Exercise May help Strengthen Muscles in Myotonic Dystrophy

A new study ( But only of two people) shows that it is possible to increase muscle strength in Myotonic Dsytrophy. This study seemed to show that the exercise program needs to be adopted to the individual so that they maintain the exercise program. The Muscle strength increase seems to be linked to how diligent the person followed the training regime. From the Study:

Our results suggest that muscular adaptations linked to muscle growth can occur in DM1 as demonstrated by the CSA increase of type I and type II myofibers. Training might also influence the distribution of myofibers, in favour of type II. The myogenic and inflammatory markers evaluated do not seem to be modulated by the training stimulus in our participants. Compliance to the program seems to be an important factor to consider. Patient’s preferences regarding training regimen should be considered in the perspective of personalized training/precision medicine. It should be noted that beyond the positive impact of training on muscle adaptations, it could also bring positive changes in other organ systems. Further studies comprising a higher number of participants and controls are needed to validate our findings and determine to which extent and how skeletal muscles of DM1 patients adapt to strength training.

Excercise-Training-Program-DM1

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New Book about a Family with Myotonic Dystrophy

There are not many books about myotonic dystrophy. There is a fictional series about a skater that has myotonic dystrophy. I wrote a short book about the hopes and aspirations of my son “The boy who was President”. Now comes a great biography about a family with Myotonic Dystrophy. A must read for all with the disease. Here’s a short introduction:

As a young girl, my constant goal was to help my brother, Dustin, walk. Dustin’s limits were hard to gauge because he constantly surpassed expectations. He was born with congenital myotonic dystrophy and expected to die, then to live three months, then three years. Instead, he gained strength and capabilities until age 13, when he had a simple cold and just did not wake up from his nap. His body became too much for the largest muscle in his body, his heart.

While Dustin was alive, I threw quarters in wells, prayed every night, and practiced with him every day after he had surgery and got corrective braces. I would stretch my brother’s legs, rotate his ankles, do resistance exercises and help him practice standing. At age 12, I thought willpower was so strong that, through perseverance and dedication, I could will my brother to walk.

Three years older than my brother, I grew up doing adult caretaking tasks. Through the years, I would change thousands of diapers, brush Dustin’s teeth, lift him into bed, administer nebulizer treatments, clean his feeding tube, watch him when both my parents had to work, bathe him, unload his wheelchair from the bus and play with him. Most things I did for my brother were helpful, but with my conceptions about willpower and Dustin walking, I pushed my brother past his comfort level more than once and caused more pain than progress. For me, a healthy sibling, willpower was a tool to push past obstacles. However, the same view I took of my young healthy body proved detrimental to my brother’s and caused him pain.

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FDA approved Chemotherapy Drug Might Treat Myotonic Dystrophy

In a stunning development The Berglund lab in Gainsville, FL has identified a potential treatment of myotonic dystrophy of a Chemotherapy drug Actinomycin D. In Both Cells and mice that were created to have myotonic dystrophy the drug used at or below levels that are used in human chemotherapy pushed back the Foci that are associated with the disease.

In theory this might be a treatment for myotonic dystrophy. This has not been tried in humans and would be highly risky but for people near end of life this may be a vector for them and their doctors to consider.

Researchers have previously identified what they think is the cause of the disease.In Myotonic Dystrophy the repeat expansion mutation is made into RNA but it does not get out into the cytoplasm. It remains trapped in the nucleus where it sticks to various proteins and appears as spots or foci that can be observed down the microscope. Because these proteins are stuck to the repeat RNA they cannot perform their normal functions correctly within the cell.

Researchers have found that to make progress with this disease, they need to “unstick” the proteins. This drug appears to do this in mice and cells.

Previously to the publication of this article there was no even theoretical treatment available. There are several drugs in development but this takes years of development. For those near end of life with this disease there is now a potential treatment. A copy of the article is here. This is something you may want to discuss with your medical team. Its untried and potentially risky with side effects. More information will be available shortly.

Myotonic Dystrophy Treatment

Please note the study is very technical. We are not recommending this to anyone but bringing all the current information to your attention

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Spanish BioTech Company Making Strides in Myotonic Dystrophy Research

I recently became aware of a new and exciting company working on a potential drug therapy in the Myotonic Dystrophy space. Valentia Biopharma S.L. is a biotechnology company born in August 2006 as a University of Valencia spin-off.

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Researchers Race for Myotonic Dystrophy Cure

Race for the Cure for Myotonic Dystrophy

Race for the Cure for Myotonic Dystrophy

Myotonic Dystrophy may be the first of the muscular Dystrophy to have a definitive cure established. In the last few years researchers have isolated the issue they believe causes myotonic dystrophy. In the last couple of years therapies that have targeted this problem have reversed the disease in cell and animal models. This has set up a race now for researchers to refine the therapeutic compounds and begin with human trials to see if the animal to human therapeutic transfer works as it is believed to. Thus, this would lead to the first potential cure for a type of muscular dystrophy.

The Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (MDF) in Menlo Park, CA  has taken a lead in assisting researchers with moving forward with this disease elimination process with funding and assistance in establishing a patient registry. The MDF was the early funder of a new Research Collaborative effort lead by Charles Thorton out of the University of Rochester. The foundation has also  been instrumental in educating patients and physicians in this complex and slowly progressing disease that results in premature death. A patient conference is planned for early November of 2013 in Houston, TX

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