Apolipoprotein L genes are novel mediators of inflammation in beta cells

Aims/hypothesisInflammation induces beta cell dysfunction and demise but underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The apolipoprotein L (APOL) family of genes has been associated with innate immunity and apoptosis in non-pancreatic cell types, but also with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here, we hypothesised that APOL genes play a role in inflammation-induced beta cell damage.MethodsWe used single-cell transcriptomics datasets of primary human pancreatic islet cells to study the expression of APOL genes upon specific stress conditions. Validation of the findings was carried out in EndoC-βH1 cells and primary human islets. Finally, we performed loss- and gain-of-function experiments to investigate the role of APOL genes in beta cells.ResultsAPOL genes are expressed in primary human beta cells and APOL1, 2 and 6 are strongly upregulated upon inflammation via the Janus kinase (JAK)−signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway. APOL1 overexpression increases endoplasmic reticulum stress while APOL1 knockdown prevents cytokine-induced beta cell death and interferon-associated response. Furthermore, we found that APOL genes are upregulated in beta cells from donors with type 2 diabetes compared with donors without diabetes mellitus.Conclusions/interpretationAPOLs are novel regulators of islet inflammation and may contribute to beta cell damage during the development of diabetes.Therapeutic cell differentiatio

Comparison of outcome and characteristics between 6343 COVID-19 patients and 2256 other community-acquired viral pneumonia patients admitted to Dutch ICUs

Purpose: Describe the differences in characteristics and outcomes between COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia patients admitted to Dutch ICUs. Materials and methods: Data from the National-Intensive-Care-Evaluation-registry of COVID-19 patients admitted between February 15th and January 1th 2021 and other viral pneumonia patients admitted between January 1st 2017 and January 1st 2020 were used. Patients' characteristics, the unadjusted, and adjusted in-hospital mortality were compared. Results: 6343 COVID-19 and 2256 other viral pneumonia patients from 79 ICUs were included. The COVID-19 patients included more male (71.3 vs 49.8%), had a higher Body-Mass-Index (28.1 vs 25.5), less comorbidities (42.2 vs 72.7%), and a prolonged hospital length of stay (19 vs 9 days). The COVID-19 patients had a significantly higher crude in-hospital mortality rate (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.80), after adjustment for patient characteristics and ICU occupancy rate the OR was respectively 3.62 and 3.58. Conclusion: Higher mortality among COVID-19 patients could not be explained by patient characteristics and higher ICU occupancy rates, indicating that COVID-19 is more severe compared to other viral pneumonia. Our findings confirm earlier warnings of a high need of ICU capacity and high mortality rates among relatively healthy COVID-19 patients as this may lead to a higher mental workload for the staff. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Integration of digital dental casts in cone beam computed tomography scans-a clinical validation study

Contains fulltext : 190129.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Pathologies de surcharge spécifiques à l'escalade sportive

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) virtual planning of orthognathic surgery in combination with 3D soft tissue simulation allows the surgeon and the patient to assess the 3D soft tissue simulation. This study was conducted to validate the predictability of the mass tensor model soft tissue simulation algorithm combined with cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging for patients who underwent mandibular advancement using a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients were treated with a BSSO according to the Hunsuck modification. The pre- and postoperative CBCT scans were matched and the mandible was segmented and aligned. The 3D distance maps and 3D cephalometric analyses were used to calculate the differences between the soft tissue simulation and the actual postoperative results. Other study variables were age, gender, and amount of mandibular advancement or rotation. RESULTS: For the entire face, the mean absolute error was 0.9 +/- 0.3 mm, the mean absolute 90th percentile was 1.9 mm, and for all 100 patients the absolute mean error was less than or equal to 2 mm. The subarea with the least accuracy was the lower lip area, with a mean absolute error of 1.2 +/- 0.5 mm. No correlation could be found between the error of prediction and the amount of advancement or rotation of the mandible or age or gender of the patient. CONCLUSION: Overall, the soft tissue prediction algorithm combined with CBCT imaging is an accurate model for predicting soft tissue changes after mandibular advancement. Future studies will focus on validating the mass tensor model soft tissue algorithm for bimaxillary surgery

Three-dimensional evaluation of the alar cinch suture after Le Fort I osteotomy

Orthognathic surgery has an influence on the overlying soft tissues of the translated bony maxillomandibular complex. Improvements in both function and facial appearance are the goals of surgery. However, unwanted changes to the soft tissues, especially in the nose region, frequently occur. The most common secondary change in the nasolabial region is widening of the alar base. Various surgical techniques have been developed to minimize this effect. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in the nasal region due to orthognathic surgery, especially the alar width and nasal volume, using combined cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and three-dimensional (3D) stereophotogrammetry datasets. Twenty-six patients who underwent a Le Fort I advancement osteotomy between 2006 and 2013 were included. From 2006 to 2010, no alar base cinch sutures were performed. From 2010 onwards, alar base cinch sutures were used. Preoperative and postoperative documentation consisted of 3D stereophotogrammetry and CBCT scans. 3D measurements were performed on the combined datasets, and the alar base width and nose volume were analyzed. No difference in alar base width or nose volume was observed between patients who had undergone an alar cinch and those who had not. Postoperatively the nose widened and the volume increased in both groups

One year postoperative hard and soft tissue volumetric changes after a BSSO mandibular advancement.

In this study, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and three dimensional (3D) stereophotogrammetry are used to compare the 3D skeletal and soft tissue changes caused by a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) 1 year after a mandibular advancement. Eighteen consecutive patients with a hypoplastic mandible were treated with a BSSO according to the Hunsuck modification. Preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively, a CBCT scan was acquired and a 3D photograph. The pre- and postoperative CBCT scans were matched using voxel based registration. After registration, the mandible could be segmented in the pre- and postoperative scans. The preoperative scan was subtracted from the postoperative scan, resulting in the hard tissue difference. To investigate the soft tissue changes, the pre- and postoperative 3D photographs were registered using surface based registration. After registration the preoperative surface could be subtracted from the postoperative surface, resulting in the overall volumetric difference. As expected, a correlation between mandibular advancent and volumetric changes of the hard tissues was found. The correlation between advancement and soft tissues was weak. The labial mental fold stretched after surgery. This study proved that using 3D imaging techniques it is possible to document volumetric surgical changes accurately and objectively

3D analysis of condylar remodelling and skeletal relapse following bilateral sagittal split advancement osteotomies

A major concern in mandibular advancement surgery using bilateral sagittal split osteotomies (BSSO) is potential postoperative relapse. Although the role of postoperative changes in condylar morphology on skeletal relapse was reported in previous studies, no study so far has objectified the precise changes of the condylar volume. The aim of the present study was to quantify the postoperative volume changes of condyles and its role on skeletal stability following BSSO mandibular advancement surgery. A total of 56 patients with mandibular hypoplasia who underwent BSSO advancement surgery were prospectively enrolled into the study. A cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan was acquired preoperatively, at 1 week postoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. After the segmentation of the facial skeleton and condyles, three-dimensional cephalometry and condylar volume analysis were performed. The mean mandibular advancement was 4.6 mm, and the mean postoperative relapse was 0.71 mm. Of 112 condyles, 55% showed a postoperative decrease in condylar volume, with a mean reduction of 105 mm(3) (6.1% of the original condylar volume). The magnitude of condylar remodelling (CR) was significantly correlated with skeletal relapse (p = 0.003). Patients with a CR greater than 17% of the original condylar volume exhibited relapse as seen in progressive condylar resorption. Female patients with a high mandibular angle who exhibited postoperative CR were particularly at risk for postoperative relapse. Gender, preoperative condylar volume, and downward displacement of pogonion at surgery were prognostic factors for CR (r(2) = 21%). It could be concluded that the condylar volume can be applied as a useful 3D radiographic parameter for the diagnosis and follow-up of postoperative skeletal relapse and progressive condylar resorption

3D stereophotogrammetry in children and adolescents with Scleroderma En Coup De Sabre/Parry-Romberg Syndrome: Description of a novel method for monitoring disease progression

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of Scleroderma En Coup de Sabre (ECDS)/Parry Romberg Syndrome (PRS) is mainly based on characteristic clinical findings. Methods to objectively monitor the course of the disease in a standardized way are lacking. OBJECTIVES: This descriptive, retrospective, single centre cohort study aims to describe the contribution of 3D photographs in the assessment of the degree of facial asymmetry changes over time in growing children and adolescents with ECDS and PRS. METHODS: Six patients diagnosed with ECDS/PRS, with a follow-up period of at least 24 months and at least three 3D photographs were included. Mirroring these 3D photographs was automatically performed using surface-based matching to generate a colour-coded distance map, illustrating the inter-surface distance and thereby asymmetry between the original and mirrored 3D photographs. The percentage of absolute distances between the original and mirrored 3D photograph were calculated. RESULTS: In two patients, impressive decreases in the percentages of absolute distance levels over time were found, whereas the other patients did not show progression of asymmetry over time. CONCLUSION: This study shows the potential of 3D stereophotogrammetry as an objective tool to measure disease activity over time in patients with ECDS/PRS

3D evaluation of the lingual fracture line after a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy of the mandible.

Contains fulltext : 81729.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The purpose of this prospective observational study was to evaluate whether cone beam CT (CBCT) is a useful tool for analyzing the fracture line in a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). The patient group consisted of 40 consecutive patients (9 males and 31 females) with a mandibular hypoplasia who underwent a BSSO advancement (Hunsuck modification; n=80 splits) between September 2006 and July 2008. The mean age at the time of surgery was 34 years (range 17-61 years). A newly developed lingual split scale was used to categorize the path of the fracture line on the lingual side of the ramus based on one-day postoperative data sets reconstructed from CBCT data. Although all splits (n=80) were performed according to the standardized protocol, only 51% of the fracture lines run according to the Hunsuck's description, whereas 33% ran through the mandibular canal and 16% split otherwise. The split pattern was influenced by the length of the medial osteotomy (p=0.01). In conclusion, 3D imaging is a useful tool for analyzing the surgical outcome of a BSSO and has the potential to provide substantial data on the position of the proximal segments as a result of the lingual fracture line

Sport, arab nationalism and the pan-arab games

Etude de la façon dont les Jeux Pan-Arabiques, fondés en 1953 par la Ligue des Nations Arabes comme outil d'expression de l'unité culturelle des peuples arabes, reflètent les tensions politiques et idéologiques autour du projet d'unification politique et culturelle du monde arabe. Incidence des conflits récents, entre Israël et les Pays Arabes, guerre du Golfe, guerre en Afghanistan ..