Studies in Myasthenia Gravis
Authors: PETER KORNFELD
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1965)

Article1 September 1965Studies in Myasthenia GravisImmunologic Response in Thymectomized and Nonthymectomized PatientsPETER KORNFELD, M.D., F.A.C.P., SHEPPARD SIEGAL, M.D., F.A.C.P., LEE BURNETT WEINER, PH.D., KERMIT E. OSSERMAN, M.D., F.A.C.P.PETER KORNFELD, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, SHEPPARD SIEGAL, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, LEE BURNETT WEINER, PH.D.Search for more papers by this author, KERMIT E. OSSERMAN, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-63-3-416 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIt has recently been suggested that myasthenia gravis may be an autoimmune disease (1-3). This hypothesis is supported by [1] the presence of abnormal antibodies in myasthenic patients such as serum globulins reacting with skeletal, cardiac muscle, and epithelial cells of the thymus, antinuclear factors, and thyroglobulin antibodies (4-7); [2] correlations between fluctuations in serum complement levels and clinical course of the disease (1); [3] passage of a possible transplacental factor from myasthenic mother to newborn baby (8); [4] high incidence of thymoma and thymic hyperplasia with and without germinal centers (9). The literature contains many reports on the coexistence...References1. NASTUKPLESCIAOSSERMAN WLOJKE: Changes in serum complement activity in patients with myasthenia gravis. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 105: 177, 1960. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. SIMPSON JA: Myasthenia gravis: a new hypothesis. Scot. Med. J. 5: 419, 1960. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. OSSERMAN KE: Myasthenia gravis: an autoimmune mechanism? Bull. Sch. Med. Univ. Maryland 47: 1, 1962. 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STRAUSSVAN DER GELDSMITHMCFARLINBARLOW AJHWCWDM: Further studies on the specificity of autoimmune phenomenon associated with myasthenia gravis and considerations of possible pathogenic implications. Conference on Myasthenia Gravis. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. In press. Google Scholar39. WEINEROSSERMAN LBKE: Correlation of presence of immunofluorescence in serums with clinical findings in myasthenia gravis. Conference on Myasthenia Gravis. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. Google Scholar40. GOODDALMASSOMARTINEZARCHERPIERCEPAPERMASTER RAAPCOKJCBW: The role of the thymus in development of immunologic capacity in rabbits and mice. J. Exp. Med. 116: 773, 1962. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar41. SOKALPRIMKIRIOS JEN: The delayed skin test response in Hodgkin's disease and lymphosarcoma. Effect of disease activity. Cancer 14: 597, 1961. CrossrefGoogle Scholar42. U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service: Tuberculosis Chart Series, Washington, D. C., 1957. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: PETER KORNFELD, M.D., F.A.C.P.; SHEPPARD SIEGAL, M.D., F.A.C.P.; LEE BURNETT WEINER, PH.D.; KERMIT E. OSSERMAN, M.D., F.A.C.P.From the Department of Medicine, Myasthenia Gravis Clinic and Research Laboratory, The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, N. Y.This work was supported by research grant NB 04087-02 from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, U. S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md., and grant 15/181/4 of the World Health Organization.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Peter Kornfeld, M.D., Myasthenia Gravis Research Laboratory, The Mount Sinai Hospital, 5th Ave. and 100th St. New York, N. Y. 10029. 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KOPP, M.D., JERRY S. TRIER, M.D., E. RICHARD STIEHM, M.D., PARVIZ FOROOZAN, M.D.Studies in myasthenia gravisDiscussion 1 September 1965Volume 63, Issue 3Page: 416-428KeywordsAntibodiesHospital medicineMyasthenia gravisResearch grantsResearch laboratoriesStem cellsThymomaThymusThyroglobulinThyroid ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 September 1965 PDF downloadLoading ...