Paraneoplastic pemphigus uncovers distinct clinical and biological phenotypes of western unicentric Castleman disease.

Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of unknown cause. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a major complication shown to be associated with a poor prognosis, with particular severity in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). This study describes the clinical and biological characteristics of UCD-PNP patients in a large Western cohort.

C-tag TNF: a reporter system to study TNF shedding.

TNF is a highly pro-inflammatory cytokine that contributes not only to the regulation of immune responses but also to the development of severe inflammatory diseases. TNF is synthesized as a transmembrane protein, which is further matured via proteolytic cleavage by metalloproteases such as ADAM17, a process known as shedding. At present, TNF is mainly detected by measuring the precursor or the mature cytokine of bulk cell populations by techniques such as ELISA or immunoblotting.

Comparison of interdental cleaning methods: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Although interdental cleaning is an integral component of home plaque control for periodontally involved patients, limited data exist on the periodontal benefits of commonly used interdental cleaning methods before definitive root surface debridement is undertaken. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of a customized interdental brushing technique and a customized flossing technique on clinical periodontal outcomes prior to root surface debridement in chronic periodontitis cases.

Methods: This was a single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial.