Patricia Inacio, PhD, science writer —

Analysis of five bacterial markers present in the gut microbiome — the community of microbes living in the gut — may help in diagnosing myasthenia gravis (MG) in children, according to a Chinese study. The study, “Metagenome-wide association study of gut microbiome revealed potential microbial marker…

Videonystagmography, a video-tracking system used to investigate balance disorders, can also detect eye muscle fatigue and recovery in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients, making it a potentially useful diagnostic test for MG, a study reported. The study, “A Novel Diagnostic Method for Myasthenia Gravis,” was published in…

Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000in  grants, totaling up…

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…

The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases is accepting applications for a scholarship program that aims to help adults with a rare disease pursue personal goals through training and education. For a second year, the #RAREis Scholarship Fund — supported by Horizon Therapeutics – will award 35 one-time scholarships, each…

Soliris (eculizumab) was found in a real-world setting to safely and effectively treat adults with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who had stopped responding to other treatments, according to a post-marketing surveillance study in Japan. The study “Safety and effectiveness of eculizumab in Japanese patients with…

Blood levels of certain immune cells, called follicular helper T-cells (Tfh), are abnormally high in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG)  who have autoantibodies against the acetylcholine receptor, a study shows. Study results showed that cells released inflammatory molecules and were linked with more severe disease, supporting their role as a…

High levels of autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors (AChR) in the blood of people with thymoma — a tumor of the thymus — can help to identify patients at risk of developing myasthenia gravis (MG) after tumor surgery, a study suggests. Larger tumors, and partial tumor resection might also increase this risk.

Lower frequency of a specific subset of immune cells in the bloodstream may help identify myasthenia gravis (MG) in cases difficult to diagnose, specifically those testing negative for MG autoantibodies, a study suggests. Published in the journal Muscle & Nerve, the study, “Reduced plasmablast frequency is associated with…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) can develop in people with polycythemia vera (PV), a type of blood cancer, even in the absence of thymomas — tumors of the thymus — a study reporting two cases suggests. The study, “Association of polycythemia vera with positive JAK2V617F mutation and myasthenia gravis: A…