IL-18 (interleukin-18) is elevated in hypertensive patients, but its contribution to high blood pressure and end-organ damage is unknown. We examined the role of IL-18 in the development of renal inflammation and injury in a mouse model of low-renin hypertension. Hypertension was induced in male C57BL6/J (WT) and IL-18 −/− mice by uninephrectomy, deoxycorticosterone acetate (2.4 mg/d, s.c.) and 0.9% drinking saline (1K/DOCA/salt). Normotensive controls received uninephrectomy and placebo (1K/placebo). Blood pressure was measured via tail cuff or radiotelemetry. After 21 days, kidneys were harvested for (immuno)histochemical, quantitative-PCR and flow cytometric analyses of fibrosis, inflammation, and immune cell infiltration. 1K/DOCA/salt-treated WT mice developed hypertension, renal fibrosis, upregulation of proinflammatory genes, and accumulation of CD3 + T cells in the kidneys. They also displayed increased expression of IL-18 on tubular epithelial cells. IL-18 −/− mice were profoundly protected from hypertension, renal fibrosis, and inflammation. Bone marrow transplantation between WT and IL-18 −/− mice revealed that IL-18-deficiency in non-bone marrow-derived cells alone afforded equivalent protection against hypertension and renal injury as global IL-18 deficiency. IL-18 receptor subunits—interleukin-18 receptor 1 and IL-18R accessory protein—were upregulated in kidneys of 1K/DOCA/salt-treated WT mice and localized to T cells and tubular epithelial cells. T cells from kidneys of 1K/DOCA/salt-treated mice produced interferon-γ upon ex vivo stimulation with IL-18, whereas those from 1K/placebo mice did not. In conclusion, IL-18 production by tubular epithelial cells contributes to elevated blood pressure, renal inflammation, and fibrosis in 1K/DOCA/salt-treated mice, highlighting it as a promising therapeutic target for hypertension and kidney disease.

There are cultural variations in childcare and socialisation practices, and actions considered abuse in one culture may be acceptable in others. The extent to which children's rights are regarded as such within their own cultures as well as by governments may vary greatly. Moreover, there is a tendency for the public to make allowances for the intentions and circumstances of child abusers, at least in less severe or obvious cases or where the actions in question are socially sanctioned. However, there are also many professions involved in prevention or remediation of child abuse, or in the implementation of policies on children generally. Medicine, law, education and the social services are especially relevant here. Professionals in these areas could be expected by virtue of their training and experience to bring to their grasp of abuse issues a dimension that transcends cultural variation. Evidence from the literature and from two Singapore studies is used to explore the possibility that many professionals may retain attitudes to child maltreatment that reflect their culture rather than any transcultural agreement on children's rights generally or child abuse specifically. If true, changing professional attitudes should be an important priority. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The size or shape of an object, its perceptual features, determine the patterning of an arm and hand action involving that object. Little is known about the role played by the taxonomic semantic attributes of an object for perceptuomotor processing. In this study we investigated whether the semantic relationship between two target stimuli influences the kinematics of a bilateral reach-to-grasp action. The results showed that reach-to-grasp movements preceding the action of putting living-thing pairs together were faster, and showed earlier settings of reach and grasp temporal parameters, than movements involving pairs of non-living things. It is hypothesized that this reflects the recruitment of different categorical perceptuomotor pathways.