The American journal of the medical sciences
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Humans are infected with many viruses, and the immune system mostly removes viruses and the infected cells. However, certain viruses have entered the human genome. Of the human genome, ∼45% is composed of transposable elements (long interspersed nuclear elements [LINEs], short interspersed nuclear elements [SINEs] and transposons) and 5-8% is derived from viral sequences with similarity to infectious retroviruses. ⋯ Second, we review endogenous retroviruses in the human genome and diseases associated with endogenous retroviruses. Third, we discuss the biological functions of endogenous retroviruses and propose the concept of accelerated human evolution via viruses. Finally, we present perspectives of virology in the field of evolutionary medicine.
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Editorial Historical Article
Why Did the United States Medical School Admissions Quota for Jews End?
At the end of World War II anti-Semitism was pervasive in the United States. Quotas to limit the number of Jewish students were put in place at most U. S. medical schools in the 1920s and were well-entrenched by 1945. ⋯ Finally, the federal and several state governments passed nondiscrimination in higher education legislation. The quotas ended because of a combination of changing societal attitudes and government and private social action. This remarkable social change may be instructive as higher education now grapples with allegations of a quota system for Asian-Americans.
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This study analyzed multiple parameters including somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs), Insertion/Deletions, significantly mutated genes (SMGs), copy number variations and frequently altered pathways aims to discover novel aberrances in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). ⋯ We frequently found novel genes ZNF717, ZNF493, CDR1, ARMC4 and SUMF2 and gains in 10q25.3, which may be functional mutation in CRC. The high-frequency private events such as SNVs confirm the highly heterogeneous mutations found in CRCs. The mutated genes sites in different patients may vary significantly, which may also be more challenging for clinical treatment.