View clinical trials related to Myositis.
Filter by:Rituximab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain types of cancer. This study will determine whether rituximab is an effective treatment for adult and pediatric patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis. Study hypotheses: 1) The time to improvement in Group A patients (receiving rituximab first) will occur significantly earlier than in Group B patients (receiving rituximab later). 2) The proportion of patients improved at Week 8 of the treatment phase will be significantly greater in Group A than in Group B.
This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of alemtuzumab (Campath® (Registered Trademark)) for improving muscle strength in patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis (s-IBM). The most common inflammatory muscle disease in people over the age of 50, s-IBM progresses steadily, leading to severe weakness and wasting of the muscles in the arms and legs. The cause of s-IBM is not known, but it may be an autoimmune disease, in which the body's immune cells (white blood cells) attack and destroy parts of muscle. Alemtuzumab is a laboratory-made antibody currently approved to treat certain leukemias. It has also been used to treat patients with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, multiple sclerosis, and tissue rejection associated with transplantation. Alemtuzumab destroys white blood cells that have a protein called CD52 on their surface and that might be among the cells attacking muscle. Patients with s-IBM are eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with physical and neurological examinations, blood tests, and an electrocardiogram. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: - Campath administration: Patients are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 1 to 1-1/2 weeks for intravenous infusions of Campath, given every other day for a total of 4 infusions. - Follow-up visits after infusions: Patients are monitored for up to 1 year with periodic blood tests, physical and neurological examinations, medical history, muscle strength measurements, and a review of symptoms, including the ability to perform daily living activities. - Lymphapheresis: Patients undergo this procedure for collecting large numbers of white blood cells twice - once at the beginning of the study and again after 6 months. Blood is removed through a needle in an arm vein and flows through a machine that separates it into its components by centrifugation (spinning). The white cells and plasma are removed and the red cells and platelets are returned to the patients through the same needle or through another needle in the other arm. - Muscle biopsy: Muscle biopsies are done in the operating room under local anesthetic. A small incision is made in the thigh or upper arm and a small piece of muscle is removed. Biopsies are done at the beginning of the study and again after 6 months.
This study will examine families in which one sibling of a sibling pair, or twin pair, has developed a systemic rheumatic disease and one has not, to see if and how the two differ in the following: - Blood cell metabolism; - Types of cells in the blood; - Environmental exposures or genetic factors that might explain why one developed disease and the other did not. Families in which one sibling has developed a systemic rheumatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, or myositis, and the other has not, are eligible for this study. The siblings may or may not be twins, but must be of the same gender and be within a 5-year age difference. Biological parents, or, in some cases, children, will also be included in the study. Normal, healthy volunteers will serve as control subjects. Participants will undergo some or all of the following tests and procedures: - Medical history and physical examination. Participants will also be asked permission to obtain medical records for review. - Questionnaires about environmental exposures at work, at home, and elsewhere. Probands (participants with rheumatic disease) and their healthy siblings will also answer questions about infections, vaccinations, medications or dietary supplements, sun exposure, and stressful events during the year before disease diagnosis in the affected sibling. - Blood and urine collection for the following tests: - Routine blood chemistries and other studies to rule out certain diseases or medical problems; - Evidence of past toxic exposures and certain infections; - Presence of cells from the mother in the child s blood and vice versa. (Recent studies suggest that during pregnancy or delivery, cells from the mother and baby may be exchanged and circulate in the body for many years, possibly causing problems); - In twin or sibling pairs, presence of certain genes that may be more common in patients with systematic rheumatic diseases as compared with their unaffected siblings and normal volunteers; - In identical twins, comparison of their blood cell metabolism to see if and how the metabolism differs in people with rheumatic disease. Participants may be asked for permission to have some of their blood and urine samples stored and to obtain previously collected blood or tissue biopsy specimens that are no longer needed for clinical care, for research purposes. They may also be asked to give additional blood or urine samples. Participants will be followed every year for 5 years (either in person or by questionnaire) to evaluate any changes in their condition. The final 5-year evaluation will repeat some of the questionnaires and procedures described above.
This study will examine the abnormal immune response in patients with sporadic inclusion body myositis (s-IBM)-the most common inflammatory muscle disease in people over the age of 50. s-IBM progresses steadily and may lead to severe weakness and wasting of arm and leg muscles. Patients may become unable to perform daily living activities and be confined to wheelchairs. s-IBM is thought to be an autoimmune disease, in which the body's own immune system attacks healthy muscles. This study will explore the causes of the muscle tissue inflammation that is responsible for destruction of muscle fibers and weakness in this disease. Information from the study may help in the development of an effective treatment for this disease. Patients with s-IBM may be eligible for this study. Those who are unable to travel or who have severe cardiovascular, renal or other end-stage organ disease will be excluded. Candidates will be screened for eligibility with a medical history and physical and neurological examinations. Participants will be seen at the NIH Clinical Center every six months over a 12-month period (visits at enrollment, 6 months and 12 months) either on an inpatient or outpatient basis, depending on their disease severity. Each 2- to 3-day visit will involve the following tests and evaluations: - Blood samples for routine laboratory tests are collected at every visit. Additional blood for research studies is collected at 12 months. - Quantitative muscle strength testing is done at every visit. The patient pulls against straps connected to dynamometers (devices that measure muscle power) to evaluate strength of the main muscle groups in the arms and legs. - Lymphapheresis is done at enrollment and at 12 months. This is a procedure for collecting quantities of lymphocytes (white blood cells that are an important part of the immune system). Blood is collected through a needle placed in an arm vein and circulated through a machine that spins it, separating it into its components. The lymphocytes are removed and the rest of the blood (red cells, platelets and plasma) is returned to the body through the same needle or another needle placed in the other arm. - Electrophysiologic studies (electromyography and nerve conduction testing) are done at enrollment and 12 months. Electromyography evaluates the electrical activity of muscles. A small needle is inserted into the muscle and the patient is asked to relax or to contract the muscle. For nerve conduction testing, nerves are stimulated by electrodes (small wires taped to the skin over the muscle). - Muscle biopsy is done at enrollment and 12 months. A sample of muscle tissue (about the size of a lima bean) from an arm or leg is surgically removed to confirm the diagnosis of s-IBM and for analysis of proteins involved in the muscle inflammation process. A local anesthetic is used to numb the area before the surgery and the wound is closed with stitches.
The purposes of this study are to identify gene mutations in patients with the muscle diseases phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiency, acid maltase deficiency (GAA deficiency) and to learn more about how these diseases develop. PFK deficiency is a mild, exercise-related illness. The childhood form of GAA deficiency (Pompe disease) affects the heart and liver and is rapidly fatal. The adult form begins in midlife and involves degeneration of skeletal muscles, leading to weakness and muscle wasting. The following groups of individuals may be eligible for this study: Group A: Patients with PFK deficiency, acid maltase deficiency, and relatives who also are affected. Participants in this group will undergo a brief medical and family history, blood sample collection, and possibly a physical examination, review of medical records, and interview with the patient's physician. Group B: Unaffected family members of patients in group A, including both blood relatives and spouses. People in this group may be asked to provide a history and genetic information. A review of medical records, interview with the individual's physician, and blood sample may also be requested. Group C: Control subjects. This group will provide a small blood sample or buccal mucosal sample (tissue sample collected by brushing the inside of the cheek). The samples will be coded and the investigators will not know the participants' identities. DNA from these samples will be analyzed for frequency of gene mutations. Genetic counseling will be arranged for patients, as appropriate.
Inflammatory myopathies are a group of muscle diseases characterized by muscle weakness, high levels of muscle enzymes in the blood, and inflammation of the tissue surrounding muscle fibers (endomysium). The diseases making up the inflammatory myopathies are grouped into three subsets: I) Polymyositis (PM) II) Dermatomyositis (DM) III) Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) Inflammatory myopathies are thought to be autoimmune processes and are treated with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs. However, many patients who initially respond to these treatments develop resistance to the therapy or experience side effects causing the treatments to be stopped. Researchers believe that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) may provide patients with PM, DM, and IBM a safer and more effective alternative to standard therapies for the diseases. IVIg is a drug that has been used successfully to treat other immune-related diseases of the nervous system. The study will take 60 patients and divide them into two groups. Group one will receive 2 injections of IVIg once a month for three months. Group two will receive 2 injections of placebo "inactive injection of sterile water" once a month for three months. Following the three months of treatment, group one will begin taking the placebo and group two will begin taking IVIg for an additional 3 months. The drug will be considered effective if patients receiving it experience a significant improvement (>15%) in muscle strength.