Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Introdução: As complicações respiratórias, somadas a baixos volumes pulmonares e tosse ineficiente, decorrentes da fraqueza da musculatura respiratória nas doenças neuromusculares (DNM), são as principais causas de morbidade e mortalidade. Objetivo: Verificar os efeitos do treinamento de empilhamento de ar na função respiratória de pacientes com DNM. Métodos: Estudo prospectivo em 21 pacientes com DNM, idade entre 7 e 23 anos. Todos foram submetidos a avaliações respiratórias a cada 4 e 6 meses. Realizou-se espirometria e medida do pico de fluxo de tosse não assistido e assistido (PFTNA e PFTASS) com insuflações e empilhamento de ar com ressuscitador manual. Os pacientes e cuidadores foram treinados e orientados a realizar o treinamento das manobras de empilhamento de ar diariamente no domicílio. A análise estatística utilizou o pacote estatístico como médias ± desvios-padrão, foram submetidas ao teste de normalidade de D\'Agostino-Pearson. Utilizou-se ANOVA para medidas repetidas, seguidas do teste Post Hoc de Tukey. O pico de fluxo expiratório (PFE) não exibiu distribuição normal e, por isso, foi submetido ao teste de Friedman seguido do teste Post Hoc de Dunn. Os coeficientes de correlação de Pearson foram calculados e nível de significância estabelecido foi p < 0,05. Resultados: Houve aumento na estatura média dos pacientes de 2,5 cm (p < 0,0001). A média da capacidade de insuflação máxima (CIM) foi maior que a capacidade vital forçada (CVF) basal em todas as avaliações (p < 0,0001). Houve aumento na média da CVF e CIM (p < 0,01), PFTNA (p < 0,05) e no PFTASS após período de treinamento nos pacientes com escoliose não estruturada ou ausente. Conclusão: O treinamento domiciliar com insuflações e empilhamento de ar deve ser enfatizado nas DNM, pois aumenta o PFT. Tal treinamento aumenta a CVF basal e o PFTNA nos pacientes sem deformidades torácicas. / Introduction: Respiratory complications, low lung volumes and inefficient cough, resulting from weakness of respiratory muscles are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in neuromuscular patients (NMD). Objective: To assess the effects of air stacking training on lung function in patients with NMD. Methods: Prospective study in 21 patients with NMD aged 7 to 23 years. Al patients underwent respiratory evaluations every 4 to 6 months. Was performed spirometry and measurement of unassisted peak cough flow (UPCF) and assisted peak cough flow (APCF) with insufflations and air stacking with manual resuscitator. The patients and caregivers were trained and were prescribed lung insufflations by air stacking three times each day at home. The statistical analysis used the statistical package GraphPad Prism 5.0 for Windows. Spirometric variables were expressed as means ± standard deviations, were subject to normality test D\'Agostino-Pearson. We used ANOVA for repeated measures followed by post hoc Tukey test. The peak expiratory flow (PEF) did not exhibit normal distribution and therefore was subjected to the Friedman test followed by Dunn´s post hoc test. The Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated and significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: There was in increase in the average height of 2.5 cm, of the patients (p < 0.0001). The mean maximum insufflation capacity (MIC) was greater than forced vital capacity (FVC) baseline for all evaluations (p < 0.0001). There was increase in mean FVC and MIC (p < 0.001), UPCF (p < 0.05) and APCF (p < 0.01) after air stacking training period in patients without scoliosis or unstructured. Conclusion: The air stacking training home should be emphasized in NMD. This training increases the FVC and UPCF in patients without scoliosis or unstructured.

Introdução: As doenças neuromusculares (DNM) abrangem diversas afecções que se caracterizam pela presença de fraqueza muscular. Idealmente, os instrumentos de medida da habilidade motora funcional devem ser validados para a faixa etária na qual o diagnóstico é realizado, ocorrendo escassez de medidas funcionais para avaliação da função motora em crianças pequenas com DNM. A Medida da Função Motora (MFM-32), no Brasil validada como MFM-P, é um instrumento desenhado para monitorar a gravidade e progressão da função motora em pacientes de seis a sessenta anos de idade com DNM. Como a mesma não foi validada em crianças menores de seis anos de idade, os pesquisadores do Serviço de Reeducação Pediátrica L\'Escale, (França) criadores da versão original, desenvolveram a versão reduzida desta escala, denominada \"Motor Function Measure - Short Form (MFM-20) \", adaptada à faixa etária de dois a sete anos de idade. Objetivos: Realizar o estudo de confiabilidade e validar a escala \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20) \" na língua portuguesa do Brasil. Métodos: Foi realizada a tradução literária e conceitual da MFM-20. A versão em português foi denominada \"Medida da Função Motora- Versão Reduzida (MFM-20) \" e posteriormente foi realizada a tradução reversa. Um comitê revisou todas as versões. Após pré-teste numa amostra de cinco sujeitos, não houve necessidade de modificações, e a versão final da MFM-20 foi aplicada a vinte e seis crianças com diagnóstico de DNM. Para avaliar a reprodutibilidade intraexaminador, o Teste de Wilcoxon foi empregado para as duas aplicações da escala, as quais tiveram um intervalo de uma semana. A fim de avaliar a reprodutibilidade interexaminador na aplicação da escala por duas fisioterapeutas, no primeiro dia de avaliação, os escores foram comparados com o Teste t de Student. Para verificar as validades de constructos convergente entre a MFM-20 e a Escala Motora Funcional Hammersmith (EMFH), o Índice de Barthel (IB) bem como a Escala de Vignos e Brooke (EVB), e a validade de constructo discriminante, entre a MFM-20 e a escala MRC (força muscular), foi utilizado o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson. Resultados: Fizeram parte do estudo vinte e seis sujeitos, com média de idade de 4,6 ± 1,5 anos, com os seguintes diagnósticos: distrofia muscular de Duchenne (n=9), distrofia muscular congênita (n=5), miopatia congênita (n=6) e amiotrofia espinhal progressiva tipo II (n=6). Os itens da MFM-20 não necessitaram de nenhuma modificação em relação à adaptação cultural. A análise de confiabilidade demonstrou boa reprodutibilidade intraexaminador no dia 1 (35,88±8,80) e no dia 7 (36,96±8,99), p=0,065, além de boa reprodutibilidade interexaminador, sendo: examinador 1, 35,88±8,80 e examinador 2, 35,08±9,16, com p=0,747. A análise de validade convergente demonstrou boa correlação entre a MFM-20 e a EMFH (coeficiente de correlação =0,907), a EVB (coeficiente de correlação = - 0,918) e o IB (coeficiente de correlação =0,797), com p<= 0,05. A análise da validade discriminante demonstrou correlação positiva entre a MFM-20 e a escala MRC que avalia força muscular (coeficiente de correlação = 0,873), com p<= 0,05. Conclusões: A versão brasileira da MFM-20 foi devidamente validada, representando avanço na avaliação dos pacientes com DNM dos centros brasileiros, permitindo acompanhar a evolução motora a partir dos dois anos até os sessenta anos de idade (MFM-20 e MFM-P) / Introduction: Neuromuscular diseases (NMD) include a large number of conditions, whose main characteristic is a loss of muscular strength. Ideally, measurement tools should be validated for the age at which the diagnosis is made. There is a lack of tools to assess motor functional abilities in young children with NMD. The Motor Function Measure (MFM-32), validated in Brazil as MFM-P, is a tool designed to monitor the severity and progression of motor function in patients with NMD, aged six to sixty years. As this version was not validated in children under six years of age, the authors of the original version, from the Pediatric Reeducation Service L\'Escale (France), developed the Motor Function Measure - Short Form (MFM-20), designed for children with two to seven years of age. Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify the reliability and validity of the \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20)\" in Brazilian Portuguese language of Brazil. Method: The literal and conceptual translation of the MFM- 20 was performed. The Portuguese version was called \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20)\", and then the reversal translation was made. A committee revised all these versions. After a pretest in a sample of five subjects, no modification was necessary, and the final version of MFM-20 was applied to twenty-six children with NMD. To verify the intra-rater reliability, the Wilcoxon Test was utilized for the two scale applications within one-week interval. To verify inter-rater reliability concerning the scale application by two physical therapists at the first day of assessment, Student\'s t-Test was applied. To verify the converging construct validity between MFM-20 and Hammersmith Motor Functional Scale (HMFS), Barthel\'s Index (BI) and Vignos and Brooke Scale (VBS), as well as the discriminating construction validity between MFM-20 and MRC Scale (muscular force), Pearson Correlation was applied. Results: Twenty six patients with mean age 4,6 ± 1,5 years old were included in the study, with the following clinical diagnosis: Duchenne\'s muscular dystrophy (n=9), congenital muscular dystrophy (n=5), congenital myopathy (n=6) and Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (n=6).MFM-20\'s items did not need any cultural adaptation. The reliability analysis demonstrated good reproducibility for intra-rater on day 1 (35,88±8,80) and day 7 (36,96±8,99), p=0,065, and good inter-rater reproducibility, as follows: examiner 1, 35,88±8,80 and examiner 2, 35,08±9,16, ?=0,05 e p=0,747. The converging validity analysis demonstrated good correlation between MFM-20 and HMFS, VBS as well as BI, with correlation\'s coefficients of 0,907, - 0,918 and 0,797, respectively. The discriminating validity analysis demonstrated positive correlation between MFM-20 and MRC Scale (muscular force) with a correlation\'s coefficient 0,873. Conclusions: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the MFM-20 had a proper validation, representing advances for patients from Brazilian\'s centers, diagnosed with NMD, allowing the follow-up of the motor functional evolution in patients from two to sixty years of age (MFM-20 and MFM-P)

Selective neuronal loss in response to loss or dysfunction of a ubiquitously expressed protein is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disease. Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by homozygous loss of the ubiquitously expressed survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, resulting in progressive neuromuscular weakness that eventually leads to flaccid paralysis and death from respiratory failure by two years of age in the most severely affected patients. Despite widespread motor neuron loss, certain motor pools are clinically spared. Type I SMA patients exhibit intercostal recession in conjunction with diaphragmatic sparing that produces a characteristic “bell-shaped chest.” Additionally, patients retain extraocular and external sphincter function, even in late disease stages. In order to fully define this differential vulnerability, I performed an extensive characterization of neuromuscular autopsies from Type I SMA patients and age-matched control patients. I found highly divergent degrees of motor unit degeneration, even within individual cranial nerves or a select anatomical region such as the neck. Remarkably, the diaphragm in a Type I SMA patient kept alive on life support for 17 years was still relatively preserved, despite virtually complete fibro-fatty infiltration in other muscles. Extraocular functions were also normal in this patient. These findings suggest that the molecular determinants of SMA-resistance provide indefinite protection against low SMN protein. Thus, identification and modulation of these genes and pathways represents a promising potential therapeutic strategy. Remarkably, this exquisite pattern of selectivity was preserved in the SMNΔ7 mouse, a widely used SMA mouse model. This suggests that the molecular determinants of differential vulnerability are conserved between mouse and human. Given the high degree of diversity between motor pools, I performed a comparative transcriptional microarray between multiple SMA-vulnerable and –resistant motor pools in healthy mice. This analysis revealed a small number of candidate therapeutic genes that segregate closely with vulnerability. I present a series of preliminary studies evaluating these targets in the SMNΔ7 mouse. Ongoing and future studies combine pharmacological, viral, and genetic approaches to modulate these candidate targets in the SMNΔ7 mouse and assess for improvements in neuromuscular pathology. Given the remarkable preservation of select motor pools in SMA patients, changing expression levels of the candidate targets I have identified may provide substantial clinical benefit.

Abstract Undefined severe neurological and multi-organ diseases are rare as single diseases, but as a group of diseases, they are responsible for significant morbidity, impaired quality of life and mortality, emphasizing the importance of neuroscience research and its translation into novel diagnostic and treatment strategies. Molecular karyotyping and whole-exome sequencing were used to identify three novel disease-causing genes, GLE1, NHLRC2 and MYH7B, in Northem Finnish families having children with undefined progressive neuromuscular diseases. Functional studies on GLE1, NHLRC2, and MYH7B were conducted in order to understand better the impact of these mutations. The studies revealed that the cellular localization of GLE1 was impaired due to a mutation in the coding gene. The NHLRC2 is involved in many biological processes and its dysfunction has a role in the development of a novel FINCA disease and in fibrosis. Furthermore, mutations in MYH7B in the myosin family have now been connected to encephalomyopathies. Mutations in GLE1, NHLRC2 and MYH7B are involved in encephalomyopathies and neurodegeneration, stressing the important role of these genes in normal psychomotor development Analyses of these previously uncharacterized disease-causing gene mutations provided new insights into the etiologies behind these diseases, representing a relevant starting point for resolving the pathomechanisms underpinning these disorders. The newly-discovered human disease-causing genes and the novel phenotypes of childhood onset neuromuscular diseases provide the possibility for offering the relevant families preclinical diagnostics and may be beneficial in the identification of similar clinical phenotypes all around the world. / Tiivistelmä Yksittäiset, määrittelemättömät, vaikeat neurologiset monielinsairaudet ovat harvinaisia. Sen sijaan neurologisten ja monielinsairauksien alle ryhmittyvät taudit ovat merkittävä syy useisiin sairauksiin, jotka heikentävät elämänlaatua ja aiheuttavat kuolleisuutta. Tästä johtuen neurotieteiden tutkimus ja saatujen tulosten soveltaminen diagnostiikassa ja hoitomuotojen kehittämisessä on hyvin tärkeää. Molekyylikaryotyypitys- ja eksomisekvensointi-menetelmiä hyödynnettiin etsittäessä taudin syytä eteneville neuromuskulaarisairauksille pohjoissuomalaisissa perheissä. Tutkimuksessa tehtiin lisäksi funktionaalisia kokeita GLE1-, NHLRC2- ja MYH7B-proteiineilla, jotta ymmärrettäisiin paremmin löydettyjen mutaatioiden vaikutus potilaiden sairauksiin. Havaittiin, että GLE1-mutaatio vaikutti proteiinin solunsisäiseen paikantumiseen. NHLRC2-proteiini puolestaan on mukana useissa solun biologisissa prosesseissa ja sen toiminnanhäiriö vaikuttaa FINCA-taudin ja fibroosin kehittymiseen. MYH7B-myosiinigeenimutaatio puolestaan yhdistettiin ensimmäistä kertaa enkefalomyopatiaan. Havaittujen tautigeenien; GLE1, NHLRC2 ja MYH7B, vaikutus enkefalomyopatioissa ja neurodegeneraatiossa kertoo, että kyseisillä geeneillä on hyvin todennäköisesti tärkeä rooli ihmisen kehityksessä. Kyseisten, aiemmin tuntemattomien sairautta-aiheuttavien geenimutaatioiden analysointi lisäsi tietoa sairauksien etiologiasta ja loi pohjan tautimekanismien ratkaisemiselle tulevaisuudessa. Työssä esitettyjä uusia sairautta-aiheuttavia geenejä ja uusia karakterisoituja lapsuusiän neuromuskulaarisairauksien ilmiasuja voidaan hyödyntää perheille tarjotun sikiödiagnostiikan lisäksi myös muiden potilaiden samankaltaisen taudinkuvan diagnosoinnissa maailmanlaajuisesti.

Myotonic dystrophy is the commonest form of adult muscular dystrophy. Myotonic dystrophy 1 and 2 (DM 1 and DM 2) are autosomal dominant inherited disorders with unusual multisystem clinical features characterized by myotonia, progressive muscle weakness and wasting, cataracts, hypogonadism, frontal balding, cardiac conduction defects and diabetes. Severity varies from asymptomatic to severely affected phenotypes. DM1 presents with predominantly distal weakness whereas DM2 have predominantly proximal weakness.98% of patients identified worldwide present with DM1. DM 1 is caused by the expansion of an unstable CTG trinucleotide repeat in the 3' untranslated region of the myotonic dystrophy protein kinase gene on chromosome 19ql3.3. DM 2 is linked to the long arm of chromosome 3q21. It is caused by a tranucleotide, CCTG expansion in intron 1 of the zinc finger protein 9(ZNF9) gene that interferes with processing of a variety of RNAs. All DM mutations can be detected using a combination of the Southern Blot and Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Aim: This study aims to characterize the clinical spectrum and molecular features of myotonic dystrophy patients in KwaZulu - Natal between 1989 and 2005. Methodology: Patients included in this study were obtained from the database of patients diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy at the Department of Neurology in KwaZulu-Natal from 1989 to 2005. Patients were subjected to clinical, radiological and neurophysiological assessment. Molecular testing was performed using PCR and Southern blot. Results: Thirty-seven patients with Myotonic Dystrophy were identified. Twenty patients consented and were included into the study. Eighty-five percent of patients were of Indian descent and the remaining fifteen percent were White. No African patients were identified. Sixty-five percent were male and thirty-five percent female. Myotonia was clinically present in all patients. Ninety-five percent of patients presented with predominantly distal weakness of which 40% demonstrated mild weakness, 35% moderate weakness and 25 % severe weakness. No patients were identified with predominantly proximal wasting or weakness. Southern blotting demonstrated expanded CTG repeats (DM1) in all 20 samples analysed. The PCR analysis was unable to demonstrate expanded alleles. Conclusion: This study identified patients presenting with Myotonic dystrophy to the Department of Neurology in KwaZulu-Natal and demonstrated that Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 remains the commonest clinical and molecular presentation. In addition it substantiated previous research findings wherein no South African of African descent was found to be affected by the disease. There have been no reported cases of Myotonic Dystrophy in African Black patients presenting to the Department of Neurology in Durban, no African Black patients have been diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy over the past 20 years. However ,the predominance of Indians in this study is more likely a reflection of referral bias than differing incidence amongst sections of the population. PCR analysis cannot detect trinucleotide repeat expansions beyond 200 repeats and as a result Southern Blotting remains the gold standard in obtaining a molecular diagnosis. A clinical diagnosis is sufficient and molecular confirmation is not an absolute requirement. / Thesis (M.Med)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

[Truncated abstract] Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy Lom (HMSNL) is a severe autosomal recessive peripheral neuropathy, the most common form of demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease in the Roma (Gypsy) population. The mutated gene, N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) on chromosome 8q24, is widely expressed and has been implicated in a wide range of processes and pathways. In this study we have aimed to assess the overall contribution of this gene to the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathies, in cases where the most common causes of CMT disease havebeen excluded, as well as to gain clues about its function through the identification of its interactions with other proteins. Sequence analysis of NDRG1 in 104 patients with CMT disease and of diverse ethnicity identified one novel disease-causing mutation, IVS8-1G>A (g.2290787G>A), which affects the splice-acceptor site of IVS8 and results in the skipping of exon 9 . . . The results suggest a defect in Schwann cell lipid trafficking as a major pathogenetic mechanism in CMT4D. At the same time, database searches showed that the chromosomal location of NDRG1 coincides with a reported High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol Quantitive Trait Locus (HDL-CQTL) in humans and in mice. A putative role of NDRG1 in the general mechanisms of HDL-mediated cholesterol transport was supported by biochemical studies of blood lipids, which revealed an association between the Gypsy founder mutation, R148X, and decreased HDL-C levels. These findings suggest that while peripheral neuropathy is the drastic result of NDRG1 deficiency, the primary role of the protein may be related to general mechanisms of lipid transport⁄metabolism.

Thesis--Copenhagen. / Summary in Danish. Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-130).

Introdução: As doenças neuromusculares (DNM) abrangem diversas afecções que se caracterizam pela presença de fraqueza muscular. Idealmente, os instrumentos de medida da habilidade motora funcional devem ser validados para a faixa etária na qual o diagnóstico é realizado, ocorrendo escassez de medidas funcionais para avaliação da função motora em crianças pequenas com DNM. A Medida da Função Motora (MFM-32), no Brasil validada como MFM-P, é um instrumento desenhado para monitorar a gravidade e progressão da função motora em pacientes de seis a sessenta anos de idade com DNM. Como a mesma não foi validada em crianças menores de seis anos de idade, os pesquisadores do Serviço de Reeducação Pediátrica L\'Escale, (França) criadores da versão original, desenvolveram a versão reduzida desta escala, denominada \"Motor Function Measure - Short Form (MFM-20) \", adaptada à faixa etária de dois a sete anos de idade. Objetivos: Realizar o estudo de confiabilidade e validar a escala \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20) \" na língua portuguesa do Brasil. Métodos: Foi realizada a tradução literária e conceitual da MFM-20. A versão em português foi denominada \"Medida da Função Motora- Versão Reduzida (MFM-20) \" e posteriormente foi realizada a tradução reversa. Um comitê revisou todas as versões. Após pré-teste numa amostra de cinco sujeitos, não houve necessidade de modificações, e a versão final da MFM-20 foi aplicada a vinte e seis crianças com diagnóstico de DNM. Para avaliar a reprodutibilidade intraexaminador, o Teste de Wilcoxon foi empregado para as duas aplicações da escala, as quais tiveram um intervalo de uma semana. A fim de avaliar a reprodutibilidade interexaminador na aplicação da escala por duas fisioterapeutas, no primeiro dia de avaliação, os escores foram comparados com o Teste t de Student. Para verificar as validades de constructos convergente entre a MFM-20 e a Escala Motora Funcional Hammersmith (EMFH), o Índice de Barthel (IB) bem como a Escala de Vignos e Brooke (EVB), e a validade de constructo discriminante, entre a MFM-20 e a escala MRC (força muscular), foi utilizado o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson. Resultados: Fizeram parte do estudo vinte e seis sujeitos, com média de idade de 4,6 ± 1,5 anos, com os seguintes diagnósticos: distrofia muscular de Duchenne (n=9), distrofia muscular congênita (n=5), miopatia congênita (n=6) e amiotrofia espinhal progressiva tipo II (n=6). Os itens da MFM-20 não necessitaram de nenhuma modificação em relação à adaptação cultural. A análise de confiabilidade demonstrou boa reprodutibilidade intraexaminador no dia 1 (35,88±8,80) e no dia 7 (36,96±8,99), p=0,065, além de boa reprodutibilidade interexaminador, sendo: examinador 1, 35,88±8,80 e examinador 2, 35,08±9,16, com p=0,747. A análise de validade convergente demonstrou boa correlação entre a MFM-20 e a EMFH (coeficiente de correlação =0,907), a EVB (coeficiente de correlação = - 0,918) e o IB (coeficiente de correlação =0,797), com p<= 0,05. A análise da validade discriminante demonstrou correlação positiva entre a MFM-20 e a escala MRC que avalia força muscular (coeficiente de correlação = 0,873), com p<= 0,05. Conclusões: A versão brasileira da MFM-20 foi devidamente validada, representando avanço na avaliação dos pacientes com DNM dos centros brasileiros, permitindo acompanhar a evolução motora a partir dos dois anos até os sessenta anos de idade (MFM-20 e MFM-P) / Introduction: Neuromuscular diseases (NMD) include a large number of conditions, whose main characteristic is a loss of muscular strength. Ideally, measurement tools should be validated for the age at which the diagnosis is made. There is a lack of tools to assess motor functional abilities in young children with NMD. The Motor Function Measure (MFM-32), validated in Brazil as MFM-P, is a tool designed to monitor the severity and progression of motor function in patients with NMD, aged six to sixty years. As this version was not validated in children under six years of age, the authors of the original version, from the Pediatric Reeducation Service L\'Escale (France), developed the Motor Function Measure - Short Form (MFM-20), designed for children with two to seven years of age. Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify the reliability and validity of the \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20)\" in Brazilian Portuguese language of Brazil. Method: The literal and conceptual translation of the MFM- 20 was performed. The Portuguese version was called \"Medida da Função Motora - Versão Reduzida (MFM-20)\", and then the reversal translation was made. A committee revised all these versions. After a pretest in a sample of five subjects, no modification was necessary, and the final version of MFM-20 was applied to twenty-six children with NMD. To verify the intra-rater reliability, the Wilcoxon Test was utilized for the two scale applications within one-week interval. To verify inter-rater reliability concerning the scale application by two physical therapists at the first day of assessment, Student\'s t-Test was applied. To verify the converging construct validity between MFM-20 and Hammersmith Motor Functional Scale (HMFS), Barthel\'s Index (BI) and Vignos and Brooke Scale (VBS), as well as the discriminating construction validity between MFM-20 and MRC Scale (muscular force), Pearson Correlation was applied. Results: Twenty six patients with mean age 4,6 ± 1,5 years old were included in the study, with the following clinical diagnosis: Duchenne\'s muscular dystrophy (n=9), congenital muscular dystrophy (n=5), congenital myopathy (n=6) and Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy (n=6).MFM-20\'s items did not need any cultural adaptation. The reliability analysis demonstrated good reproducibility for intra-rater on day 1 (35,88±8,80) and day 7 (36,96±8,99), p=0,065, and good inter-rater reproducibility, as follows: examiner 1, 35,88±8,80 and examiner 2, 35,08±9,16, ?=0,05 e p=0,747. The converging validity analysis demonstrated good correlation between MFM-20 and HMFS, VBS as well as BI, with correlation\'s coefficients of 0,907, - 0,918 and 0,797, respectively. The discriminating validity analysis demonstrated positive correlation between MFM-20 and MRC Scale (muscular force) with a correlation\'s coefficient 0,873. Conclusions: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the MFM-20 had a proper validation, representing advances for patients from Brazilian\'s centers, diagnosed with NMD, allowing the follow-up of the motor functional evolution in patients from two to sixty years of age (MFM-20 and MFM-P)

Introdução: As complicações respiratórias, somadas a baixos volumes pulmonares e tosse ineficiente, decorrentes da fraqueza da musculatura respiratória nas doenças neuromusculares (DNM), são as principais causas de morbidade e mortalidade. Objetivo: Verificar os efeitos do treinamento de empilhamento de ar na função respiratória de pacientes com DNM. Métodos: Estudo prospectivo em 21 pacientes com DNM, idade entre 7 e 23 anos. Todos foram submetidos a avaliações respiratórias a cada 4 e 6 meses. Realizou-se espirometria e medida do pico de fluxo de tosse não assistido e assistido (PFTNA e PFTASS) com insuflações e empilhamento de ar com ressuscitador manual. Os pacientes e cuidadores foram treinados e orientados a realizar o treinamento das manobras de empilhamento de ar diariamente no domicílio. A análise estatística utilizou o pacote estatístico como médias ± desvios-padrão, foram submetidas ao teste de normalidade de D\'Agostino-Pearson. Utilizou-se ANOVA para medidas repetidas, seguidas do teste Post Hoc de Tukey. O pico de fluxo expiratório (PFE) não exibiu distribuição normal e, por isso, foi submetido ao teste de Friedman seguido do teste Post Hoc de Dunn. Os coeficientes de correlação de Pearson foram calculados e nível de significância estabelecido foi p < 0,05. Resultados: Houve aumento na estatura média dos pacientes de 2,5 cm (p < 0,0001). A média da capacidade de insuflação máxima (CIM) foi maior que a capacidade vital forçada (CVF) basal em todas as avaliações (p < 0,0001). Houve aumento na média da CVF e CIM (p < 0,01), PFTNA (p < 0,05) e no PFTASS após período de treinamento nos pacientes com escoliose não estruturada ou ausente. Conclusão: O treinamento domiciliar com insuflações e empilhamento de ar deve ser enfatizado nas DNM, pois aumenta o PFT. Tal treinamento aumenta a CVF basal e o PFTNA nos pacientes sem deformidades torácicas. / Introduction: Respiratory complications, low lung volumes and inefficient cough, resulting from weakness of respiratory muscles are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in neuromuscular patients (NMD). Objective: To assess the effects of air stacking training on lung function in patients with NMD. Methods: Prospective study in 21 patients with NMD aged 7 to 23 years. Al patients underwent respiratory evaluations every 4 to 6 months. Was performed spirometry and measurement of unassisted peak cough flow (UPCF) and assisted peak cough flow (APCF) with insufflations and air stacking with manual resuscitator. The patients and caregivers were trained and were prescribed lung insufflations by air stacking three times each day at home. The statistical analysis used the statistical package GraphPad Prism 5.0 for Windows. Spirometric variables were expressed as means ± standard deviations, were subject to normality test D\'Agostino-Pearson. We used ANOVA for repeated measures followed by post hoc Tukey test. The peak expiratory flow (PEF) did not exhibit normal distribution and therefore was subjected to the Friedman test followed by Dunn´s post hoc test. The Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated and significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: There was in increase in the average height of 2.5 cm, of the patients (p < 0.0001). The mean maximum insufflation capacity (MIC) was greater than forced vital capacity (FVC) baseline for all evaluations (p < 0.0001). There was increase in mean FVC and MIC (p < 0.001), UPCF (p < 0.05) and APCF (p < 0.01) after air stacking training period in patients without scoliosis or unstructured. Conclusion: The air stacking training home should be emphasized in NMD. This training increases the FVC and UPCF in patients without scoliosis or unstructured.