Laryngeal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

BACKGROUND: Laryngeal involvement in inflammatory bowel disease is rare. Only 12 cases of laryngeal involvement in Crohn disease have been reported until now. Moreover, only one case of laryngeal manifestations in ulcerative colitis has been reported so far. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this article, we present a patient with ulcerative colitis, who consulted our ear, nose, and throat (ENT) clinic with laryngeal complaints. Furthermore, a review of current literature was performed. RESULTS: A concise overview of this rare extraintestinal manifestation and other ENT manifestations of inflammatory bowel diseases is provided. CONCLUSIONS: Laryngeal manifestations in inflammatory bowel disease are very rare, but these manifestations should be known by the otorhinolaryngologist.status: publishe

Multi RGB-D Camera Setup for Generating Large 3D Point Clouds

The advent of inexpensive RGB-D cameras brings new opportunities to capture a 3D environment. This paper presents a method to create a modular setup for generating a large 3D point cloud, with attention to the study of interference, the influence of a USB extension cable, and the calibration procedure. The study of interference includes the influence of the distance between the cameras, the orientation of the cameras, and the illumination. Furthermore, this paper proposes a number of evaluation metrics for similar setups. © 2013 IEEE.Lemkens W., Prabhjot K., Buys K., Slaets P., Tuytelaars T., De Schutter J., ''Multi RGB-D camera setup for generating large 3D point clouds'', Proceedings IEEE/RSJ international conference on intelligent robots and systems - IROS 2013, pp. 1092-1099, November 3-8, 2013, Tokio, Japan.status: publishe

Circulating Follicular Regulatory T Cells Are Defective in Multiple Sclerosis.

Follicular regulatory T cells (TFR) have been extensively characterized in mice and participate in germinal center responses by regulating the maturation of B cells and production of (auto)antibodies. We report that circulating TFR are phenotypically distinct from tonsil-derived TFR in humans. They have a lower expression of follicular markers, and display a memory phenotype and lack of high expression of B cell lymphoma 6 and ICOS. However, the suppressive function, expression of regulatory markers, and FOXP3 methylation status of blood TFR is comparable with tonsil-derived TFR. Moreover, we show that circulating TFR frequencies increase after influenza vaccination and correlate with anti-flu Ab responses, indicating a fully functional population. Multiple sclerosis (MS) was used as a model for autoimmune disease to investigate alterations in circulating TFR. MS patients had a significantly lower frequency of circulating TFR compared with healthy control subjects. Furthermore, the circulating TFR compartment of MS patients displayed an increased proportion of Th17-like TFR. Finally, TFR of MS patients had a strongly reduced suppressive function compared with healthy control subjects. We conclude that circulating TFR are a circulating memory population derived from lymphoid resident TFR, making them a valid alternative to investigate alterations in germinal center responses in the context of autoimmune diseases, and TFR impairment is prominent in MS

Physiology of the mouth and pharynx, Waldeyer's ring, taste and smell

This paper reviews the contribution of the different parts of the oral cavity and the pharynx to the basic physiology of breathing, phonation, speech, swallowing, and of Waldeyer's ring to the functioning of the immune system. We discuss the development of taste and smell, as well as possibilities for chemosensory testing in children