Inflammatory breast cancer: Epidemiologic data and therapeutic results.

Since the early description more than a century ago, inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) remains an aggressive disease, with a different geographic repartition, with the highest ones incidence reported in the North of Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt), and the lowest incidence in Western countries (USA, Europe…). In this study, we reviewed the literature using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database compared to other published series. We observed that in the high incidence areas (North of Africa) when compared to "classical" breast cancer, IBC was associated to younger age (less than 50 years) with rapid evolution of signs and symptoms (in less than 3 up to 6 months), and more aggressive clinical and histopathological-molecular parameters, due to the predominance of triple-negative and HER2+ subtypes in around 60% of cases.

IL-38 in Behçet's disease: Gene expression in bronchoalveolar lavage from patients having pulmonary involvement.

The etiological complexity of Behçet disease (BD), an immune-mediated rare form of vasculitis characterized by multi-organ involvement, is still elusive due to an incomplete understanding of the synergy between genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers, and an abnormal immune response. The diagnosis of BD relies on clinical symptoms. Lung inflammatory disorders are severe conditions of patients with BD, here we focus on the expression of biomarkers in BD patients with pulmonary manifestations.

Elevated levels of IL-32 in cerebrospinal fluid of neuro-Behcet disease: Correlation with NLRP3 inflammasome.

Interleukin-32 (IL-32) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that induces other cytokines involved in inflammation, including tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. The objective of this study was to evaluate IL-32, NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-a, IL-10 and IL-37 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and paired serum samples of patients with neuro-Behcet disease (NBD) by ELISA, RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to explore of the predictive value of IL-32 levels.

Association of BTLA rs1982809 polymorphism with lung cancer risk in Tunisian population.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is an immune-inhibitory receptor that negatively regulates the lymphocyte activation. A few studies have been devoted to the relationship between BTLA gene variations and cancer's risk. It has been essentially demonstrated to be involved in increasing cancer risk in chronic lymphocyte leukaemia, renal cell carcinoma, breast and colorectal cancer predispositions in Asian population.

Gene Variants, mRNA and NOD1/2 Protein Levels in Tunisian Childhood Asthma.

Introduction: Asthma is a common respiratory childhood disease that results from an interaction between genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. The implication of nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain 1 and 2 (NOD1/CARD4, NOD2/CARD15) was highlighted in many inflammatory diseases.

Methods: In this case-control study, we analyzed the association of three NOD2 polymorphisms and one NOD1 variant, in 338 Tunisian asthmatic children and 425 healthy Controls, using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

Association Between Vitamin D Metabolism Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Tunisian Adults' Asthma.

Introduction: Several studies have shown a strong correlation between the serum vitamin D level and asthma severity and deficits in lung function.

Objective: Study the relationship between vitamin D and the severity of asthma by targeting five SNPs of vitamin D metabolism gene pathway in a Tunisian adult asthmatics population.

Methods: Our case-control study includes 154 adult asthmatic patients and 154 healthy Tunisian subjects.

Inflammatory breast cancer in Tunisia from 2005 to 2010: epidemiologic and anatomoclinical transitions from published data.

Aim: To report epidemiologic and anatomoclinical transitions of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in Tunisia.

Materials And Methods: Data including clinico-pathological data for208 cases of T4d or PEV 3 non-metastatic breast cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2010 were collected from patient records. Chi2 and Z tests were used to compare variables with two Tunisian historical series and a series about Arab-American patients.

Induced sputum levels of IL-33 and soluble ST2 in young asthmatic children.

Objective: Interleukin-33 is an IL-1 family cytokine which signals via its T1/ST2 receptor, and acts as a key regulator of inflammation, notably the type-2 response implicated in asthma. This study aims to measure the expression of soluble ST2 (sST2) and IL-33 in asthmatic children, depending on disease activity.

Methods: Thirty-seven children with well-defined asthma (20 moderate and 17 mild asthmatics) were studied.

IL-18 mRNA expression and IFN-gamma induction in bronchoalveolar lavage from Behçet's disease.

Objective: IL-18 expression and functional activity has been identified in several autoimmune and infectious diseases. To clarify the potential role of IL-18 during pulmonary Behçet's disease (BD), we have explored the capacity of IL-18 to induce the expression of IFN-gamma.

Methods: We studied bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 12 patients with BD, 10 patients with silicosis as the control disease and 10 BAL from healthy subjects.

Expression of Fas antigen and Fas ligand in bronchoalveolar lavage from silicosis patients.

Objective: To understand the role of apoptosis through Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) interaction in the pathogenesis of silicosis, we examined the expression of Fas antigen, FasL and apoptosis in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid lymphocytes obtained from patients with silicosis.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients with silicosis, and 10 healthy controls were studied. Non-adherent cells were separated and analysed by cytometry for the expression of Fas antigen, FasL, and the co-expression of Fas/FasL.

Massive pleural effusion in systemic lupus erythematosus: thoracoscopic and immunohistological findings.

Small to moderate, bilateral pleural effusions are common during the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These are related to several complications, particularly, congestive heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, pulmonary embolism or SLE itself. Thoracoscopy performed for a massive unilateral pleural effusion in a patient with SLE and inferior vena cava thrombosis revealed several small nodules on the visceral pleura.