adults;26% children), representing subgroups of IIM (245 polymyositis, 239 dermatomyositis, 176 inclusion body myositis and 246 juvenile dermatomyositis cases) and 629 comparators (81% adults; 19% children) were obtained. The comparators include other myopathies and systemic rheumatic diseases. Two probability score models were developed (Table ): Model 1 comprised clinical variables on muscles, skin, and laboratory measures; Model 2 additionally comprised muscle biopsy variables. Model 1 performed nearly as well as Model 2 and both models performed as well as and often better than, the classification tree that was developed and published criteria. External validation using data on 2363 myositis patients in the Euromyositis register resulted in >99% sensitivity, and using 332 juvenile myositis cases resulted in 100% sensitivity for both probability models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]