Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2012

As we have mentioned in previous editorials, Current Immunology Reviews has continued to focus on basic immunology and the interface with clinical immunology and immunopathology. The original research reviews published by CIR in recent years has been a great testament to the success of our efforts. However, in the past two years we also launched a more coordinated effort in this regard with the publishing of a Read More

The liver is rich in the diversity of its lymphocyte populations, with multiple phenotypes, cytotoxic activities, and cytokine secretion patterns found there. These intrahepatic lymphocytes are presumably selected and adopted for unique immunological functions. The hepatic immune system can respond to and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms, and toxins. Infection of the liver by pathogenic macroorganisms is identified and Read More

Dendritic cells (DCs) are rare, bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells (APCs) characterized by a unique capacity to stimulate naïve T cells and initiate primary immune responses. The special immunological microenvironment in the liver is associated with the induction of tolerance to dietary food antigens, and yet, it maintains the capacity to sustain effective responses against pathogens. Recent studies have provided Read More

Hepatitis B or C virus (HBV or HCV) causes chronic liver diseases that eventually progress to liver cancer. Both viruses are armed with multiple machineries for modulating immune responses in infected hosts. Mild and pervasive immune cell dysfunction, but not fully compromised, is a hallmark of chronic HBV or HCV infection, of which fundamental mechanisms are yet to be clarified. Dendritic cells (DC) as immune sent Read More

Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells that maintain immune tolerance to self-antigens by controlling the pathogenicity of autoreactive T cells, and a lack of immune tolerance against self-antigens results in autoimmune diseases. Therefore, DCs play an essential role in the induction and/or maintenance of autoimmunity. In the present review, we focus on the role of DCs in the pathogenesis of autoimmu Read More

The field of immune therapy is currently undergoing a shift in focus, from non antigen-specific immune modulator-based immune therapy to antigen-based vaccine therapy to more sophisticated cell-based vaccine applications. Dendritic cells (DCs) are rare leukocytes that are uniquely potent in their ability to capture, process and present antigens to T cells. By culturing DCs with viral antigens or tumor-associated antige Read More

The high prevalence of insomnia represents a large economical burden to society giving rise to reduced productivity, accidents, behavioural and cognitive consequences, and possibly association with increased disease risk. Epidemiological data increasingly implicate insomnia as a predictor of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular disease mortality, particularly in aged people. It is already accepted that persons deprived of sle Read More

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability throughout the world. Its pathophysiology is complex and includes excitotoxity, inflammatory pathways, oxidative damage, ionic imbalances, apoptosis and other cell death mechanisms, angiogenesis, and neuroprotection. The ultimate result of the complex ischemic cascade is neuronal death with irreversible loss of neuronal functions. New developments in stroke pathophysio Read More

From a physiological perspective the sleep-wake cycle can be envisioned as a sequence of three physiological states, identified by a particular homeostatic patent: wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or slow sleep, and REM sleep. These three physiological states are defined by a particular neuroendocrine-immune profile that regulates the immune system response. This review discusses the physiological basis of s Read More

With aging the neuroendocrine-immune communication suffers an impairment, which explains the altered homeostasis and the resulting increase of morbidity and mortality. Since the aging process is very heterogeneous, the biological age determines the level of aging experienced by each individual and therefore his/her life expectancy. We have proposed several immune functions as markers of biological age and predictor Read More

This review discusses the role of aberrant neuroimmune functioning in chronic pain disorders. Like other negatively-valenced emotions, pain activates a complex adaptive response that includes endocrine, autonomic and immune components. When appropriate, this response re-establishes homeostasis. However, in the context of chronic pain dysregulated immune, autonomic and endocrine responses contribute Read More

The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the organ with the least capacity for repair in mammals. Diseases of the CNS may follow developmental deficits, inappropriate environmental factors and acquired damages after maturation. The latter damages may consist of neuronal cell death, like Alzheimer's disease and/or to a lesion of the axon, like in the paraplegic patients. Hopes of obtaining a functional recovery after trauma Read More

In recent years, advances in our understanding of the regulation of the immune system have enabled the identification of cellular and molecular targets that could affect the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases. B-cells play pivotal role in autoantigen presentation and in autoantibody production. Thus, rituximab (RTX), a chimeric monoclonal antibody specific for human CD20, which targets B lymphocytes, could be a p Read More