Publications by authors named "Rachel Zeng"

Objective: A revision of the 2017 EULAR-ACR myositis classification criteria, namely EULAR-ACR funded Myositis Revision of Classification (MyoROC) project, is currently underway involving a large international group of experts. In the first phase of this project, we identified additional items to be tested in the criteria.

Methods: We distributed an electronic survey to International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) members to identify new items.

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Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are rare diseases (incidence 1:100,000) with a wide range of clinical symptoms and manifestations. Typical indicators of IIM are proximally emphasized muscle weakness and myalgias, which are usually accompanied by elevated creatine kinase levels and muscle atrophy. The autoantibody diagnostics separate IIM into different entities, which are each associated with a typical risk of organ manifestations and the occurrence of tumors.

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Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

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Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging of the skeletal muscles (muscle MRI for short) is increasingly being used in clinical routine for diagnosis and longitudinal assessment of muscle disorders. However, cross-centre standards for measurement protocol and radiological assessment are still lacking.

Objectives: The aim of this expert recommendation is to present standards for the application and interpretation of muscle MRI in hereditary and inflammatory muscle disorders.

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The 2017 EULAR/ACR classification criteria for adult/juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) were established using a data-driven approach by an international group of myositis experts to allow classification of IIM and its major subtypes. Since their publication, the performance of the criteria has been tested in multiple cohorts worldwide and significant limitations have been identified. Moreover, the understanding and classification of IIM have evolved since 2017.

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Inflammatory myopathies, including polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), inclusion body myositis (IBM), necrotizing myopathy (NM), antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) and overlap myositis (OM), in short myositis, are rare diseases. All forms of myositis have progressive muscle weakness in common, with each subtype characterized by different autoantibody profiles, histological findings and extramuscular manifestations. Due to better understanding of the pathogenesis of the muscle inflammation in myositis, new molecular pathways for targeted therapy have been discovered.

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Inflammatory myopathies, in short, myositis, are heterogeneous disorders that are characterized by inflammation of skeletal muscle and weakness of arms and legs. Research over the past few years has led to a new understanding regarding the pathogenesis of myositis. The new insights include different pathways of the innate and adaptive immune response during the pathogenesis of myositis.

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Introduction: Due to new insights into the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathies - in short myositis - and the urgent need for new treatment options in patients who are refractory to standard therapy, multiple novel drugs have been developed and studied in clinical trials. In light of this exciting development, a critical evaluation of the present data is necessary in order to identify the best pathway to future treatment of inflammatory myopathies.

Areas Covered: This review focuses on the current evidence from clinical trials in myositis and encompasses dermatomyositis, polymyositis, necrotizing myopathy, antisynthetase-syndrome, overlap myositis, and inclusion body myositis.

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Purpose Of Review: Dysphagia is a common symptom in inflammatory myopathies. This review provides an overview on the epidemiology, clinical impact, and management of dysphagia in myositis. Relevant diagnostic tools and treatment strategies are discussed.

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Article Synopsis
  • The mitochondrial AAA ATPase Msp1 is crucial for extracting mislocalized proteins from the mitochondrial outer membrane and interacts genetically with the proteasome and TOM complex.
  • Msp1 and the proteasome work together to eliminate precursor proteins that get stuck during import, with proteasome activity being vital for this process.
  • The study also highlights the potential link between Msp1's function and neurodegenerative diseases in humans, showing that its absence can trigger stress responses in other organisms, suggesting a conserved biological role.
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The myositis syndromes include polymyositis, dermatomyositis (DM), necrotizing myopathy, inclusion body myositis (IBM), antisynthetase syndrome and overlap syndromes with myositis. These syndromes mostly occur in middle-aged patients, while juvenile DM occurs in children and adolescents. Patients mostly show a subacute weakness and myalgia in the upper and lower limbs, the diagnosis is based upon these clinical findings in combination with muscle biopsy results and specific serum autoantibodies.

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