Both maternal IFNγ exposure and acute prenatal infection with Toxoplasma gondii activate fetal hematopoietic stem cells.

Infection directly influences adult hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function and differentiation, but the fetal hematopoietic response to infection during pregnancy is not well-studied. Here, we investigated the fetal hematopoietic response to maternal infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), an intracellular parasite that elicits Type II IFNγ-mediated maternal immunity. While it is known that maternal infection without direct pathogen transmission can affect fetal immune development, the effects of maternal IFNγ on developing HSCs and the signals that mediate these interactions have not been investigated. Our investigation reveals that the fetal HSCs respond to T. gondii infection with virulence-dependent changes in proliferation, self-renewal potential, and lineage output. Furthermore, maternal IFNγ crosses the fetal-maternal interface, where it is perceived by fetal HSCs. By comparing the effects of maternal IFNγ injection with maternal T. gondii infection, we reveal that the effects of IFNγ treatment mimic some aspects of the fetal HSC response to infection. Moreover, our findings illuminate that the fetal HSC response to prenatal infection is distinct from the adult HSC response to IFNγ-induced inflammation. Altogether, our data disentangle the role of infection-induced inflammatory cytokines in driving the expansion of downstream hematopoietic progenitors.

ALDH4A1 is an atherosclerosis auto-antigen targeted by protective antibodies.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the world, with most CVD-related deaths resulting from myocardial infarction or stroke. The main underlying cause of thrombosis and cardiovascular events is atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease that can remain asymptomatic for long periods. There is an urgent need for therapeutic and diagnostic options in this area. Atherosclerotic plaques contain autoantibodies1,2, and there is a connection between atherosclerosis and autoimmunity3. However, the immunogenic trigger and the effects of the autoantibody response during atherosclerosis are not well understood3-5. Here we performed high-throughput single-cell analysis of the atherosclerosis-associated antibody repertoire. Antibody gene sequencing of more than 1,700 B cells from atherogenic Ldlr-/- and control mice identified 56 antibodies expressed by in-vivo-expanded clones of B lymphocytes in the context of atherosclerosis. One-third of the expanded antibodies were reactive against atherosclerotic plaques, indicating that various antigens in the lesion can trigger antibody responses. Deep proteomics analysis identified ALDH4A1, a mitochondrial dehydrogenase involved in proline metabolism, as a target antigen of one of these autoantibodies, A12. ALDH4A1 distribution is altered during atherosclerosis, and circulating ALDH4A1 is increased in mice and humans with atherosclerosis, supporting the potential use of ALDH4A1 as a disease biomarker. Infusion of A12 antibodies into Ldlr-/- mice delayed plaque formation and reduced circulating free cholesterol and LDL, suggesting that anti-ALDH4A1 antibodies can protect against atherosclerosis progression and might have therapeutic potential in CVD.

Boosting pro-vitamin A content and bioaccessibility in leaves by combining engineered biosynthesis and storage pathways with high-light treatments.

Biofortification of green leafy vegetables with pro-vitamin A carotenoids, such as ß-carotene, has remained challenging to date. Here, we combined two strategies to achieve this goal. One of them involves producing ß-carotene in the cytosol of leaf cells to avoid the negative impacts on photosynthesis derived from changing the balance of carotenoids and chlorophylls in chloroplasts. The second approach involves the conversion of chloroplasts into non-photosynthetic, carotenoid-overaccumulating chromoplasts in leaves agroinfiltrated or infected with constructs encoding the bacterial phytoene synthase crtB, leaving other non-engineered leaves of the plant to sustain normal growth. A combination of these two strategies, referred to as strategy C (for cytosolic production) and strategy P (for plastid conversion mediated by crtB), resulted in a 5-fold increase in the amount of ß-carotene in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Following several attempts to further improve ß-carotene leaf contents by metabolic engineering, hormone treatments and genetic screenings, it was found that promoting the proliferation of plastoglobules with increased light-intensity treatments not only improved ß-carotene accumulation but it also resulted in a much higher bioaccessibility. The combination of strategies C and P together with a more intense light treatment increased the levels of accessible ß-carotene 30-fold compared to controls. We further demonstrated that stimulating plastoglobule proliferation with strategy P, but also with a higher-light treatment alone, also improved ß-carotene contents and bioaccessibility in edible lettuce (Lactuca sativa) leaves.

Dopamine-derived pigments in nature: identification of decarboxybetalains in Amaranthaceae species.

A unique family of decarboxylated betalains derived from dopamine has recently been discovered. Due to the lack of chemical standards, the existence and distribution of decarboxylated betalains in nature remain unknown. Traditional betalains contain L-dihydroxyphenylalanine as the starting point of the biosynthetic pathway and betalamic acid as a structural and functional unit, while the recently discovered betalains rely on dopamine. Here, 30 dopamine-derived betalains were biotechnologically produced, purified, and characterized, creating an unprecedented library to explore their properties and presence in nature. The maximum absorbance wavelengths for the pigments ranged between 461 and 485 nm. HPLC analysis showed retention times between 0.6 and 2.2 min higher than traditional betalains due to their higher hydrophobicity. The presence of decarboxybetalains in nature was screened using HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF mass spectrometry in various species of the Amaranthaceae family: beetroot (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris), Swiss chard (B. vulgaris var. cicla), celosia (Celosia argentea var. plumosa), and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa). The latter species had the highest content of decarboxybetalains (28 compounds in its POEQ-143 variety). Twenty-nine pigments were found distributed among the different analyzed plant sources. The abundance of decarboxybetalains demonstrated in this work highlights these pigments as an important family of phytochemicals in the order Caryophyllales.

A Cyclotriveratrylene Solvent-Dependent Chiral Switch.

Chiral molecular switches are attracting attention as they could pave the way to chiral molecular machines. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of a single molecule chiral switch based on a cyclotriveratrylene scaffold, in which the chirality inversion is controlled by the solvent. Hemicryptophanes are built around a C3 cyclotriveratrylene chiral unit, with either M or P handedness, connected to another tripod and usually displaying an "out" configuration. Here, we demonstrate that solvents are able to control the "in" and "out" configurations of the CTV unit, creating a chiral molecular switch from (M/P)"in" to (P/M)"out" handedness. The full characterization of the "in" and "out" configurations and of the chirality switch were made possible by combining NMR, HPLC, ECD, DFT and molecular dynamics. Interestingly, bulky aromatic solvents such as 2-t-butylphenol favor the "in" configuration while polar aprotic solvents such as acetone favor the "out" configuration. This chiral switch was found to be fully reversible allowing the system to oscillate between two different M and P configurations several times upon the action of solvents stimuli.

Usefulness of somatosensory evoked potentials for monitoring the clinical course of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are described as a supportive tool to diagnose chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP); however, there is a lack of studies determining the effectiveness of SSEPs in monitoring the clinical course of individuals with this condition. The aims of this study are to evaluate the utility of SSEPs in monitoring patients with CIDP and to assess their association with clinical outcomes following immunomodulatory therapy. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective observational study that included patients who met European Federation of Neurological Societies and Peripheral Nerve Society criteria for CIDP between 2018 and 2023. SSEPs were performed at diagnosis and during follow-up after the start of immunomodulatory treatment. Fisher's exact test was employed to assess the association between clinical improvement and SSEP improvement. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were included in the study. Ten patients had a typical CIDP pattern and 11 were male. In 17, SSEPs were abnormal prior to the start of immunomodulatory treatment. In patients who showed clinical improvement with immunomodulatory therapy, we observed that 15/17 had partial or complete improvement in SSEPs. Patients who showed no clinical improvement with first-line treatment exhibited worsening SSEPs. There was a significant association between clinical and SSEPs improvement (p = 0.009). DISCUSSION: We observed a positive association between improvement in SSEPs and clinical improvement in patients with CIDP. Our data suggest that SSEPs may be useful for monitoring the clinical course of patients with CIDP, but additional, larger studies are needed.

Substantial benefits of an inert biphenyl column for the analysis of steroids and their phase II metabolites in biological samples.

Steroids can be used as biomarkers in clinical metabolomics and other fields related to human toxicology. This chemical group is known for its complexity, considering its number of isobaric compounds and the wide variety of phases I and II metabolic pathways that parent compounds can undergo. For a successful analysis of steroids in biological samples, liquid chromatography separation must be finely tuned. It is especially challenging for glucuronidated and sulfated steroids derivatives that bear polar heads and can be affected by non-specific adsorption. The benefits of a biphenyl stationary phase chemistry for the selectivity of the separation of steroids and their phase II metabolites and the extent to which nonspecific adsorption phenomena could degrade chromatographic performance were investigated. Replacing a conventional hardware by a passivated hardware allowed to considerably reduce peaks width and asymmetry of sulfated species. The addition of weak ion pairing agents in the mobile phase could also help to reduce non-specific adsorption but are detrimental to mass spectrometry detection. As confirmed by the successful detection of 52 steroids in plasma, the use of a biphenyl stationary phase complemented by a passivated column hardware is of great help for a successful biomedical analysis of steroids and their phase II metabolites.

Preoperative treatment with dopamine agonist therapy influences surgical outcome in prolactinoma: a retrospective single-center on 159 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Prolactinoma account to the most common pituitary adenomas and current therapy regime constitutes of dopamine agonist therapy (DA) and surgery in selected cases [17]. Due to tumor fibrosis induced by previous DA therapy, surgical removal can be challenging though. Therefore, this study investigates how preoperative DA usage influences perioperative treatment and surgical outcome in prolactinoma and aims to ascertain whether a specific subgroup of prolactinoma patients could derive greater benefit from exclusive surgical intervention. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed n = 159 surgically treated and histologically confirmed prolactinomas in the sella region from 2013-2022 in our institution. Clinical, radiological and surgical features were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Out of total of 159 prolactinoma patients, 83.6% received previous treatment with DA followed by surgery, while only 16.4% received exclusive surgery. Both groups presented similar initial tumor volumes (1.9cm3 vs. 1.5cm3, p = 0.59) and equal preoperative prolactin levels (PRL) (199.7 µg/l vs. 191.0 µg/l, p = 0.44). Surgical procedures took significantly longer when patients received prior DA treatment (79 min. vs. 70 min., p = 0.0479). Six months after surgery, pretreated patients revealed significantly higher PRL compared to non-treated (107 g/l vs. 8.64 µg/, p = 0.0009). Additionally, untreated microprolactinoma presented a remission of 100%, whereas pretreated exhibited a remission rate of 88.75%. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates that prior DA treatment is associated with significantly longer surgeries, higher recurrence rates and lower rates of normalization of PRL levels after surgery, particularly in microprolactinomas and support the latest recommendations of the Pituitary Society's Consensus Statement 2023, which favors the option of surgery alone as first-line therapy for microprolactinomas.

Bolus Effect Caused by Use of Thermoplastic Masks in Head and Neck Radiotherapy Treatments.

This paper examines the dosimetric uncertainty arising from the use of thermoplastic masks in the treatment of head and neck cancer through radiotherapy. This study was conducted through Monte Carlo simulations using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX code), and the theoretical results are compared with radiochromic films. Using material characterization techniques, the compounds of the thermoplastic mask were identified, confirming that most of the material corresponds to the polymer C10H16O4. The theoretical results show increases ranging from 42% to 57.4% in the surface absorbed dose for 6 and 15 MV photon beams, respectively, compared to the absorbed dose without the mask. The experimental data corroborate these findings, showing dose increases ranging from 18.4% to 52.1% compared to the expected surface absorbed dose without the mask. These results highlight the need to consider the bolus effect induced by thermoplastic masks during the precise and safe planning and application of radiotherapy treatment in order to ensure its therapeutic efficacy and minimize the associated risks to patients.

Transcriptome Analysis in Mexican Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents around 25% of adult acute leukemias. Despite the increasing improvement in the survival rate of ALL patients during the last decade, the heterogeneous clinical and molecular features of this malignancy still represent a major challenge for treatment and achieving better outcomes. To identify aberrantly expressed genes in bone marrow (BM) samples from adults with ALL, transcriptomic analysis was performed using Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 (HTA 2.0). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (±2-fold change, p-value < 0.05, and FDR < 0.05) were detected using the Transcriptome Analysis Console. Gene Ontology (GO), Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were employed to identify gene function and define the enriched pathways of DEGs. The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of DEGs were constructed. A total of 871 genes were differentially expressed, and DNTT, MYB, EBF1, SOX4, and ERG were the top five up-regulated genes. Meanwhile, the top five down-regulated genes were PTGS2, PPBP, ADGRE3, LUCAT1, and VCAN. An association between ERG, CDK6, and SOX4 expression levels and the probability of relapse and death was observed. Regulation of the immune system, immune response, cellular response to stimulus, as well as apoptosis signaling, inflammation mediated by chemokines and cytokines, and T cell activation were among the most altered biological processes and pathways, respectively. Transcriptome analysis of ALL in adults reveals a group of genes consistently associated with hematological malignancies and underscores their relevance in the development of ALL in adults.

Endoscopic management of pancreatic collections. Endoscopic Ultrasound Group, Spanish Society of Digestive Endoscopy (GSEED-USE) Clinical Guidelines.

Acute pancreatitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It can develop complications such as fluid collections and necrosis. Infection of necrosis occurs in about 20-40 % of patients with severe acute pancreatitis, and is associated with organ failure and worse prognosis. In the past few years the treatment of pancreatic collections has shifted from open surgery to minimally invasive techniques such as endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage. These guidelines from a selection of experts among the Endoscopic Ultrasound Group, Spanish Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GSEED-USE) are intended to provide advice on the management of pancreatic collections based on a thorough review of the available scientific evidence. It also reflects the experience and clinical practice of the authors, who are advanced endoscopists or clinical pancreatologists with extensive experience in managing patients with acute pancreatitis.

Volumetric differences in the temporomandibular joint in patients with condylar hyperplasia in active and passive state, SPECT/CT study.

AIM: Condylar hyperplasia (CH) is a progressive and deforming disease that modifies anatomy of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) structures. This study aims to correlate the metabolic bone activity of the condyle measured by SPECT with the volumetry anatomic information from the condyle, fossa and joint space provided by CT images, in patients with CH in active and inactive forms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study was performed with a set of 116 images from healthy and diagnosed CH patients to compare volumetric measures of the TMJ. Images were acquired through a bone tissue mask using a three-dimensional DICOM reconstruction for SPECT/CT and CBCT images and the Threshold option for segmentation with standardized values for each tissue on the HU scale. RESULTS: there are differences (p<0.01), with greater condylar volume on the affected side in patients with active CH compared to passive CH. The volume of the glenoid cavity shows no differences in either form of CH (p>0.05), however, there were differences for the volume of the joint space on the affected right side of hemimandibular elongation (HE) in the active form. The volume of the mandibular condyle on the affected side in CH cases were larger in HE cases in active and inactive form (p<0.01) compared to healthy patients. Similar results were presented for the glenoid cavity and joint space. CONCLUSIONS: Volumetric anatomical evaluation of TMJ structures, as well as information on condylar metabolic activity, can be obtained from SPECT/CT. The study shows a greater condylar volume on the affected side of the CH compared to the contralateral side, but there are more significant differences in the active than in the inactive form.

Linking QKD Testbeds across Europe.

Quantum-key-distribution (QKD) networks are gaining importance and it has become necessary to analyze the most appropriate methods for their long-distance interconnection. In this paper, four different methods of interconnecting remote QKD networks are proposed. The methods are used to link three different QKD testbeds in Europe, located in Berlin, Madrid, and Poznan. Although long-distance QKD links are only emulated, the methods used can serve as a blueprint for the secure interconnection of distant QKD networks in the future. Specifically, the presented approaches combine, in a transparent way, different fiber and satellite physical media, as well as common standards of key delivery interfaces. The testbed interconnections are designed to increase the security by utilizing multipath techniques and multiple hybridizations of QKD and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms.

METTL1 promotes tumorigenesis through tRNA-derived fragment biogenesis in prostate cancer.

Newly growing evidence highlights the essential role that epitranscriptomic marks play in the development of many cancers; however, little is known about the role and implications of altered epitranscriptome deposition in prostate cancer. Here, we show that the transfer RNA N7-methylguanosine (m7G) transferase METTL1 is highly expressed in primary and advanced prostate tumours. Mechanistically, we find that METTL1 depletion causes the loss of m7G tRNA methylation and promotes the biogenesis of a novel class of small non-coding RNAs derived from 5'tRNA fragments. 5'tRNA-derived small RNAs steer translation control to favour the synthesis of key regulators of tumour growth suppression, interferon pathway, and immune effectors. Knockdown of Mettl1 in prostate cancer preclinical models increases intratumoural infiltration of pro-inflammatory immune cells and enhances responses to immunotherapy. Collectively, our findings reveal a therapeutically actionable role of METTL1-directed m7G tRNA methylation in cancer cell translation control and tumour biology.

Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia plus syndrome due to homozygous missense variant in TOP3A gene.

Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) plus syndrome due to pathogenic biallelic variants in TOP3A gene has been described in only one single patient. We report two adult siblings with c.614A>G (p.Asp205Gly) homozygous missense variant in the TOP3A gene who had CPEO plus syndrome.

Conditional expression of HGAL leads to the development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in mice.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous tumors. Deregulation of diverse biological processes specific to B cells, such as B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling and motility regulation, contribute to lymphomagenesis. Human germinal center associated lymphoma (HGAL) is a B-cell-specific adaptor protein controlling BCR signaling and B lymphocyte motility. In normal B cells, it is expressed in germinal center (GC) B lymphocytes and promptly downregulated upon further differentiation. The majority of DLBCL tumors, primarily GC B-cell types, but also activated types, express HGAL. To investigate the consequences of constitutive expression of HGAL in vivo, we generated mice that conditionally express human HGAL at different stages of hematopoietic development using 3 restricted Cre-mediated approaches to initiate expression of HGAL in hematopoietic stem cells, pro-B cells, or GC B cells. Following immune stimulation, we observed larger GCs in mice in which HGAL expression was initiated in GC B cells. All 3 mouse strains developed DLBCL at a frequency of 12% to 30% starting at age 13 months, leading to shorter survival. Immunohistochemical studies showed that all analyzed tumors were of the GC B-cell type. Exon sequencing revealed mutations reported in human DLBCL. Our data demonstrate that constitutive enforced expression of HGAL leads to DLBCL development.

Quantitative laser-matter interaction: a 3D study of UV-fs-laser ablation on single crystalline Ru(0001).

Laser ablation is nowadays an extensively applied technology to probe the chemical composition of solid materials. It allows for precise targeting of micrometer objects on and in samples, and enables chemical depth profiling with nanometer resolution. An in-depth understanding of the 3D geometry of the ablation craters is crucial for precise calibration of the depth scale in chemical depth profiles. Herein we present a comprehensive study on laser ablation processes using a Gaussian-shaped UV-femtosecond irradiation source and present how the combination of three different imaging methods (scanning electron microscopy, interferometric microscopy, and X-ray computed tomography) can provide accurate information on the crater's shapes. Crater analysis by applying X-ray computed tomography is of considerable interest because it allows the imaging of an array of craters in one step with sub-µm accuracy and is not limited to the aspect ratio of the crater. X-ray computed tomography thereby complements the analysis of laser ablation craters. The study investigates the effect of laser pulse energy and laser burst count on a single crystal Ru(0001) sample. Single crystals ensure that there is no dependence on the grain orientations during the laser ablation process. An array of 156 craters of different dimensions ranging from <20 nm to ∼40 µm in depth were created. For each individually applied laser pulse, we measured the number of ions generated in the ablation plume with our laser ablation ionization mass spectrometer. We show to which extent the combination of these four techniques reveals valuable information on the ablation threshold, the ablation rate, and the limiting ablation depth. The latter is expected to be a consequence of decreasing irradiance upon increasing crater surface area. The ion signal generated was found to be proportional to the volume ablated up to the certain depth, which enables in-situ depth calibration during the measurement.

Exploration of associations between occupational exposures and current adult eczema.

OBJECTIVES: There is a scarcity of evidence on occupational exposures that may increase eczema in adults. We aimed to investigate potential associations between occupational exposures and eczema in middle-aged adults. METHODS: A lifetime work history calendar was collected from the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study participants when they were at age 53. Their work history was collated with the occupational asthma-specific job exposure matrix to define ever-exposure and cumulative exposure unit-years since no eczema job exposure matrix is available. Eczema was determined using the report of flexural rash that was coming and going for at least 6 months in the last 12 months. Skin prick tests were used to further subgroup eczema and atopic eczema (AE) or non-AE (NAE). Logistic and multinomial regression models were used to investigate the associations. RESULTS: Eczema prevalence was 9.1%. Current occupational exposure to animals (adjusted OR, aOR=3.06 (95% CI 1.43 to 6.58)), storage mites (aOR=2.96 (95% CI 1.38 to 6.34)) and endotoxin (aOR=1.95 (95% CI 1.04 to 3.64)) were associated with increased risk of current eczema. Furthermore, increased odds of NAE were associated with current exposure to animals (aOR=5.60 (95% CI 1.45 to 21.7)) and storage mites (aOR=5.63 (95% CI 1.45 to 21.9)). Current exposures to isocyanates (aOR=5.27 (95% CI 1.17 to 23.7)) and acrylates (aOR=8.41 (95% CI 1.60 to 44.3)) were associated with AE. There was no evidence of associations between cumulative exposures and eczema prevalence. Cumulative exposure to metalworking fluids (aOR=1.10 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.22)) was associated with NAE and acrylates (aOR=1.24 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.46)) with AE. CONCLUSIONS: In this exploratory assessment, multiple occupational exposures were associated with current eczema in middle-aged adults. Raising awareness and limiting these exposures during an individual's productive working life will likely have various health benefits, including reducing eczema prevalence.

Epidemiology of eczema in South-Eastern Australia.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Eczema is a common chronic debilitating skin condition in childhood. Data on the epidemiology and natural history of eczema across the life course are lacking. This analysis aimed to describe these epidemiological features in Australian children and adults. METHODS: Data collected on eczema from four Australian cohort studies were analysed: namely HealthNuts, Melbourne Atopic Cohort Study (MACS), Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS) and the Australian arm of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). RESULTS: Among children aged under 6 years, 28.8%-35.6% have ever-had eczema, and 16.7%-26.6% had 'current eczema'. Among those aged 6-12 years, 14.6%-24.7% had 'current eczema' with 12.0%-18.5% of those at ages of 6 and 10 years classified as having moderate-to-severe eczema according to the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. In adults, the prevalence of 'eczema ever' ranged between 13.8% and 48.4%. The 12-month period prevalence of eczema was 15.1% at age 18, while current eczema was 8.5% at an average age of 51, and 8.8% at an average age 53 years. Eczema was more common among young boys, but this difference became non-significant for older children and early adolescents. In contrast, eczema was more common for adult women than men. CONCLUSIONS: Eczema is common both in children and adults. The proportion of severe eczema in children was substantial.

MiRNAs in Hematopoiesis and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common kind of pediatric cancer. Although the cure rates in ALL have significantly increased in developed countries, still 15-20% of patients relapse, with even higher rates in developing countries. The role of non-coding RNA genes as microRNAs (miRNAs) has gained interest from researchers in regard to improving our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying ALL development, as well as identifying biomarkers with clinical relevance. Despite the wide heterogeneity reveled in miRNA studies in ALL, consistent findings give us confidence that miRNAs could be useful to discriminate between leukemia linages, immunophenotypes, molecular groups, high-risk-for-relapse groups, and poor/good responders to chemotherapy. For instance, miR-125b has been associated with prognosis and chemoresistance in ALL, miR-21 has an oncogenic role in lymphoid malignancies, and the miR-181 family can act either as a oncomiR or tumor suppressor in several hematological malignancies. However, few of these studies have explored the molecular interplay between miRNAs and their targeted genes. This review aims to state the different ways in which miRNAs could be involved in ALL and their clinical implications.