Care.data: democracy and health experts respond to concerns over the privacy of NHS patient information

The planned NHS scheme in which patient’s medical records would be compiled into a national database for research purposes has been postponed, amid concerns that the project was communicated poorly to the public. In this post, we ask democracy and health experts to share the views on the value of the care.data scheme and the important safeguards around the privacy of personal information that need to be in place before any re-launch

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Recent Advances in the Treatment and Outcome of Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Objective: To compare the outcomes of treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer of the early era (1975-1990) with those of the late era (1991- 1997). Background Preoperative therapy has been used in locally advanced rectal cancer to preserve sphincter function, decrease local recurrence, and improve survival. At the University of Florida, preoperative radiation has been used since 1975, and it was combined with chemotherapy beginning in 1991. Methods: The records of 328 patients who underwent preoperative radiation or chemoradiation followed by complete resection for locally advanced rectal cancer defined as tethered, annular, or fixed tumors were reviewed. The clinicopathologic characteristics, adjuvant treatment administered, surgical procedures performed, and local recurrence-free and overall survival rates were analyzed. Results: There were 219 patients in the early era and 109 in the late era. No significant differences were seen in patients (age, gender, race) or tumor characteristics (mean distance from the anal verge, annularity, fixation). Preoperative radiation regimens were radiobiologically comparable. No patient in the early era received preoperative chemotherapy, compared with 64 in the late era. Of those receiving any pre- or postoperative chemotherapy, three patients received chemotherapy in the early era, compared with 76 in the late era. Sphincter- preserving procedures increased from 13% in the early era to 52% in the late era. Pathologic downstaging for depth of invasion increased from 42% to 58%, but lymph node negativity remained similar. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year local recurrence-free survival rates were comparable. However, in the late era, 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates improved significantly compared with those of the early era, and also compared with each of the preceding 5-year intervals. Conclusion: The addition of a chemotherapy regimen to preoperative radiation therapy improves survival over radiation therapy alone. Likewise, an improvement in downstaging is associated with an increase in sphincter- preserving procedures

New Contemporaries Moving Image 1968-2010

Produced to coincide with New Contemporaries' 65th anniversary, this compilation selected by world-renowned artists Ed Atkins, Harold Offeh and Catherine Yass, reveals the rich history of artists' moving image in New Contemporaries between 1968 and 2010. Includes Big Iron Door, Richard Squires. Published by LUX & New Contemporaries as 2 videodiscs