Daniel B. Drachman (July 18,1932 –October 24,2022) was an American neurologist. He is one of the founding members of the Johns Hopkins University's Department of Neurology.
Drachman and his twin brother David were born to teachers Julian and Emily Drachman [1] [2] in 1932 in New York. [3] Growing up,he played the soprano saxophone before switching to the clarinet on the advice of his music teacher. [4] Drachman and his brother graduated with bachelor's degrees from Columbia College [5] and Drachman went on to earn his medical degree from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Following this,he completed an internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and residency at Boston City Hospital. [3]
Upon completing his residency and internship,Drachman worked as a clinical associate and research associate at the National Institute of Neurological Disease and served as a clinical instructor in neurology at Georgetown University. [3] He then spent six years at Tufts University School of Medicine [3] before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University to work under Guy McKhann in 1969. As a professor of neurology,Drachman focused his research on myasthenia gravis and became the first to describe the receptor effect in myasthenia gravis. [5] In 1976,Drachman and Sam Shapiro conducted the first successful transfer of certain features of myasthenia gravis from human beings into laboratory mice. [6] Following this,Drachman co-discovered the first effective treatment for the most severe form of muscular dystrophy. His research team injected steroid prednisone into 16 patients with muscular dystrophy to slow the progress of the disease. [7]
As a result of his research,Drachman was named director of the Neuromuscular Clinic and received the 1999 Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award in Basic Science from the New York University School of Medicine. [8] The following year,the Department of Neurology celebrated its 2000 Kroc Neuroscience Symposium in his honor. [5] In 2003,Drachman became the inaugural recipient of the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Professorship in Neuroimmunology. [9] In 2014,Drachman was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine (then referred to as the Institute of Medicine). [10]
"Dr. Drachman was featured in a documentary movie ("Two Hands") on the botulinum toxin treatment of dystonia in the world-renowned pianist Leon Fleisher that was nominated for an Oscar." [11]
Drachman married Jeptha Piatigorsky,daughter of cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and chess player Jacqueline Piatigorsky,in 1960. [12] Prior to her death in 2019,they had three sons together. [13] He died in 2022. [14]
Angela Vincent is a British neuroscientist who is emeritus professor at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Somerville College,Oxford.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes,face,and swallowing. It can result in double vision,drooping eyelids,and difficulties in talking and walking. Onset can be sudden. Those affected often have a large thymus or develop a thymoma.
A glycogen storage disease is a metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency of an enzyme or transport protein affecting glycogen synthesis,glycogen breakdown,or glucose breakdown,typically in muscles and/or liver cells.
Limb–girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a genetically heterogeneous group of rare muscular dystrophies that share a set of clinical characteristics. It is characterised by progressive muscle wasting which affects predominantly hip and shoulder muscles. LGMD usually has an autosomal pattern of inheritance. It currently has no known cure or treatment.
Weakness is a symptom of many different medical conditions. The causes are many and can be divided into conditions that have true or perceived muscle weakness. True muscle weakness is a primary symptom of a variety of skeletal muscle diseases,including muscular dystrophy and inflammatory myopathy. It occurs in neuromuscular junction disorders,such as myasthenia gravis.
A neuromuscular junction is a chemical synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber.
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy,ALS,and related neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen,who lived with muscular dystrophy,MDA accelerates research,advances care,and works to empower families to live longer and more independent lives but is perhaps known for its working relationship with comedian,entertainer and actor Jerry Lewis,its national chairman of 55 years and host of his annual telethon held live each Labor Day weekend. The organization's headquarters is in Chicago,Illinois.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys. The onset of muscle weakness typically begins around age four,with rapid progression. Initially,muscle loss occurs in the thighs and pelvis,extending to the arms,which can lead to difficulties in standing up. By the age of 12,most individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are unable to walk. Affected muscles may appear larger due to an increase in fat content,and scoliosis is common. Some individuals may experience intellectual disability,and females carrying a single copy of the mutated gene may show mild symptoms.
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare form of muscular dystrophy with symptoms generally starting when an individual is 40 to 50 years old. It can be autosomal dominant neuromuscular disease or autosomal recessive. The most common inheritance of OPMD is autosomal dominant,which means only one copy of the mutated gene needs to be present in each cell. Children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutant gene.
A neuromuscular disease is any disease affecting the peripheral nervous system (PNS),the neuromuscular junctions,or skeletal muscles,all of which are components of the motor unit. Damage to any of these structures can cause muscle atrophy and weakness. Issues with sensation can also occur.
Neuromuscular medicine is a subspecialty of neurology and physiatry that focuses the diagnosis and management of neuromuscular diseases. The field encompasses issues related to both diagnosis and management of these conditions,including rehabilitation interventions to optimize the quality of life of individuals with these conditions. This field encompasses disorders that impact both adults and children and which can be inherited or acquired,typically from an autoimmune disease. A neurologist or physiatrist can diagnose these diseases through a clinical history,examination,and electromyography including nerve conduction studies. Many recent drug therapies have been developed to address the acquired neuromuscular diseases including but not limited to immune suppression and drugs that increase the neurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction. Gene modifying therapies are also a recent treatment branch of neuromuscular medicine with advancements made in disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Ptosis,also known as blepharoptosis,is a drooping or falling of the upper eyelid. This condition is sometimes called "lazy eye",but that term normally refers to the condition amblyopia. If severe enough and left untreated,the drooping eyelid can cause other conditions,such as amblyopia or astigmatism,so it is especially important to treat the disorder in children before it can interfere with vision development.
Wilhelm Heinrich Erb was a German neurologist. He was born in Winnweiler,and died in Heidelberg.
John Michael Newsom-Davis was a neurologist who played an important role in the discovery of the causes of,and treatments for,Myasthenia gravis,and of other diseases of the nerve-muscle junction,notably Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome and acquired neuromyotonia. Regarded as "one of the most distinguished clinical neurologists and medical scientists of his generation," he died in a car accident in Adjud,Romania,having visited a neurological clinic in Bucharest earlier the same day.
Neuromuscular junction disease is a medical condition where the normal conduction through the neuromuscular junction fails to function correctly.
Michael G Hanna is Director of the UCL Institute of Neurology,University College London and professor in clinical neurology and consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery,Queen Square,London,and also Director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Neuromuscular Disease.
Mary M. Reilly FRCP is an Irish neurologist who works at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She studies peripheral neuropathy. She is the President of the Association of British Neurologists.
Charlotte Jane Sumner is an American neurologist. She is a professor in the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Sumner cares for patients with genetically mediated neuromuscular diseases and directs a laboratory focused on developing treatments for these diseases. She co-directs the Johns Hopkins Muscular Dystrophy Association Care Center,the Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA),and the Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) clinics,which deliver multidisciplinary clinical care,engage in international natural history studies,and provide therapeutics.
Mustafa Abdalla Mohamed Salih,,is a Sudanese academic professor,scientist and pediatric neurologist. He established the first pediatric neurology specialty in Sudan and is also one of the founders of the pediatric neurology specialty in Saudi Arabia. He identified inherited neurologic diseases which were subsequently named after him. Salih Myopathy,Salih ataxia,and Bosley-Salih-Alorainy syndrome resulting from mutations in HOXA1 gene. He is also known to have led a team of scientists who proved that the extract from broad beans also known as hoarse beans had the ability to cure epilepsy spasms. Mustafa is also credited for having discovered a novel form of hereditary spastic paraplegia.
Shin Joong Oh is a South Korean and American physician who is Distinguished Professor of Neurology Emeritus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States. Oh is a clinician,researcher,and educator known for his contributions to the fields of neurology and electrodiagnostic medicine,particularly electromyography. He retired in 2014.
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