Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a group of inherited disorders characterised by defective neuromuscular transmission and fatigable muscle weakness. Mutations in , a gene encoding a post-synaptic protein crucial in the formation and stabilisation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), rank among the leading three prevalent causes of CMS in diverse populations globally. The majority of DOK7 CMS patients experience varying degrees of disability despite receiving optimised treatment, necessitating the development of improved therapeutic approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Muscle specific kinase (MuSK) antibody positive myasthenia gravis (MG) often presents with a severe disease course and resistance to treatment. Treatment-refractory patients may respond to B cell depleting treatment methods. Our aim was to investigate whether inhibition of Fc receptor-like B (FCRLB) could effectively suppress autoimmunity without diminishing B cell counts in animal model of MG, a classical antibody-mediated autoimmune disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Up to 50% of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) without acetylcholine receptor antibodies (AChR-Abs) have antibodies to muscle-specific kinase (MuSK). Most MuSK antibodies (MuSK-Abs) are IgG4 and inhibit agrin-induced MuSK phosphorylation, leading to impaired clustering of AChRs at the developing or mature neuromuscular junction. However, IgG1-3 MuSK-Abs also exist in MuSK-MG patients, and their potential mechanisms have not been explored fully.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCongenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are genetically determined heterogenous disorders of neuromuscular transmission. We report a rare mutation of COLQ causing CMS in an Asian man that remarkably improved with fluoxetine. A 51-year-old Sri Lankan man with slowly progressive fatigable muscle weakness since eight years of age, presented with type 2 respiratory failure that required mechanical ventilation in the acute crisis and subsequent home-based non-invasive ventilation.
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