Stem cells are a hot topic these days in medicine, science and law, although the term has multiple meanings and it's easy to get confused.

In short, stem cells are cells at an early stage of development from which specialized cells, such as muscle or nerve cells, can develop (in other words, from which these specialized cells "stem").

Different kinds of stem cells are referred to as:

In both Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), deterioration of the heart muscle, a condition known as cardiomyopathy, is a major cause of disability and death.

Researchers at the Psychology of Disability Lab at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor are exploring the social identity of people with disabilities through a short, anonymous, Web-based questionnaire.

The lab's Disability Identity Project is being headed by principal investigator Adena Rottenstein, a doctoral candidate in psychology.

The study closes the week of Aug. 22, 2011.

Idebenone may help maintain respiratory function in DMD

Santhera Pharmaceuticals announced May 9, 2011, that its drug Catena (generic name idebenone) appears to slow the decline in respiratory function associated with aging in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Idebenone may improve energy production in muscle and nerve cells.

Biopharmaceutical companies Acceleron Pharma and Shire announced April 21, 2011, that MDA-supported clinical trials of ACE-031 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have been halted.

Below are brief reports and links to more information about neuromuscular disease research presented at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), held in Honolulu April 9-16, 2011.

Most people affected by neuromuscular disease know all too well that their condition is costly. MDA wants to find out just how costly — and then translate those figures into terms that will speak to policy makers.

(Update 9/14/11: The 2011 scholarship winners have been selected. To view a list of winners visit www.deshae.org/cmms/awards/2011/scholars.pdf. Applications for quality of life grants continue to be accepted and are awarded on an ongoing basis.)

It was the worst Monday morning of our lives — and Mondays are universally bad.

My wife, Monique, and I woke up to a snow lockdown in London. The snow had started gently enough in the evening, but now on this January morning it was a white strait jacket. We could hardly move, but we desperately needed to get to Nottingham at all costs. Our potential future children — two fertilized and rapidly growing embryos — lay in wait for us in a Nottingham fertility clinic almost three hours away by train.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

A two-year, large-scale trial of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in people with type 1A Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT1A) conducted in Italy and the United Kingdom has found the substance had no significant effect on the disease compared with a placebo. Ascorbic acid was taken orally at 1.5 grams per day in this study. An ongoing U.S.-based trial (now closed to recruitment) is testing ascorbic acid in CMT1A at a dosage of 4 grams per day for two years.