Association of Gender with Clinical Expression, Quality of Life, Disability, and Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association of gender with clinical expression, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), disability, and self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: SSc patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology and/or the Leroy and Medsger criteria were assessed for clinical symptoms, disability, HRQoL, self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety by specific measurement scales. RESULTS: Overall, 381 SSc patients (62 males) were included. Mean age and disease duration at the time of evaluation were 55.9 (13.3) and 9.5 (7.8) years, respectively. One-hundred-and-forty-nine (40.4%) patients had diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc). On bivariate analysis, differences were observed between males and females for clinical symptoms and self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, however without reaching statistical significance. Indeed, a trend was found for higher body mass index (BMI) (25.0 [4.1] vs 23.0 [4.5], p = 0.013), more frequent dcSSc, echocardiography systolic pulmonary artery pressure >35 mmHg and interstitial lung disease in males than females (54.8% vs 37.2%, p = 0.010; 24.2% vs 10.5%, p = 0.003; and 54.8% vs 41.2%, p = 0.048, respectively), whereas calcinosis and self-reported anxiety symptoms tended to be more frequent in females than males (36.0% vs 21.4%, p = 0.036, and 62.3% vs 43.5%, p = 0.006, respectively). On multivariate analysis, BMI, echocardiography PAP>35 mmHg, and anxiety were the variables most closely associated with gender. CONCLUSIONS: In SSc patients, male gender tends to be associated with diffuse disease and female gender with calcinosis and self-reported symptoms of anxiety. Disease-associated disability and HRQoL were similar in both groups

Isolation and Characterisation of MuStem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: potential roles in regenerative medicine?

Isolation and Characterisation of MuStem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: potential roles in regenerative medicine?. journées scientifiques de l'université de Nante

Human adult muscle-derived stem cells, hMuStem cells : study of their therapeutic potential in the context of myocardial infarction and characterization of their extracellular vesicles

L'insuffisance cardiaque est un problème majeur de santé publique dans les pays industrialisés. Sur un plan médical, sa prise en charge reste imparfaite et ne permet qu’un ralentissement de l'évolution de la maladie. Sur la base des résultats précliniques et des enseignements tirés des premiers essais cliniques chez l’Homme, l’approche de thérapie cellulaire représente une proposition thérapeutique prometteuse. Cependant une faible viabilité et une absence de prise de greffe à moyen-long terme des différents candidats cellulaires ont été observées, limitant fortement les bénéfices structurels et fonctionnels sur le coeur infarci. Nous avons successivement décrit chez le Chien puis chez l'Homme une population de cellules souches dérivées du muscle squelettique - nommées MuStem - qui présente une capacité à promouvoir la réparation des muscles squelettiques après leur administration en contexte lésionnel. Une amélioration du taux de survie, de la greffe à long terme et de la participation à la formation de fibres musculaires ont été mis en évidence comparativement aux myoblastes, premiers candidats testés en médecine réparatrice. Un remodelage tissulaire important et persistant ainsi que des bénéfices cliniques ont été décrits chez le chien dystrophique positionnant la population MuStem comme candidat thérapeutique prometteur pour les troubles musculo-squelettiques. Cependant, son potentiel thérapeutique pour les pathologies cardiaques reste inconnu, limitant la définition de son champ d'application. L'objectif général de mon projet a été de définir si les cellules souches hMuStem peuvent s’implanter dans le tissu cardiaque en contexte pathologique, interagir avec les cellules du tissu cardiaque et impacter positivement sur la fonction. Pour cela, un protocole d’induction d’infarctus a été réalisé sur un modèle de rat immunodéficient suivi d’un protocole de xénotransplantation une semaine après. Une exploration fonctionnelle (ECG /échocardiographique), moléculaire et histologique a été mise en place. Histologiquement, une réduction de la fibrose myocardique et une augmentation de l'angiogenèse ont été observées troissemaines après la transplantation. Elle est associée à la formation de fibres musculaires squelettiques et cardiaques au niveau du tissu infarci. Une grande proportion des cellules greffées a adopté une position de cellule de réserve dans la matrice conjonctive. Sur un plan fonctionnel, une atténuation de la dilatation ventriculaire gauche et une préservation considérable de la fonction contractile ont été mises en évidence. Collectivement, les résultats suggèrent que latransplantation intramyocardique de cellules hMuStem pourrait représenter une stratégie appropriée pour le traitement de l'infarctus du myocarde.Myocardial infarction represents one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. From a medical point of view, its management remains imperfect and only allows a slowing down of the disease's course. Based on preclinical results and lessons learned from the first human clinical trials, the cell therapy approach represents a promising therapeutic proposal. However, weak viability and short-term engraftment were recorded when corresponding human cells were evaluated in clinical trials, highly limiting the structural and functional benefits of their administration in infarcted heart.We have successively described in the Dog then in the Man a type of skeletal muscle-derived stem cells – we named themMuStem cells – which exhibited an interesting ability to promote repair of muscle fibers following delivery into injured context. Enhanced survival rate, long-term engraftment and participation in muscle fiber formation were reported compared to myoblasts, the first candidates tested in regenerative medicine. This led to striking and persistent tissue remodeling as well as clinical benefits, positioning them as promising therapeutic candidate for skeletal muscle disorders. However, their ability to repair infarcted heart remained unknown, restricting their scope of application The general objective of my project was to define if hMuStem cells can be implanted in cardiac tissue in a pathological context, interact with cardiac tissue cells and positively impact on function. To do this, an infarction induction protocol was performed on an immunodeficient rat model followed by a xenotransplantation protocol one week later. A functional (electrocardiographic/echocardiographic), molecular and histological exploration was carried out. Histologically, a reduced myocardial fibrosis and an increased angiogenesis were observed three weeks post-transplantation. It was associated with skeletal and cardiac muscle fiberformation in the infarct site. A large proportion of engrafted cells adopted a reserve cell position in the conjunctive matrix.On a functional level, an attenuation of the left ventricle dilatation and a significant preservation of the contractile function have been highlighted. Overall, our results suggest that intramyocardial transplantation of hMuStem cells could represent a suitable strategy for the treatment of myocardial infarction

Isolement et caractérisation des vésicules extracellulaires sécrétées par les cellules souches humaines MuStem : rôle potentiel en médecine régénératrice ?

Isolement et caractérisation des vésicules extracellulaires sécrétées par les cellules souches humaines MuStem : rôle potentiel en médecine régénératrice ?. XXXème congrès de l'AFH: les nouveaux mondes de l'histologi

Isolation and Characterization of MuStem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: potential roles in regenerative medicine?

International audienc

Isolement et caractérisation des vésicules extracellulaires sécrétées par les cellules souches humaines MuStem : rôle potentiel en médecine régénératrice ?

Isolement et caractérisation des vésicules extracellulaires sécrétées par les cellules souches humaines MuStem : rôle potentiel en médecine régénératrice ?. XXXème congrès de l'AFH: les nouveaux mondes de l'histologi

Variability of factors associated with grip strength in hand osteoarthritis according to sex: results from the DIGICOD cohort

International audienceNo abstract availabl

Distribution and intensity of water ice signature in South Xanadu and Tui Regio

International audienceTitan's surface was revealed by Cassini's instruments, showing the presence of liquid hydrocarbons in lakes, and features like dry riverbed. In order to study the sediment transport in Titan's channels and to map distribution of the water-ice signature in these terrains, we use a radiative transfer model to retrieve the surface albedo, after we estimated VIMS error with an original method. We also establish a criteria related to the intensity of the water ice signature. The tuning of the radiative transfer model shows that the fractal dimension of Titan's aerosols is higher than previously thought, around 2.3–2.4. We find spots of high signal of water ice downstream, at the margins of Tui Regio, that could correspond to alluvial fans, deltas or crater rims. We also observe a very low water ice signal on Tui Regio, with a positive gradient between the central region and the boundary of the area, possibly due to the thickness variation of an evaporitic layer. The riverbeds show within the error bars a decreasing grain size from the top to the bottom of the channels. This reinforces the hypothesis of sediment transport via these river channels