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Myocardial infarction (MI) has become one of the leading causes of death in the world. Its pathogenesis includes chronic formation of plaque inside the vessel wall of the coronary artery and acute rupture of the artery, implicating a number of inflammation-mediating molecules, such as the cytokine lymphotoxin-α (LTA). Functional variations in LTA are associated with susceptibility to MI. Here we show that LTA protein binds to galectin-2, a member of the galactose-binding lectin family. Our case­control association study in a Japanese population showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism in LGALS2 encoding galectin-2 is significantly associated with susceptibility to MI. This genetic substitution affects the transcriptional level of galectin-2 in vitro, potentially leading to altered secretion of LTA, which would then affect the degree of inflammation; however, its relevance to other populations remains to be clarified. Smooth muscle cells and macrophages in the human atherosclerotic lesions expressed both galectin-2 and LTA. Our findings thus suggest a link between the LTA cascade and the pathogenesis of MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study characterizes oculopharyngodistal myopathy in 4 Thai patients from 3 families with CGG/CCG repeat expansion in LOC642361/NUTM2B-AS1 ., Methods: Repeat-primed PCR analyzed CGG/CCG repeat size in LOC642361/NUTM2B-AS1 in 4 Thai patients suspected of oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM). Clinical records were reviewed for clinicopathologic features., Results: All patients exhibited strong somatic instabilities of the expanded CGG/CCG repeats, primarily manifesting as oculopharyngeal weakness. Patient 1 had mild finger extensor and intrinsic hand muscle weakness, and although patient 2 lacked limb weakness, both siblings showed electrophysiologic evidence of distal myopathy, indicative of OPDM. Patient 3, the daughter of a sibling with OPDM reported in 2004, lacked limb weakness or leukoencephalopathy on brain MRI. Patient 4, initially misdiagnosed with refractory myasthenia gravis, had generalized muscle weakness., Discussion: While initially characterized as oculopharyngeal myopathy with leukoencephalopathy (OPML) in a Japanese family, our study suggests a stronger association between CGG/CCG expansion in LOC642361/NUTM2B-AS1 and oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM) rather than OPML. The variable presence or absence of leukoencephalopathy further supports OPDM as the predominant clinical manifestation linked to CGG/CCG expansion in LOC642361/NUTM2B-AS1 ., Competing Interests: The authors report no relevant disclosures. Go to Neurology.org/NG for full disclosures., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.)