Ocular myasthenia is a form of myasthenia gravis in which weakness is restricted to the ocular muscles and may produce significant visual disability. Patients present with fluctuating ptosis, diplopia, or a combination of both. Examination may show any type of ocular motility deficit ranging from isolated muscle palsy to complete ophthalmoplegia. Cogan lid twitch, enhanced ptosis, peek sign, and saccadic fatigue are specific examination findings that support the clinical diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Confirmation of the diagnosis is challenging with autoantibody serology, and repetitive nerve stimulation studies are often negative.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most extensively studied antibody-mediated disease in humans. Substantial progress has been made in the treatment of MG in the last century, resulting in a change of its natural course from a disease with poor prognosis with a high mortality rate in the early 20th century to a treatable condition with a large proportion of patients attaining very good disease control. This review summarizes the current treatment options for MG, including non-immunosuppressive and immunosuppressive treatments, as well as thymectomy and targeted immunomodulatory drugs.

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Background: Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) and Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS) are both viable treatment options for carotid artery stenosis. Factors including surgical risk, age, and symptomatic status are often used to help guide management decisions. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database to compare 30-day post-procedure outcomes including mortality, stroke, and myocardial infarction in patient with carotid stenosis undergoing CEA (n=54,640) versus CAS (n=488) from 2005 to 2012. Procedure type was identified by CPT codes. Findings: Patients undergoing CEA were more likely to be older and have symptomatic stenosis, and less likely to be white, have CHF, and have COPD. There was no significant difference between CEA and CAS in 30-day mortality (0.9% vs. 1.2%, p=0.33), stroke (1.6% vs. 1.6% p=0.93), myocardial infarction (0.9% vs. 1.6%, p=0.08), or combined outcome (3.0% vs. 4.9%, p=0.09). The interaction between symptomatic status and procedure type was not significant (p=0.29), indicating the association of symptomatic status with 30-day mortality was similar in cases receiving CEA and CAS. Conclusion: Early outcomes after CEA and CAS for carotid artery stenosis appear to be similar in a ‘real-world’ sample and comparable to clinical trials. Patients undergoing CAS were more likely to be younger and surgically higher risk based on baseline characteristics likely reflecting clinical practice case selection.

Introduction/AimsPancreatic islet transplantation (ITx) is increasingly used in patients with brittle type 1 diabetes (T1D). If successful, ITx results in insulin‐free euglycemia, but its application is limited by a need for lifelong immunosuppression. The aim of this study was to assess the long‐term effects of ITx on the occurrence and course of polyneuropathy in a cohort of patients with brittle T1D.MethodsIn this prospective, single‐center study, 13 patients (4 males and 9 females) with brittle T1D had a baseline neurological exam with the calculation of Utah Neuropathy Scale (UNS) and a limited nerve conduction study before ITx, and about yearly after in the patients who achieved insulin independence.ResultsPatients were followed for a period of 17 to 133 months. There was no significant difference between UNS and nerve conduction study parameters at baseline and at the end of follow‐up, except for significant decreases in peroneal (50.34 ± 6.12 vs. 52.42 ± 6.47 ms, P = 0.005) and ulnar (27.5 ± 2.15 vs. 29.45 ± 2.10 ms, P = 0.009) F‐wave latencies and an increase in ulnar sensory nerve conduction velocity (49.98 ± 6.27 vs. 47.19 ± 5.36 m/s, P = 0.04).DiscussionIf successful, ITx has a good long‐term safety profile for peripheral nerve toxicity, and a favorable effect on diabetic neuropathy.