Viewpoints:

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

Oonagh T. Lynch and Massimo Gadina

Ubiquitination for Activation: New Directions in the NF-B Roadmap
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 144-146. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Samuel H. Wilson and Kenneth Olden

The Environmental Genome Project: Phase I and Beyond
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 147-156. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is directing a bold initiative to assess the ways that genetic polymorphisms may influence individual susceptibility to environmental insults. Hundreds of genes have been selected as candidate determinants of morbidity, and sequence analyses, along with functional studies, are revealing how various polymorphisms affect human health. The genetic categorization of factors that regulate the interactions between the individual and the environment involves diverse biochemical and epidemiological approaches, technological and clinical advances, as well as ethical considerations. A vast database of genetic polymorphisms has already been compiled and will be expanded as the project proceeds.

Reginald F. Frye

Probing the World of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 157-162. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme family catalyzes the oxidative metabolism of numerous endogenous and foreign biotics and thus determines individual responsiveness to drugs. The clinical relevance of factors that influence CYP-mediated metabolism can be estimated through the in vivo use of "probe drugs" that are exclusively metabolized by an individual CYP enzyme. A cocktail strategy, in which selective combinations of probe drugs are used, can reduce the time and cost of clinical investigations into drug efficacy and interindividual variability in responsiveness. Significantly, this approach minimizes intraindividual variability by allowing a comprehensive evaluation to occur in a single day.

Ryan A. Adams, Melissa Passino, Benjamin D. Sachs, Tal Nuriel, and Katerina Akassoglou

Fibrin Mechanisms and Functions in Nervous System Pathology
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 163-176. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond their function as conduits for nutrient delivery throughout the brain, the cerebral vasculature provides guidance cues for axons during neurogenesis. In several brain pathologies, rupture of the vasculature allows blood proteins to enter the brain with subsequent edema and neuronal damage. Fibrin is an example of a blood-derived protein that accumulates in the brain after vascular disruption. The role of fibrin in human neuropathology, elucidated in part through animal models, is thus extended from that of a blood-clotting protein to that of a component of the perivascular extracellular matrix that regulates inflammatory and regenerative responses in the central nervous system.

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

Speaking of Pharmacology:

Marjorie A. Speers

For Getting New Drugs into Patients’ Hands, Human Research Accreditation Matters
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 136-138. [Full Text] [PDF]  

CrossTalk:

Interviews with people in the world of pharmacology

Sir James Black: Learning by Doing
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 139-142. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Christie Carrico

Is Timothy Leary Dead, or Is He Just Outside Looking In?
Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 178-179. [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. 2004 4: 177. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Mol. Interv. 2004 4: 184. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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