Publications by authors named "Touil H"

Article Synopsis
  • Immunosenescence (ISC) research has focused mainly on populations of European descent, but this study includes diverse groups like African-American and Hispanic participants.
  • The researchers used advanced data analysis methods to identify known and new age-related effects on immune cell populations, finding most results consistent but noting some differences.
  • The study linked "Immunological Age" to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, suggesting connections between the immune system and brain health, while also providing insights for personalized immune assessments across various populations.
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Introduction Orbital lipoma is an extremely rare tumor, representing less than 1% of all orbital tumors. We review the literature and describe the presentation, the differential diagnosis and the management of this tumor. Case report We report the case of a 63-year-old patient who was referred for a diplopia with recent hemi-cranial headache.

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Background: B cells can be enriched within meningeal immune-cell aggregates of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, adjacent to subpial cortical demyelinating lesions now recognized as important contributors to progressive disease. This subpial demyelination is notable for a 'surface-in' gradient of neuronal loss and microglial activation, potentially reflecting the effects of soluble factors secreted into the CSF. We previously demonstrated that MS B-cell secreted products are toxic to oligodendrocytes and neurons.

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Single-cell transcriptomics allows characterization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells at an unprecedented level. Here, we report a robust cryopreservation protocol adapted for the characterization of fragile CSF cells by single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in moderate- to large-scale studies. Fresh CSF was collected from twenty-one participants at two independent sites.

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The influence of environmental factors on the development of autoimmune disease is being broadly investigated to better understand the multifactorial nature of autoimmune pathogenesis and to identify potential areas of intervention. Areas of particular interest include the influence of lifestyle, nutrition, and vitamin deficiencies on autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. In this review, we discuss how particular lifestyles and dietary patterns may contribute to or modulate autoimmunity.

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Subpial cortical demyelination is an important component of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology contributing to disease progression, yet mechanism(s) underlying its development remain unclear. Compartmentalized inflammation involving the meninges may drive this type of injury. Given recent findings identifying substantial white matter (WM) lesion activity in patients with progressive MS, elucidating whether and how WM lesional activity relates to meningeal inflammation and subpial cortical injury is of interest.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The interaction between intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and Th17-polarized CD4 T cells is essential for maintaining gut health, but HIV-1 can disrupt this balance in individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
  • - In experiments, IL-17A, a cytokine linked to Th17 cells, was found to enhance IEC's ability to promote HIV infection and reactivate the virus in reservoir cells of people living with HIV.
  • - RNA sequencing showed that IL-17A triggers a pro-inflammatory and pro-viral response in IECs, lowering the expression of factors that typically restrict HIV, highlighting the need for caution in treatments aimed at increasing mucosal Th17 cells in ART patients.
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Aim: Various materials for reconstruction of bone defects in orbital floor fractures have been developed and clinically applied. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of using the Polypropylene mesh as a reconstructive material for orbital floor mean-size defects.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical charts of 40 patients who underwent post traumatic orbital floor reconstructive surgery.

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is one of the most common human fungal pathogens and represents the most important cause of opportunistic mycoses worldwide. Surgical devices including catheters are easily contaminated with via its formation of drug-resistant biofilms. In this study, amphotericin-B-resistant strains were isolated from surgical devices at an intensive care center.

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Objective: To identify whether factors toxic to oligodendrocytes (OLs), released by B cells from patients with MS, are found in extracellular microvesicles enriched in exosomes.

Methods: Conditioned medium (Sup) was obtained from cultures of blood B cells of patients with MS and normal controls (NCs). Exosome-enriched (Ex-En) fractions were prepared by solvent precipitation from Sup containing bovine serum and from serum-free Sup by ultracentrifugation (UC) or immunoprecipitation (IP) with antibodies to CD9.

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Chymase, a mast cell serine protease involved in the generation of multiple cardiovascular factors, such as angiotensin II and endothelin-1 (ET-1), is elevated and participates in tissue degeneration after permanent myocardial infarction (PMI). Anesthetized 4-month old male wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice and mouse mast cell protease-4 knockout (mMCP-4 KO) congeners were subjected to ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. A group of mice was then subjected to Kaplan-Meier 28-day survival analysis.

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Background: Invasive fungal infections are an emerging health problem worldwide. They are responsible for a significant rate of morbidity and mortality. Infections caused by Candida albicans involve proliferation of biofilms on biotic or abiotic surface.

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Background: The success of clinical trials of selective B cell depletion in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) indicates B cells are important contributors to peripheral immune responses involved in the development of new relapses. Such B cell contribution to peripheral inflammation likely involves antibody-independent mechanisms. Of growing interest is the potential that B cells, within the MS central nervous system (CNS), may also contribute to the propagation of CNS-compartmentalized inflammation in progressive (non-relapsing) disease.

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Objective: To document functional differences between monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) of patients with MS and the ability of age/sex-matched healthy donor cells to phagocytose human myelin and to investigate the molecular mechanisms that underlie this.

Methods: MDMs were derived from peripheral blood monocytes of 25 untreated patients with relapsing-remitting MS and secondary progressive MS and age/sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Phagocytosis was assessed by flow cytometry using fluorescently labeled human myelin.

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B cells mediate multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis by mechanisms unrelated to immunoglobulin (Ig). We reported that supernatants (Sup) from cultured B cells from blood of relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients, but not normal controls (NC), were cytotoxic to rat oligodendrocytes (OL). We now show that RRMS blood B cells, not stimulated in vitro, secrete factor/s toxic to rat and human neurons.

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Introduction: Foreign intraorbital bodies are rare. Their clinical manifestation is usually late.

Clinical Case:     We report a case of 32 years-old man presenting an old vegetal foreign intraorbital body.

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Objective: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), a therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), is implicated as acting on inflammatory and antioxidant responses within both systemic immune and/or central nervous system (CNS) compartments. Orally administered DMF is rapidly metabolized to monomethyl fumarate (MMF). Our aim was to analyze the impact of fumarates on antiinflammatory and antioxidant profiles of human myeloid cells found in the systemic compartment (monocytes) and in the inflamed CNS (blood-derived macrophages and brain-derived microglia).

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Clinical trial results of peripheral B cell depletion indicate abnormal proinflammatory B cell properties, and particularly antibody-independent functions, contribute to relapsing MS disease activity. However, potential roles of B cells in progressive forms of disease continue to be debated. Prior work indicates that presence of B cells is fostered within the inflamed MS central nervous system (CNS) environment, and that B cell-rich immune cell collections may be present within the meninges of patients.

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Tertiary lymphoid tissues (TLTs) have been observed in the meninges of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but the stromal cells and molecular signals that support TLTs remain unclear. Here, we show that T helper 17 (Th17) cells induced robust TLTs within the brain meninges that were associated with local demyelination during experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). Th17-cell-induced TLTs were underpinned by a network of stromal cells producing extracellular matrix proteins and chemokines, enabling leukocytes to reside within, rather than simply transit through, the meninges.

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B cells are not limited to producing protective antibodies; they also perform additional functions relevant to both health and disease. However, the relative contribution of functionally distinct B cell subsets in human disease, the signals that regulate the balance between such subsets, and which of these subsets underlie the benefits of B cell depletion therapy (BCDT) are only partially elucidated. We describe a proinflammatory, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-expressing human memory B cell subset that is increased in frequency and more readily induced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared to healthy controls.

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The emerging roles of microglia are currently being investigated in the healthy and diseased brain with a growing interest in their diverse functions. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that microglia are not only immunocentric, but also neurobiological and can impact neural development and the maintenance of neuronal cell function in both healthy and pathological contexts. In the disease context, there is widespread consensus that microglia are dynamic cells with a potential to contribute to both central nervous system damage and repair.

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