Archivum immunologiae et therapiae experimentalis
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Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. (Warsz.) · Feb 2011
ReviewDual peripheral actions of immune cells in neuropathic pain.
Ability to perceive physiological pain is essential in protecting the individual from tissue destruction. In contrast, pathological chronic pain is an expression of maladaptive alterations outlasting its biological usefulness. In such conditions even eating, speaking or wearing clothes might be painful, as in neuropathic pain. ⋯ Recent findings indicate that immune cell-derived opioid peptides can interact with opioid receptors in the injured nerves and ameliorate neuropathic pain. Targeting opioid-containing immune cells might represent a new disease-modifying approach based on the use of beneficial effects of neuro-inflammation in painful neuropathies. This review analyzes both detrimental and advantageous actions of leukocytes at peripheral nerves in neuropathic pain.
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Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. (Warsz.) · Feb 2011
ReviewRelapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children in the context of microarray analyses.
Over the last four decades the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved remarkably. However, still about 20% of children with ALL relapse despite risk-adapted polychemotherapy. The prognosis of relapsed ALL is relatively poor, even with modern aggressive chemotherapy. ⋯ Current microarray data show correlation of in vitro drug resistance with significant patterns of gene expression and explain clinical differences between early and late relapse. Genes involved in cell proliferation, self-renewal and differentiation, protein biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and DNA replication and repair are usually among those highly expressed in relapsed lymphoblasts. Current status and future perspectives of microarray data on gene expression and drug resistance profile in relapsed pediatric ALL are discussed in this review.