A P < 0.05 value was considered statistically significant. Results Clinical neurological and cardiologic features are outlined in Table ​Table1.1. In all patients, neurologic symptoms and cardiac parameters indicating dilated cardiomyopathy were present. Both the initial symptoms

and skeletal muscle involvement, as well as cardiac parameters indicate Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical AD-EDMD as the more severe progressing form of EDMD, as compared to the X-linked type. Table 1 Clinical data in Emery-Dreifuss dystrophy patients. Anti-troponin I level in serum, at diagnosis, was elevated in all patients with EDMD (Table ​(Table2).2). It was higher in the X-EDMD than in the AD-EDMD patients (P < 0.05). At follow-up, in the X-EDMD group, the antibody level was tending to decline. On the contrary, in AD-EDMD, the absorbance of the anti-troponin I antibodies was rising (Table ​(Table2).2). The correlation coefficient between the absorbance values, at diagnosis and at follow-up, in X-EDMD, was negative and moderate (ρ = - 0.77, P = 0.072) (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical In AD-EDMD, a very strong positive significant linear correlation Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical between the progression of the disease (interval of time from diagnosis to the follow-up) and the absorbance change of the autoantibodies appeared (ρ = 0.98, P = 0.001) (Fig. ​(Fig.2).2).

No such correlation was present in X-EDMD (ρ = – 0.23, P = 0.658). Figure 1 Correlation between changes of absorbance of anti-troponin I antibodies in patients with X-EDMD, at diagnosis and at follow-up. Figure 2 Time-relationship of the correlation between the difference in absorbance of anti-troponin I antibodies in patients with AD-EDMD, at diagnosis Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and follow-up. Table 2 Comparison of the absorbance of anti-troponin I antibodies in X-EDMD and AD-EDMD at diagnosis and follow-up to normals. There Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was no significant correlation between the

level of antibodies and cardiologic symptomatology. Discussion EDMD is a rare genetically transmitted disease, characterized by progressive muscle weakness, joint contractures and dilated cardiomyopathy. DCM progresses in a relevant proportion of both the X-linked EDMD form (12), as well as the AD-EDMD form (13, 14). Cardiac disease usually PLK inhibitor precedes skeletal Phosphatidylinositol diacylglycerol-lyase muscle involvement. In the X-EDMD form, atrio-ventricular block predominates. This ranges from sinus bradycardia, prolongation of the PR intervals up to complete block, which often leads to sudden death. Atrial muscles are involved earlier than the left ventricle muscles. In the AD-EDMD form, dilatation of the left ventricle and changes in contraction-relaxation time predominate. The pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy and differences in cardiologic symptoms in both EDMD-forms is as yet unknown. Recently, activation of MAKP, which is present in a mouse model of EDMD, is thought to be responsible for the development of cardiomyopathy in both forms of EDMD (3, 4).