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Biomedical subjects

D Grob

Publications and source records attributed to D Grob.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Myasthenia gravis occurring in twins.

Myasthenia gravis in one member each of two sets of twins is described. A 17 year old girl developed generalized myasthenia gravis at the age of 14 years, while her monozygotic twin sister has remained in good health during a three year period of observation. Another patient was a 19 year old woman with the onset of generalized myasthenia gravis at the age of 11 years, and her dizygotic twin sister has been in good health.Myasthenia gravis has been described in 13 sets of monozygotic twins, seven sets of dizygotic twins, and one set of twins with undetermined zygosity. Both members of twins were affected in five sets of monozygotic twins and one set of twins with undetermined zygosity, and only one twin was affected in the remaining sets of twins. Occurrence of myasthenia gravis in both members of monozygotic twins and in none of dizygotic twins, and frequent familial occurrence of the disease suggest the role of a genetic factor in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Adolescent↗

Cholinesterase activity of motor end plate in human skeletal muscle.

The activity and properties of cholinesterase of the motor end plate in human intercostal muscle were studied in the isolated muscle membrane. This preparation was used because cholinesterase activity of the membrane preparation was localized in the motor end plate without contamination of cholinesterase of other muscle components. Under the experimental conditions, cholinesterase in a human end plate hydrolyzed 1.21 x 10(8) molecules of acetylcholine per msec, which is smaller than hydrolysis of 2.69 x 10(8) by a motor end plate of rat intercostal muscle. Studies with cholinesterase inhibitors and specific substrates indicated that about 90% of cholinesterase of human motor endplates is acetylcholinesterase, and about 10% is pseudocholinesterase. The end plate cholinesterase had an optimal pH of 7.8 and a Michaelis-Menten constant of 4.15 mmoles/liter, and was stable at 4 degrees C for at least 4 wk. Motor end plates were estimated to contain only about 2% of the total cholinesterase activity of human intercostal muscle, compared with about 20% in rat tibialis anterior muscle. The difference is due to the lower cholinesterase activity of the motor end plate and higher cholinesterase activity of non-end plate components in human muscle than in rat muscle. The isolated muscle membrane provides a useful preparation for the study of the properties of motor end plate in human skeletal muscle.

Acetylcholine↗