HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Faulkner, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Faulkner, J. A.

Editorial

^a Department of Physiology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

I wish to begin by formally welcoming Edward Masoro as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences (JG:BS). Dr. Masoro's name began appearing on the masthead of JG:BS in August 2000, but he actually began serving as Deputy Editor several months earlier. Initially, he graciously agreed to handle all of the manuscripts for which I (as Editor) and the editorial office at the University of Michigan would have a conflict of interest. This past fall, Dr. Masoro agreed to play an even more active part and serve as the "decision editor" on additional manuscripts for which he has particular expertise. Dr. Masoro's addition to the Editorial Board in this capacity strengthens the Board immensely.

During the past year, the majority of the effort of the editorial office has focused on reducing the backlog of manuscripts. I am pleased to announce that the backlog has been resolved; the December 2000 issue was the first in which the majority of the manuscripts were reviewed by the present Editorial Board. Consequently, through the Editorial Board's work, we have now reached our goal of publishing most manuscripts within 4 months of acceptance (the length of our production cycle), with the exception of a few "high-priority" manuscripts. High-priority manuscripts, the criteria for which were included in my first Editorial (1), are manuscripts of extremely high scientific quality that require minimal revisions. The Associate Editors and I have been successful in identifying a few high-priority manuscripts. Our goal is to publish these manuscripts within 3 months of acceptance; Associate Editor Gary Ruvkun and I have achieved this goal with one manuscript so far (2).

With the lead article in this issue, the Editorial Board and I are introducing "Perspectives," a new addition to the traditional research articles and the Letters to the Editor regularly published by JG:BS, to replace the Review articles described previously in the "General Information and Instructions to Authors." During the past year, we have been considering various formats for some type of short review article on controversial, topical subjects. I have discussed the issue individually with Dr. Masoro and several Associate Editors, particularly Richard Miller and Arlan Richardson, as well as with the Editorial Board at the November 2000 Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America. Unanimous agreement was expressed in support of developing a monthly Perspectives article that would be predominantly invited (although suggestions are welcomed) and reviewed rigorously.

The first Perspectives article, written by Richard Miller, Andrzej Galecki, and Robert Shmookler-Reis on the "Interpretation, Design, and Analysis of Gene Array Expression Experiments," is the lead article in this issue (pp. B52–B57). Over the past 16 months, much discussion has focused on the potential for false-positives since the publication of the first gene array data sets on aging in skeletal muscles of mice (3) and actively dividing fibroblasts obtained from skin biopsies of young, middle-aged, and old humans and humans with progeria (4). The topic addressed by Miller and his associates in our first Perspectives addresses the issue of false-positives and presents one approach to the interpretation of the vast amount of data generated by gene arrays. The Associate Editors, Dr. Masoro, and I hope that the readership of JG:BS will find this and subsequent Perspectives illuminating, and we welcome Letters to the Editor in response to the Perspectives.

	References

Top References

 
Faulkner JA. Editorial. J Gerontol Biol Sci. 2000;55A:B3.

Gems D, Riddle DL. Defining wild-type life span in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Gerontol Biol Sci. 2000;55A:B215–B219.

Lee CK, Klopp RG, Weindruch R, Prolla TA. Gene expression profile of aging and its retardation by caloric restriction. Science. 1999;285:1390–1393.

Ly DH, Lockhart DJ, Lerner RA, Schultz PG. Mitotic misregulation and human aging. Science. 2000;287:2486–2492.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Faulkner, J. A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Faulkner, J. A.