BIRMINGHAM, England, Jun 18, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- British medical
scientists say they used an animal study to demonstrate a method of making an
early diagnosis of muscular dystrophy, before symptoms develop.
University of Birmingham researchers said they used mice to study the key
proteins involved in two types of muscular dystrophy -- Duchenne muscular
dystrophy and a milder form, Limb Girdle MD.
The researchers said they identified disrupted stem cell function and delays of
skeletal muscle formation in embryos of muscular dystrophy-like mice. The
severity of the embryonic abnormalities closely corresponded to the severity of
symptoms seen in both types of MD.
The scientists said their study shows there are prenatal signs for muscular
dystrophy, and suggests both types might be detected before birth or shortly
after.
The study by Deborah Merrick, Lukas Stadler, Dean Larner and Janet Smith appears
in the July/August issue of the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.
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