14 research outputs found
Modeling psychiatric disorders: from genomic findings to cellular phenotypes
Major programs in psychiatric genetics have identified 4150 risk loci for psychiatric disorders. These loci converge on a small
number of functional pathways, which span conventional diagnostic criteria, suggesting a partly common biology underlying
schizophrenia, autism and other psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, the cellular phenotypes that capture the fundamental features
of psychiatric disorders have not yet been determined. Recent advances in genetics and stem cell biology offer new prospects for
cell-based modeling of psychiatric disorders. The advent of cell reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) provides
an opportunity to translate genetic findings into patient-specific in vitro models. iPSC technology is less than a decade old but holds
great promise for bridging the gaps between patients, genetics and biology. Despite many obvious advantages, iPSC studies still
present multiple challenges. In this expert review, we critically review the challenges for modeling of psychiatric disorders, potential
solutions and how iPSC technology can be used to develop an analytical framework for the evaluation and therapeutic
manipulation of fundamental disease processes
Effects of prolonged consumption of water with elevated nitrate levels on certain metabolic parameters of dairy cattle and use of clinoptilolite for their amelioration
Changes in rumen bacterial community composition in steers in response to dietary nitrate
Does Dietary Mitigation of Enteric Methane Production Affect Rumen Function and Animal Productivity in Dairy Cows?
Lack of Association between Methionine Synthase A2756G Polymorphism and Digestive System Cancer Risk: Evidence from 39327 Subjects
Factors associated with stunting in healthy children aged 5 years and less living in Bangui (RCA)
Leptin: a review of its peripheral actions and interactions
Following the discovery of leptin in 1994, the scientific and clinical communities have held great hope that manipulation of the leptin axis may lead to the successful treatment of obesity. This hope is not yet dashed; however the role of the leptin axis is now being shown to be ever more complex than was first envisaged. It is now well established that leptin interacts with pathways in the central nervous system and through direct peripheral mechanisms. In this review, we consider the tissues in which leptin is synthesized and the mechanisms which mediate leptin synthesis, the structure of leptin and the knowledge gained from cloning leptin genes in aiding our understanding of the role of leptin in the periphery. The discoveries of expression of leptin receptor isotypes in a wide range of tissues in the body have encouraged investigation of leptin interactions in the periphery. Many of these interactions appear to be direct, however many are also centrally mediated. Discovery of the relative importance of the centrally mediated and peripheral interactions of leptin under different physiological states and the variations between species is beginning to show the complexity of the leptin axis. Leptin appears to have a range of roles as a growth factor in a range of cell types: as be a mediator of energy expenditure; as a permissive factor for puberty; as a signal of metabolic status and modulation between the foetus and the maternal metabolism; and perhaps importantly in all of these interactions, to also interact with other hormonal mediators and regulators of energy status and metabolism such as insulin, glucagon, the insulin-like growth factors, growth hormone and glucocorticoids. Surely, more interactions are yet to be discovered. Leptin appears to act as an endocrine and a paracrine factor and perhaps also as an autocrine factor. Although the complexity of the leptin axis indicates that it is unlikely that effective treatments for obesity will be simply derived, our improving knowledge and understanding of these complex interactions may point the way to the underlying physiology which predisposes some individuals to apparently unregulated weight gain