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

Reproductive Status of Cytotypes within the Simulium arcticum Complex at Rock Creek, Missoula Co., MT 3/14/06

This two year study was an in depth cytogenetic analysis of the IIL-9 and IIL-19 cytotypes of the Simulium arcticum complex from a March 14, 2006 collection at Rock Creek, Missoula Co., MT to assess reproductive status. In this research, conventional methods of collection, morphological classification, and chromosomal preparation and analysis were used. The reproductive status of the two cytotypes was examined using the autosomal polymorphisms IS-1 (Figure 2) and IL-1 (Figure 3), which occurred in sufficient abundance to estimate equilibrium frequencies within the 3/14/06 sample. I hypothesized that these two divergent cytotypes, IIL-9 and IIL-19 (Figure 1), would exhibit a lesser degree of reproductive isolation than previously established cytospecies. Frequencies of the IS-1 and IL-1 autosomal polymorphisms were calculated for the IIL-9 and IIL-19 cytotypes and were compared to the equilibrium values using a Chi square analysis. The statistical analysis of the material revealed the IIL-9 and IIL-19 cytotypes to be in equilibrium at Rock Creek on 3/14/06. This would suggest that these two cytotypes are indeed not reproductively isolated from one another based on random sharing of autosomal inversions. The limited geographic distribution of the IIL-9 and IIL 19 cytotypes suggests that they may be evolutionarily young. This information coupled with the fact that they are in equilibrium at Rock Creek supports the S. arcticum Geographic Distribution/Taxon Age Continuum of Shields (2006)

A residents\u27 training program for the development of smoking intervention skills

This article describes the results of a three-hour training program that teaches residents a patient-centered counseling approach to smoking cessation, emphasizing questioning and exploring feelings, rather than providing information. Fifty internal medicine and family practice residents affiliated with a university medical center were assessed before and after training using questionnaires and videotape documenting changes in their knowledge about smoking, attitudes concerning intervention, and intervention skills. The residents showed a significant increase in knowledge and perceived themselves as having significantly more influence on their patients who smoke after completion of the training program. Counseling skills improved significantly in the use of questions and exploring feelings as judged by blind evaluation of videotapes. The results of this three-hour training program suggest that physicians in training are responsive to the teaching of specialized skills deemed important for promoting health behavior changes in their patients