Digitized impressions: myth and daily reality

The digitizing of impressions, or models made from them, opens, in the same way that digitized 3D X-rays did, new horizons for practitioners in the management for their offices, in their interactions with patients, and in their shared work with dental laboratories. Mastery of digitized models improves the efficiency and reinforces the quality of dental treatment through the new perspectives digital analyses provide. Finally the maintenance of records is greatly simplified in far less space while still respecting all pertinent legal requirements, thus assuring total suitability for all current regulations.     

IL-13 induces expression of CD36 in human monocytes through PPARgamma activation

The class B scavenger receptor CD36 is a component of the pattern recognition receptors on monocytes that recognizes a variety of molecules. CD36 expression in monocytes depends on exposure to soluble mediators. We demonstrate here that CD36 expression is induced in human monocytes following exposure to IL-13, a Th2 cytokine, via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma pathway. Induction of CD36 protein was paralleled by an increase in CD36 mRNA. The PPARgamma pathway was demonstrated using transfection of a PPARgamma expression plasmid into the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7, expressing very low levels of PPARgamma, and in peritoneal macrophages from PPARgamma-conditional null mice. We also show that CD36 induction by IL-13 via PPARgamma is dependent on phospholipase A2 activation and that IL-13 induces the production of endogenous 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2, an endogenous PPARgamma ligand, and its nuclear localization in human monocytes. Finally, we demonstrate that CD36 and PPARgamma are involved in IL-13-mediated phagocytosis of Plasmodium falciparum-parasitized erythrocytes. These results reveal a novel role for PPARgamma in the alternative activation of monocytes by IL-13, suggesting that endogenous PPARgamma ligands, produced by phospholipase A2 activation, could contribute to the biochemical and cellular functions of CD36.     

Protective DNA vaccination against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein is overcome by C3d in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Complement receptor 2 (CR2) and its physiological ligand, C3d, known for its molecular adjuvant property on the immune response, exhibit opposite effects with regard to autoimmunity. Although CR2 has been implicated in maintaining self-tolerance, recent studies reported a role for C3d signaling to CR2 in tolerance breakdown to self-antigens and the initiation of inflammatory autoimmune pathologies. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of C3d in a model of tolerogenic DNA vaccination encoding the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-DNA) which protected mice from the induction of an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We show that fusing two or three copies of C3d to MOG overcomes the protective effect of DNA vaccination. Multimeric C3d was able to revert the unresponsiveness state of specific T cells induced by MOG-DNA, independently of a modification in the Th1/Th2 cytokine pattern. Interestingly, the adjuvant effect of C3d was not sufficient to boost the anti-MOG antibody response after DNA vaccination. These findings suggest that C3d might be involved in self-tolerance breakdown and could contribute to the pathogenesis of central nervous system autoimmune disorders.     

Real-world outcomes following 12 months of intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy in patients with diabetic macular edema in France: results from the APOLLON study

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To report the effectiveness of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME) in French clinical...