Partitioning-Defective 1a/b Depletion Impairs Glomerular and Proximal Tubule Development.

The kidney is a highly polarized epithelial organ that develops from undifferentiated mesenchyme, although the mechanisms that regulate the development of renal epithelial polarity are incompletely understood. Partitioning-defective 1 (Par1) proteins have been implicated in cell polarity and epithelial morphogenesis; however, the role of these proteins in the developing kidney has not been established. Therefore, we studied the contribution of Par1a/b to renal epithelial development.

Infectious Chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with elevated interleukin-8 and airway neutrophilia in children with refractory asthma.

Background: Neutrophilic asthma is thought to be less responsive than eosinophilic asthma to anti-inflammatory therapies including corticosteroids. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been implicated in asthma, possibly by induction of interleukin (IL-8). We hypothesized that IL-8 is increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from children with asthma and C.

Effects of chronic hypercapnia in the neonatal mouse lung and brain.

Background: Permissive hypercapnia is increasingly utilized in the care of premature infants to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In a previous investigation, we described gene expression changes in the neonatal mouse lung exposed to chronic hypercapnia that might contribute to lung protection and accelerated maturation. However, it is unknown whether chronic hypercapnia increases alveolar formation, nor if it has detrimental effects in other developing organs such as the brain.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis induces chitinase in the rat.

Background: We previously demonstrated that chronic pulmonary infection with Cryptococcus neoformans results in enhanced allergic inflammation and airway hyperreactivity in a rat model. Because the cell wall of C. neoformans consists of chitin, and since acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) has recently been implicated as a novel mediator of asthma, we sought to determine whether such infection induces chitinase activity and expression of AMCase in the rat.

Urinary cytokines and steroid responsiveness in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome of childhood.

Background/aim: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) has been associated with activation of TGF-beta(1) and progression to chronic kidney disease. Steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) has been associated with activation of T-cells and favorable outcome. Our objective was to distinguish SRNS from SSNS and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) from minimal change disease (MCD) on the basis of urinary cytokine profile.