There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

http://www.klinikaikozpont.u-szeged.hu/pedia/images/pdf/CME_TEL/Full-Text/25.pdf

The Hallmarks of Aging

This study describes and validates a new method for metagenomic biomarker discovery by way of class comparison, tests of biological consistency and effect size estimation. This addresses the challenge of finding organisms, genes, or pathways that consistently explain the differences between two or more microbial communities, which is a central problem to the study of metagenomics. We extensively validate our method on several microbiomes and a convenient online interface for the method is provided at http://huttenhower.sph.harvard.edu/lefse/.

/pdf/metagenomic-biomarker-discovery-and-explanation-x530ilzkca.pdf

Metagenomic biomarker discovery and explanation

We have catalogued the protein kinase complement of the human genome (the "kinome") using public and proprietary genomic, complementary DNA, and expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences. This provides a starting point for comprehensive analysis of protein phosphorylation in normal and disease states, as well as a detailed view of the current state of human genome analysis through a focus on one large gene family. We identify 518 putative protein kinase genes, of which 71 have not previously been reported or described as kinases, and we extend or correct the protein sequences of 56 more kinases. New genes include members of well-studied families as well as previously unidentified families, some of which are conserved in model organisms. Classification and comparison with model organism kinomes identified orthologous groups and highlighted expansions specific to human and other lineages. We also identified 106 protein kinase pseudogenes. Chromosomal mapping revealed several small clusters of kinase genes and revealed that 244 kinases map to disease loci or cancer amplicons.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/298/5600/1912.full.pdf

The Protein Kinase Complement of the Human Genome

An expert panel was convened in October 2013 by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) to discuss the field of probiotics. It is now 13 years since the definition of probiotics and 12 years after guidelines were published for regulators, scientists and industry by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the WHO (FAO/WHO). The FAO/WHO definition of a probiotic--"live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host"--was reinforced as relevant and sufficiently accommodating for current and anticipated applications. However, inconsistencies between the FAO/WHO Expert Consultation Report and the FAO/WHO Guidelines were clarified to take into account advances in science and applications. A more precise use of the term 'probiotic' will be useful to guide clinicians and consumers in differentiating the diverse products on the market. This document represents the conclusions of the ISAPP consensus meeting on the appropriate use and scope of the term probiotic.

/pdf/expert-consensus-document-the-international-scientific-1zd5d1fmxy.pdf

Expert consensus document. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic

A multicentre analysis of Clostridium difficile in persons with Cystic Fibrosis demonstrates that carriage may be transient and highly variable with respect to strain and level.

Setback for systemic therapy of esophageal cancer: right concept, disappointing result.

Role of the CD45 (T-200) molecule in anti-CD3-triggered T cell-mediated cytotoxicity

maceuticals; and travel support for conference attendance from Janseen and Takeda pharmaceuticals. Dr V Jairath has received scientific advisory board fees from Abbvie, Sandoz, Ferring and Janssen; speaker's fees from Takeda and Ferring; and travel support for conference attendance from Vifor pharmaceuticals. Prof AL Hart has served as consultant, advisory board member or speaker for AbbVie, Atlantic, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Falk, Ferring, Janssen, MSD, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Pharmacosmos, Shire and Takeda. She also serves on the Global Steering Committee for Genentech. Prof JM Andrews has served as a speaker, a consultant and an advisory board member for Abbvie, Abbott, Allergan, Celgene and Ferring, Hospira, Janssen, Pfizer, MSD, Shire, Takeda, and has received research funding from Abbvie, Abbott, Ferring, Janssen, MSD, Shire andTakeda.

https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/apt.14230

Fergus Shanahan

Papers

A multicentre analysis of Clostridium difficile in persons with Cystic Fibrosis demonstrates that carriage may be transient and highly variable with respect to strain and level.

Setback for systemic therapy of esophageal cancer: right concept, disappointing result.

Role of the CD45 (T-200) molecule in anti-CD3-triggered T cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Editorial: probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease-wrong organisms, wrong disease, or flawed concepts?

An international survey of the use and attitudes regarding alternative medicine by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)