Cancer and multiple sclerosis: 2023 recommendations from the French Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Background: Epidemiological data reveal that 45% of persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in France are more than 50 years. This population more than 50 is more susceptible to cancer, and this risk may be increased by frequent use of immunosuppressive drugs. Consequently, concerns have arisen about the potential increased risk of cancer in PwMS and how patients should be screened and managed in terms of cancer risk.

Contribution of serology in congenital toxoplasmosis diagnosis: results from a 10-year French retrospective study.

This study aimed to evaluate different serological strategies for the postnatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) and establish a biological algorithm for CT diagnosis. The study analyzed serological data of immunoglobulins M, A, and G (IgM, IgA, IgG) performed by immunoenzymatic and compared immunological profile (CIP) assays in 668 newborns with CT diagnosis across four testing periods: P1 (D0- D10), P2 (D11-D35), P3 (D36-D45), and P4 (>D45). Forty-nine percent of the 668 CT cases were diagnosed during P1 and 34%, 4%, and 12% during P2, P3, and P4, respectively.

JAK inhibition for CD3 CD4 lymphocytic-variant hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Alternatives are urgently needed in patients with CD3 CD4 lymphocytic-variant hypereosinophilic syndrome (L-HES) requiring high-level steroids or who are unresponsive and/or intolerant to conventional alternative therapies. We report five L-HES patients (44-66 years) with cutaneous involvement (n = 5) and persistent eosinophilia (n = 3) despite conventional therapies, who successfully received JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib n = 1, ruxolitinib n = 4). JAKi led to complete clinical remission in the first 3 months in all (with prednisone withdrawal in four).

High ligand efficiency quinazoline compounds as novel A adenosine receptor antagonists.

The past fifty years have been marked by the surge of neurodegenerative diseases. Unfortunately, current treatments are only symptomatic. Hence, the search for new and innovative therapeutic targets for curative treatments becomes a major challenge.

Clinical phenotype and cytokine profile of adult IgA vasculitis with joint involvement.

Objective: Joint involvement can be observed during the course of adult IgA vasculitis (IgAV). However, clinical picture, prognosis, or pathophysiological data associated with this condition have been overlooked. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of IgAV patients with joint involvement and look to a specific cytokine profile.

Risk factors for severe neonatal thrombocytopenia in cases of maternal immune thrombocytopenia.

Aim: Maternal immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) may induce neonatal thrombocytopenia (nTP), which carries a risk of neonatal haemorrhagic complications. Some risk factors for nTP have reached consensus such as maternal splenectomy and previous severe nTP, while others such as maternal platelet count have not.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a university hospital, including 145 neonates of mothers with ITP.

Complement activation is a crucial driver of acute kidney injury in rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis is a life-threatening condition caused by skeletal muscle damage with acute kidney injury being the main complication dramatically worsening the prognosis. Specific treatment for rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury is lacking and the mechanisms of the injury are unclear. To clarify this, we studied intra-kidney complement activation (C3d and C5b-9 deposits) in tubules and vessels of patients and mice with rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury.

Hereditary Angioedema with and Without C1-Inhibitor Deficiency in Postmenopausal Women.

Purpose: Most types of hereditary angioedema (HAE) are worsened by endogenous or exogenous estrogens. Conversely, androgens can improve HAE with abnormal C1-Inhibitor (C1-INH) by increasing C1-INH concentrations. Menopause is associated with an extinction of ovarian estrogenic and androgenic secretion.

Clinical phenotypes of extrapulmonary sarcoidosis: an analysis of a French, multi-ethnic, multicentre cohort.

Sarcoidosis is a rare disease of unknown cause with wide heterogeneity in clinical features and outcomes. We aimed to explore sarcoidosis phenotypes and their clinical relevance with particular attention to extrapulmonary subgroups.The Epidemiology of Sarcoidosis (EpiSarc) study is a French retrospective multicentre study.

Mechanistic insights into dimethyl cardamonin-mediated pharmacological effects: A double control of the AMPK-HMGB1 signaling axis.

Dimethyl cardamonin (DMC) has been isolated from diverse plants, notably from Cleistocalyx operculatus. We have reviewed the pharmacological properties of this natural product which displays anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-cancer properties. The pharmacological activities essentially derive from the capacity of DMC to interact with the protein targets HMGB1 and AMPK.

Characteristics of patients with systemic sclerosis suffering from a lower limb amputation: Results of a French collaborative study.

Objective: Systemic sclerosis mainly affects the microvascular network. However, macrovascular manifestations have been reported. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of systemic sclerosis patients with an amputation of a lower limb segment.

[Acquired angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency: CREAK recommendations for diagnosis and treatment].

Acquired angioedema with C1-inhibitor deficiency is a rare and peculiar entity belonging to the spectrum of bradykinin angioedemas. It usually occurs in subjects over 60 years old, and is mostly associated with a B-cell lymphoid hemopathy or a monoclonal gammopathy. The diagnosis relies on at least one angioedema episode, lasting more than 24 h, and on the decrease of functional C1-inhibitor.

Fraxinellone: From pesticidal control to cancer treatment.

Fraxinellone (FRA) is a degraded limonoid isolated from the root bark of Dictamnus plants. The potent insecticidal activity of FRA has led to the synthesis of numerous derivatives (presented here with the structure-activity relationships) active against the oriental armyworm Mythimna separata Walker. In addition to its pesticidal activity, the natural product displays potent anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory effects at the origin of hepatoprotective and anticancer properties.

N-glycosylation of High Mobility Group Box 1 protein (HMGB1) modulates the interaction with glycyrrhizin: A molecular modeling study.

High Mobility Group Box 1 protein (HMGB1) is an abundant protein with multiple functions in cells, acting as a DNA chaperone and damage-associated molecular pattern molecule. It represents an attractive target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancers. The plant natural product glycyrrhizin (GLR) is a well-characterized ligand of HMGB1 and a drug used to treat diverse liver and skin diseases.

Glycyrrhizin: An alternative drug for the treatment of COVID-19 infection and the associated respiratory syndrome?

Safe and efficient drugs to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic are urgently needed. In this context, we have analyzed the anti-coronavirus potential of the natural product glycyrrhizic acid (GLR), a drug used to treat liver diseases (including viral hepatitis) and specific cutaneous inflammation (such as atopic dermatitis) in some countries. The properties of GLR and its primary active metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid are presented and discussed.

Proposed mechanisms for the extracellular release of PD-L1 by the anticancer saponin platycodin D.

Platycodin D (PTD) is an oleanane-type terpenoid saponin, isolated from the plant Platycodon grandiflorus. PTD displays multiple pharmacological effects, notably significant anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo. Recently, PTD was shown to trigger the extracellular release of the immunologic checkpoint glycoprotein PD-L1.

Flurbiprofen as a biphenyl scaffold for the design of small molecules binding to PD-L1 protein dimer.

Small molecules targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint are actively searched to offer anticancer oral treatment modalities. Different small molecules have been designed, such as BMS-202 and BMS-1166 which potently bind to PD-L1, sequestering the protein dimer and thus preventing cancer cells to escape antitumor immune responses. A (top → down) deconvolution of BMS compounds has characterized their central biphenyl unit as the minimal element required for PD-L1 protein binding.

Adherence to hydroxychloroquine in patients with systemic lupus: Contrasting results and weak correlation between assessment tools.

Objectives: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an anchor drug in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Adherence to HCQ is key for efficacy. Inaccurate evaluation of adherence could lead to non-justified switch to more expensive or less tolerated drugs.

Variations in accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time across Europe - harmonized analyses of 47,497 children and adolescents.

Background: Levels of physical activity and variation in physical activity and sedentary time by place and person in European children and adolescents are largely unknown. The objective of the study was to assess the variations in objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in children and adolescents across Europe.

Methods: Six databases were systematically searched to identify pan-European and national data sets on physical activity and sedentary time assessed by the same accelerometer in children (2 to 9.

Evaluation of efficacy and tolerability of first-line therapies in NMOSD.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and the risk of severe infectious events of immunosuppressive agents used early as first-line therapy in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Methods: We retrospectively included patients with NMOSD and a seropositive status for aquaporin 4 or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies beginning first-line immunosuppressants within 3 years after the disease onset. The main outcome was occurrence of relapse after the initiation of immunosuppressants; the secondary outcome was the annual relapse rate (AAR).

Six-month outcomes of teduglutide treatment in adult patients with short bowel syndrome with chronic intestinal failure: A real-world French observational cohort study.

Background & Aims: Teduglutide, a GLP-2-analog, has proven effective in two placebo-controlled studies in reducing parenteral support (PS) in patients with short bowel syndrome-associated intestinal failure (SBS-IF) after 24 weeks. The aim of this study was to describe in a real-life situation the effects of teduglutide treatment and their predictive factors.

Methods: We included 54 consecutive SBS-IF patients treated with teduglutide in France for at least 6 months from 10 expert centers.

[Stability study and external quality assessment scheme implementation for complement components dosage on EDTA plasma].

Although the use of EDTA-containing collection tubes is known to stabilize the complement analytes and to make the results more reliable, no external quality assessment (EQA) scheme based on EDTA plasma samples is available to date in France. Consequently, a number of clinical laboratories currently participate to EQA program on samples whose matrix is different from their routine practice. The aim of this work was to offer a new external quality assessment scheme, as an inter-laboratory exchange (ILE).

Carbamylation and glycation compete for collagen molecular aging in vivo.

Tissue aging is a complex phenomenon involving molecular aging of matrix proteins, which mainly results from their progressive alteration by nonenzymatic post-translational modifications (NEPTMs) such as glycation and carbamylation. These two reactions, which correspond to the binding of reactive metabolites (i.e.