A long and winding road for genomic disorders

In a recent article published in Genome Medicine, Section Editor James R Lupski reports on the progress in our understanding of genomic disorders over the past 10 years.

The article ‘Genomic disorders ten years on’ chronicles the discovery of structural variation in the human genome and the great progress that the last decade has seen in terms of our understanding of such structural variation and its role in genomic disorders.

Author Dr Lupski, who is based at the Baylor College of Medicine, discusses how the field has overcome many challenges on both a technological and a conceptual level, and highlights how the advances in our understanding of the factors underlying such structural changes are paralleled only by the improvements in the technology used to identify, or rather discover, structural modification.

The journey in genomic disorder research is only just beginning though, as investigators are now able to use identified mechanisms, including those of rearrangement or break-induced replication, to further elucidate the effects of genomic rearrangements and structural variation in a clinical context. Overall, Dr Lupski stresses the importance of appreciating the role of copy number variation in the human genome, and comments on directions for future research.

Genome Medicine, BioMed Central’s premier medical journal, stands at the forefront of research and clinical practice in the post-genomic era. The journal is led by six Section Editors and is supported by a world renowned Editorial Board.

We welcome cutting-edge genomic and post-genomic research reporting findings that significantly advance our understanding and management of human health and disease.

Keep abreast of recent developments in these exciting times: register for article updates and submit your next manuscript of outstanding research to Genome Medicine.


Jasmine Farsarakis
Commissioning and Development Editor, Genome Medicine

Posted by Nicole Nogoy at 16:48    Comments (0)

 

BMC Medicine at the 2009 congress for the American Academy of Neurology

The BMC Medicine Editorial team recently had the pleasure of attending the annual congress for the American Academy of Neurology, held in Seattle, USA from April 27- May 1st, 2009.  One of the largest conferences in neurology, AAN hosts more than 10 000 delegates from around the world with an intellectually stimulating program of more than 75 scientific sessions and over 1500 posters covering current research in clinical and translational neurology.

We were able to meet up with members of the Editorial Board for both BMC Medicine and BMC Neurology to discuss the progress of both journals, as well as future developments.  We had the pleasure of meeting both established and new BMC Medicine Editorial Board members, including Paul Aisen, a recent addition to the board and author of our inaugural minireview.

If you are interested in clinical and translation medical research, why not sign up for article alerts for BMC Medicine?  In addition, BMC Medicine welcomes submissions of original research that are suited to our scope. To be appropriate for BMC Medicine, articles need to be of outstanding quality, broad interest and special importance.
 
Our next conference attendance will be at the National Cancer Research Institute conference (NCRI) October 4-7, 2009 in Birmingham UK.  We hope to be able to see you there!

Posted by Robin Cassady-Cain at 16:15    Comments (0)

 

Only 10 days left to submit abstracts for Frontiers of Retrovirology

Taking place in Montpellier in the south of France, Frontiers of Retrovirology is a one-of-a-kind conference that brings together retroelement and complex retrovirus researchers from around the globe.

There are now only 10 days left to submit abstracts.

A significant number of platform presentations will be selected from submitting registrants.

Internationally renowned speakers will present their insights into the principles guiding the life cycle of endogenous retroelements, complex human retroviruses, and their pathogenic interactions with the hosts.

To register for this unique and timely meeting (before space is filled), to submit your abstract, and to see the programme, please visit:

www.frontiersofretrovirology.com

 

Posted by Matthew McKay at 12:03    Comments (0)

 

BMC Women’s Health publishes over 100 articles

BMC Women’s Health is proud to announce that it has reached and surpassed its 100^th article milestone. The journal, launched in 2001, continues to steadily attract submissions, and publications have risen by 50% in the last three years.

The journal has published a number of high quality articles. A recent one to highlight is ‘Help-seeking behaviors for female sexual dysfunction: a cross sectional study from Iran’ by Dr Mariam Vahdaninia and colleagues which reports that, despite a high prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in Iran, many women do not seek assistance for their problem. This research indicates that there is a need to address the issue at both local and national primary health care services so as to improve women’s quality of life in this regard. The article has already been accessed over 325 times since its publication in February.

BMC Women’s Health would like to extend its thanks to Dr Vahdaninia and colleagues for their contribution to the journal. This is Prof Montazeri’s 22^nd publication in journals within the BMC series. We are also particularly grateful to Prof Montazeri for his involvement as an Associate Editor and Editorial Advisor for BMC Research Notes, an important and innovative journal that provides a home for all scientifically sound material otherwise lacking a suitable outlet.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all authors, reviewers and committed Editorial Board Members who have been involved in the successful growth of BMC Women’s Health over the last few years. Our Editorial Board has played a significant role in developing the journal by investing their time and efforts on providing their expert advice and assisting with various activities such as the recent update of the journal’s scope.

We have recently begun commissioning some short Commentary articles for the journal, written by experts within the field and focusing on important and topical subject areas. The two commissioned Commentaries published so far, ‘New paradigms in cervical cancer prevention: opportunities and risks’ and ‘Advances in hormone replacement therapy: making the menopause manageable’, have been very well received and have both been flagged as “Highly Accessed”.

If you are a researcher with an interest in the health and healthcare of adolescent girls and women, we'd like to invite you to submit your next research article to the journal. If you have any questions about BMC Women’s Health or if you would like to be involved in the journal as an author, reviewer or Associate Editor, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Natalie Pafitis
Senior Scientific Editor, BMC-series journals

Posted by Natalie Pafitis at 17:30    Comments (0)

 

Swine flu and pandemics – new editorial published in Critical Care

Cases of the influenza A(H1N1) virus, known commonly as swine flu, continue to be recorded on a daily basis to the understandable unease of the general population. A brief guide to the transmission of the disease and what we may expect to see is the subject of a timely new editorial published in Critical Care by Research Editor Dr Steven Opal, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, USA.

Editorial    
Swine flu, pandemics, and critical care
Steven M Opal
Critical Care 2009, 13:146 (15 May 2009)

The possibility of a flu pandemic is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, a review article published in Critical Care last June describes the responsibility placed on healthcare professionals to ensure that they are well equipped to deal with future pandemics.

The populations of the countries affected by the current epidemic will be challenged in the months to come, but Dr Opal assuages some potential concerns by placing swine flu in context with previous epidemics, and discussing the resources now available to help manage an imminent pandemic.

Editorials published in Critical Care are free to read. All research articles are open access.

Surayya Johar
In-house Editor - Critical Care

Posted by Iain Hrynaszkiewicz at 11:05    Comments (0)

 

Editor-in-Chief of Retrovirology to receive Woodrow Wilson Award

Retrovirology Editor-in-Chief, Dr Kuan-Teh Jeang has been selected to receive the  Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association's Woodrow Wilson Award 2009 early next month, recognising his valuable contribution to the fields of molecular virology and biology. The Woodrow Wilson Award for Distinguished Government Service honours alumni who have brought credit to the University by their current or recently concluded distinguished public service as elected or appointed officials.  Previously winners of the Woodrow Wilson Award have included the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the former director of the US National Institutes of Health Elias Zerhouni, and the current US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner.

 

Since 1985, Dr Jeang has been at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA).  He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, which have been cited over 11,500 times. Dr. Jeang is the president-elect of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA), a recent councillor of the ASBMB, an Academician of Academia Sinica, and an elected fellow of the AAAS, the ASCI and the AAP.  His research interests focus on the gene regulation of HIV and how HTLV-1 causes leukemia. In 2004, he and several colleagues founded Retrovirology.

 

In conjunction with BioMed Central, Dr Jeang is coordinating the upcoming conference, Frontiers of Retrovirology - complex retroviruses, retroelements and their hosts. The conference, which will be held in Montpellier, France in late September, aims to bring together leading human retrovirus researchers to review current progress and to chart future challenges. Frontiers of Retrovirology will feature internationally renowned speakers, including Dr Robert Gallo, the co-discoverer of the HIV virus.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 14:49    Comments (0)

 

Visit BioMed Central in Kyoto at the APCC

BioMed Central will be exhibiting at the forthcoming 17^th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology, which is being held in Kyoto from 20^th-23^rd May. If you are attending please do drop by our stand so that we can introduce you to our portfolio of cardiology journals which include BMC Cardiovascular Medicine and Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

I look forwards to meeting you at the APCC.

Charlotte Hubbard

Journal Development Editor

Posted by Charlotte Hubbard at 10:26    Comments (0)

 

Global research initiative points way to cut stillbirths

A first-ever global review examining measures to prevent over 3.2 million stillbirths worldwide was published in a BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth supplement today.

 

Stillbirths are still underreported and largely absent from data records and national policy-making. The supplement, entitled Stillbirths – the global picture and evidence-based solutions, provides an in-depth analysis of the burden and evidence base for potential interventions to avert stillbirths, especially in low-income countries.

 

The supplement, funded by Save the Children through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, consists of six articles and a commentary.

 

Paper 1 addresses the global burden, the epidemiology, risk factors and the causes of stillbirths and lays down the methodology and framework for this worldwide review. Papers 2 and 3 cover the behavioural and medical interventions used before and during pregnancy, which include interventions targeted at medical conditions and infections in the mother. Paper 4 focuses on screening and monitoring interventions during pregnancy and labour, including ultrasound and Doppler studies, managing maternal diabetes, and partographs and cardiotocography, among others. Paper 5 deals with the evidence of interventions during labour, while Paper 6 examines health system solutions, including training health workers in facilities and also at community level to improve care during pregnancy and childbirth.

 

This collaborative research initiative was led by Professor Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Head, Division of Maternal and Child Health (Aga Khan University), with Drs. Gary L. Darmstadt and Rachel Haws from Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Joy E. Lawn of Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives division.

 

Commenting on the supplement, BioMed Central’s Editorial Director (Medicine), Dr Melissa Norton said, “BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth is proud to publish these in-depth reviews as an important first step in tackling the problem of stillbirths, especially in relation to low-income countries. The articles address the scale of the issue and discuss possible solutions to be taken forward.  We look forward to the impact they will have on public health worldwide.”

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 12:40    Comments (0)

 

Molecular Autism: now accepting submissions

Molecular Autism, a new journal published by BioMed Central, is now accepting submissions.

Molecular Autism aims to be the major forum for research into the molecular basis of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. The journal will focus on research that relates causal and risk factors with these conditions, leading to model systems and novel therapeutics. This will include studies of genetics, neuropathology, neuroimaging, biomarkers, and molecular neurobiology.

The primary focus is on conditions in the autism spectrum (including Asperger syndrome), but the scope also encompasses molecular research into related neurodevelopmental conditions such as specific language impairment, dyspraxia, and specific or general developmental delays; and into related medical syndromes such as fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and Rett syndrome.

Molecular Autism is edited by Professors Joseph D Buxbaum (Mount Sinai School of Medicine) and Simon Baron-Cohen (University of Cambridge) and supported by an expert international Editorial Board.

For more details on Molecular Autism, please see the journal’s information pages, or contact the editorial office. To keep up to date with new developments and to receive a copy of the print preview of our inaugural issue, simply register your email address on the website.

Submit your next piece of research to Molecular Autism now to ensure the high visibility of your work and benefit from no limits on word count or colour figures, rapid, high quality peer review and immediate publication on acceptance.

Victoria Thompson
Assistant Journal Development Editor

Posted by Iain Hrynaszkiewicz at 10:29    Comments (0)

 

Research Councils UK planning to increase support for open access

Research Councils UK, the organization responsible for the major share of public funding for scientific research in the UK, has just published the results of an independent study that it commissioned to look at the impact of the open access policies which were introduced by individual Research Councils in 2006, and  more generally to examine the impact of open access journals and open access repositories on the traditional scholarly publishing system.

Based on the results of the study, the announcement noted that the Chief Executives of the Research Councils "have agreed that over time the UK Research Councils will support increased open access, by:

• building on their mandates on grant-holders to deposit research papers in suitable repositories within an agreed time period, and;
• extending their support for publishing in open access journals, including through the pay-to-publish model."

This news from RCUK follows a similarly positive joint report from the UK Research Information Network and Universities UK, which encouraged research institutions and funders to work together to develop a coordinated approach to the funding of open access publication costs.

BioMed Central has published a series of case studies showing how research institutions are  adapting their funding structures to support an open model for scholarly communication with the creation of central open access funds. Recent additions to the series include case studies on the University of Calgary and the Max Planck Society.

Posted by Charlotte Webber at 08:52    Comments (0)