<div dir="ltr">Dear Pedro, Francesco, Bob, Joe and All,<div><br></div><div>we are approaching the end of this session (10.6) and I am going to make some concluding remarks on it. This does not excludes the chance for submitting contributions until the end, but we have to follow our plan. Your thoughts expanded significantly the scope of the topic I began this final chapter on medicine and phenomenology which was supposed to have more applied character. As Pedro and I mentioned earlier, the focused base SOC from the previous section ion physics is only one of the possible underpinning theories that can be “adducted” (to use a medical term) in solving modelling problems in medicine. Indeed, all themes in the previous chapters on biology, mathematics, biosemiotics and physics were representative samples of a study we made together reflecting on the relation between natural sciences, mathematics and phenomenology. In a private communication Joe Brenner suggested that the prefix “self” in SOC should be opened up to allow for external processes to participate. This is an interesting moment I wish to draw your attention to. I agreed with him and noted that what we actually need is a kind of “membrane-like open close<i>d</i>ness” of the processes to consider. I was really happy with this expansion of the base which Alex may have implied in his chapter, but did not came explicitly. Joe accepted this argument and noted that this kind of models can be addressed by his constructive Logic in Reality (LIR) as a novel perspective going beyond formal logical reasoning, ontology and metaphysics that can be “basically seen in terms of change and stability, being and becoming” (introduction to his 2008 Springer book). I have not read this book yet, but I am certain it is a gem deserving our attention. However, what is possibly missed there, and also in our agreed “membrane-like open closedness” is the first-person phenomenological perspective of Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, Shaun Gallagher, Steven M. Rosen and others made explicit in our 2015 special issue. We are still too inert in respect, judging by the reflections this forum. In de-fining such terms we actually limit their application; Francesco, please correct me if I am wrong in my Latin/Italian interpretation. This is what science is used to. But in phenomenology we have this “mixture” between internal and external perspectives, object and subject that perplex entirely our ontological categories in science. So, how about such a "logic in a phenomenological reality”? I think there is still a long way to go until we truly internalise the phenomenological perspective in our scientific models. The kind of reasoning we need should be flexible, adaptive, integrative and recombinant, metaphorically following a scientific methodology close to the molecular recognition principle of Emil Fischer and his successors that Pedro addressed in one of his previous postings. This is indeed the other kind of thinking that led Richard Feynman to the idea quantum computing. Correct, the physics <font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial">is embedded deeply into the architectural and functional
constraints of the living system. But living systems have “personalities”, insight-out identities as such </font><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial">at all scales</span><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:Arial"> </span><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial">which enforce the perpetuation of life. Perhaps we can try to better understanding this by investigating the “first phenomenon”, the cell, which Howard Pattee addressed in his paper in the 2015 JPBMB special issue. Pedro and his team also reflected this in their contribution there. Interestingly that these ideas are conform with those of Brian J. Ford on the intelligence of the individual cell. This is a remarkable field which can be only enriched by such metaphorical and poetic stimuli (necessary in science according to Stu Kauffman) as those of Francesco from economy who regards stem cells as a kind biological currency. There is pretty much to be discovered and creatively recombined in our postings. </font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial">One last remark regarding the cancer modelling problem, which came from a colleague, I recently met at a congress in Berlin. I am publishing his comment in full length, assuming his permission, because I think it is important to know about this phenomenon and about how far we can go when trying to address such challenging issues in interdisciplinary circles like the FIS forum.</font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial">+++++++++++++++</font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font color="#1a1a1a" face="Arial"> </font><span style="color:rgb(26,26,26);font-family:'Times New Roman'">Plamen,</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman'"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(26,26,26)"> Tumor heterogeneity usually refers to
divergent genotypes within cells of one tumor. But I think you are
interested in tumors of different patients, and what the shared characteristics
are, that offset this from normal tissues. This is not a cancer
discussion, but rather a precancer definition. We had a workshop about
this several years ago, which I have attached. It took two days of
interactive discussions between a dozen experts to get this far. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman'"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(26,26,26)"> One of the barriers we are facing here
is cultural - the unfiltered and voluminous discussion format of
e-communication favored by physical scientists is uncommon amongst biologists.
There is just too much to say, and the thread for biologists is always
data. This is why it is so satisfying to meet in the real world, as we
did in Berlin. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)">George L. Mutter, MD</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)">Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)"><br></span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:15pt;text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">Elsevier Cancer Detection and Prevention 30 (2006) 387–394 </span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.25pt;text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)"><font size="4">Review </font></span></p><p class="" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)"><font size="4">Precancer:
A conceptual working definition</font></span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:11.75pt;text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)"><font size="4">Results of a Consensus Conference </font></span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.25pt;text-align:center;line-height:15pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">Jules J. Berman MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">a</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, Jorge Albores-Saavedra MD<sup><span style="">b,</span><span style="">*</span></sup>, David Bostwick MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">c</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, Ronald DeLellis MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">d</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, John Eble MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">e</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">,
Stanley R. Hamilton MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">f</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">,
Ralph H. Hruban MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">g</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">,
George L. Mutter MD, PhD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">h</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">,
David Page MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">i</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, Thomas Rohan PhD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">j</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, William Travis MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">k</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">, Donald E. Henson MD</span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">l </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.5pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)"></span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:6.25pt;text-align:center;line-height:10pt"><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:5pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">a</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)"><font size="2"> </font></span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Cancer Diagnosis Program, National Cancer Institute, NIH,
Bethesda, MD, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">b </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of Pathology, Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA 71130,
United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">c </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Bostwick Laboratories,
Richmond, VA, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">d </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of Pathology, Brown University,
Providence, RI, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">e </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of Pathology, Indiana School of
Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">f </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Divison of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,
Houston, TX, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">g </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of Pathology, The Sol Goldman
Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD,
United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">h </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of
Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">i </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of
Pathology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">j </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of
Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY,
United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">k </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Department of
Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="color:rgb(0,0,144)">l </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">The George Washington
University Cancer Institute, Washington, DC, United State</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">s </span></p><p class="" align="center" style="margin-bottom:11.75pt;text-align:center"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Accepted 1 September 2006 <a href="http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cdp">www.elsevier.com/locate/cdp</a> </span></p><p class="" style="margin-bottom:11.75pt;line-height:10.3pt"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Adv P 46 E 831',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Abstract </span></b></p><p class="" style="margin-bottom:11.75pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:12pt;line-height:11pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Background: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Precancers
are lesions that precede the appearance of invasive cancers. The successful
prevention or treatment of precancers has the potential to eliminate deaths due
to cancer. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Methods: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">A National Cancer Institute-sponsored Conference on Precancer
was convened on November 8–9, 2004, at The George Washington University Medical
Center, Washington, DC. A definition of precancers was developed over 2 days of
Conference discussions. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Results: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">The following five criteria
define a precancer: (1) evidence must exist that the precancer is associated
with an increased risk of cancer; (2) when a precancer progresses to cancer, the
resulting cancer arises from cells within the precancer; (3) a precancer
differs from the normal tissue from which it arises; (4) a precancer differs
from the cancer into which it develops, although it has some, but not all, of
the molecular and phenotypic properties that characterize the cancer; (5) there
is a method by which the precancer can be diagnosed. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Conclusions: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:9pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">The
Conference participants developed a general definition for precancers that would
provide a consistent and clinically useful way of distinguishing precancers
from all other types of lesions. It was recognized that many precancerous
lesions may not meet this strict definition, but the group felt it was necessary
to define criteria that will help standardize clinical and biological studies.
Furthermore, a set of defining criteria for putative precancer lesions will
permit pathologists to build a diagnostically useful taxonomy of precancers
based on specified clinical and biological properties. Precancers thus
characterized can be classified into clinically relevant sub-groups based on
shared properties (i.e. biomarkers, oncogenes, common metabolic pathways, responses
to therapy, etc.). Publications that introduce newly described precancer
entities should describe how each of the five defining criteria apply. This
manuscript reviews the proposed definition of precancers and suggests how
pathologists, oncologists and cancer researchers may determine when these
criteria are satisfied. # 2006 International Society for Preventive Oncology.
Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. </span></p><p class="" style="margin-bottom:32.75pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Keywords: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(0,0,144)">Precancer; Premalignant;
In situ carcinoma; Severe dysplasia; Atypical hyperplasia; Intraepithelial
neoplasia; Incipient neoplasia; Preinvasive; Classification; Definition;
Cytologic atypia; Immunosuppression; Regression; Chronologic precedence;
Taxonomy; Criteria </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';color:rgb(62,0,63)">
</span></p><p class="" style="margin:0cm 0cm 11.75pt 12pt;text-align:justify;line-height:10pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(0,0,101)">* <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Corresponding
author. Tel.: +1 318 675 5860; fax: +1 318 675 7662. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;font-family:'Adv P 4 B 2 E 3 F',serif;color:rgb(0,0,101)">E-mail address: <a href="mailto:jalbor@lsuhsc.edu"><span style="font-family:'Adv P 4115 3 C',serif;color:rgb(0,0,101);text-decoration:none">jalbor@lsuhsc.edu </span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8pt;color:rgb(0,0,101)">(J.
Albores-Saavedra). </span></p>
<div><br></div><div>++++++++++</div><div><br></div><div>Indeed, nothing can replace face-to-face meetings in finding a consensus and devising a strategy to tackle a practical problem. </div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div>All the best. </div><div><br></div><div>Plamen</div><div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 8:04 PM, Francesco Rizzo <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:13francesco.rizzo@gmail.com" target="_blank">13francesco.rizzo@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Caro Plamen e cari Tutti,<div>circa dieci giorni fa ho composto e inviato un messaggio in-centrato sul rapporto antagonista tra riduzionismo (specialismo) e armonia (olismo), ma non ha riscosso tanto successo, e non solo perché scrivo in lingua italiana. Non ripeto quel che ho già comunicato, ma mi limito a confessare che andando avanti negli anni la specializzazione professionale o settorializzazione del sapere mi attrae e convince sempre di meno. Da economista, invece, divento sempre più consapevole dell'armonia (dell'equilibrio e del dis-equilibrio) che domina il mondo.Tutto ciò è provato anche dall'ultimo mio libro che è uscito il 1 aprile scorso: "Una scienza non può non essere umana, civile, sociale, ECONOMI(C)A,enigmatica, nobile, profetica"(Aracne editrice, Roma, 2016). </div><div>Allora in questa circostanza desidero spendere qualche parola sulla terna: asimmetria/simmetria, auto-similarità o geometria frattale, legge di potenza o sviluppo esponenziale che vale sia per le cellule sane sia per le cellule malate. Tuttavia, questa terna vale di più per le cellule malate di cancro, il cui sviluppo è molto più intenso ed esponenziale di quello che caratterizza le cellule sane. Interessante sarebbe in questa prospettiva indagare in modo specifico le cellule staminali, più o meno potenti o pluri-potenti, ma non sono un esperto di queste cose. Dico solo che le cellule staminali sono una forma di moneta biologica.</div><div>Ragionando per schemi simmetria e asimmetria si alternano e/o convivono contemporaneamente e continuamente. La simmetria si ad-dice ai momenti di conservazione e stabilità, l'asimmetria invece caratterizza i momenti di rottura o discontinuità che si verificano tra uno stato di simmetria e/o di equilibrio e l'altro. Tutta l'attività economica, essendo dinamica,non è altro che il passare irreversibile da uno stato di dis-equilibrio all'altro. La natura della fisica di tutto ciò che è stato creato o si è formato ci fa capire o sapere che se immediatamente dopo il Big Bang non si fosse rotta la simmetria tra materia e antimateria, creandosi un'asimmetria vitale (solo materia perché l'anti-materia pareche sia sparita), noi e il resto non saremmo a questo mondo. Anzi, non ci sarebbe nemmeno il mondo stesso. La stessa particella di Dio o il Bosone di Higgs senza la rottura della simmetria di gauge non avrebbe interagito con se stessa formandosi la massa nè con le altre particelle altrettanto bisognose di massa. Il discorso potrebbe continuare con i buchi neri, ma mi fermo qui per questo punto.</div><div>L'auto-similarità contrassegna la geometria frattale e la rende irregolare, discontinua, disordinata e imprevedibile.</div><div>La legge di potenza o esponenziale vale per i sistemi complessi, non lineari e lontani dall'equilibrio.</div><div>Ho il sospetto che oggi le parole di un economista non valgano molto. Ma bisogna stare attenti a non confondere la teoria economica, con l'attività o la pratica economica e, comunque, non è nè teoria o pratica economica la professione dei ladri, dei briganti e dei pirati , ad es. della finanza.La chiamano economia, ma è solo ruberia o ladrocinio. Beninteso, la finanza speculativa.</div><div>In ogni caso, ormai, posso ben dire di avere scoperto una nuova scienza o conoscenza economica, come i miei testi dimostrano, proprio aprendomi alla conoscenza delle scienze dell'uomo e della natura.</div><div>Non sono un presuntuoso e so quel che affermo.</div><div>Vi saluto con un grazie e un abbraccio affettuoso a Tutti.</div><span class=""><font color="#888888"><div>Francesco.</div></font></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div class="h5">2016-06-02 18:00 GMT+02:00 Pedro C. Marijuan <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es" target="_blank">pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es</a>></span>:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div class="h5">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div>Dear Plamen, Bob, and FIS Colleagues, <br>
<br>
I respond to ideas previously expressed on the connection of
living cells with physics. SOC may be one of the ways, but there
are other instances, eg "constructal law", catastrophe theory,
tensegrity (at least, all of these are well related to
development), and many others... My own bet regarding the
centrality and potential extension of the construct is "molecular
recognition". Elevating beyond heterogeneity, its conflation with
symmetry makes sense on the polymerization and supramolecular
strategies of life. <br>
<br>
Molecular recognition appears as the key element from which the
whole biochemical and evolutionary universe is constructed. Like
any other chemical reaction, recognition between molecules is
based on the “making and breaking of bonds”. This ––and only
this–– is what makes possible the mutual recognition and the
formation of complexes between biomolecular partners. The big
problem with biomolecular recognition instances is that they
involve an amazing variety and combinatorics of almost any type of
chemical interaction: hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic / hydrophilic
forces, dipole forces, van der Waals forces, ionic Coulombian
forces, etc. Dozens or even hundreds of weak bonds participate,
for instance, in the formation of a protein-protein specific
complex. Quite probably, measuring molecular recognition and
establishing its crucial parameters and variables can only be
realized biologically on a case-by-case basis. At least this is
the current trend in most molecular biological and molecular
dynamic approaches. But a few "classic" references have provided
some interesting insights about molecular-recognition
generalities. First, <b>W. Meggs</b> about “biological homing”,
mainly from a Coulombian “lock and key” combinatory point of view;
then <b>Shu-Kun Lin</b> about the changes in thermodynamic
entropy of mixing derived from molecular similarity changes; and
finally <b>M. Carlton</b>, with original proposals for measuring
the information content of any complex molecular system.<br>
<br>
Anyhow, the result of the whole organization of molecular
recognition instances would remind our artificial computers--is it
interesting to connect them "meaningfully" with physics? Yes, the
physics is all around, but it is submerged very deep into the
architectural and functional constraints of the living system. No
royal road, no "camino real" to explain the entirety, a pleiad of
disciplines has to be involved. For cancer, or for biomaterial
engineering, recombination of multiple disciplines becomes the
basic research enterprise of our times. We have to combine the
surfing of many disciplines with the occasional fundamental
insights (from physics, maths, symmetry, information science,
etc.). But neither reductionism, nor wholism, nor phenomenology,
nor perspectivism, nor... are going very far making sense of the
whole social intelligence caught into action (blind spots
included). We made the "artistic" drawing below. <br>
<br>
Enough for today. Greetings to all, and congratulations to Xueshan
for his
Magnus Opus! --Pedro
<span></span>
<font size="+2"><br>
<br>
</font><br>
<font size="+2">
<font size="+2">
</font></font>
<div align="center"><font size="+2"><font size="+2">
<span><img height="317" width="451"></span>
</font></font><br>
</div>
<br>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:6pt 28.45pt 0.0001pt 0cm;text-align:justify" align="center"><b><span lang="EN-US">Disciplines involved in modern
biomaterial research. The representation is based on the
description made by
bioengineer </span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">James
Kirkpatrick (2009) and also del Moral et al., (2011).</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><u></u><u></u></span></p><span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<br>
<br>
El 02/06/2016 a las 13:20, Pedro C. Marijuan escribió:<br>
</span></div><span>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all">
<div><br>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 6:54 PM,
Robert E. Ulanowicz <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ulan@umces.edu" target="_blank"></a><a href="mailto:ulan@umces.edu" target="_blank">ulan@umces.edu</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span>> Dear Bob,<br>
><br>
> thank you for your response. What you said in the
core - heterogeneity -<br>
> resonated with the first suggested example I began
this session with: the<br>
> puzzle of registering the heterogeneity of cancer,
both in the<br>
> molecular-biological and histological level, both
in space and time. It<br>
> appears that exactly this elusive property of
matter, liveness, from the<br>
> single cell to entire eco-systems, which implies
intelligence throughout<br>
> all scales (as Brian Ford states) is what we still
cannot in system(s)<br>
> biology put on the feet of statistical mechanics
and classical<br>
> physics.Aren't tumors such intelligent clusters of
heterogeneous cell<br>
> computers interacting within internaly secured
invasive networks that<br>
> escape our medical enigma code breakers placed in
our synthetic drugs and<br>
> radiation devices? Also such undesired life is not
easy to kill. And yet<br>
> cancer cannot win the battle unless our own
internal systems surrender and<br>
> become allies of the invador.</span></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
</span><span><font color="#888888"><pre cols="72">--
-------------------------------------------------
Pedro C. Marijuán
Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA)
Avda. San Juan Bosco, 13, planta X
50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Tfno. <a href="tel:%2B34%20976%2071%203526" value="+34976713526" target="_blank">+34 976 71 3526</a> (& 6818)
<a href="mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es" target="_blank">pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es</a>
<a href="http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/" target="_blank">http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/</a>
-------------------------------------------------
</pre>
</font></span></div>
<br></div></div><span class="">_______________________________________________<br>
Fis mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Fis@listas.unizar.es" target="_blank">Fis@listas.unizar.es</a><br>
<a href="http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis</a><br>
<br></span></blockquote></div><br></div>
<br>_______________________________________________<br>
Fis mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Fis@listas.unizar.es">Fis@listas.unizar.es</a><br>
<a href="http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://listas.unizar.es/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fis</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div></div>