The Ain Shams University Neuromuscular unit is the only specialized and comprehensive unit of neuromuscular disorders in Egypt. It was established in 1996 as two neuromuscular laboratories, for histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and genetic study of muscle biopsies. The laboratories were established as collaboration between Neuropsychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University and National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), Tokyo, Japan, where the staff of the laboratories had their training.
In 2015, there was upgrading of the Neuromuscular Unit, with a weekly Neuromuscular clinic, following about 40-50 patients weekly. It also contained a Biobank of muscle biopsies and DNA of different patients with neuromuscular disorders.
Vision & Mission
To be a center of excellence in Egypt and MENA region for diagnosis, Research and Therapy pf Neuromuscular Disorders.
Clinical services to patients as regards diagnosis, investigations and therapy.
Educational role of Neuromuscular Disorders for specialists in Egypt.
Research in the field of Neuromuscular disorders.
Community services, by increasing Public awareness of Neuromuscular disorders.
Team
Education
Postgraduate Teaching of Neuromuscular Disorders
Establishment of the “Egyptian School of Neuromuscular Disorders in 2019
The Unit has an important role in the teaching through national and international conferences and meetings.
Clinical Services
1- A weekly Myology Clinic for diagnosis and follow up of patients with neuromuscular disorders.
2- Diagnostic:
a. Muscle biopsy: Minor surgery procedure, fresh frozen technique, Histochemical and Immunohistochemical study.
b. Nerve Biopsy, minor surgery procedure with study under electron microscopy.
c. DNA extraction and genetic study of some neuromuscular disorders.
3- Research (Masters and MD projects): The lab is exploring genetic subtypes and biomarkers in different neuromuscular disorders in correlation to the clinical presentation.
Research projects study: Congenital neuromuscular disorders, Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy, Limb girdle muscular dystrophy, Inflammatory Myopathies, Osteomalacic myopathy, Myasthenic disorders, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Spinal muscular atrophy, Hereditary Neuropathies and Hereditary Ataxias
4- E-Registry: The goal of our registry is to store patients’ data which include personal history, present illness, diagnosis, laboratory workup, further investigations, genetic analysis, muscle biopsy, whole body MRI and management.
Community Services
The neuromuscular unit arranged several events as yearly Duchenne awareness day, Limb-girdle Muscular dystrophy awareness day, Online lectures for patients and parents of spinal muscular atrophy.
Fellowships and Observerships
National and International Collaboration
There was collaboration with the Radiology department to introduce whole body muscle MRI study and Functional MRI muscles as recent tools that help in accurate diagnosis of patients.
Since, 2015, there is collaboration with the Neuromuscular Center of Tampere University, Finland, with special agreement, yearly Finland-Egypt workshop and Conference.
In 2017, there was starting collaboration with AUC, Egypt and Faculty of Science, Ain shams University, through a project on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (PhD thesis), with publication of international manuscripts and an online book chapters.
In 2019, prof. Nagia Fahmy started the collaboration of GUC of Egypt and Ulm University, Germany, with starting of two projects on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Biomarkers and Genetic study, through two Master degree and a doctorate degree theses). She shared in establishment of “School of Motor Neuron Disorders” in GUC, 2019
Publications
Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Project: Through International MYO-SEQ Consortium, Neuromuscular Unit, Ain Shams University was the only Center from Egypt in this consortium
1. Ana Töpf, Katherine Johnson, Adam Bates,……. the MYO-SEQ consortium and Volker Straub (June, 2020): Sequential targeted exome sequencing of 1001 patients affected by unexplained limb-girdle weakness. Genetics in Medicine.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Project
2. NO Mousa, A Abdellatif, N Fahmy, S Zada, H El-Fawal, A Osman (Feb, 2020): Circulating MicroRNAs in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, Feb. 189.
3. NO Mousa, A Osman, N Fahmy, A Abdellatif, S Zada, H El-Fawal (January, 2020): Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Diagnosis: Past and Present Perspectives. Muscular Dystrophy-Advances in Cellular and Molecular Basis, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Strategies. IntechOpen
4. NO Mousa, A Osman, N Fahmy, A Abdellatif, W Zahra (June, 2020): Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Treatment: Past and Present Perspectives. Muscular Dystrophy-Advances in Cellular and Molecular Basis, Diagnosis and Therapeutic Strategies. IntechOpen.
Hereditary Ataxia project:
5. NA Fahmy, ASA Shalash, TME Roushdy, MA Gaber (2020): Clinical and Neuroradiological Features of Hereditary Ataxia Patients: Hospital Based Study. QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 113 (Supplement_1), hcaa054. 009
Cerebrovascular Genetic Project
6. Ahmed M Ateya, Ahmed A El-Bassiouny, Sobhy H El-Nabi, Nagia A Fahmy, Mahmoud H Ibrahim, Islam El-Garwany, Khaled Gobbah (2019): Haptoglobin genotyping and risk of cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research 2 (3), 224
7. MA Mostafa, LM El-Nabiel, NA Fahmy, H Aref, E Shreef, FA El-Tawab M.O.Abdulghany (2016): ACE gene in Egyptian ischemic stroke patients. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases 25 (9), 2167-2171
Peripheral Neuropathy Project
8. T. Alloush, N. A. Fahmy, M. M. Fouad, H. O. Albaroudy, M. Hamdy, H. H. Salem (2019): Prediction of Outcome in Patients with Guillain Barre Syndrome- An Egyptian Study. Neuroscience and Medicine 10 (03), 232
Vitamin D Project
9. Hossam Shokri, Karim Mohamed, Nagia Fahmy, Ahmed Osman, Ahmed Ghareeb (2020): Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism in patients with osteomalacic myopathy in Egypt. Neurological sciences.
10. May Mahmoud Abdella, Magdy Ahmed Mostafa, Maha Ali Nada, Nagia Aly Fahmy (2018): Vitamin D Deficiency in Some Neurological Disorders in Sohag Teaching Hospital, Upper Egypt. International Journal of Science and Research Methodology. July, Vol.:10, Issue:1
Neurofibromatosis
11. HTML]SM Elsayed, N Fahmy, R Gamal, M Wafik, Neurofibromatosis type 1 and multiple sclerosis: (2017) genetically related diseases. Egyptian Journal of Medical human genetics, vol 18, 295-297
