1 6254 121 THE MICROBIOME AND IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME - A REVIEW ON THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, CURRENT RESEARCH AND FUTURE THERAPY. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS A FUNCTIONAL DISORDER WHICH AFFECTS A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE POPULATION GLOBALLY. THE PRECISE ETIOLOGY OF IBS IS STILL UNKNOWN, ALTHOUGH CONSENSUS UNDERSTANDING PROPOSES IBS TO BE OF MULTIFACTORIAL ORIGIN WITH YET UNDEFINED SUBTYPES. GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS, STRESS-RELATED NERVOUS AND ENDOCRINE SYSTEMS, IMMUNE DYSREGULATION AND THE BRAIN-GUT AXIS SEEM TO BE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT PREDISPOSE INDIVIDUALS TO IBS. IN ADDITION TO FOOD HYPERSENSITIVITY, TOXINS AND ADVERSE LIFE EVENTS, CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOTA HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED TO TRIGGER IBS SYMPTOMS IN TANDEM WITH THE PREDISPOSING FACTORS. THIS REVIEW WILL SUMMARIZE THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF IBS AND THE ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN RELATION TO IBS. CURRENT METHODOLOGIES FOR MICROBIOME STUDIES IN IBS SUCH AS GENOME SEQUENCING, METAGENOMICS, CULTUROMICS AND ANIMAL MODELS WILL BE DISCUSSED. THE MYRIAD OF THERAPY OPTIONS SUCH AS IMMUNOGLOBULINS (IMMUNE-BASED THERAPY), PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS, DIETARY MODIFICATIONS INCLUDING FODMAP RESTRICTION DIET AND GLUTEN-FREE DIET, AS WELL AS FECAL TRANSPLANTATION WILL BE REVIEWED. FINALLY THIS REVIEW WILL HIGHLIGHT FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN IBS THERAPY RESEARCH, INCLUDING IDENTIFICATION OF NEW MOLECULAR TARGETS, APPLICATION OF 3-D GUT MODEL, GUT-ON-A-CHIP AND PERSONALIZED THERAPY. 2019 2 4909 25 PAIN AND STRESS IN A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE: RECIPROCAL NEURAL, ENDOCRINE, AND IMMUNE INTERACTIONS. THIS PAPER ADVANCES A PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS VIEW OF PAIN IN WHICH PHYSICAL INJURY, OR WOUNDING, GENERATES A COMPLEX STRESS RESPONSE THAT EXTENDS BEYOND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE EXPERIENCE OF PAIN. THROUGH A COMMON CHEMICAL LANGUAGE COMPRISING NEUROTRANSMITTERS, PEPTIDES, ENDOCANNABINOIDS, CYTOKINES, AND HORMONES, AN ENSEMBLE OF INTERDEPENDENT NERVOUS, ENDOCRINE, AND IMMUNE PROCESSES OPERATES IN CONCERT TO COPE WITH THE INJURY. THESE PROCESSES ACT AS A SINGLE AGENT AND COMPRISE A SUPERSYSTEM. ACUTE PAIN IN ITS MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS, AND THE RELATED SYMPTOMS THAT COMMONLY OCCUR WITH IT, ARE PRODUCTS OF THE SUPERSYSTEM. CHRONIC PAIN CAN DEVELOP AS A RESULT OF UNUSUAL STRESS. SOCIAL STRESSORS CAN COMPOUND THE STRESS RESULTING FROM A WOUND OR ACT ALONE TO DYSREGULATE THE SUPERSYSTEM. WHEN THE SUPERSYSTEM SUFFERS DYSREGULATION, HEALTH, FUNCTION, AND SENSE OF WELL-BEING SUFFER. SOME CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS ARE THE PRODUCT OF SUPERSYSTEM DYSREGULATION. INDIVIDUALS VARY AND ARE VULNERABLE TO DYSREGULATION AND DYSFUNCTION IN PARTICULAR ORGAN SYSTEMS DUE TO THE UNIQUE INTERACTIONS OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AS WELL AS THE PAST EXPERIENCES THAT CHARACTERIZE EACH PERSON. PERSPECTIVE: ACUTE TISSUE INJURY ACTIVATES AN ENSEMBLE OF INTERDEPENDENT NERVOUS, ENDOCRINE, AND IMMUNE PROCESSES THAT OPERATE IN CONCERT AND COMPRISE A SUPERSYSTEM. SOME CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS RESULT FROM SUPERSYSTEM DYSREGULATION. INDIVIDUALS VARY AND ARE VULNERABLE TO DYSREGULATION DUE TO THE UNIQUE INTERACTIONS OF GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND PAST EXPERIENCES THAT CHARACTERIZE EACH PERSON. THIS PERSPECTIVE CAN POTENTIALLY ASSIST CLINICIANS IN ASSESSING AND MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS. 2008 3 1200 33 CORTICOTROPIN RELEASING HORMONE AND IMAGING, RETHINKING THE STRESS AXIS. THE STRESS SYSTEM PROVIDES INTEGRATION OF BOTH NEUROCHEMICAL AND SOMATIC PHYSIOLOGIC FUNCTIONS WITHIN ORGANISMS AS AN ADAPTIVE MECHANISM TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT EVOLUTION. IN MAMMALS AND PRIMATES THE COMPLEXITY AND SOPHISTICATION OF THESE SYSTEMS HAVE SURPASSED OTHER SPECIES IN TRIAGING NEUROCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGIC SIGNALING TO MAXIMIZE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL. CORTICOTROPIN RELEASING HORMONE (CRH) AND ITS RELATED PEPTIDES AND RECEPTORS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES AND ARE FUNDAMENTAL MOLECULAR INITIATORS OF THE STRESS RESPONSE. THEY ARE CRUCIAL IN THE TOP DOWN REGULATORY CASCADE OVER A MYRIAD OF NEUROCHEMICAL, NEUROENDOCRINE AND SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM EVENTS. FROM NEUROSCIENCE, WE'VE SEEN THAT STRESS ACTIVATION IMPACTS BEHAVIOR, ENDOCRINE AND SOMATIC PHYSIOLOGY AND INFLUENCES NEUROCHEMICAL EVENTS THAT ONE CAN CAPTURE IN REAL TIME WITH CURRENT IMAGING TECHNOLOGIES. TO DELINEATE THESE EFFECTS ONE CAN DEMONSTRATE HOW THE CRH NEURONAL NETWORKS INFILTRATE CRITICAL COGNITIVE, EMOTIVE AND AUTONOMIC REGIONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) WITH SOMATIC EFFECTS. ABUNDANT PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES SHOW INTER-REGULATORY ACTIONS OF CRH WITH MULTIPLE NEUROTRANSMITTERS/PEPTIDES. STRESS, BOTH ACUTE AND CHRONIC HAS EPIGENETIC EFFECTS WHICH MAGNIFY GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITIES TO ALTER NEUROCHEMISTRY; STRESS SYSTEM ACTIVATION CAN ADD CRITICAL VARIABLES IN DESIGN AND INTERPRETATION OF BASIC AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE AND RELATED RESEARCH. THIS REVIEW WILL ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE SPECTRUM OF KNOWN FUNCTIONS AND SPECULATIVE ACTIONS OF CRH AND STRESS RESPONSES IN LIGHT OF IMAGING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS INTERPRETATION. METABOLIC AND NEURORECEPTOR POSITRON EMISSION/SINGLE PHOTON TOMOGRAPHY (PET/SPECT), FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (FMRI), ANATOMIC MRI, DIFFUSION TENSOR IMAGING (DTI), AND PROTON MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY (PMRS) ARE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN DELINEATE BASIC MECHANISMS OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY. STRESS MODULATES THE MYRIAD OF NEUROCHEMICAL AND NETWORKS WITHIN AND CONTROLLED THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ACTIVATION ON IMAGING WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED. 2015 4 6738 33 WHAT'S YOUR CUP OF TEA? THE ROLE OF HERBAL COMPOUNDS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC, INFLAMMATORY, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY A COMPLEX ETIOLOGY. EFFORTS TOWARDS THE MANAGEMENT OF MS HAVE LONG BEEN DIRECTED TOWARDS SYMPTOMATIC RELIEF, AS WELL AS THE USE OF IMMUNE-MODULATORY, DISEASE MODIFYING THERAPIES; HOWEVER, INCONSISTENT TREATMENT RESPONSES STILL PREVAIL, INCREASING THE RISK FOR DISEASE PROGRESSION. WHILE A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH ATTEMPTED TO UNRAVEL THE COMPLEXITY OF TREATMENT RESPONSES IN LIGHT OF EPIGENETIC VARIABILITY, PARALLEL EFFORTS IN THE DIRECTION OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE MAY BE AS PARAMOUNT. HERBAL COMPOUNDS HAVE LONG BEEN REGARDED AS SAFE AND VERSATILE OPTIONS FOR AIDING IN VARIOUS DISORDERS, INCLUDING NEURODEGENERATIVE CONDITIONS LIKE MS. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE TAKEN INTEREST IN A MYRIAD OF HERBAL PLANTS FOR THEIR POTENTIAL BENEFIT IN ALLEVIATING SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MS SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SPASTICITY AND FATIGUE, DELAYING THE PROGRESSION OF THE DISEASE, AS WELL AS INFLUENCING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MS PATIENTS. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF RECENT CLINICAL STUDIES EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS HERBAL PLANTS ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHED LIGHT ON AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR AIDING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS COMPLEX AND MULTIFACTORIAL DISEASE. 2023 5 1857 19 ELIMINATION OF PERSISTENT TOXICANTS FROM THE HUMAN BODY. THERE IS COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT VARIOUS CHEMICAL AGENTS ARE IMPORTANT DETERMINANTS OF MYRIAD HEALTH AFFLICTIONS--SEVERAL XENOBIOTICS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO DISRUPT REPRODUCTIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND NEUROLOGICAL PROCESSES AND SOME AGENTS IN COMMON USE HAVE CARCINOGENIC, EPIGENETIC, ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING, AND IMMUNE-ALTERING ACTION. SOME TOXICANTS APPEAR TO HAVE BIOLOGICAL EFFECT AT MINISCULE LEVELS AND CERTAIN CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS ARE PERSISTENT AND BIOACCUMULATIVE WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY. DESPITE ESCALATING PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES TO PRECLUDE FURTHER EXPOSURES, MANY PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD HAVE ALREADY ACCRUED A SIGNIFICANT BODY BURDEN OF TOXICANTS, PLACING THEM AT POTENTIAL HEALTH RISK. AS A RESULT, INCREASING DISCUSSION IS UNDERWAY ABOUT POSSIBLE INTERVENTIONS TO FACILITATE ELIMINATION OF PERSISTENT TOXICANTS FROM THE HUMAN ORGANISM IN ORDER TO OBVIATE HEALTH AFFLICTION AND TO POTENTIALLY AMELIORATE CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE ILLNESS. AN OVERVIEW OF THE CLINICAL ASPECTS OF DETOXIFICATION IS PRESENTED WITH DISCUSSION OF ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING INTERVENTIONS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF PERSISTENT XENOBIOTICS. POTENTIAL THERAPIES TO CIRCUMVENT ENTEROHEPATIC RECIRCULATION AND A CASE REPORT HIGHLIGHTING A CLINICAL OUTCOME ASSOCIATED WITH DETOXIFICATION ARE ALSO PRESENTED FOR CONSIDERATION. 2011 6 421 30 ANIMAL MODELS IN EPIGENETIC RESEARCH: INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE CONSIDERATIONS ACROSS THE LIFESPAN. THE RAPID EXPANSION AND EVOLUTION OF EPIGENETICS AS A CORE SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE HAVE RAISED NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW ENDOGENOUS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN INFORM THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH BIOLOGICAL FORM AND FUNCTION ARE REGULATED. EXISTING AND PROPOSED ANIMAL MODELS USED FOR EPIGENETIC RESEARCH HAVE TARGETED A MYRIAD OF HEALTH AND DISEASE ENDPOINTS THAT MAY BE ACUTE, CHRONIC, AND TRANSGENERATIONAL IN NATURE. INITIATING EVENTS AND OUTCOMES MAY EXTEND ACROSS THE ENTIRE LIFESPAN TO ELICIT UNANTICIPATED PHENOTYPES THAT ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN TO INSTITUTIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEES (IACUCS). THE DYNAMICS AND PLASTICITY OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PRODUCE EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES THAT ARE MANIFEST DIFFERENTIALLY WITHIN DISCREET SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CONTEXTS, INCLUDING PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT, STEM CELLS, ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES, PRODUCTION OF SEXUAL DIMORPHISMS, SENESCENCE, AND OTHERS. MANY DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITIES THROUGH ALTERED EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING. THE ENVIRONMENTAL, CHEMICAL, TOXIC, THERAPEUTIC, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS USED IN ANIMAL STUDIES TO ELICIT EPIGENETIC CHANGES CAN BECOME EXTREME AND SHOULD RAISE IACUC CONCERNS FOR THE WELL-BEING AND PROPER CARE OF ALL RESEARCH ANIMALS INVOLVED. EPIGENETICS RESEARCH IS RAPIDLY BECOMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SEARCH FOR MECHANISMS IN EVERY MAJOR AREA OF BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND WILL FOSTER THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ANIMAL MODELS. FROM THE IACUC PERSPECTIVE, CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTICULAR NEEDS AND CONCERNS CREATED BY SUPERIMPOSITION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OVER DIVERSE FIELDS OF INVESTIGATION TO ENSURE THE PROPER CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS WITHOUT IMPEDING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. 2012 7 2386 28 EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS IN STRESS-INDUCED BEHAVIOR. STRESS RESPONSE IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE ADAPTIVE VALUE FOR ORGANISMS FACED WITH STRESSFUL CONDITION. CHRONIC STRESS HOWEVER ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE PHYSIOLOGY AND MAY LEAD TO NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. REPEATED STRESSFUL EVENTS IN ANIMAL MODELS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE LONG-LASTING CHANGES IN NEURAL CIRCUITRIES AT MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL LEVEL, LEADING TO DISORDERS OF MOOD AS WELL AS COGNITION. MOLECULAR STUDIES IN RECENT YEARS HAVE IMPLICATED DIVERSE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, INCLUDING HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, DNA METHYLATION, AND NONCODING RNAS, THAT UNDERLIE DYSREGULATION OF GENES IN THE AFFECTED NEURAL CIRCUITRIES IN CHRONIC STRESS-INDUCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY. A REVIEW OF THE MYRIAD EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESPONSES IN ANIMAL MODELS OF STRESS-INDUCED NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IS PRESENTED HERE. THE REVIEW ALSO DEALS WITH CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF THE EPIGENETIC DYSREGULATION OF GENES IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS WHERE CHRONIC STRESS APPEARS TO UNDERLIE THE ETIOPATHOLOGY. 2014 8 3606 23 IMPROVING TREATMENT OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON PRECLINICAL STUDIES. INTRODUCTION: NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (NDDS) ARE COMMON AND SEVERELY DEBILITATING. THEIR CHRONIC NATURE AND RELIANCE ON BOTH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS MAKES STUDYING NDDS AND THEIR TREATMENT A CHALLENGING TASK. AREAS COVERED: HEREIN, THE AUTHORS DISCUSS THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF NDDS, AND PRESENT RECOMMENDATIONS ON THEIR TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND THERAPY, OUTLINED BY THE INTERNATIONAL STRESS AND BEHAVIOR SOCIETY. VARIOUS DRUGS CURRENTLY PRESCRIBED TO TREAT NDDS ALSO REPRESENT A HIGHLY DIVERSE GROUP. ACTING ON VARIOUS NEUROTRANSMITTER AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, THESE DRUGS OFTEN LACK SPECIFICITY OF ACTION, AND ARE COMMONLY USED TO TREAT MULTIPLE OTHER PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN RELATIVELY LITTLE PROGRESS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL MEDICATIONS TO TREAT NDDS. BASED ON CLINICAL, PRECLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MODELS OF NDDS, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS COVER A WIDE RANGE OF METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND CONCEPTUAL STRATEGIES. EXPERT OPINION: TO IMPROVE PHARMACOTHERAPY AND DRUG DISCOVERY FOR NDDS, WE NEED A STRONGER EMPHASIS ON TARGETING MULTIPLE ENDOPHENOTYPES, A BETTER DISSECTION OF GENETIC/EPIGENETIC FACTORS OR "HIDDEN HERITABILITY," AND A CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTAL/TROPHIC ROLES OF BRAIN NEUROTRANSMITTERS. THE VALIDITY OF ANIMAL NDD MODELS CAN BE IMPROVED THROUGH DISCOVERY OF NOVEL (BEHAVIORAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEUROIMAGING) BIOMARKERS, APPLYING PROPER ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT, WIDENING THE SPECTRUM OF MODEL ORGANISMS, TARGETING DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF NDD-RELATED BEHAVIORS AND COMORBID CONDITIONS BEYOND TRADITIONAL NDDS. WHILE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS CANNOT BE ADDRESSED ALL IN ONCE, OUR INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF NDD PATHOBIOLOGY MAY TRIGGER INNOVATIVE CROSS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH EXPANDING BEYOND TRADITIONAL METHODS AND CONCEPTS. 2016 9 6626 30 UNDERSTANDING RESILIENCE. RESILIENCE IS THE ABILITY TO ADAPT SUCCESSFULLY IN THE FACE OF STRESS AND ADVERSITY. STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS, TRAUMA, AND CHRONIC ADVERSITY CAN HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON BRAIN FUNCTION AND STRUCTURE, AND CAN RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), DEPRESSION AND OTHER PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. HOWEVER, MOST INDIVIDUALS DO NOT DEVELOP SUCH ILLNESSES AFTER EXPERIENCING STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS, AND ARE THUS THOUGHT TO BE RESILIENT. RESILIENCE AS SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION RELIES ON EFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND ULTIMATE RESISTANCE TO THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF STRESS, THEREFORE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTORS THAT PROMOTE SUCH EFFECTS IS OF GREAT RELEVANCE. THIS REVIEW FOCUSES ON RECENT FINDINGS REGARDING GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, DEVELOPMENTAL, PSYCHOSOCIAL, AND NEUROCHEMICAL FACTORS THAT ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESILIENCE. NEURAL CIRCUITS AND PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN MEDIATING RESILIENCE ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. THE GROWING UNDERSTANDING OF RESILIENCE FACTORS WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR ENHANCING RESILIENCE AND MITIGATING THE UNTOWARD CONSEQUENCES. 2013 10 6577 24 TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR COMPLEX BEHAVIORAL INSOMNIA IN CHILDREN WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES RECENT RESEARCH IN PEDIATRIC BEHAVIORAL INSOMNIAS IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AND THEIR TREATMENT. RECENT FINDINGS: INSOMNIA IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) AND OTHER NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (NDDS) IS TYPICALLY COMPLEX, CHRONIC, AND DIFFICULT TO ADEQUATELY CONTROL. ABNORMALITIES IN GENETIC AND/OR EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF SLEEP/WAKEFULNESS AND ITS TIMING PREDISPOSE PATIENTS WITH NDD TO INSOMNIA, ALTHOUGH POOR SLEEP HYGIENE, MALADAPTIVE ASSOCIATIONS, AND LIMIT-SETTING ARE LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE. PARENTS ARE AGENTS FOR CHANGE IN PROBLEMATIC SLEEP BEHAVIORS IN PATIENTS WITH NDD. WE REVIEW THE BENEFITS OF BEHAVIORAL THERAPIES AND MELATONIN TO TREAT SLEEP PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN WITH NDD. PROBLEMATIC SLEEP IS SO PREVALENT IN SOME NEURODEVELOPMENTAL SYNDROMES (RETT, ANGELMAN, WILLIAMS, AND SMITH-MAGENIS) THAT IT IS PART OF THEIR DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA. SUMMARY: CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS FREQUENTLY HAVE COMPLEX SLEEP DISORDERS THAT REQUIRE TREATMENT. UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC PATHOLOGY AND TREATMENT STRATEGIES PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE WELL BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THOSE AFFECTED BY NDD AND THEIR FAMILIES. 2013 11 2932 31 GENES AND EPIGENETIC PROCESSES AS PROSPECTIVE PAIN TARGETS. CHRONIC PAIN AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY ONE IN FIVE ADULTS, RESULTING IN A GREATLY REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING CO-MORBIDITIES SUCH AS DEPRESSION. AVAILABLE TREATMENTS OFTEN PROVIDE INADEQUATE PAIN RELIEF, BUT IT IS HOPED THAT THROUGH DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CHRONIC PAIN STATES WE CAN DISCOVER NEW AND IMPROVED THERAPIES. ALTHOUGH GENETIC RESEARCH HAS FLOURISHED OVER THE PAST DECADE AND HAS IDENTIFIED MANY KEY GENES IN PAIN PROCESSING, THE BUDDING FIELD OF EPIGENETICS PROMISES TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS AND A MORE DYNAMIC VIEW OF PAIN REGULATION. THIS REVIEW GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF BASIC MECHANISMS AND CURRENT THERAPIES TO TREAT PAIN, AND DISCUSSES THE CLINICAL AND PRECLINICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE CONTRIBUTION OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS, WITH A FOCUS ON HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN AFFECT DRUG DEVELOPMENT. 2013 12 4006 23 LOST AMONG THE TREES? THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND PAEDIATRICS. THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) HAS BEEN STRIKINGLY NEGLECTED IN WESTERN MEDICINE. DESPITE ITS PROFOUND IMPORTANCE FOR REGULATION, ADJUSTMENT AND COORDINATION OF BODY SYSTEMS, IT LACKS PRIORITY IN TRAINING AND PRACTICE AND RECEIVES SCANT ATTENTION IN NUMEROUS MAJOR TEXTBOOKS. THE ANS IS INTEGRAL TO MANIFESTATIONS OF ILLNESS, UNDERLYING FAMILIAR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS. WHEN ANS ACTIVITY IS ITSELF DYSFUNCTIONAL, USUAL INDICATORS OF ACUTE ILLNESS MAY PROVE DECEPTIVE. RECOGNISING THE RELEVANCE OF THE ANS CAN INVOLVE SEEING THE FAMILIAR THROUGH FRESH EYES, CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS IN CLINICAL ASSESSMENT AND IN APPROACHES TO PRACTICE. ITS IMPORTANCE EXTENDS FROM PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING TO PARENTING AND SAFEGUARDING, PUBLIC SERVICES AND THE FUNCTIONING OF SOCIETY. EXPLORATION OF ITS ROLE IN CONDITIONS RANGING FROM NEUROLOGICAL, GASTROINTESTINAL AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISORDERS, DIABETES AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, TO AUTISM, BEHAVIOURAL AND MENTAL HEALTH DIFFICULTIES MAY OPEN THERAPEUTIC AVENUES. THE ANS OFFERS A MECHANISM FOR SO-CALLED FUNCTIONAL ILLNESSES AND ILLUSTRATES THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOGNISING THAT 'STRESS' TAKES MANY FORMS, PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL, DESIRABLE AND OTHERWISE. EVIDENCE OF INTRAUTERINE AND POST-NATAL PROGRAMMING OF ANS REACTIVITY SUGGESTS THAT NEONATAL CARE AND SAFEGUARDING PRACTICE MAY OFFER PREVENTIVE OPPORTUNITY, AS MAY GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF EPIGENETIC CHANGE OF ANS ACTIVITY THROUGH, FOR EXAMPLE, ACCIDENTAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA OR INFECTION. THE AIM OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO ACCELERATE RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ANS THROUGHOUT PAEDIATRICS, AND OF THE POTENTIAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL COST OF NEGLECTING IT. 2014 13 105 44 A REVIEW OF MICROBIOTA AND IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: FUTURE IN THERAPIES. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENT DIGESTIVE DISORDERS, IS CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC AND RECURRENT ABDOMINAL PAIN AND ALTERED BOWEL HABIT. THE ORIGIN SEEMS TO BE MULTIFACTORIAL AND IS STILL NOT WELL DEFINED FOR THE DIFFERENT SUBTYPES. GENETIC, EPIGENETIC AND SEX-RELATED MODIFICATIONS OF THE FUNCTIONING OF THE NERVOUS AND IMMUNE-ENDOCRINE SUPERSYSTEMS AND REGULATION OF BRAIN-GUT PHYSIOLOGY AND BILE ACID PRODUCTION AND ABSORPTION ARE CERTAINLY INVOLVED. ACQUIRED PREDISPOSITION MAY ACT IN CONJUNCTION WITH INFECTIOUS, TOXIC, DIETARY AND LIFE EVENT-RELATED FACTORS TO ENHANCE EPITHELIAL PERMEABILITY AND ELICIT MUCOSAL MICROINFLAMMATION, IMMUNE ACTIVATION AND DYSBIOSIS. NOTABLY, STRONG EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE ROLE OF BACTERIAL, VIRAL AND PARASITIC INFECTIONS IN TRIGGERING IBS, AND TARGETING MICROBIOTA SEEMS PROMISING IN VIEW OF THE POSITIVE RESPONSE TO MICROBIOTA-RELATED THERAPIES IN SOME PATIENTS. HOWEVER, THE LACK OF HIGHLY PREDICTIVE DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS AND THE COMPLEXITY AND HETEROGENEITY OF IBS PATIENTS MAKE MANAGEMENT DIFFICULT AND UNSATISFACTORY IN MANY CASES, REDUCING PATIENT HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND INCREASING THE SANITARY BURDEN. THIS ARTICLE REVIEWS SPECIFIC ALTERATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS TARGETING THE GUT MICROBIOTA IN IBS, INCLUDING PREBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS, SYNBIOTICS, NON-ABSORBABLE ANTIBIOTICS, DIETS, FECAL TRANSPLANTATION AND OTHER POTENTIAL FUTURE APPROACHES USEFUL FOR THE DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF IBS. 2018 14 6792 21 [DOHAD AND EPIGENETIC INFORMATION: SOCIETAL CHALLENGES]. THE CONCEPT OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE (DOHAD) ALTERS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CONSTITUTES "HEALTH" OR "DISEASE" INTENDED AS CHRONIC, NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, WHICH DEVELOP OVER THE LIFE COURSE IN HIGH INCOME AND EMERGING COUNTRIES. IT IMPLIES A CHANGE IN PARADIGM FORMING A BASIS FOR PREVENTION POLICIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. IT ALSO IMPACTS PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, ETHICAL AND LEGAL SCIENCES. IN LINE WITH THE UNANTICIPATED UNDERPINNING EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE ALSO THE SOCIAL ISSUES (INCLUDING PUBLIC POLICIES) THAT COULD BE PRODUCED BY THE KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO DOHAD THAT OPENS A WIDE FIELD OF INQUIRY. THE INFORMATION UNVEILED BY EPIGENETICS COUPLED WITH INFORMATION ON LIFESTYLE INCLUDING DURING THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE, IS OF UNFORESEEN NATURE, RAISING ISSUES OF DIFFERENT NATURE. THEREFORE IT REQUIRES SPECIFIC ATTENTION AND RESEARCH, AND A SPECIFIC SUPPORT BY A PLURIDISCIPLINARY REFLECTION SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING OF ITS PRODUCTION, TO ANTICIPATE THE QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT BE RAISED IN THE FUTURE. 2016 15 29 32 A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL OVERVIEW OF THE OPIOID CRISIS: CONSIDERING NUTRITION AND GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH. THE OPIOID CRISIS HAS REACHED EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES WITH RISING OVERDOSE DEATH RATES. IDENTIFYING THE UNDERLYING FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO ADDICTION VULNERABILITY MAY LEAD TO MORE EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES. SUPPLY SIDE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ARE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING COMPONENT. PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS SUCH AS STRESS, TRAUMA, AND ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES HAVE BEEN LINKED TO EMOTIONAL PAIN LEADING TO SELF-MEDICATION. GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BRAIN REWARD PATHWAYS AND IMPULSIVITY ARE KNOWN PREDICTORS OF ADDICTION VULNERABILITY. THIS REVIEW ATTEMPTS TO PRESENT A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH THAT CONNECTS VARIOUS SOCIAL AND BIOLOGICAL THEORIES RELATED TO THE ADDICTION CRISIS. THE EMERGING ROLE OF NUTRITION THERAPY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH IN THE TREATMENT OF OPIOID USE DISORDER IS PRESENTED. THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL INTEGRATES CONCEPTS FROM SEVERAL DISCIPLINES, EMPHASIZING MULTICAUSALITY RATHER THAN A REDUCTIONIST APPROACH. POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS ARE PRESENTED, CONSIDERING INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS POPULATION HEALTH. THIS SINGLE COHESIVE FRAMEWORK IS BASED ON THE INTERDEPENDENCY OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, IDENTIFYING RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS THAT MAY INFLUENCE SUBSTANCE-SEEKING BEHAVIOR. NUTRITION SHOULD BE INCLUDED AS ONE FACET OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TOWARD IMPROVED RECOVERY OUTCOMES. CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS, NEW IDEAS, AND FISCAL RESOURCES WILL BE CRITICAL TO ADDRESS THE EPIDEMIC. 2019 16 6630 26 UNDERSTANDING THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN HEALTH DISPARITIES AND EPIGENOMICS. SOCIAL EPIGENOMICS HAS EMERGED AS AN INTEGRATIVE FIELD OF RESEARCH FOCUSED ON IDENTIFICATION OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, THEIR INFLUENCE ON HUMAN BIOLOGY THROUGH EPIGENOMIC MODIFICATIONS, AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTE TO CURRENT HEALTH DISPARITIES. SEVERAL HEALTH DISPARITIES STUDIES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED USING GENETIC-BASED APPROACHES; HOWEVER, INCREASING ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF MOLECULAR TECHNOLOGIES HAVE ALLOWED FOR AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF EXTERNAL FACTORS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS (E.G., DNA METHYLATION, MICRO-RNA EXPRESSION). CURRENTLY, RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS TARGETED EPIGENETIC THERAPIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL/SOCIAL STRATEGIES FOR POTENTIALLY MINIMIZING CERTAIN HEALTH DISPARITIES. HERE, WE WILL REVIEW RECENT FINDINGS IN THIS FIELD PERTAINING TO CONDITIONS AND DISEASES OVER LIFE SPAN ENCOMPASSING PRENATAL TO ADULT STAGES. 2020 17 2186 34 EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING PATHOBIOLOGY OF ALCOHOL USE DISORDER. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: CHRONIC ALCOHOL USE IS A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM WITH MULTIFACETED CONSEQUENCES INCLUDING MULTIPLYING MEDICAL COSTS AND SEQUELAE, SOCIETAL EFFECTS LIKE DRUNK DRIVING AND ASSAULT, AND LOST ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY. THESE LARGE-SCALE OUTCOMES ARE DRIVEN BY THE CONSUMPTION OF ETHANOL, A SMALL PERMEABLE MOLECULE THAT HAS MYRIAD EFFECTS IN THE HUMAN BODY, PARTICULARLY IN THE LIVER AND BRAIN. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HAVE SUMMARIZED EFFECTS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT MAY DRIVE PATHOBIOLOGY OF ALCOHOL USE DISORDER (AUD) WHILE IDENTIFYING AREAS OF NEED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. RECENT FINDINGS: EPIGENETICS HAS EMERGED AS AN INTERESTING FIELD OF BIOLOGY AT THE INTERSECTION OF GENETICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ETHANOL IN PARTICULAR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A POTENT MODULATOR OF THE EPIGENOME WITH VARIOUS EFFECTS ON DNA METHYLATION, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND NON-CODING RNAS. THESE CHANGES ALTER CHROMATIN DYNAMICS AND REGULATE GENE EXPRESSION THAT CONTRIBUTE TO BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CANCER PATHOLOGY. SUMMARY: EVIDENCE AND DISCUSSION PRESENTED HERE FROM PRECLINICAL RESULTS AND AVAILABLE TRANSLATIONAL STUDIES HAVE INCREASED OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. THESE STUDIES HAVE IDENTIFIED TARGETS THAT CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP BETTER THERAPIES TO REDUCE CHRONIC ALCOHOL ABUSE AND MITIGATE ITS SOCIETAL BURDEN AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY. 2020 18 2459 16 EPIGENETIC THERAPIES FOR NON-ONCOLOGY INDICATIONS. CHRONIC AND DEGENERATIVE DISORDERS ARE A MAJOR, AND GROWING, HUMAN HEALTH BURDEN, AND CURRENT TREATMENTS ARE IN MANY CASES INADEQUATE OR VERY EXPENSIVE. EPIGENETIC THERAPIES ARE ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS FOR TREATING SUCH DISORDERS BECAUSE THEY MANIPULATE THE PROCESSES THAT MAINTAIN CELLS IN AN ABNORMAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL STATE. THE CHALLENGES LIE IN IDENTIFYING THE MOST APPROPRIATE DISEASES AND THE ENZYMES THAT SHOULD BE TARGETED. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, FOCUSING PARTICULARLY ON CNS DISORDERS (ESPECIALLY MENTAL RETARDATION, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE, PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND DRUG ADDICTION), DIABETES AND DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS, AND AUTOIMMUNITY AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 2010 19 1670 21 DRAWING A LINE BETWEEN HISTONE DEMETHYLASE KDM5A AND KDM5B: THEIR ROLES IN DEVELOPMENT AND TUMORIGENESIS. DISTINCT EPIGENETIC MODIFIERS ENSURE COORDINATED CONTROL OVER GENES THAT GOVERN A MYRIAD OF CELLULAR PROCESSES. GROWING EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT DYNAMIC REGULATION OF HISTONE METHYLATION IS CRITICAL FOR ALMOST ALL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. NOTABLY, THE KDM5 SUBFAMILY OF HISTONE LYSINE-SPECIFIC DEMETHYLASES PLAYS ESSENTIAL ROLES IN THE PROPER DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION OF TISSUES, AND ABERRANT REGULATION OF KDM5 PROTEINS DURING DEVELOPMENT CAN LEAD TO CHRONIC DEVELOPMENTAL DEFECTS AND EVEN CANCER. IN THIS REVIEW, WE ADOPT A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE REGARDING THE CONTEXT-DEPENDENT ROLES OF KDM5A AND KDM5B IN DEVELOPMENT AND TUMORIGENESIS. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT THESE TWO PROTEINS SHOW A HIGH DEGREE OF SEQUENCE HOMOLOGY, WITH OVERLAPPING FUNCTIONS. HOWEVER, WE PROVIDE DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO THEIR SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY AND DISTINCTIVE FUNCTION IN GENE REGULATION THAT AT TIMES DIVERT FROM EACH OTHER. WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT BOTH THE POSSIBILITY OF TARGETING KDM5A AND KDM5B TO IMPROVE CANCER TREATMENT AND THE LIMITATIONS THAT MUST BE OVERCOME TO INCREASE THE EFFICACY OF CURRENT DRUGS. 2022 20 4914 30 PAIN VULNERABILITY: A NEUROBIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. THERE ARE MANY KNOWN RISK FACTORS FOR CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS, YET THE BIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS THAT LINK THESE FACTORS TO ABNORMAL PROCESSING OF PAINFUL SIGNALS ARE ONLY JUST BEGINNING TO BE EXPLORED. THIS REVIEW WILL DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO UNDERLIE VULNERABILITY AND RESILIENCE TOWARD DEVELOPING CHRONIC PAIN. PARTICULAR FOCUS WILL BE GIVEN TO GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PROCESSES, PRIMING EFFECTS ON A CELLULAR LEVEL, AND ALTERATIONS IN BRAIN NETWORKS CONCERNED WITH REWARD, MOTIVATION/LEARNING AND DESCENDING MODULATORY CONTROL. ALTHOUGH RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PAIN VULNERABILITY EMERGES HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HELP IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS AT RISK AND MAY OPEN UP NEW THERAPEUTIC AVENUES. 2014