Cellular sources and neuroprotective roles of interleukin-10 in the facial motor nucleus after axotomy

Facial motoneuron (FMN) survival is mediated by CD4+ T cells in an interleukin-10 (IL-10)-dependent manner after facial nerve axotomy (FNA), but CD4+ T cells themselves are not the source of this neuroprotective IL-10. The aims of this study were to (1) identify the temporal and cell-specific induction of IL-10 expression in the facial motor nucleus and (2) elucidate the neuroprotective capacity of this expression after axotomy. Immunohistochemistry revealed that FMN constitutively produced IL-10, whereas astrocytes were induced to make IL-10 after FNA

Podocyte foot process effacement as a diagnostic tool in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Contains fulltext : 71431.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Podocyte foot process effacement is characteristic of proteinuric renal diseases. In minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) foot processes are diffusely effaced whereas the extent of effacement varies in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Here we measured foot process effacement in FSGS and compared it to that in MCNS and in normal kidneys. A clinical diagnosis was used to differentiate idiopathic FSGS from secondary FSGS. Median foot process width, determined morphometrically by electron microscopy, was 3236 nm in 17 patients with idiopathic FSGS, 1098 nm in 7 patients with secondary FSGS, and 1725 nm in 15 patients with MCNS, as compared to 562 nm in 12 control patients. Multivariate analysis showed that foot process width did not correlate with proteinuria or serum albumin levels but was significantly associated as an independent factor with the type of disease. Foot process width over 1500 nm differentiated idiopathic from secondary FSGS with high sensitivity and specificity. Our results show that quantitative analysis of foot processes may offer a potential tool to distinguish idiopathic from secondary FSGS