Une etiologie rare d’une ulceration palatine : la sialometaplasie necrosante

La sialométaplasie nécrosante (SN) est une affection salivaire bénigne et rare, touchant principalement les glandes salivaires palatines et présentant des ressemblances cliniques et histologiques avec les carcinomes orales. Nous rapportons un cas de SN chez une patiente de 73 ans, non tarée, édentée, qui rapporte la notion de prothèse ancienne mal adaptée et qui présente une lésion ulcéro-végétante, bien limitée, douloureuse, palatine gauche, évoluant depuis 3 mois. Le scanner du massif facial a montré un épaississement des parties molles palatines avec un aspect aminci et irrégulier de l’os en regard. Une pathologie maligne à type de carcinome muco-épidermoide a été évoquée. Une exérèse radicale de la lésion a été réalisée et l’examen histologique a conclu à une SN.Mots clés : Sialométaplasie nécrosante; orale; palais; histologieNecrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) is a relatively uncommon benign disease of the salivary glands that most commonly occurs in the palate. It is often confused clinically and histopathologically with malignancies, such as squamous cell carcinoma or mucoepidermoid carcinoma. We report a case of NS in an edentate 73-year-old woman, with no medical history, showed up with a painful, well limited ulcerative lesion on the left palate, reporting its appearance three months ago. Reported also that she had a badly adapted removable denture. CT scan showed a thickening of the palate’s soft tissues with bone irregularity and thinning. A mucoepidermoid carcinoma was suspected. The patient underwent a radical excision of the lesion and histopathological diagnosis of NS was made.Keywords: Necrotizing sialometaplasia; oral; palate; histolog

Metastase cervicale d’un adenome pleomorphe

Introduction : L’adénome pléomorphe est la tumeur la plus fréquente des glandes salivaires. Malgré son caractère bénin, de rares cas de métastases à distance ont été rapportés, touchant plus fréquemment l’os, les poumons et les ganglions lymphatiques. La localisation sous-cutanée, que nous rapportons dans ce travail, est exceptionnelle.Observation : Il s’agit d’une patiente de 41 ans, qui a eu une parotidectomie exofaciale gauche, par voie de lifting, pour un adénome pléomorphe, et qui a consulté, neuf ans plus tard, pour un nodule sous-cutané cervical moyen gauche. Une exérèse sous anesthésie locale a été réalisée. L’examen histologique de la pièce d’exérèse a conclu à une localisation secondaire d’un adénome pléomorphe. Aucune récidive locale ni à distance n’a été détectée, après trois ans de recul.Conclusion : L’adénome pléomorphe métastasant (APM), décrit depuis 1953, est rare. Aucune particularité clinique ni histologique ne permet de distinguer les formes métastatiques des formes classiques non métastatiques. Le mécanisme exact des métastases reste incertain mais semble être lié à une dissémination intra-vasculaire de cellules tumorales, lors de la manipulation chirurgicale de la tumeur primitive ou des récidives. Si la métastase est accessible, le pronostic est excellent après une exérèse complète.Mots-clés : adénome pléomorphe, métastase, peau, couIntroduction : Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common salivary tumor. Although clinically and histologically known as a benign tumor, there are rare reports of metastasis to distant sites, most commonly in bone, lungs, and lymph nodes. The subcutaneous site,reported in this case, is exceptional.Case-report : A 41 year-old patient, with history of left exofacial parotidectomy with a lifting incision, consulted after nine years for a left cervical subcutaneous nodule. An excision was performed under local anesthesia. The histological exam concluded in a secondary localization of pleomorphic adenoma. No local or distant recurrence was detected after three years.Conclusion : Metastasic pleomorphic adenoma, described since 1953, is uncommon. There are no known clinical or histological features that distinguish metastatic from non metastatic forms. The metastasis mechanism is uncertain, but seems to be related to vascular dissemination of tumoral cells, while surgical manipulation of the primary tumor or the recurrences. If metastasis is accessible, the prognosis is excellent after a complete excision.Keywords : pleomorphic adenoma, metastasis, skin, neck

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Features Identified by Unsupervised Machine Learning on Optical Coherence Tomography Scans Predict Glaucoma Progression.

Purpose:To apply computational techniques to wide-angle swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) images to identify novel, glaucoma-related structural features and improve detection of glaucoma and prediction of future glaucomatous progression. Methods:Wide-angle SS-OCT, OCT circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) circle scans spectral-domain (SD)-OCT, standard automated perimetry (SAP), and frequency doubling technology (FDT) visual field tests were completed every 3 months for 2 years from a cohort of 28 healthy participants (56 eyes) and 93 glaucoma participants (179 eyes). RNFL thickness maps were extracted from segmented SS-OCT images and an unsupervised machine learning approach based on principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify novel structural features. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess diagnostic accuracy of RNFL PCA for detecting glaucoma and progression compared to SAP, FDT, and cpRNFL measures. Results:The RNFL PCA features were significantly associated with mean deviation (MD) in both SAP (R2 = 0.49, P < 0.0001) and FDT visual field testing (R2 = 0.48, P < 0.0001), and with mean circumpapillary RNFL thickness (cpRNFLt) from SD-OCT (R2 = 0.58, P < 0.0001). The identified features outperformed each of these measures in detecting glaucoma with an AUC of 0.95 for RNFL PCA compared to an 0.90 for mean cpRNFLt (P = 0.09), 0.86 for SAP MD (P = 0.034), and 0.83 for FDT MD (P = 0.021). Accuracy in predicting progression was also significantly higher for RNFL PCA compared to SAP MD, FDT MD, and mean cpRNFLt (P = 0.046, P = 0.007, and P = 0.044, respectively). Conclusions:A computational approach can identify structural features that improve glaucoma detection and progression prediction

Manganese pigmented anodized copper as solar selective absorber

The study concerns the optical and structural properties of layers obtained by a new efficient surface treatment totally free of chromium species. The process is made up of an anodic oxidation of copper in an alkaline solution followed by an alkaline potassium permanganate dipping post-treatment. Coatings, obtained at the lab and pilot scales, are stable up to 220 °C in air and vacuum, present low emissivity (0.14 at 70 °C) and high solar absorptivity (0.96), i.e. a suitable thermal efficiency (0.84 at 70 °C)

Performance of Deep Learning Architectures and Transfer Learning for Detecting Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy in Fundus Photographs

The ability of deep learning architectures to identify glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON) in fundus photographs was evaluated. A large database of fundus photographs (n = 14,822) from a racially and ethnically diverse group of individuals (over 33% of African descent) was evaluated by expert reviewers and classified as GON or healthy. Several deep learning architectures and the impact of transfer learning were evaluated. The best performing model achieved an overall area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of 0.91 in distinguishing GON eyes from healthy eyes. It also achieved an AUC of 0.97 for identifying GON eyes with moderate-to-severe functional loss and 0.89 for GON eyes with mild functional loss. A sensitivity of 88% at a set 95% specificity was achieved in detecting moderate-to-severe GON. In all cases, transfer improved performance and reduced training time. Model visualizations indicate that these deep learning models relied on, in part, anatomical features in the inferior and superior regions of the optic disc, areas commonly used by clinicians to diagnose GON. The results suggest that deep learning-based assessment of fundus images could be useful in clinical decision support systems and in the automation of large-scale glaucoma detection and screening programs

Targeting CD22 Reprograms B-Cells and Reverses Autoimmune Diabetes

OBJECTIVES—To investigate a B-cell–depleting strategy to reverse diabetes in naïve NOD mice

Effector and Naturally Occurring Regulatory T Cells Display No Abnormalities in Activation Induced Cell Death in NOD Mice

BACKGROUND: Disturbed peripheral negative regulation might contribute to evolution of autoimmune insulitis in type 1 diabetes. This study evaluates the sensitivity of naïve/effector (Teff) and regulatory T cells (Treg) to activation-induced cell death mediated by Fas cross-linking in NOD and wild-type mice. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Both effector (CD25(-), FoxP3(-)) and suppressor (CD25(+), FoxP3(+)) CD4(+) T cells are negatively regulated by Fas cross-linking in mixed splenocyte populations of NOD, wild type mice and FoxP3-GFP trangeneess. Proliferation rates and sensitivity to Fas cross-linking are dissociated in Treg cells: fast cycling induced by IL-2 and CD3/CD28 stimulation improve Treg resistance to Fas-ligand (FasL) in both strains. The effector and suppressor CD4(+) subsets display balanced sensitivity to negative regulation under baseline conditions, IL-2 and CD3/CD28 stimulation, indicating that stimulation does not perturb immune homeostasis in NOD mice. Effective autocrine apoptosis of diabetogenic cells was evident from delayed onset and reduced incidence of adoptive disease transfer into NOD.SCID by CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells decorated with FasL protein. Treg resistant to Fas-mediated apoptosis retain suppressive activity in vitro. The only detectable differential response was reduced Teff proliferation and upregulation of CD25 following CD3-activation in NOD mice. CONCLUSION: These data document negative regulation of effector and suppressor cells by Fas cross-linking and dissociation between sensitivity to apoptosis and proliferation in stimulated Treg. There is no evidence that perturbed AICD in NOD mice initiates or promotes autoimmune insulitis

An overview of the recent developments on fructooligosaccharide production and applications

Over the past years, many researchers have suggested that deficiencies in the diet can lead to disease states and that some diseases can be avoided through an adequate intake of relevant dietary components. Recently, a great interest in dietary modulation of the human gut has been registered. Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), play a key role in the improvement of gut microbiota balance and in individual health. FOS are generally used as components of functional foods, are generally regarded as safe (generally recognized as safe status—from the Food and Drug Administration, USA), and worth about 150€ per kilogram. Due to their nutrition- and health-relevant properties, such as moderate sweetness, low carcinogenicity, low calorimetric value, and low glycemic index, FOS have been increasingly used by the food industry. Conventionally, FOS are produced through a two-stage process that requires an enzyme production and purification step in order to proceed with the chemical reaction itself. Several studies have been conducted on the production of FOS, aiming its optimization toward the development of more efficient production processes and their potential as food ingredients. The improvement of FOS yield and productivity can be achieved by the use of different fermentative methods and different microbial sources of FOS producing enzymes and the optimization of nutritional and culture parameter; therefore, this review focuses on the latest progresses in FOS research such as its production, functional properties, and market data.Agencia de Inovacao (AdI)-Project BIOLIFE reference PRIME 03/347. Ana Dominguez acknowledges Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, for her PhD grant reference SFRH/BD/23083/2005

An international cohort study of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease due to REN mutations identifies distinct clinical subtypes

There have been few clinical or scientific reports of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease due to REN mutations (ADTKD-REN), limiting characterization. To further study this, we formed an international cohort characterizing 111 individuals from 30 families with both clinical and laboratory findings. Sixty-nine individuals had a REN mutation in the signal peptide region (signal group), 27 in the prosegment (prosegment group), and 15 in the mature renin peptide (mature group). Signal group patients were most severely affected, presenting at a mean age of 19.7 years, with the prosegment group presenting at 22.4 years, and the mature group at 37 years. Anemia was present in childhood in 91% in the signal group, 69% prosegment, and none of the mature group. REN signal peptide mutations reduced hydrophobicity of the signal peptide, which is necessary for recognition and translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to aberrant delivery of preprorenin into the cytoplasm. REN mutations in the prosegment led to deposition of prorenin and renin in the endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate compartment and decreased prorenin secretion. Mutations in mature renin led to deposition of the mutant prorenin in the endoplasmic reticulum, similar to patients with ADTKD-UMOD, with a rate of progression to end stage kidney disease (63.6 years) that was significantly slower vs. the signal (53.1 years) and prosegment groups (50.8 years) (significant hazard ratio 0.367). Thus, clinical and laboratory studies revealed subtypes of ADTKD-REN that are pathophysiologically, diagnostically, and clinically distinct