The 16 th International Conference on Behçet ’ s Disease

The first day of the conference was devoted to basic science. Fabio Martinon (Switzerland) got the first session underway with a presentation on innate immunity. The innate immune system detects pathogens and other danger signals, activating tolllike receptors (TLRs) in the cell membrane and NOD-like receptors within the cell. These receptors regulate inflammatory responses and apoptosis (programmed cell death). An example of this process is gout, where uric acid crystals trigger interleukin-1β (IL1β)-dependent inflammation. Other factors that can cause cells to become stressed include ageing, viral infections, drugs, metabolic imbalance and genetic mutations. In these situations, the repair processes within cells lead to inflammation.