Morphine paradoxically prolongs neuropathic pain in rats by amplifying spinal NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Pain after disease/damage of the nervous system is predominantly treated with opioids, but without exploration of the long-term consequences. We demonstrate that a short course of morphine after nerve injury doubles the duration of neuropathic pain. Using genetic and pharmacological interventions, and innovative Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs disruption of microglia reactivity, we demonstrate that opioid-prolonged neuropathic pain arises from spinal microglia and NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome formation/activation. Inhibiting these processes permanently resets amplified pain to basal levels, an effect not previously reported. These data support the “two-hit hypothesis” of amplification of microglial activation—nerve injury being the first “hit,” morphine the second. The implications of such potent microglial “priming” has fundamental clinical implications for pain and may extend to many chronic neurological disorders

Salvinorin A analogues PR-37 and PR-38 attenuate compound 48/80-induced itch responses in mice: Salvinorin A analogues PR-37 and PR-38 in pruritus

The opioid system plays a crucial role in several physiological processes in the CNS and in the periphery. It has also been shown that selective opioid receptor agonists exert potent inhibitory action on pruritus and pain. In this study we examined whether two analogues of Salvinorin A, PR-37 and PR-38, exhibit antipruritic properties in mice

Oxr1 Is Essential for Protection against Oxidative Stress-Induced Neurodegeneration

Oxidative stress is a common etiological feature of neurological disorders, although the pathways that govern defence against reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neurodegeneration remain unclear. We have identified the role of oxidation resistance 1 (Oxr1) as a vital protein that controls the sensitivity of neuronal cells to oxidative stress; mice lacking Oxr1 display cerebellar neurodegeneration, and neurons are less susceptible to exogenous stress when the gene is over-expressed. A conserved short isoform of Oxr1 is also sufficient to confer this neuroprotective property both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, biochemical assays indicate that Oxr1 itself is susceptible to cysteine-mediated oxidation. Finally we show up-regulation of Oxr1 in both human and pre-symptomatic mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, indicating that Oxr1 is potentially a novel neuroprotective factor in neurodegenerative disease

Persistent Exposure to Mycoplasma Induces Malignant Transformation of Human Prostate Cells

Recent epidemiologic, genetic, and molecular studies suggest infection and inflammation initiate certain cancers, including those of the prostate. The American Cancer Society, estimates that approximately 20% of all worldwide cancers are caused by infection. Mycoplasma, a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall, are among the few prokaryotes that can grow in close relationship with mammalian cells, often without any apparent pathology, for extended periods of time. In this study, the capacity of Mycoplasma genitalium, a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, a mycoplasma found at unusually high frequency among patients with AIDS, to induce a malignant phenotype in benign human prostate cells (BPH-1) was evaluated using a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. After 19 weeks of culture, infected BPH-1 cells achieved anchorage-independent growth and increased migration and invasion. Malignant transformation of infected BPH-1 cells was confirmed by the formation of xenograft tumors in athymic mice. Associated with these changes was an increase in karyotypic entropy, evident by the accumulation of chromosomal aberrations and polysomy. This is the first report describing the capacity of M. genitalium or M. hyorhinis infection to lead to the malignant transformation of benign human epithelial cells and may serve as a model to further study the relationship between prostatitis and prostatic carcinogenesis

Use of RDPs' funds in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe in 2004-2006

W pracy przedstawiono poziom i strukturę wykorzystania środków fi nansowych zarówno wśród krajów Środkowej i Wschodniej Europy, jak i UE-25 przeznaczonych dla sektora rolnego w ramach PROW w okresie dostępności tych środków dla krajów Środkowej i Wschodniej Europy. Porównano także wielkość tych środków w odniesieniu do przeciętnej liczby pracujących w sektorze rolnym w danym kraju, powierzchnię wykorzystywanych UR na statystyczne gospodarstwo oraz ich udział w wartości dodanej brutto wytwarzanej przez sektor rolny. Na tej podstawie przeprowadzono również analizy skupień zarówno dla krajów Środkowej i Wschodniej Europy, jak i pozostałych krajów UE.Membership in the EU offers possibilities of fi nancial support for the agriculture and an accelerated economic development of rural areas. It is a chance for further development of agriculture and rural areas in the CEEC. In the paper level of the RDP funds for agricultural sector in the CEEC was presented. Volume of funds in relation to farm, to 1 ha of agricultural area and to 1 person employed in analyzed sector and their share in GVA were compared. Also there were the Ward analyses conducted

Evaluation of consumption level of employee and farmer households in Poland using synthetic index of consumption level

W pracy przedstawiono ważną i ciągle aktualną problematykę zmian poziomu spożycia żywności w polskich gospodarstwach domowych w wyniku transformacji ustrojowej. Na podstawie skonstruowanego syntetycznego miernika poziomu wyżywienia dokonano porównania gospodarstw domowych pracowników i rolników pod względem poziomu spożycia podstawowych artykułów żywnościowych na tle pozostałych grup społeczno- ekonomicznych.The paper is a continuation of the research which described changes of consumption level in Polish households in fact of transformation process. Comparison of employee and farmer households was conducted taking into account the consumption level of basic food products having as a background other socio-economic groups

The income situation in agriculture in the CEE countries

Kraje Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej (EŚiW) cechuje znaczne zróżnicowanie sektora rolnego, zarówno w zakresie dochodów, jak też i czynników je kształtujących. Jedną z kategorii pozwalających na zobrazowanie tych różnic jest wartość dodana brutto. Jej wielkość jest ważnym kryterium ekonomicznej oceny funkcjonowania różnych dziedzin wytwórczości, w tym i wytwórczości rolniczej, obrazuje ona bowiem przyrost wartości dóbr w wyniku określonego procesu produkcji.The income situation of the agricultural sector in the CEE countries is discussed. The dynamics of incomes, the productivity of labour and land, and the income gained by an average farm in 2003-2005 were analyzed. Both in 2004 and in 2005 an improvement in the income situation of agriculture in the CEE countries was observed. In 2005 compared to2003 in all CEE countries an increase of incomes in the agricultural sector occurred, the biggest being in Poland and in Lithuania. In 2005 the highest productivity of labour was in the Czech Republic and in Estonia and it was the lowest in Latvia. Also incomes obtained by an average farm were the highest in the Czech Republic and the lowest in Lithuania. The highest GVA per hectare of agricultural land was obtained in Slovenia