Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Ana Peña
Using acting beats to separate my day's tasks into workable units
As someone with Cushing’s disease, one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made is trying to have the same type of day that healthy people have, following the same schedules as my friends. Quotes along those lines, such as “We all have the same 24 hours in our day,” left me feeling inadequate about my accomplishments. I tried to work, clean, write, have a social life, take my medicine, keep up with my doctor appointments, exercise, and rest all within those 24 hours.
GI symptoms affect more than 80% of Rett patients: Study
Digestive problems, such as constipation and bloating, affect more than 80% of girls and women with Rett syndrome, a study reveals. The most frequent problems included constipation, difficulties with eating and swallowing, and gas and bloating. More than half of the patients showed irritability due to stomach or gut discomfort. Use of medications was associated with significantly better digestive health.
How my new BedJet device helps me avoid sweating at night
If you have SMA or care for someone with the disease, you’ll know what I mean when I say we get sweaty. At first I thought it was just me, but then I read that folks like me have sweaty palms. This moment was one of those that, in hindsight, transformed my understanding of SMA. I wasn’t alone anymore! Something I thought was a personal problem suddenly no longer was. Of course, the problem itself didn’t go away. I still had sweaty palms.
SUDEP risk in Dravet may be sex specific, with heart issues in males
In a mouse model study of Dravet syndrome, males were seen to be more vulnerable to abnormal heartbeats and heart deficits in energy-producing mitochondria than female mice. These findings suggest that male Dravet patients may be particularly vulnerable to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), a fatal seizure complication that is thought to be associated with several factors, including abnormal heartbeats, or arrhythmias.
PS128 probiotic found to ease leg muscle contractions in Rett study
The probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 was found to ease involuntary leg muscle contractions, known as dystonia, in Rett syndrome patients, according to a pilot study that tested the supplement’s impact on neurological outcomes. Noting that Rett syndrome “often involves gastrointestinal symptoms and gut microbiota imbalances,” the researchers had sought to assess the use of PS128 probiotic supplements in a clinical trial involving 36 patients with the rare disease.
Trikafta medication use linked to weight gain in CF-related diabetes
The use of the approved medication Trikafta (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) was shown to significantly increase weight in people with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) and a low body mass index, or BMI, a measure of body fat, in a new study. The researchers say the study’s findings, which also showed that non-insulin therapies may be safe and effective for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who also have diabetes, could change the standard of care in CFRD.
Cushing's tied to buildup of fat around heart, inside arteries: Study
Individuals with Cushing’s syndrome have a greater buildup of fat around the heart and inside the coronary arteries — the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart — compared with people who don’t have the condition but who are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a new study from China.
Smartphone app for monitoring Fabry disease found to be helpful: Study
A smartphone app, called Fabry App, for remotely assessing Fabry disease was found by patients to be helpful for tracking day-to-day fluctuations in symptoms, while their doctors found it easier to monitor them and identify needs for intervention, a small study conducted in the U.K. shows.
Phase 1 healthy volunteer trial of CF mRNA therapy RCT2100 begins
ReCode Therapeutics has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety of RCT2100, its investigational genetic medicine for cystic fibrosis (CF), in healthy volunteers and the first group of participants has been dosed. RCT2100 is being developed for CF patients with class I mutations in the CFTR gene, which don’t respond to CFTR modulator therapies. The company plans to seek clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a Phase 1 trial involving CF patients.
In ankylosing spondylitis, miRNA levels predict response to TNF inhibitors
High blood levels of two microRNAs, a type of small molecule involved in controlling which genes are turned on and off in cells, may predict a poor response to TNF inhibitors in people with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a study in China.
AI tools to assess muscle function show promise as SMA biomarker
A newer assessment method known as dEMB, for decomposition electromyography — which uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to measure nerve and muscle function — strongly correlated with measures of physical function and was able to distinguish people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who were able to walk from those who could not, a study reported.
3-tiered newborn screening works well on large scale: Study in Brazil
Incorporating a three-tiered approach to newborn screening (NBS) makes it highly feasible for large-scale programs, according to a recent study conducted in Brazil. This comprehensive method — involving enzyme analysis, biomarker examination, and genetic testing — can ensure timely intervention and optimal care for newborns. Using this approach, researchers in Brazil identified two cases of Fabry disease among five other lysosomal storage disorders.
SLE patients' oral microbiome carries unique mix of tongue bacteria
People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a unique mix of bacteria on their tongue compared with healthy people, according to a Chinese study. Bacteria diversity correlated with disease activity, but also with recovery after treatment.
Small Molecule K-7174 Improves Cognitive Function in Lupus Mice |...
A small molecule called K-7174 was found to ease neuropsychiatric symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a recent study in mice, and even helped to improve cognitive function. Researchers found that treatment with the molecule may protect against neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) by preserving the selective (BBB), a tightly knit layer of cells that regulates the passage of substances into the brain from the blood circulating in the rest of the body.
Study Finds Good Vision in Fabry Patients Despite Eye Changes |...
Despite disease-related eye changes, visual acuity — the sharpness of a person’s vision, with 20/20 denoting perfect clarity of sight — was “good” in children and adults with Fabry disease, a study showed. Eye involvement was not associated with disease severity in adults with Fabry, and overall vision-related quality of life also was reported as good.
SMA Therapies That Target SNM Protein May Aid Aging Research | SMN...
Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) may contribute to the development of therapies for age-related progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, or sarcopenia, new research suggests. The survival muscle neuron (SMN) protein, whose deficiency causes SMA, was found at progressively lower levels with aging in mice. This suggests current SMA-approved DMTs, focused on increasing SMN levels, may help to prevent or slow age-related muscle decline.
In SBMA, Cold Temperatures Slow Nerve Impulses to Arm Muscles |...
Men with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) had slower nerve impulses leading to their forearm muscles when their arms were exposed to cold temperatures, a small study reported. These slower impulses correlated with reduced hand grip strength, and were significantly longer in adults with muscle weakness at cold temperatures than among those without. Mexiletine, an oral medication used to treat abnormal heartbeats, did not affect nerve impulses at cold temperatures in these patients.
Researchers Seek Huntington's Therapies in Map of Brain Blood Vessels
Scientists have created a map of the cells contained in human brain blood vessels. Using the map as a reference, they have discovered certain gene changes occurring in specific brain cells in Huntington’s disease. The study, “Single-cell dissection of the human brain vasculature,” was published in Nature.
Researchers Seek Huntington's Therapies in Map of Brain Blood Vessels
Scientists have created a map of the cells contained in human brain blood vessels. Using the map as a reference, they have discovered certain gene changes occurring in specific brain cells in Huntington’s Disease. The study, “Single-cell dissection of the human brain vasculature,” was published in Nature.
Biogen to Start Re-dosing Aducanumab in Alzheimer’s Patients From...
Biogen will soon launch an open-label trial to start re-dosing aducanumab — an injectable treatment under development — to patients with Alzheimer’s disease who participated in four studies halted in March 2019. The company said it submitted the protocol of the re-dosing study to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is working with U.S. trial sites to begin re-dosing in March. The trial does not include a placebo-controlled arm, according to a Biogen website.
Clues on CD33 Protein's Role in Alzheimer's May Be Key to Treatment
Researchers have discovered a likely reason why the most common form of the CD33 protein is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, a finding that could open new therapeutic avenues targeting the protein, a study reports. The protein stops brain immune cells known as microglia from wiping out beta-amyloid clumps, which are seen as a root cause of Alzheimer's.
Nuplazid Lowers Dementia-related Psychosis Relapse Risk by Nearly 3 Times, HARMONY Study Shows
[Editor's note: This story, published on Dec. 10, was updated on Dec. 16 with additional details provided by Acadia Pharmaceuticals.] People with Alzheimer’s and other dementias treated with Nuplazid (pimavanserin) in a Phase 3 trial were almost three times less likely to have a psychosis relapse — a worsening of delusions and hallucinations — than others, HARMONY trial data show.
Nuplazid Lowers Dementia-related Psychosis Relapse Risk by Nearly 3 Times, HARMONY Study Shows
People with Alzheimer’s and other dementias treated with Nuplazid (pimavanserin) in a Phase 3 trial were almost three times less likely to have a psychosis relapse — a worsening of delusions and hallucinations — than others, HARMONY trial data show. HARMONY met its main goal, significantly lowering the risk of a psychosis relapse by 2.8 times compared to placebo, and also found most patients unlikely to discontinue Nuplazid's use for any reason.
Phase 2/3 Alzheimer's Trial of Oral Troriluzole in Aiding Cognition Fully Enrolled
Biohaven announced that its Phase 2/3 study of the investigational oral therapy troriluzole (BHV-4157) in treating symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) has fully enrolled more than 700 patients. The T2 Protect AD trial will assess if troriluzole use can protect against or slow memory and cognitive skill loss due to Alzheimer's, and potentially improve these abilities in patients.
Enrollment Complete for LymPro PET 2, Alzheimer's Diagnostic Test
The second part of a clinical study evaluating the use of a blood diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease — called the Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test) — is now fully enrolled, the trial's sponsor, Breakthrough Diagnostics, announced. The trial is ongoing at Leipzig University in Germany, and top-line results are expected in the first quarter of 2020.
Biogen to Seek Approval of Aducanumab Based on New Analysis of Trials
Biogen is planning to seek approval for aducanumab, an injectable treatment under investigation for patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, following a new analysis of Phase 3 studies supporting meaningful benefits for patients' cognition and daily life abilities. After meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Biogen plans to submit a Biologics License Application in early 2020.
New Study to Examine Familial Alzheimer's, Response to Crenezumab
Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, has launched a new substudy to learn more about the progression of early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease, as part of its ongoing Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API) trial evaluating crenezumab for preventing or delaying this genetic form of the disease.
PRI-002, Oral Candidate for Alzheimer's, Found Safe in Phase 1 Trial
Alzheimer's oral therapy candidate PRI-002, being developed by Priavoid, has proven safe for human use in healthy volunteers during a Phase 1 clinical trial. These positive trial results provide important evidence that supports progressing PRI-002 into studies of patients who have Alzheimer's disease.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Ana
Contact Ana, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack