为纯科学呼吁（节选）

有时我们会被问及这样的问题：你最喜欢一年中的哪段时光?对我来说，春天最令人愉快，大自然从冷漠的冬天中苏醒，生命的力量又开始涌动，树叶生长，蓓蕾绽放，眼前的一切生机盎然，令人赏心悦目。在这大自然生命复苏的时刻，我们的心也为之狂喜，但是美景不会永恒，叶子会到达它生命的极限，花蕾盛开后就会走向枯萎。     

An independent microbial flora of the epithelium and its role in the ecomicrobiology of the rumen

IT has been suggested that the bacterial flora of the rumen should be considered as three distinct, interacting populations-the bacteria of rumen fluid (the population which has been studied most extensively), the bacteria associated with food particles, and the bacteria adhering to the epithelial wall of the organ(1). Until now, studies of the 'epithelial' population have been restricted to examination of postmortem samples of wall tissue and its attached bacterial flora(2-5). A recently developed technique(6) for feeding young sheep for long periods solely by infusion of protein and other essential nutrients into the abomasum, and of volatile fatty acids and bicarbonate buffer into the rumen, has provided us with an opportunity to study in isolation the role of the bacterial population of the wall in the ecomicrobiology of the rumen in the living animal. Our studies show that this population can exist independently of the other two populations, that it is primarily responsible for urea digestion in the rumen and that it initiates breakdown of dead epithelial tissue. Furthermore, our results point to an inverse relationship between ammonia concentration and ureolytic activity in rumen fluid, which may account for the control which ammonia exerts over flux of urea across the rumen wall(7-9).     

SLC2A9 influences uric acid concentrations with pronounced sex-specific effects

Serum uric acid concentrations are correlated with gout and clinical entities such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In the genome-wide association study KORA (Kooperative Gesundheitsforschung in der Region Augsburg) F3 500K (n = 1,644), the most significant SNPs associated with uric acid concentrations mapped within introns 4 and 6 of SLC2A9, a gene encoding a putative hexose transporter (effects: -0.23 to -0.36 mg/dl per copy of the minor allele). We replicated these findings in three independent samples from Germany (KORA S4 and SHIP (Study of Health in Pomerania)) and Austria (SAPHIR; Salzburg Atherosclerosis Prevention Program in Subjects at High Individual Risk), with P values ranging from 1.2 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-32). Analysis of whole blood RNA expression profiles from a KORA F3 500K subgroup (n = 117) showed a significant association between the SLC2A9 isoform 2 and urate concentrations. The SLC2A9 genotypes also showed significant association with self-reported gout. The proportion of the variance of serum uric acid concentrations explained by genotypes was about 1.2% in men and 6% in women, and the percentage accounted for by expression levels was 3.5% in men and 15% in women.     

Identification of renal Cd36 as a determinant of blood pressure and risk for hypertension

To identify renally expressed genes that influence risk for hypertension, we integrated expression quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of the kidney with genome-wide correlation analysis of renal expression profiles and blood pressure in recombinant inbred strains derived from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). This strategy, together with renal transplantation studies in SHR progenitor, transgenic and congenic strains, identified deficient renal expression of Cd36 encoding fatty acid translocase as a genetically determined risk factor for spontaneous hypertension.     

Newton and action at a distance between bodies—A response to Andrew Janiak's “Three concepts of causation in Newton”

This article responds to Professor Andrew Janiak's recent attempt to defend the proposition that Isaac Newton did not believe in action at a distance between bodies (or any other kind of substance) (Janiak, 2013). His argument rests on a distinction between “three concepts of causation in Newton”, which leads him to conclude that although Newton did not believe in action at a distance between bodies, he was able to accept that gravity was a “distant action”. I critically examine Janiak's arguments here, and the historical evidence he brings to bear upon it, and argue that Professor Janiak's latest claims do nothing to undermine the view to which he is opposed, namely, that Newton did believe in the possibility of action at a distance between bodies.     

Genome-wide association study reveals three susceptibility loci for common migraine in the general population

Migraine is a common, heterogeneous and heritable neurological disorder. Its pathophysiology is incompletely understood, and its genetic influences at the population level are unknown. In a population-based genome-wide analysis including 5,122 migraineurs and 18,108 non-migraineurs, rs2651899 (1p36.32, PRDM16), rs10166942 (2q37.1, TRPM8) and rs11172113 (12q13.3, LRP1) were among the top seven associations (P < 5 × 10(-6)) with migraine. These SNPs were significant in a meta-analysis among three replication cohorts and met genome-wide significance in a meta-analysis combining the discovery and replication cohorts (rs2651899, odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, P = 3.8 × 10(-9); rs10166942, OR = 0.85, P = 5.5 × 10(-12); and rs11172113, OR = 0.90, P = 4.3 × 10(-9)). The associations at rs2651899 and rs10166942 were specific for migraine compared with non-migraine headache. None of the three SNP associations was preferential for migraine with aura or without aura, nor were any associations specific for migraine features. TRPM8 has been the focus of neuropathic pain models, whereas LRP1 modulates neuronal glutamate signaling, plausibly linking both genes to migraine pathophysiology.