title: IL-17 production by CSF lymphocytes as a biomarker for cerebral vasculitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the possibility of using interleukin-17 (IL-17) production by CD4+ T cells in the CSF as a potential biomarker for cerebral vasculitis in stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this consecutive case study, we performed prospective analysis of CSF and blood in patients admitted to a university medical center with symptoms of stroke and suspected cerebral vasculitis. Flow cytometry was performed for intracellular detection of inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood lymphocytes and expanded T cells from CSF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CSF CD4+ lymphocytes from patients with cerebral vasculitis showed significantly higher levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 compared to patients with stroke not due to vasculitis or with other, noninflammatory neurologic diseases. There was no difference in the production of interferon-γ in the CSF and no overall differences in the relative frequencies of peripheral immune cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracellular IL-17 in CSF cells is potentially useful in discriminating cerebral vasculitis as a rare cause in patients presenting with ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study provides Class II evidence that an increased proportion of IL-17-producing CD4+ cells in CSF of patients presenting with stroke symptoms is indicative of cerebral vasculitis (sensitivity 73%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 39-94%; specificity 100%, 95% CI 74%-100%).
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Vivien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thom
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gelderblom
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Romy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hackbusch
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolster
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Götz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thomalla
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Keminer
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pleß
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernreuther
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glatzel
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wegscheider
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerloff
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magnus
authors.affiliation: Departments of Immunology (V.T., R.H., M.K., E.T.), Neurology (V.T., S.S., M.G., S.S., G.T., C.G., T.M.), Neuropathology (C.B., M.G.), and Medical Biometry and Epidemiology (K.W.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; and IME Screening Port (O.K., O.P.), Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolosa