Softening and instability of natural slopes in highly fissured plastic clay shales

International audienceSoftening is often considered to be the main cause of first-time slides in OC clay, but so far the mechanics of softening has not been satisfactorily explained. Bearing on laboratory data and field observations about landslides in tectonized highly plastic clay shales of Italian Apennines, the paper describes a process of soil weakening that could explain some failures of natural slopes

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in inflammatory and degenerative arthropathies

Recent studies identified tissue transglutaminase (tTG) as the antigen eliciting antiendomysial antibodies (EMA) in celiac disease (CD). Anti-tTG antibodies have therefore been proposed as a serological test for CD. Nevertheless, IgA anti-tTG but not EMA have also been found in inflammatory bowel disease patients, suggesting that these antibodies are linked to a tissue lesion rather than to an auto-immune component of CD. To confirm this hypothesis, we evaluated the presence of IgA anti-tTG in patients with inflammatory and degenerative diseases, in whom tissue lesions presented far away from the intestinal mucosa. The study was carried out on the serum and synovial fluid (SF) of 68 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA=33), psoriatic arthritis (PsA=26) and osteoarthritis (OA=9). In RA, PsA and OA sera, IgA anti-tTG were positive in 33%, 42% and 11% of patients, respectively. Serum anti-tTG levels were significantly higher in RA (p<0.0001), PsA (p<0.0001) and OA (p<0.02) with respect to healthy controls. SF anti-tTG levels were significantly higher in PsA (p<0.018) than in OA. A good correlation between serum and synovial fluid anti-tTG levels was found in all arthropathies This study suggests that tTG is not the only antigen of EMA and, furthermore , that IgA anti-tTG antibodies represent a general lesion-associated event. Moreover, the significant correlation between serum and synovial fluid anti-tTG levels allow us to hypothesise that these antibodies could be synthesized in the site of arthritic lesions

Brillouin optical time-domain analysis for geotechnical monitoring

AbstractIn this paper, we show some recent experimental applications of Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) based sensors for geotechnical monitoring. In particular, how these sensors can be applied to detecting early movements of soil slopes by the direct embedding of suitable fiber cables in the ground is presented. Furthermore, the same technology can be used to realize innovative inclinometers, as well as smart foundation anchors

Usefulness of the organ culture system in the in vitro diagnosis of coeliac disease: A multicentre study

Objective. Diagnosis of coeliac disease is based on the presence of villous atrophy which recovers following a gluten-free diet. The presence of circulating antiendomysial antibodies as well as their disappearance after a gluten-free diet supports the diagnosis. It has also been demonstrated that antiendomysial antibodies are detectable in supernatants of cultured intestinal biopsies from patients with coeliac disease. The objective of this study was to compare the histology and antiendomysial antibodies in culture supernatants of intestinal biopsies to validate the in vitro organ culture system as a future diagnostic tool for coeliac disease. Material and methods. Seventy-five antiendomysial serum-positive patients on a gluten-containing diet were evaluated. Patients underwent endoscopy with 5 biopsy fragments: 3 for histology, 1 cultured with and the other without gliadin-peptide activator. Antiendomysial antibodies were evaluated in all culture supernatants. Results. Sixty-eight patients had evidence of villous atrophy, while 73 out of 75 were positive to the organ culture system. The agreement rate between organ culture and histology results was 94%. Conclusions. As all the centres participating in the study obtained good agreement between organ culture and histology results, the new system could be considered a reliable tool for the diagnosis of coeliac disease. Nevertheless, it is possible to highlight cases with an organ culture-positive and -negative histology. This feature could be of considerable interest because, as the sensitivity of organ culture seems to be greater than the initial histology, the new system might be useful in uncertain cases where the risk of missing the diagnosis of coeliac disease is high

Delayed diagnosis of coeliac disease increases cancer risk

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Basic science232. Certolizumab pegol prevents pro-inflammatory alterations in endothelial cell function

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major comorbidity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a leading cause of death. Chronic systemic inflammation involving tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) could contribute to endothelial activation and atherogenesis. A number of anti-TNF therapies are in current use for the treatment of RA, including certolizumab pegol (CZP), (Cimzia ®; UCB, Belgium). Anti-TNF therapy has been associated with reduced clinical cardiovascular disease risk and ameliorated vascular function in RA patients. However, the specific effects of TNF inhibitors on endothelial cell function are largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanisms underpinning CZP effects on TNF-activated human endothelial cells. Methods: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) were cultured in vitro and exposed to a) TNF alone, b) TNF plus CZP, or c) neither agent. Microarray analysis was used to examine the transcriptional profile of cells treated for 6 hrs and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysed gene expression at 1, 3, 6 and 24 hrs. NF-κB localization and IκB degradation were investigated using immunocytochemistry, high content analysis and western blotting. Flow cytometry was conducted to detect microparticle release from HAoECs. Results: Transcriptional profiling revealed that while TNF alone had strong effects on endothelial gene expression, TNF and CZP in combination produced a global gene expression pattern similar to untreated control. The two most highly up-regulated genes in response to TNF treatment were adhesion molecules E-selectin and VCAM-1 (q 0.2 compared to control; p > 0.05 compared to TNF alone). The NF-κB pathway was confirmed as a downstream target of TNF-induced HAoEC activation, via nuclear translocation of NF-κB and degradation of IκB, effects which were abolished by treatment with CZP. In addition, flow cytometry detected an increased production of endothelial microparticles in TNF-activated HAoECs, which was prevented by treatment with CZP. Conclusions: We have found at a cellular level that a clinically available TNF inhibitor, CZP reduces the expression of adhesion molecule expression, and prevents TNF-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, CZP prevents the production of microparticles by activated endothelial cells. This could be central to the prevention of inflammatory environments underlying these conditions and measurement of microparticles has potential as a novel prognostic marker for future cardiovascular events in this patient group. Disclosure statement: Y.A. received a research grant from UCB. I.B. received a research grant from UCB. S.H. received a research grant from UCB. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interes