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The fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was carried out through strong restrictive measures, including general population lockdown, which allowed the convergence of risk factors for child abuse. During this period, the French national hotline for children in danger recorded a 56% increase in calls. Calls followed by an alert to departmental child protection services increased by 30%. Through an algorithm created by our team, we showed a 50% increase in the relative frequency of hospitalizations for physical abuse in children aged 0-5 years during the lockdown. This has fueled thinking about subsequent health measures to protect the youngest children. Our goal is now to use this algorithm for epidemiological purposes as a barometer of abuse or in daily practice to help the diagnosis of physical abuse in young children., (© 2023 médecine/sciences – Inserm.)

Sarcoglycanopathies are the third most common cause of autosomal recessive limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD). They are the result of a deficiency in one of the sarcoglycans a, b, g, or d. The usual clinical presentation is that of a symmetrical involvement of the muscles of the pelvic and scapular girdles as well as of the trunk, associated with more or less severe cardio-respiratory impairment and a marked increase of serum CK levels. The first symptoms appear during the first decade, the loss of ambulation occurring often during the second decade. Lesions observed on the muscle biopsy are dystrophic. This is associated with a decrease or an absence of immunostaining of the sarcoglycan corresponding to the mutated gene and, to a lesser degree, of the other three sarcoglycans. Many mutations have been reported in the four incriminated genes and some of them are prevalent in certain populations. To date, there is no curative treatment, which does not prevent the development of many clinical trials, especially in gene therapy., (© 2020 médecine/sciences – Inserm.)