Posts by: Ana Pena, PhD

Ana Pena, PhD

Ana is a molecular biologist with a passion for communication and discovery. As a science writer, her goal is to provide readers, in particular patients and healthcare providers, with clear and quality information about the latest medical advances. Ana holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal, where she specialized in infectious diseases, epigenetics, and gene expression.

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020

New MG Cell Model May Best Capture How Autoantibodies Affect Muscles in MG

News

Cell models that best mirror the surface of muscle cells crowded with acetylcholine receptors (AChR) are most helpful for understanding how self-reacting antibodies interrupt communication between nerve cells and ... Read more

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020

Immunoglobulin Helps by How It Acts on Regulatory T-Cells, Study Finds

News

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) works to treat people with myasthenia gravis (MG) by increasing the numbers of regulatory immune cells that help to control autoimmune reactions in the bloodstream, an early study ... Read more

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020

Levels of Certain B- and T-cells Linked to Ocular MG Turning Generalized

News

Low blood levels of regulatory immune cells that prevent autoimmune responses, and high levels of antibody-producing memory B-cells may cause ocular myasthenia gravis (MG) to progress to generalized MG, an early study ... Read more

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020

Osteopontin Protein May Worsen MG by Affecting Immune Cells, Study Finds

News

The protein osteopontin, thought to be involved in autoimmunity and inflammation, appears to aggravate myasthenia gravis (MG) progression by promoting the production of self-reacting immune cells while lessening the ... Read more

February 11, 2020February 11, 2020

Fewer Plasma Exchange Treatments, Poorer Kidney Health Increase Risk for MG Relapses, Study Suggests

News

Receiving fewer plasma exchange, or plasmapheresis treatments and having poorer kidney function with lower filtration rates are risk factors for myasthenia relapses, a study suggests. Over a follow-up of 50 ... Read more

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020

Side Effects of MG Medications Highlight Need for More Tolerable Treatment Options, Study Suggests

News

Treatments conventionally used for myasthenia gravis (MG) can produce side effects that negatively impact the daily lives of patients and may deter them from taking their medications properly, according ... Read more

December 12, 2019December 12, 2019

Certain Antibodies Increase Risk of Ocular MG Progressing to Generalized Disease, Study Finds

News

In people with ocular myasthenia gravis, the presence of anti-AChR or anti-MuSK antibodies likely increases their risk of disease generalization to the rest of the body, according to a ... Read more

December 10, 2019December 11, 2019

Late-onset MG Found Primarily in Men, Responds Well to Prednisone With Azathioprine, Study Finds

News

Most patients with late-onset myasthenia gravis (LOMG) — those whose disease appears at age 50 or later and is not related to tumors in the thymus gland — are ... Read more

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019

MG Complicated by Thymus Tumor and Immunodeficiency Should be Treated with Caution, Case Report Warns

News

A rare case of myasthenia gravis (MG) complicated by a tumor in the thymus and an immunodeficiency known as Good syndrome has been documented by researchers, who warn against ... Read more

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019

Amneal Partners with Kashiv BioSciences to Develop Extended-Release Pyridostigmine for MG Treatment

News

Amneal has signed a licensing agreement with Kashiv BioSciences to develop and potentially commercialize K127, an extended-release tablet of pyridostigmine, for the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) in the United ... Read more

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