Human OMG blocking peptide

Background: Muscular weakness in myasthenia gravis (MG) is commonly assessed using Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMG). More objective and quantitative measures may complement the use of clinical scales and might detect subclinical affection of muscles. We hypothesized that muscular weakness in patients with MG can be quantified with the non-invasive Quantitative Motor (Q-Motor) test for Grip Force Assessment (QGFA) and Involuntary Movement Assessment (QIMA) and that pathological findings correlate with disease severity as measured by QMG. Methods: This was a cross-sectional pilot study investigating patients with confirmed diagnosis of MG. Data was compared to healthy controls (HC). Subjects were asked to lift a device (250 and 500 g) equipped with electromagnetic sensors that measured grip force (GF) and three-dimensional changes in position and orientation. These were used to calculate the position index (PI) and orientation index (OI) as measures for involuntary movements due to muscular weakness. Results: Overall, 40 MG patients and 23 HC were included. PI and OI were significantly higher in MG patients for both weights in the dominant and non-dominant hand. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with clinically ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) also showed significantly higher values for PI and OI in both hands and for both weights. Disease severity correlates with QIMA performance in the non-dominant hand. Conclusion: Q-Motor tests and particularly QIMA may be useful objective tools for measuring motor impairment in MG and seem to detect subclinical generalized motor signs in patients with OMG. Q-Motor parameters might serve as sensitive endpoints for clinical trials in MG.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a standardised Object Management Group (OMG) notation among software engineers. There have been many attempts to design alternatives to UML. Recently, new notations such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and Decision Model and Notation (DMN) have been proposed for modelling processes and decisions. These dedicated notations provide a simpler way of capturing functional requirements in a designer-friendly fashion. Moreover, some concepts as rules cannot be directly modelled in UML. Our research considers a method of translating business models such as BPMN and DMN into a set of consistent UML models, which can be later used by business analysts and developers to understand and implement the system. As a single notation design, it allows the user to take advantage of software supporting UML modelling and consistency checking, in addition using such translation can provide additional insights into OMG business models. Furthermore, the design provided in a single notation can be easier to follow and develop. This approach supports also visualisation of rules. It is important to mention that the proposed solution does not extend any custom UML artifacts and can be used with standard UML tools.