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

Object Lesson Jamaican Lace-Bark: Its History and Uncertain Future.

The lace-bark tree (Lagetta lagetto (Sw.) Nash) has a robust inner bark which was used in Jamaica to make utilitarian objects such as whips and baskets, or was teased out into a natural lace to be used in dress and curios. Evidence suggests at least 300 years of lace-bark use for dress and in other areas of daily life by Maroons, an African-Jamaican community living in Cockpit Country, and varied use of less certain scale by Jamaicans outside Cockpit Country. The development of a large-scale souvenir industry in the 1880s, as mass tourism began in Jamaica, probably led to the decline in lace-bark tree populations first reported at about this time. One hundred years later, changing tastes and difficulties in obtaining and marketing lace-bark, have led to the end of its use throughout the island. © Pasold Research Fund Ltd 2013

Clozapine-associated elevation in serum triglycerides

Objective: This study was conducted to determine serum lipid level changes in patients who received clozapine or haloperidol. Method: Medical records of 222 inpatients treated with clozapine or haloperidol were reviewed. Age, weight, gender, daily antipsychotic dose, total cholesterol level, serum triglyceride level, and concurrent medications were recorded. Results: Clozapine-treated men had significantly higher follow-up serum triglyceride concentrations over baseline than did haloperidol-treated men. Female patients experienced serum triglyceride level elevations regardless of antipsychotic treatment. Changes in total cholesterol levels were not significantly different between treatment groups. Conclusions: An increase in serum triglyceride levels occurred in clozapine-treated patients; screening for serum triglyceride elevations may be warranted before treatment with clozapine