Category: Uncategorized

SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS AND RISING. "By the end of 2009, at least 25 studies reported surveys of college students’ rates of nonmedical stimulant use. Of the studies using relatively smaller samples, prevalence was, in chronological order, 16.6% (lifetime); 35.3% (past year;), 13.7% (lifetime;), 9.2% (lifetime;), and 55% (lifetime, fraternity students only." https://lnkd.in/deytSnW View in LinkedIn

WIDESPREAD USE. "Recreational Provigil user testimonials are all over the web. Not only are people able to work with little or no sleep, the drug has the advantage of spurring weight loss and some users report a general mood enhancing side effect. The U.S. military has also reportedly tested it on helicopter and F117 pilots to see if they remain effective for up to 88 hours without sleep." https://lnkd.in/di4Vpi8 View in LinkedIn

THE OUTLINES OF PATHWAYS. “That there were orphan receptors immediately suggested the existence of a host of previously unknown signaling pathways regulated by a myriad of undiscovered ligands.” https://lnkd.in/dXjCCgQ View in LinkedIn

CONSERVED AND LINEAGE-SPECIFIC. “Of further phylogenic significance, these orphan receptors were shown to be conserved throughout metazoan evolution, although it should be noted that nuclear receptors are absent in protozoans, fungi, and plants.” https://lnkd.in/dXjCCgQ View in LinkedIn

FUNCTIONS UNKNOWN. “Because the associated small-molecule ligands were unknown, they garnered the name “orphan” receptors.” https://lnkd.in/dXjCCgQ View in LinkedIn

OPPONENTS OF HUMAN AUGMENTATION are often quick to point out the dangers of military augmentation. While they have invested heavily in this technology and advanced the field, the downsides are obvious. Just as sex is supposed to have driven the internet, it could be said that the military applications drive augmentation. View in LinkedIn

SUPERFAMILIES EMERGE. “Perhaps the most revolutionary finding to come from the cloning of the first steroid receptors was the surprising discovery that dozens of other evolutionarily related proteins exist.” https://lnkd.in/dXjCCgQ View in LinkedIn

STIMULANTS. "A 2006 study based on a 2002 survey indicated that 7 million Americans have misused these medicines. So this is a long-standing problem." http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2012/06/10/the-questions-about-adhd-drugs-the-new-york-times-didnt-ask/#dddf7982f07a View in LinkedIn

GENE REGULATION. “As a result of this early work, transcriptional regulation by hormone-receptor complexes was shown to be a fundamental process embedded in the circuitry of extracellular signal transduction by lipophilic endocrine hormones and vitamins.” https://lnkd.in/dXjCCgQ View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this lovely 2014 review of the historical highpoints in nuclear receptor discoveries. Mostly driven by the development of powerful methods, including gene isolation and reverse transfection, these led the way to big concepts that allowed significant discoveries to be made by shining their light into the darkness of the cell. This story, especially the Endogenous opioid superfamily, is one of the most endearing histories in biochemistry. View in LinkedIn