What's in the literature?

Once again, the field of neuromuscular diseases has produced a wide-ranging and interesting group of papers, a small number of which are highlighted. Many papers focus on treatments, and although these are generally symptomatic rather than curative, they provide clinicians with guidelines for providing patients with relief from neuropathic pain, muscle cramps, myotonia, and the weakness associated with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. For peripheral neuropathies, additional treatment aspects and a possible mechanism for neuroprotection during chemotherapy are also addressed. The clinical features and genetics of hereditary spastic paraplegia and of motor neuron disease are explored with particular emphasis on the heterogeneity of clinical presentations that may arise from genetic mutations. Myasthenia gravis receives some well-deserved attention, particularly with regard to treatment as well as diagnosis.