Microsporidiosis in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases Undergoing Monoclonal Antibody Associated Therapy.

We present Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in four patients with autoimmune diseases undergoing prolonged monoclonal antibody therapies. Two patients suffered from inflammatory bowel disease and received anti-TNF therapies, whereas two other patients suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus with renal involvement and received anti-CD20 or anti-BLyS protein therapies. Three out of four patients consulted for diarrhea with abdominal pain without intestinal inflammation or bleeding at the time of sampling.

Structural and Functional Integration of Tissue-Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase Within the Alkaline Phosphatase Superfamily: Evolutionary Insights and Functional Implications.

Phosphatases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphate esters. They play critical roles in diverse biological processes such as extracellular nucleotide homeostasis, transport of molecules across membranes, intracellular signaling pathways, or vertebrate mineralization. Among them, tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is today increasingly studied, due to its ubiquitous expression and its ability to dephosphorylate a very broad range of substrates and participate in several different biological functions.

Voluntary exercise in mice triggers an anti-osteogenic and pro-tenogenic response in the ankle joint without affecting long bones.

Biomechanical stimulation is proposed to occupy a central place in joint homeostasis, but the precise contribution of exercise remains elusive. We aimed to characterize in vivo the impact of mechanical stimulation on the cell-controlled regulation of ossification within the ankles of healthy mice undergoing mild physical activity. DBA/1 male mice were subjected to voluntary running exercise for two weeks, and compared to mice housed in standard conditions ( = 20 per group).

Teriparatide administration is osteoanabolic but does not impact atherosclerotic plaque calcification and progression in a mouse model of menopause.

Menopause exacerbates osteoporosis and increases the risk of atherosclerotic plaque rupture, leading to cardiovascular mortality. Osteoporotic women are increasingly treated with teriparatide (TPTD, 1-34 parathyroid hormone), one of the few treatments that stimulate bone formation. Despite the fact that atherosclerotic plaque calcification is a hallmark of plaque development, the impact of TPTD administration on plaque calcification remain unclear.

Biology of bone mineralization and ectopic calcifications: the same actors for different plays.

Bone has several crucial functions. It is essential for locomotion and allows our body to stand erect against gravity. A mismatch between the mechanical stresses applied to it and its mechanical resistance leads to fractures.