Articles in 2010

Sometimes the retraction of a paper can be as noteworthy as the publication of one. Here we list some of the take-backs of 2010 that left the biomedical community most taken aback.

We look back on some of the key insights into biomedicine published this year.

The recent global campaign launched against a select number of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is a welcome development. But we should be as careful about measuring progress toward the control or elimination of these diseases as we are about choosing which ones to target.

Here's the skinny on the weight loss drugs that disappointed, the hepatitis drugs that matched the hype and others as we look back on the major headlines relating to medications in 2010.

The chromatin remodeling complex SWI-SNF is altered in cancer. New findings now show that the core component SNF5 can block a Hedgehog (Hh) effector, which promotes malignant rhabdoid tumor growth when SNF5 is lost (pages 1429–1433). Targeting this Hh effector may be a way to combat these aggressive childhood tumors.

The interaction between two proteins associated with a glutamate receptor can drive neuronal death mediated through this receptor after stroke. A small molecule, designed to specifically disrupt this deadly interaction, protects the brain in mice and rats against neuronal damage without undesirable side effects (pages 1439–1443).

Budget crises are forcing many countries to make unprecedented spending cuts. Scientists must engage with their governments to protect funding for science.

Postoperative ileus complicates the recovery from intestinal surgery with a great economic burden. How this morbid condition spreads throughout the entire gut remains unknown, but new findings show that a T helper type 1 (T_H1)-mediated immune response is involved. Its components may be possible therapeutic targets (pages 1407–1413).

Understanding how the complex molecular mechanisms of the brain can be blighted, and what their role is in neurological disorders, can be an intricate task. The basis of mood alterations and how humans react to a damaged or altered brain circuit can provide clues for new therapies to target the root of these neurological glitches. In 'Bedside to Bench', Daniel Weinberger and Caroline Zink discuss how people with anorexia nervosa showed a connection between self starvation and motivational value—an opposite perspective to the traditional idea linking the absence of joy to the symptoms of this disorder and a new paradigm for developing the appropriate treatments. In 'Bench to Bedside', Dennis Charney and James Murrough peruse how the antidepressant action of ketamine in rats—a neurotrophic effect—can explain the rapid reduction in depression observed in the clinic with this drug. The receptors and signaling cascades involved may be used to develop therapies that may further enhance this rapid beneficial effect.

In July, the global health financing mechanism UNITAID established an intellectual property–sharing scheme focused on scaling up access to new and lower-priced antiretroviral drugs in the developing world. Ellen 't Hoen, a lawyer who became executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) last month, spoke with Asher Mullard about the challenges of encouraging companies to share their intellectual property in a normally guarded sector.