Showing papers by "Betty Soliven published in 2012"

Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune manifestation of lymphoma and lymphoproliferative disorders: case reports and review of literature

Abstract: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease mediated by antibodies to acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) or muscle specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK). While the frequent association of MG with thymoma in patients aged 40-60 years is well recognized, its occurrence in patients with lymphoma has not been well studied. We review the literature on the association of MG and lymphoid malignancies and report two new patients. MG can occur in a synchronous or non-synchronous fashion with lymphoma. The pathogenesis of MG in lymphoid malignancies is probably heterogeneous and likely relates to perturbations in the immune mechanisms that normally prevent the emergence of autoimmunity. These perturbations could be the result of the lymphoid malignancy per se, or its treatment.

Autoimmune neuropathies: insights from animal models.

Abstract: Autoimmune neuropathies comprise a diverse group of conditions resulting from an immune attack on the peripheral nervous system. In some of these disorders, the antigenic target has been identified. In other conditions such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, the initial trigger and the antigenic target remain elusive. Animal models have provided some important information regarding their pathogenetic mechanisms. This review summarizes the background information and recent highlights from studies in animal models such as experimental autoimmune neuritis and spontaneous autoimmune polyneuropathy in B7-2 knockout non-obese diabetic mice.

Peripheral Neuropathy: Neurochemical and Molecular Mechanisms

Abstract: Publisher Summary The recent identification of mutant genes associated with neuropathy has provided important insight into the molecu­lar interaction between Schwann cells and axons and the role of mitochondria, protein trafficking and axonal transport in maintaining peripheral nerve function. The synaptic terminals of peripheral neurons are often located at a considerable distance from their cell bodies. This cytoarchitecture requires proteins synthesized in the cell body to be actively transported down the axon. The cell bodies of sensory neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and motor neuron cell bodies are found within the anterior horn of the spinal cord. The autonomic outflow consists of a sequential two-neuron efferent pathway: a preganglionic neuron in the brainstem or intermediolateral columns of the spinal cord, and a postganglionic neuron in the autonomic ganglia.