Towards a Multidisciplinary Approach for Designing Multimodal Sensory Communication Devices for Aeronautics

International audienceDeaf pilots in France are currently allowed to fly planes with the help of a second pilot handling voice and radio communication. Yet, they are not allowed to pilot independently. Fans4All is an association that aims at making aeronautics more accessible to pilots who are hearing or speaking impaired (HSI). In this paper we present our experience as a multidisciplinary design team (including two HSI pi-lots) working towards this goal. We present the current and past steps to develop a Multimodal Sensory Communication Device (MSCD) composed of a touchscreen tablet and a haptic jacket, as well as the visual vocabulary to define messages between HSI pilots and air traffic controllers. Moreover, we present our approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods for evaluation. We hope that our work will help making aeronautics more accessible to people with impairments

Interleukin-22 binding protein (IL-22BP) is constitutively expressed by a subset of conventional dendritic cells and is strongly induced by retinoic acid

Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is mainly produced at barrier surfaces by T cells and innate lymphoid cells and is crucial to maintain epithelial integrity. However, dysregulated IL-22 action leads to deleterious inflammation and is involved in diseases such as psoriasis, intestinal inflammation, and cancer. IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP) is a soluble inhibitory IL-22 receptor and may represent a crucial regulator of IL-22. We show both in rats and mice that, in the steady state, the main source of IL-22BP is constituted by a subset of conventional dendritic cells (DCs) in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues. In mouse intestine, IL-22BP was specifically expressed in lamina propria CD103+CD11b+ DC. In humans, IL-22BP was expressed in immature monocyte-derived DC and strongly induced by retinoic acid but dramatically reduced upon maturation. Our data suggest that a subset of immature DCs may actively participate in the regulation of IL-22 activity in the gut by producing high levels of IL-22BP

Serum pepsinogens can help to discriminate between H. pylori-induced and auto-immune atrophic gastritis: Results from a prospective multicenter study

International audienceBackground: Serum pepsinogen (PG) testing is recommended by the European guidelines for diagnosis of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). However, wide variations in diagnostic performances are observed, due to the differences in the extent of gastric atrophy, and possibly in its origin (Helicobacter pylori-, autoimmune (AIG)). Aim. To analyze the diagnostic performances of PGs testing according to these different parameters, using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay (ELISA) and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLEIA). Methods: Serum samples from patients having undergone gastroscopy with biopsies in five French centers were collected prospectively. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and Area Under Curve were analyzed according to the extent and origin of CAG. Results: Overall, 344 patients (156 males [45%]; mean age 58.8 [±14.2] years) were included, among whom 44 had AIG. Diagnostic performances of PG I for the detection of corpus CAG were excellent, with Se and Sp of 92.7% and 99.1% for ELISA and 90.5% and 98.2% for CLEIA, respectively. For AIG, corresponding values were 97.7% and 97.4% for ELISA, and 95.6% and 97.1% for CLEIA. In multivariate analysis, PG levels were associated with the auto-immune origin (p<0.001) but not with the extent of the atrophic gastritis. Conclusions: Pepsinogens are highly efficient for the diagnosis of corpus-limited CAG and allow to discriminate AIG from H. pylori-induced gastritis

The importance of EN ISO 15189 accreditation of allergen-specific IgE determination for reliable in vitro allergy diagnosis

International audienceBackground: Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E detection and quantification have become an important step in allergy diagnosis and follow-up. In line with the current trend of laboratory test accreditation to international standards, we set out to design and assess an accreditation procedure for allergen-specific serum IgE.Methods: Method validation according to the accreditation procedure under the EN ISO 15189 standard was carried out for allergen-specific immunoglobulin E determination using the fluoroimmunoenzymatic method ImmunoCAP(®) (ThermoFisher). Data were produced by 25 hospital laboratories in France. A total of 29 allergen specificities including mixes, extracts, and molecular allergens were assayed. Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 100 kUA /l.Results: Repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy results fulfilled method validation criteria for automated laboratory tests and proved similar irrespective of the allergen specificity, allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E concentration, or individual laboratory.Conclusion: Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E determination with the fluoroimmunoenzymatic method ImmunoCAP(®) is a highly repeatable, reproducible, and accurate method which may be considered as a single analyte assay in view of the EN ISO 15189 accreditation procedure