Future directions for pharmacotherapies for treatment-resistant bipolar disorder

Current pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorder (BD) are limited and efficacy has historically been discovered through serendipity. There is now scope for new drug development, focused on the underlying biology of BD that is not targeted by current therapies. The need for novel treatments is urgent when considering treatment resistant BD, where current therapies have failed. While established drugs targeting the monoamine systems continue to be worthwhile, new biological targets including inflammatory and oxidative an nitrosative pathways, apoptotic and neurotrophic pathways, mitochondrial pathways, the N-methyl-Daspartate (NMDA)-receptor complex, the purinergic system, neuropeptide system, cholinergic system and melatonin pathways are all being identified as potential anchors for the discovery of new agents. Many agents are experimental and efficacy data is limited, however further investigation may provide a new line for drug discovery, previously stalled by lack of corporate interest.

Psychological treatments for trichotillomania: update and future directions

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to provide an overview of evidence-based psychological treatments for trichotillomania. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in the understanding of the phenomenology of trichotillomania has led to the augmentation of behavioural treatments with dialectical behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Further studies of treatment component efficacy and cognitive behavioural models are required.

Translating research for evidence-based public health: key concepts and future directions

Applying research to guide evidence-based practice is an ongoing and significant challenge for public health. Developments in the emerging field of ‘translation’ have focused on different aspects of the problem, resulting in competing frameworks and terminology. In this paper the scope of ‘translation’ in public health is defined, and four related but conceptually different ‘translation processes’ that support evidence-based practice are outlined: (1) reviewing the transferability of evidence to new settings, (2) translation research, (3) knowledge translation, and (4) knowledge translation research. Finally, an integrated framework is presented to illustrate the relationship between these domains, and priority areas for further development and empirical research are identified.

Is low vitamin D status a risk factor for food allergy? Current evidence and future directions

Studies from several countries have reported an association between latitudes further from the equator and proxy markers of food allergy prevalence. As latitudes further from the equator are associated with lower sun exposure and vitamin D status (VDS), it has been proposed that low VDS may be a risk factor for food allergy. A range of basic science evidence supports the biological plausibility of this hypothesis; and recent work has identified a cross sectional association between low VDS and challenge proven food allergy in infants. Overall, however, the evidence regarding the relationship between VDS and food allergy remains controversial and the limited longitudinal data are discouraging. In this review we consider the evidence for and against low VDS as a risk factor for food allergy and discuss the possibility that other factors (including genetic variables) may contribute to the inconsistent nature of the available observational evidence. We then discuss whether genetic and/or environmental factors may modify the potential influence of VDS on food allergy risk. Finally, we argue that given the rising burden of food allergy, the balance of available evidence regarding the potential relevance of VDS to this phenomenon, and the inherent limitations of the existing observational data, there is a compelling case for conducting randomised clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of food allergy during early life.

Poverty and low income measurement in Canada: recent analyses and future directions

Includes bibliography

A hymenopterists' guide to the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology: utility, clarification, and future directions

Hymenoptera exhibit an incredible diversity of phenotypes, the result of similar to 240 million years of evolution and the primary subject of more than 250 years of research. Here we describe the history, development, and utility of the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology (HAO) and its associated applications. These resources are designed to facilitate accessible and extensible research on hymenopteran phenotypes. Outreach with the hymenopterist community is of utmost importance to the HAO project, and this paper is a direct response to questions that arose from project workshops. In a concerted attempt to surmount barriers of understanding, especially regarding the format, utility, and development of the HAO, we discuss the roles of homology, "preferred terms", and "structural equivalency". We also outline the use of Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) and posit that they are a key element necessary for increasing the objectivity and repeatability of science that references hymenopteran anatomy. Pragmatically, we detail a mechanism (the "URI table") by which authors can use URIs to link their published text to the HAO, and we describe an associated tool (the "Analyzer") to derive these tables. These tools, and others, are available through the HAO Portal website (http://portal.hymao.org). We conclude by discussing the future of the HAO with respect to digital publication, cross-taxon ontology alignment, the advent of semantic phenotypes, and community-based curation.

Src inhibitors in lung cancer: current status and future directions

Src tyrosine kinases regulate multiple genetic and signaling pathways involved in the proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, invasion, and migration of various types of cancer cells They are frequently expressed and activated in many cancer types, including lung cancer. Several Src inhibitors, including dasatinib, saracatinib, bosutinib, and KX2-391, are currently being investigated in clinical trials. Preliminary results of the use of single-agent Src inhibitors in unselected patients with lung cancer show that these inhibitors have a favorable safety profile and anticancer activity. Their combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy, other targeted therapy, and radiation therapy is currently being explored. In this review, we summarize the rationale for and the current status of Src inhibitor development and discuss future directions based on emerging preclinical data.

Is hatchery stocking a help or harm? Evidence, limitations and future directions in ecological and genetic surveys

Hatchery fish stocking for stock enhancement has been operated at a massive and global scale. However, the use of hatchery fish as a means of stock enhancement is highly controversial, and little is known about its effects on wild stock and consequences for stock enhancement. Here we review the scientific literature on this subject in order to address a fundamental - question is hatchery stocking a help or harm for wild stock and stock enhancement? We summarized 266 peer-reviewed papers that were published in the last 50 years, which describe empirical case studies on ecology and genetics of hatchery stocks and their effects on stock enhancement. Specifically, we asked whether hatchery stock and wild stock differed in fitness and the level of genetic variation, and whether stocking affected population abundance. Seventy studies contained comparisons between hatchery and wild stocks, out of which 23 studies showed significantly negative effects of hatchery rearing on the fitness of stocked fish, and 28 studies showed reduced genetic variation in hatchery populations. None of these studies suggested a positive genetic effect on the fitness of hatchery-reared individuals after release. These results suggest that negative effects of hatchery rearing are not just a concern but undeniably present in many aquaculture species. In a few cases, however, no obvious effect of hatchery rearing was observed, and a positive contribution of hatchery stock to the abundance of fish populations was indicated. These examples suggest that there is a chance to improve hatchery practices and mitigate the negative effects on wild stocks, although scientific data supporting the positive effect on stock enhancement are largely missing at this moment. Technically, microsatellite-based parentage assignments have been proven as a useful tool for the evaluation of reproductive fitness in natural settings, which is a key for stock enhancement by hatchery-based stocking. We discuss implications of these results, as well as their limitations and future directions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.