Induced pluripotent stem cells: An unlimited source of organs for transplantation.

Organ production outside the human body could address the shortage of organs for transplantation. However, in vitro organ production is still a faraway perspective, particularly because of the difficulty in establishing an effective vascularization. A new emerging technology proposes to use carrier animals for the development of human organs.

Dietary and Nondietary Triggers of Oral Ulcer Recurrences in Behçet's Disease.

Objective: The nature and impact of food and other external triggers in recurrences of Behçet's disease (BD)-related oral ulcers (OUs) remain unknown. This survey investigated dietary and nondietary triggers of BD-related OU recurrences.

Methods: Patients with BD who were followed in 7 French hospital departments completed a self-administered patient questionnaire.

Association of HLA-A and Non-Classical HLA Class I Alleles.

The HLA-A locus is surrounded by HLA class Ib genes: HLA-E, HLA-H, HLA-G and HLA-F. HLA class Ib molecules are involved in immuno-modulation with a central role for HLA-G and HLA-E, an emerging role for HLA-F and a yet unknown function for HLA-H. Thus, the principal objective of this study was to describe the main allelic associations between HLA-A and HLA-H, -G, -F and -E.

Septin 9 induces lipid droplets growth by a phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate and microtubule-dependent mechanism hijacked by HCV.

The accumulation of lipid droplets (LD) is frequently observed in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and represents an important risk factor for the development of liver steatosis and cirrhosis. The mechanisms of LD biogenesis and growth remain open questions. Here, transcriptome analysis reveals a significant upregulation of septin 9 in HCV-induced cirrhosis compared with the normal liver.

Human-animal chimeras: ethical issues about farming chimeric animals bearing human organs.

Recent advances in stem cells and gene engineering have paved the way for the generation of interspecies chimeras, such as animals bearing an organ from another species. The production of a rat pancreas by a mouse has demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. The next step will be the generation of larger chimeric animals, such as pigs bearing human organs.

Nomogram for individualized prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence in hepatitis C virus cirrhosis (ANRS CO12 CirVir).

Unlabelled: The aim of this work was to develop an individualized score for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C (HCV)-compensated cirrhosis. Among 1,323 patients with HCV cirrhosis enrolled in the French prospective ANRS CO12 CirVir cohort, 720 and 360 were randomly assigned to training and validation sets, respectively. Cox's multivariate model was used to predict HCC, after which a nomogram was computed to assess individualized risk.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells: A disruptive innovation.

This year (2016) will mark the 10th anniversary of the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The finding that the transient expression of four transcription factors can radically remodel the epigenome, transcriptome and metabolome of differentiated cells and reprogram them into pluripotent stem cells has been a major and groundbreaking technological innovation. In this review, we discuss the major applications of this technology that we have grouped in nine categories: a model to study cell fate control; a model to study pluripotency; a model to study human development; a model to study human tissue and organ physiology; a model to study genetic diseases in a dish; a tool for cell rejuvenation; a source of cells for drug screening; a source of cells for regenerative medicine; a tool for the production of human organs in animals.

Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Based Therapy for Severe Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Phase I Dose-Escalation Trial.

Unlabelled: : Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most widespread musculoskeletal disorder in adults. It leads to cartilage damage associated with subchondral bone changes and synovial inflammation, causing pain and disability. The present study aimed at evaluating the safety of a dose-escalation protocol of intra-articular injected adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) in patients with knee OA, as well as clinical efficacy as secondary endpoint.

Expression of classical HLA class I molecules: regulation and clinical impacts: Julia Bodmer Award Review 2015.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I genes are ubiquitously expressed, but in a tissue specific-manner. Their expression is primarily regulated at the transcriptional level and can be modulated both positively and negatively by different stimuli. Advances in sequencing technologies led to the identification of new regulatory variants located in the untranslated regions (UTRs), which could influence the expression.

Isotypic analysis of antibodies against activated Factor VII in patients with Factor VII deficiency using the x-MAP technology.

While the immune response to hemophilic factors in hemophilia has been widely studied, little is known about the development of anti-Factor VII (FVII) antibodies in FVII deficiency. We developed a robust technique based on the x-MAP technology to detect the presence of antibodies against FVII and characterize their isotype and validated this method using blood samples from 100 patients with FVII deficiency (median FVII clotting activity [FVII:C]: 6%) and 95 healthy controls. Anti-FVII antibodies were detected in patients but also in some controls, although the concentration of total immunoglobulin G (IgGt) and IgG1 and IgG4 subclasses was significantly different between groups.

Fibrin clot structure in patients with congenital dysfibrinogenaemia.

The clinical phenotype of patients with congenital dysfibrinogenaemia is highly heterogeneous, from absence of symptoms to mild bleeding, or thrombosis. A few mutations are associated with a specific phenotype, but generally the clinical course is not predictable. We investigated whether fibrin clot properties are correlated with the patient's phenotype and/or genotype.

Hepatitis C virus infection: Are there still specific problems with genotype 3?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and the main indication for liver transplantation worldwide. As promising specific treatments have been introduced for genotype 1, clinicians and researchers are now focusing on patients infected by non-genotype 1 HCV, particularly genotype 3. Indeed, in the golden era of direct-acting antiviral drugs, genotype 3 infections are no longer considered as easy to treat and are associated with higher risk of developing severe liver injuries, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Daylight photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate cream is effective and nearly painless in treating actinic keratoses: a randomised, investigator-blinded, controlled, phase III study throughout Europe.

Background: Unmet needs exist in actinic keratosis (AK) treatment. Daylight photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) has shown good efficacy and safety results compared to conventional PDT (c-PDT) in a recent Phase III multi-centre randomised controlled trial in Australia among 100 subjects with AKs.

Objectives: Demonstrate non-inferior efficacy and superior safety of DL-PDT compared to c-PDT in treating multiple mild and/or moderate facial/scalp AKs.

5' and 3' untranslated regions contribute to the differential expression of specific HLA-A alleles.

In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when no HLA full-matched donor is available, alternative donors could include one HLA-mismatched donor. Recently, the low expressed HLA-C alleles have been identified as permissive mismatches for the best donor choice. Concerning HLA-A, the degree of variability of expression is poorly understood.

MicroRNA Profiling of B Cell Subsets from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients Reveals Promising Novel Biomarkers.

MicroRNAs control the differentiation and function of B cells, which are considered key elements in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, a common micro(mi)RNA signature has not emerged since published data includes patients of variable ethnic background, type of disease, and organ involvement, as well as heterogeneous cell populations. Here, we aimed at identifying a miRNA signature of purified B cells from renal and non-renal severe SLE patients of Latin American background, a population known to express severe disease.

Transcriptomic network support distinct roles of classical and non-classical monocytes in human.

Classical and non-classical monocytes are two well-defined subsets of monocytes displaying distinct roles. They differentially express numerous genes relevant to their primary role. Using five independent transcriptomic microarray datasets, we ruled out several inconsistent genes and identified common genes consistently overexpressed either in classical or non-classical monocytes.

Comprehensive characterization of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Previous studies have suggested a geographical pattern of immunoglobulin rearrangement in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), which could be as a result of a genetic background or an environmental antigen. However, the characteristics of Ig rearrangements in the population from the South of France have not yet been established. Here, we studied CLL B-cell repertoire and mutational pattern in a Southern French cohort of patients using an in-house protocol for whole sequencing of the rearranged immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes.

In vitro infection of primary human hepatocytes by HCV-positive sera: insights on a highly relevant model.

Objective: Adult primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) support the complete infection cycle of natural HCV from patients' sera. The molecular details underlying sera infectivity towards these cells remain largely unknown. Therefore, we sought to gain a deeper comprehension of these features in the most physiologically relevant culture system.

RCT to evaluate a hyaluronic acid containing gauze pad in leg ulcers of venous or mixed aetiology.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of an hyaluronic acid (HA)-impregnated gauze pad compared with a hydrocolloid (HC) dressing, in patients with leg ulcer of venous or mixed aetiology.

Method: A 56-day blind-observer, randomised, multicentre, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Patients were randomised to receive either an HA gauze pad (ialuset gauze pad) or an HC dressing (DuoDERM E).

Impact of microRNAs on the understanding and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Purpose Of Review: It is becoming more and more obvious that epigenetic processes influence the development of rheumatic diseases as strongly as the genetic background. Research on the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in rheumatic diseases, and especially in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), has been very active for the past 5 years. Most studies have reported the aberrant expression of miRNAs in the circulation or joint tissues, and the pathogenic role of a few of them has been investigated in the experimental models.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase/visfatin expression by inflammatory monocytes mediates arthritis pathogenesis.

Objectives: Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT)/pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor/visfatin exerts multiple functions and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. To gain insight into its role in arthritis and given that NAMPT is identified as a novel mediator of innate immunity, we addressed the function of monocyte-derived NAMPT in experimental arthritis by selective gene knockdown in inflammatory monocytes.

Methods: siRNA uptake and NAMPT expression were determined in Ly6Chigh and Ly6Clow monocyte subsets following intravenous injection of siRNA against NAMPT (siNAMPT) or non-targeting siRNA (siCT) formulated with the DMAPAP cationic liposome into mice.

Rituximab before splenectomy in adults with primary idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a meta-analysis.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired immune-mediated disorder with absence of any underlying cause. Corticosteroids are the standard initial treatment. Splenectomy is the main second-line treatment.

Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in treatment of leg ulcers: a double-blind RCT.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in the local treatment of leg ulcers of venous or mixed aetiology, compared with a neutral vehicle.

Method: A 60-day double-blind, randomised, multicentre, controlled superiority trial. The primary endpoint was the percentage wound size reduction after 45 days of treatment.