In this article a new acoustic parameter for the objective description of voice quality is introduced. It is based on the correlation coefficient for Hilbert envelopes of different frequency bands. The parameter indicates whether a given voice signal originates from vibrations of the vocal folds or from turbulent noise generated in the vocal tract and is thus related to (but not a direct measur...

The trip is not over yet as definite therapy for GNE myopathy is not yet available. Also the exact mechanisms by which GNE defects lead to isolated muscle disease in humans are not fully recognized. But in the Gaetano Conte lecture of 2013 I have tried to describe how much a progress was made in several research laboratories and clinical institutes in the investigation of this unique myopathy.

hereditary inclusion body myopathy (hibm) is an adult-onset hereditary myopathy, usually with distal onset and quadriceps sparing. this myopathy is autosomal recessive and associated to upd-n-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase/n-acetylmannosamine kinase (gne) gene mutations. in this study, we report a novel gne homozygous point mutation c.1834t>g that results in amino acid substitution of cysteine 6...

The generalized Nash equilibrium problem (GNEP) is a generalization of the standard Nash equilibrium problem (NEP), in which each player’s strategy set may depend on the rival players’ strategies. The GNEP has recently drawn much attention because of its capability of modeling a number of interesting conflict situations in, for example, an electricity market and an international pollution contr...

Background. Hereditary inclusion body myopathy is caused by biallelic defects in the GNE gene located on chromosome 9p13. It generally affects adults older than 20 years of age. Methods and Results. In this study, we present two Turkish sisters with progressive myopathy and describe a novel mutation in the GNE gene. Both sisters had slightly higher levels of creatine kinase (CK) and muscle weak...

Cocaine abuse is problematic, directly and indirectly impacting the lives of millions, and yet existing therapies are inadequate and usually ineffective. A cocaine vaccine would be a promising alternative therapeutic option, but efficacy is hampered by variable production of anticocaine antibodies. Thus, new tactics and strategies for boosting cocaine vaccine immunogenicity must be explored. Fl...

Although intracellular beta amyloid (Aβ) accumulation is known as an early upstream event in the degenerative course of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/N-acetylmannosamine kinase (GNE) myopathy, the process by which Aβdeposits initiate various degradative pathways, and their relationship have not been fully clarified. We studied the possible secondary responses after amyloid beta precursor ...

Ras and Rho GTPases are molecular switches for various vital cellular signaling pathways. Overactivation of these GTPases often causes development of cancer. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and oxidants function to upregulate these GTPases through facilitation of guanine nucleotide exchange (GNE) of these GTPases. However, the effect of oxidants on GEF functions, or vice versa, has n...

Muscle diseases represent specific muscle pathology. The characteristic features as hallmarks of diseases have been historically used to diagnose the patients. The “Rimmed vacuole (RV)” (Figures 1) is one of such characteristic features in certain groups of the diseases. This structure consists of the space (vacuole) and purple granules (rim) within myofibers, while the space is sometimes occup...

GNE myopathy (MIM#605820) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder with a higher prevalence in individuals with Middle Eastern or Japanese ancestries1. We present a 23-year-old Brazilian female, without such ancestries, with slowly progressive distal and proximal weakness in her lower limbs since the age of 18. Within five years, weakness progressed to her upper limbs and led to loss of ambulatio...