Viewpoints:

Dispatches from the Frontlines of Research - edited by John W. Nelson

Carolyn A. Worby and Jack E. Dixon

Phosphoinositide Phosphatases: Emerging Roles As Voltage Sensors?
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 274-277. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Mark P. Mattson and Marc Gleichmann

The Neuronal Death Protein Par-4 Mediates Dopaminergic Synaptic Plasticity
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 278-281. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Keith J. Miller

SEROTONIN 5-HT_2C RECEPTOR AGONISTS: POTENTIAL FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 282-291. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

By the mid to late 1990s, the anorectic drug fenfluramine was prescribed to millions of patients annually, until the FDA announced withdrawal of the drug in 1997. Today, the epidemic of obesity calls ever more compellingly for new pharmacological therapeutics. But will it be possible to activate serotoninergic signaling in the brain (as did fenfluramine) without compromising cardiovascular health (as did fenfluramine)? One possibility for the selective targeting of obesity may be the serotonin 5-HT_2C receptor, which appears to be associated with the signaling of satiety in energy-regulating centers in the brain. There are indications that selective activation of serotonin receptor subtypes may be possible, albeit difficult, and a variety compounds are under investigation in an effort to do so in the clinic.

Alicia M. Celotto and Michael J. Palladino

Drosophila: A "Model" Model System To Study Neurodegeneration
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 292-303. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Progressive neurodegenerative diseases are devastating conditions with a generally poor prognosis. Research in this field is exceptionally challenging, owing to the inherent complexity of the nervous system and the progressive nature of these diseases. Drosophila neurodegenerative mutants and transgenic flies recapitulate many key features of these diseases in vivo, including neural dysfunction and progressive neural cell loss. The authors summarize recent advances in our understanding of neurodegenerative disease mechanisms using the fly model and discuss the advantages and limitations of this system.

Stephen J. Peroutka

NEUROGENIC INFLAMMATION AND MIGRAINE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE THERAPEUTICS
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 304-311. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Migraine affects approximately eleven percent of adult populations in western countries. Unfortunately, our understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie migraine continues to be incomplete, and in some cases, our mis-understanding of migraine may have distracted attempts to establish effective pharmacological therapies. Neurogenic inflammation has been a prime suspect in etiological investigations of migraine for decades, but it now appears that only some of the multiple signaling pathways that contribute to neurogenic inflammation are relevant to migraine. Experimental models of migraine must thus be chosen with care, as the success of therapeutic strategies may depend on targeting discrete aspects of neurogenic inflammation.

D E P A R T M E N T S:

Speaking of Pharmacology:

John S. Lazo

Editorial
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 257. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Samuel H. Wilson and William A. Suk

Framework For Environmental Exposure Research: The Disease-First Approach
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 262-267. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Reflections:

Science in the cultural context

Stanley Scheindlin

Antimalarials: Shortages and Searches
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 268-272. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Nascent Transcripts:

Nascent Transcripts
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 273. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Christie Carrico

A Lot to Swallow
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 312-313. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Net Results:

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web—edited by Rick Neubig and David Roman
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 314. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Outliers
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 320. [Full Text] [PDF]  

To see an article, click its [Full Text] link. To review many summaries, check the boxes to the left of the titles you want, and click the 'Get All Checked Summary(s)' button. To see one summary at a time, click its [Summary] link.