Validation of UVEDAI: An Index for Evaluating the Level of Inflammatory Activity in Uveitis.

Introduction: Uveitis is the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, the uvea, and is a major cause of blindness. None of the instruments used in clinical practice are, in themselves, sufficient to evaluate the course of uveitis. Therefore, it is necessary to develop instruments enabling standardized measurement of inflammatory activity.

Estradiol-dependent perforin expression by human regulatory T-cells.

Background: CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T-cells (nT(Reg)) have been shown to suppress immune responses to autoantigens and to other diverse antigens, this suppression is mainly mediated by a cell contact-dependent mechanism not yet fully defined. It has been reported that both human natural and induced T(Reg) exert cytotoxic activity against autologous target cells, which suggests that the perforin/granzyme pathway may be a relevant candidate mechanism for the suppressive function of T(Reg). Previous reports have shown that oestradiol (E2) modulates T(Reg) percentages and function.