scholarly journals Find the Needle in the Haystack, Then Find It Again: Replication and Validation in the ‘Omics Era

Metabolites ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Perng ◽  
Stella Aslibekyan
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Biological Pathways ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Scientific Inference ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Holistic Assessment ◽  
Key Terms

Advancements in high-throughput technologies have made it feasible to study thousands of biological pathways simultaneously for a holistic assessment of health and disease risk via ‘omics platforms. A major challenge in ‘omics research revolves around the reproducibility of findings—a feat that hinges upon balancing false-positive associations with generalizability. Given the foundational role of reproducibility in scientific inference, replication and validation of ‘omics findings are cornerstones of this effort. In this narrative review, we define key terms relevant to replication and validation, present issues surrounding each concept with historical and contemporary examples from genomics (the most well-established and upstream ‘omics), discuss special issues and unique considerations for replication and validation in metabolomics (an emerging field and most downstream ‘omics for which best practices remain yet to be established), and make suggestions for future research leveraging multiple ‘omics datasets.

scholarly journals Role of Insulin in Health and Disease: An Update

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6403
Author(s):  
Md Saidur Rahman ◽  
Khandkar Shaharina Hossain ◽  
Sharnali Das ◽  
Sushmita Kundu ◽  
Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Signaling ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Blood Glucose Levels ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health And Disease

Insulin is a polypeptide hormone mainly secreted by β cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. The hormone potentially coordinates with glucagon to modulate blood glucose levels; insulin acts via an anabolic pathway, while glucagon performs catabolic functions. Insulin regulates glucose levels in the bloodstream and induces glucose storage in the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue, resulting in overall weight gain. The modulation of a wide range of physiological processes by insulin makes its synthesis and levels critical in the onset and progression of several chronic diseases. Although clinical and basic research has made significant progress in understanding the role of insulin in several pathophysiological processes, many aspects of these functions have yet to be elucidated. This review provides an update on insulin secretion and regulation, and its physiological roles and functions in different organs and cells, and implications to overall health. We cast light on recent advances in insulin-signaling targeted therapies, the protective effects of insulin signaling activators against disease, and recommendations and directions for future research.

scholarly journals The Lipocalin Apolipoprotein D Functional Portrait: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Sanchez ◽  
Maria D. Ganfornina
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Physiological Function ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Lipid Management ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Apolipoprotein D ◽  
Extracellular Structures ◽  
Cellular Compartments

Apolipoprotein D is a chordate gene early originated in the Lipocalin protein family. Among other features, regulation of its expression in a wide variety of disease conditions in humans, as apparently unrelated as neurodegeneration or breast cancer, have called for attention on this gene. Also, its presence in different tissues, from blood to brain, and different subcellular locations, from HDL lipoparticles to the interior of lysosomes or the surface of extracellular vesicles, poses an interesting challenge in deciphering its physiological function: Is ApoD a moonlighting protein, serving different roles in different cellular compartments, tissues, or organisms? Or does it have a unique biochemical mechanism of action that accounts for such apparently diverse roles in different physiological situations? To answer these questions, we have performed a systematic review of all primary publications where ApoD properties have been investigated in chordates. We conclude that ApoD ligand binding in the Lipocalin pocket, combined with an antioxidant activity performed at the rim of the pocket are properties sufficient to explain ApoD association with different lipid-based structures, where its physiological function is better described as lipid-management than by long-range lipid-transport. Controlling the redox state of these lipid structures in particular subcellular locations or extracellular structures, ApoD is able to modulate an enormous array of apparently diverse processes in the organism, both in health and disease. The new picture emerging from these data should help to put the physiological role of ApoD in new contexts and to inspire well-focused future research.

Future Research on the Role of the Mesentery in Health and Disease

2021 ◽  
pp. 507-512
Author(s):  
Eli D. Ehrenpreis ◽  
Steven D. Wexner ◽  
John C. Alverdy ◽  
David H. Kruchko
Keyword(s):  
Future Research ◽  
Health And Disease

Best Practices for Mentoring in Arts Entrepreneurship Education: Findings From a Delphi Study

2020 ◽  
pp. 251512742096412
Author(s):  
Josef Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Delphi Procedure ◽  
Mentoring Practice

Arts entrepreneurship education is a multifaceted endeavor encompassing a diversity of learning contexts, from collegiate lecture halls to close apprenticeships and one-on-one coaching. Although existing research explores best practices for the arts entrepreneurship classroom, relatively few studies have been undertaken to explore the role of mentoring in arts endeavoring, the effectiveness of mentoring as a targeted pedagogical approach, and how mentoring might complement or even conflict with the tenets of classroom-based arts entrepreneurship education. The purpose of this study was to build consensus among established arts entrepreneurship educators regarding optimal mentoring activities, outcomes, and competencies. Eleven experts in the field of arts entrepreneurship participated in a multiphase Delphi procedure to generate and subsequently evaluate approaches to, and outcomes and characteristics of, effective mentoring. The result is a set of 43 expert-approved recommendations that can inform mentoring practice immediately and provide a foundation for future research in this still-emerging area of inquiry.

scholarly journals Exploring the Role of Endothelial Cell Resilience in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunling Gao ◽  
Zorina S. Galis
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Disease Understanding

Traditionally, much research effort has been invested into focusing on disease, understanding pathogenic mechanisms, identifying risk factors, and developing effective treatments. A few recent studies unraveling the basis for absence of disease, including cardiovascular disease, despite existing risk factors, a phenomenon commonly known as resilience, are adding new knowledge and suggesting novel therapeutic approaches. Given the central role of endothelial function in cardiovascular health, we herein provide a number of considerations that warrant future research and considering a paradigm shift toward identifying the molecular underpinnings of endothelial resilience.

Later Life Outcomes, Turning Points, and Desistance

2019 ◽  
pp. 204-244
Author(s):  
David M. Day ◽  
Margit Wiesner
Keyword(s):  
Self Regulation ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Science Models ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Key Terms

Prior reviews of the criminal trajectory literature mostly excluded findings on the relation of criminal trajectory groups to later life outcomes, turning points, and desistance. To set the stage for the review of this literature, the chapter first draws on the broader literature to define key terms, such as desistance and turning points, and to describe influential theories of desistance from crime and empirical findings. It is argued that criminal trajectory research needs to better integrate with these independent strands of research to advance the understanding of desisting offender trajectory groups. The chapter also details how emerging, innovative methodological approaches for the examination of turning point effects can help strengthen future criminal trajectory research on these issues. Next, the findings of criminal trajectory studies on later life outcomes and desistance are reviewed. Future research needs are identified to move the field forward. Last, the chapter seeks to make the case for a programmatic agenda that ties criminal trajectory research to developmental science models of intentional self-regulation across the life span, such as tripartite Selection, Optimization, and Compensation theory from Paul Baltes, to help explore the role of human agency in the development of crime.

scholarly journals A Biobehavioral Perspective on Telomere Length and the Exposome

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra E. Lyon ◽  
Angela R. Starkweather ◽  
Alison Montpetit ◽  
Victoria Menzies ◽  
Nancy Jallo
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Gene Environment Interaction ◽  
Disease Occurrence ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Telomere Biology

A major objective of biobehavioral research is defining the mechanisms that underlie linkages among behavior, biology, health, and disease. The genomic revolution has demonstrated the importance of studying the role of the environment in (epi)genetic mechanisms. The idea that interactions between environment and genetics influence health outcomes is a central concept of the exposome, a measure of environmental exposures throughout a lifetime. Research suggests that telomere length (TL) and biologic factors involved in telomere stability may provide an understanding of the effects of gene–environment interaction on disease risk. Telomeres, thus, have become important biomarkers for aging as well as for stress-related disease. However, incorporating telomeres into biobehavioral research requires consideration of several aspects of the exposome. Internal and external modifiable and nonmodifiable exposures have the potential to influence TL. Future research utilizing the concept of the exposome will provide meaningful findings related to exposure sources as well as dosage and duration across the life span that influence telomere biology and disease occurrence. Such findings can be translated into clinical practice and may provide a basis for personalized disease prevention and treatment approaches.

Regulatory role of NGFs in neurocognitive functions

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 649-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashutosh Kumar ◽  
Vikas Pareek ◽  
Muneeb A. Faiq ◽  
Pavan Kumar ◽  
Khursheed Raza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Neurocognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Neurocognitive Functions ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Health And Disease

AbstractNerve growth factors (NGFs), especially the prototype NGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), have a diverse array of functions in the central nervous system through their peculiar set of receptors and intricate signaling. They are implicated not only in the development of the nervous system but also in regulation of neurocognitive functions like learning, memory, synaptic transmission, and plasticity. Evidence even suggests their role in continued neurogenesis and experience-dependent neural network remodeling in adult brain. They have also been associated extensively with brain disorders characterized by neurocognitive dysfunction. In the present article, we aimed to make an exhaustive review of literature to get a comprehensive view on the role of NGFs in neurocognitive functions in health and disease. Starting with historical perspective, distribution in adult brain, implied molecular mechanisms, and developmental basis, this article further provides a detailed account of NGFs’ role in specified neurocognitive functions. Furthermore, it discusses plausible NGF-based homeostatic and adaptation mechanisms operating in the pathogenesis of neurocognitive disorders and has presents a survey of such disorders. Finally, it elaborates on current evidence and future possibilities in therapeutic applications of NGFs with an emphasis on recent research updates in drug delivery mechanisms. Conclusive remarks of the article make a strong case for plausible role of NGFs in comprehensive regulation of the neurocognitive functions and pathogenesis of related disorders and advocate that future research should be directed to explore use of NGF-based mechanisms in the prevention of implicated diseases as well as to target these molecules pharmacologically.

Coaches’ Reflections of Using a Charity-Driven Framework to Foster Youth Athletes’ Psychosocial Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Corliss Bean ◽  
Carl Nienhuis ◽  
Jason Proulx ◽  
Tiara Cash ◽  
Lara Aknin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Psychosocial Development ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Semistructured Interview ◽  
Youth Athletes ◽  
Training Resources

When structured appropriately, sport can promote psychosocial development in youth athletes. However, few frameworks exist that allow coaches to intentionally support youth’s psychosocial development through their sport programming. The Play Better framework represents one intentional approach that incorporates prosocial behavior where youth earn donations toward charitable causes for reaching process-based goals. Given the potential benefit that explicit strategies have for yielding positive developmental outcomes, there is a need for research to explore the role of intentionality in enhancing quality sport delivery. The purpose of this study was to understand coaches’ perceptions of using the framework within their coaching practices. Twenty-three soccer coaches (83% male) participated in a one-on-one semistructured interview analyzed inductively. Results indicated that coaches perceived the Play Better framework to (a) help enact their coaching philosophies; (b) enable youth choice, while supporting sport-skill development and enjoyment; (c) facilitate intentional approaches to life skills development and transfer; and (d) foster professional and personal development. This research provides initial evidence of the benefit of using an intentional framework, like Play Better, for athletes and coaches. Future research is needed to understand athlete and parent perspectives of utilizing the framework. Findings help inform future coach training resources and best practices.

scholarly journals Population DNA methylation studies in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Felix ◽  
C. A. M. Cecil
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Developmental Origins ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Health And Disease

AbstractEpigenetic changes represent a potential mechanism underlying associations of early-life exposures and later life health outcomes. Population-based cohort studies starting in early life are an attractive framework to study the role of such changes. DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic mechanism in population research. We discuss the application of DNA methylation in early-life population studies, some recent findings, key challenges and recommendations for future research. Studies into DNA methylation within the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework generally either explore associations between prenatal exposures and offspring DNA methylation or associations between offspring DNA methylation in early life and later health outcomes. Only a few studies to date have integrated prospective exposure, epigenetic and phenotypic data in order to explicitly test the role of DNA methylation as a potential biological mediator of environmental effects on health outcomes. Population epigenetics is an emerging field which has challenges in terms of methodology and interpretation of the data. Key challenges include tissue specificity, cell type adjustment, issues of power and comparability of findings, genetic influences, and exploring causality and functional consequences. Ongoing studies are working on addressing these issues. Large collaborative efforts of prospective cohorts are emerging, with clear benefits in terms of optimizing power and use of resources, and in advancing methodology. In the future, multidisciplinary approaches, within and beyond longitudinal birth and preconception cohorts will advance this complex, but highly promising, the field of research.

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