Police Recruit Wins Battle Against MG

by Lori Chung
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- "It's a big moment and I've been waiting for this my whole life," said police recruit, MGMichael Palmerino, 23. It's a dream fulfilled. But for Palmerino, the journey to this moment was hard fought and filled with hurdles. Chief among them was a rare, debilitating illness. "At times I couldn't talk, I couldn't chew or swallow food, [and] I lost a lot of weight." Two years ago, Palmerino was suddenly stopped in his tracks, and doctor after doctor failed to figure out the problem. "They really just didn't

Mestinon (Pyridostigmine) for Myasthenia Gravis

Mestinon Tablets

The first line of treatment for Myasthenia Gravis is typically Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. These medications boost the amount of acetylcholine available for neuromuscular transmission by impairing the breakdown of acetylcholine at the synaptic cleft. Pyridostigmine (Mestinon) is the main acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used. Other agents, such as neostigmine (Prostigmin), are available but are rarely used. A generic form of pyridostigmine became available in the fall of 2003. Pyridostigmine provides only symptomatic treatment, but in some patients is the only therapy needed. The effects of pyridostigmine may be noticed 15 to 30 minutes

Viral Connection to Myasthenia Gravis Confirmed

Dec. 19, 2012 / Science Daily — Why would our immune system turn against our own cells?

This is the question that the combined Inserm/CNRS/ Pierre and Marie Curie University/Association Institut de Myologie have strived to answer in their "Therapies for diseases of striated muscle," concentrating in particular on the auto-immune disease known as myasthenia gravis. Through the project known as FIGHT-MG (Fight Myasthenia Gravis), financed by the European Commission and coordinated by Inserm, Sonia Berrih-Aknin and Rozen Le Panse have contributed proof of the concept that a molecule imitating a virus may trigger an inappropriate immune response, causing muscular function to deteriorate.
These results have been published in Annals of Neurology, accessible on line.

MG Severity Linked To MuSK Antibodies

By Sally Robertson, medwireNews Reporter

Patients who have myasthenia gravis (MG) are more likely to have a severe form of the disease and more difficulty achieving remission if they are seropositive for antibodies to muscle-specific kinase (MuSK), report researchers.

"These features should be considered by the clinician in the management of this particular form of MG," say Carlo Antozzi (Neurological Institute Foundation "Carlo Besta," Milan, Italy) and colleagues.