Divergent effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in sepsis: a meta-analysis of experimental studies.

Introduction: Experimental studies in animals have yielded conflicting results on the role of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) in sepsis and endotoxemia, with some reporting adaptive and others inappropriate effects. A meta-analysis of the available literature was performed to determine the factors explaining this discrepancy.

Methods: The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.

PD-L1- and IL-4-expressing basophils promote pathogenic accumulation of T follicular helper cells in lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by anti-nuclear autoantibodies whose production is promoted by autoreactive T follicular helper (TFH) cells. During SLE pathogenesis, basophils accumulate in secondary lymphoid organs (SLO), amplify autoantibody production and disease progression through mechanisms that remain to be defined. Here, we provide evidence for a direct functional relationship between TFH cells and basophils during lupus pathogenesis, both in humans and mice.

Numerical study of a D-shaped optical fiber SPR biosensor for monitoring refractive index variations in biological tissue via a thin layer of gold coated with titanium dioxide.

This study aims to explore the numerical analysis of the impact of integrating titanium oxide (TiO) into a D-shaped optical fiber biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR). A thin layer of gold (Au) is applied to the flat section of the fiber, which is also coated with a thin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO). The behavior and performance of the proposed biosensor for use in biological environments are evaluated using the finite element method (FEM).

Regenerative Effect of Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Ganglion Cells in the Hypoxic Organotypic Retina Culture.

Background And Objectives: To examine whether ischemic retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) will be salvaged from cell death by human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) in an organotypic retina model.

Methods And Results: Deprived of arterial oxygen supply, whole mice retinas were cultured as an ex vivo organotypic cultures on an insert membrane in a 24-well plate. The therapeutic potential of ADSCs was examined by co-culture with organotypic retinas.

Thermoplasmonics Decontamination of Respirators Face Masks Using Silver Nanoparticles: A New Weapon in the Fight Against COVID-19 Pandemic.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an urgent need for methods to decontaminate respirators masks for reuse while keeping them intact and functional. The severe shortage of professional masks such as N95 and FFP2 has necessitated their reuse over long periods. A very promising method is the pasteurization of these masks by thermoplasmonic heat generated by plasmonics nanoparticles when they are irradiated by light.

Impact of sarcopenia on tumor response and survival outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by trans-arterial (chemo)-embolization.

Background: At the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), more than 90% of HCC patients present cirrhosis, a clinical condition often associated to malnutrition. Sarcopenia is an indirect marker of malnutrition assessable on computed tomography (CT).

Aim: To evaluate the prognostic value of sarcopenia in patients with HCC treated by trans-arterial (chemo)-embolization.

Risk communication on vaccines during the COVID19 pandemic: is there room for small size or private initiatives? An Israeli experience.

Unlabelled: The scientific communication landscape has undergone a significant disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic: a huge number of publications, ample use of preprint publications, a fast-spreading digitalized information. This reflected the unprecedented speed of the research on disease and vaccines. Two kinds of infodemic blew up very soon: a scientific and a tabloid one.

CTGF/CCN2 has a possible detrimental role in the inflammation and the remyelination failure in the early stages of multiple sclerosis.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a proinflammatory and an oligodendrocyte-differentiating blocking agent. It is found in MS lesions, which raises the possibility of involvement in MS pathogenesis. We found that its CSF and serum levels were higher in RR-MS patients than in controls and for serum compared to PP and SP-MS.

Case report: A rare case of pure tibio-talar dislocation without malleolar clamp fracture in a young athlete: Long-term functional results and recent reviews of the literature.

Introduction And Importance: Ankle dislocation without fracture is an extremely rare injury, requires high-energy trauma, up to 1995, only 73 cases were reported in the literature and 154 cases up to 2017. It is therefore a post-traumatic ankle disease growing in parallel with the increase in road-traffic accidents requiring the study of incriminated factors such as hypoplasia of the medial malleolus.

Case Presentation: The authors report the case of a young patient, a football player, who presented with a pure, closed dislocation of his ankle following a road-traffic accident.

Littler Neurovascular Island Flap in the Loss of Pulp Substance of the Thumb.

How can this defective soft tissue be covered? What are the surgical requirements and postoperative instructions? What indicators are used to assess the sensitivity of the flap? How is the impact of this type of flap on the patient's daily life evaluated?

CT-M8 Mice: A New Mouse Model Demonstrates That Basophils Have a Nonredundant Role in Lupus-Like Disease Development.

Tissue-specific mouse models are essential tools to decipher the role of each cell compartment and/or their expressed genes in the pathophysiology of diseases. Here, we describe a new knock-in mouse model allowing expression of both the fluorescent protein tdTomato and the CRE recombinase selectively in the basophil compartment under the control of the Mcpt8 gene. These "CT-M8" mice did not show any abnormalities in their peripheral distribution of major immune cell populations nor their basophil function.

Study of the Optical and Thermoplasmonics Properties of Gold Nanoparticle Embedded in AlO Matrix.

In this paper, the optical and thermoplasmonics properties of nanocomposites consisting of spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) integrated in matrix are determined using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Firstly, the refractive index , extinction coefficient , absorption coefficient , and optical conductivity are calculated from the effective complex permittivity obtained by solving the Laplace's equation for different size and concentration of nanoparticles. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) properties of AuNPs are optimized from the peak presented in the absorption coefficient spectrum.

Erythrocytosis associated with IgA nephropathy.

Background: Erythrocytosis is a hematological disorder usually related to hematopoietic stem cell somatic mutations. However, unexplained erythrocytosis remains frequent. In this study, we evaluated the involvement of IgA1, a regulator of erythropoiesis also implicated in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) pathophysiology, in unexplained polycythemia/erythrocytosis (PE) of IgAN patients.

Skin Layer Thickness and Shear Wave Elastography Changes Induced by Intensive Decongestive Treatment of Lower Limb Lymphedema.

A detailed quantitative evaluation would be beneficial for management of patients with limb lymphedema. In 47 patients with lower limb lymphedema at International Society of Lymphology clinical stage 2A (18 limbs), 2B (41 limbs), and 3 (13 limbs), we measured the limb circumference and thickness of epidermis, dermis, and subcutis layers with B-mode ultrasonography and subcutis elastic modulus with ultrafast shear wave velocity (ultrasound elastography) at 5 anatomical levels (M1 to M5) before and after a 3- to 5-day intensive decongestive therapy (IDT) session. Limb circumference and thickness of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutis were greater in the 72 limbs with lymphedema than in the 22 unaffected limbs before and after IDT.

Retinal Lineage Therapeutic Specific Effect of Human Orbital and Abdominal Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Retinal degenerative diseases are one of the main causes of complete blindness in aged population. In this study, we compared the therapeutic potential for retinal degeneration of human mesenchymal stem cells derived from abdominal subcutaneous fat (ABASCs) or from orbital fat (OASCs) due to their accessibility and mutual embryonic origin with retinal tissue, respectively. OASCs were found to protect RPE cells from cell death and were demonstrated to increase early RPE precursor markers, while ABASCs showed a raise in retinal precursor marker expression.

Specific Blockade of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2/4 Induces Oligodendrogenesis and Remyelination in Demyelinating Disorders.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are present in demyelinated lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, their differentiation into functional oligodendrocytes is insufficient, and most lesions evolve into nonfunctional astroglial scars. Blockade of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling induces differentiation of OPCs into myelin-producing oligodendrocytes.

Adherence to and patient's knowledge of self-management of subcutaneous biologic therapy in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases: results of a multicentre cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Non-adherence to biologic therapy is an issue in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRDs) and might be related to poor patient knowledge of the risk of these therapies. Our aim here was to evaluate the level of patient adherence to and knowledge of self-care safety skills for biologic therapy.

Methods: This was a multicentre, cross-sectional study in which out-patients visited an office- or hospital-based rheumatologist.

Increased Expression of Ephrins on Immune Cells of Patients with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Affects Oligodendrocyte Differentiation.

The effect of the inflammatory response on regenerative processes in the brain is complex. This complexity is even greater when the cause of the tissue damage is an autoimmune response. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease in which demyelination foci are formed in the central nervous system.

Mast Cell Chymase and Kidney Disease.

A sizable part (~2%) of the human genome encodes for proteases. They are involved in many physiological processes, such as development, reproduction and inflammation, but also play a role in pathology. Mast cells (MC) contain a variety of MC specific proteases, the expression of which may differ between various MC subtypes.

Basophils and IgE contribute to mixed connective tissue disease development.

Background: Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rare and complex autoimmune disease that presents mixed features with other connective tissue diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and myositis. It is characterized by high levels of anti-U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein 70k autoantibodies and a high incidence of life-threatening pulmonary involvement. The pathophysiology of MCTD is not well understood, and no specific treatment is yet available for the patients.

Vitamin D Receptor Controls Cell Stemness in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Normal Bone Marrow.

Vitamin D (VD) is a known differentiating agent, but the role of VD receptor (VDR) is still incompletely described in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), whose treatment is based mostly on antimitotic chemotherapy. Here, we present an unexpected role of VDR in normal hematopoiesis and in leukemogenesis. Limited VDR expression is associated with impaired myeloid progenitor differentiation and is a new prognostic factor in AML.

Fingolimod Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Level Secretion from Circulating T Cells of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: The pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis involves an autoimmune and a neurodegenerative mechanism. Central nervous system-infiltrating immune cells in multiple sclerosis also possess a neuroprotective activity through secretion of neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Fingolimod was shown to slow the progression of disability and loss of brain volume.