What is the significance of using curly braces around variables in PHP, especially in the context of static properties?

Using curly braces around variables in PHP is significant when accessing static properties within a class. It helps to clearly define the variable being accessed and avoids any ambiguity. This is especially important when the variable name is followed by additional characters that are not part of the variable name itself.

class MyClass {
    public static $myProperty = 'Hello';

    public static function getMyProperty() {
        return self::${'myProperty'};
    }
}

echo MyClass::getMyProperty(); // Output: Hello