The start of a new journal is always an exciting event, and never more so than when you are well acquainted with those responsible for its initiation and launch; I have witnessed firsthand the commitment and hard work required to make this journal happen. However, in this day and age, there is a plethora of scientific journals and a seemingly never-ending stream of electronic information made available to us. Undoubtedly, some people will feel that another journal is as useful as sending a kiss by messenger, but in this instance I have to disagree. As the postilion d'amour, I am particularly honoured to be writing the first guest editorial for a new online current awareness journal that is guaranteed to warm the cockles of your scientific heart. And this brings me to the topic of one of the reviews in this issue.

The heart is essential for the functioning of the body's organs and tissues, such as skeletal muscle. At a molecular level, skeletal muscle is also dependent on the action of the sodium-potassium pump, located in the muscle cells' sarcolemma. Professor Maria Everts writes a comprehensive review on the role of the sodium-potassium pump in skeletal muscle during exercise in a number of domestic animal species. The review is, I believe, the epitome of modern veterinary and zootechnical research combined. Not only are the events associated with a specific physiological mechanism in muscle tissue discussed at a molecular level, they are also placed in the wider context of an animal's potential uses. For some animal species, use by man includes the consumption of their post mortem muscle tissue, as meat. Therefore, a muscle's post mortem physiology and the influence of numerous complex interactions that determine its sensory qualities, including taste, texture, colour and water holding capacity, are important factors to the consumer. In addition, these animal studies inform us of muscle behaviour before, during and after training. Not only does this knowledge provide a model for the training of human athletes, but it may also help in the early selection of athletic animals for specific disciplines, such as young horses for show jumping or racing.

The other review, written by Professors Marian Horzinek and Hans Lutz, describes a major clinical problem encountered in companion animals, namely Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). It is caused by the highly elusive virus Feline coronavirus (FcoV), which belongs to the coronavirus genus also found in man. Solving the diagnostic and therapeutic puzzles associated with FIP, including the development of an effective vaccine, would be a major scientific breakthrough with benefits felt beyond the clinical veterinary environment. The study of viruses, such as FcoV, may help us to develop new methods for determining the efficacy of immunological protection and thereby lead us to a more rational and efficient way of designing vaccines and anti-viral agents. Furthermore, it should help to identify which factors (genetic or environmental) are responsible for minor changes in viral DNA sequences that subsequently give rise to dramatic changes in a virus' pathogenicity. Such knowledge and understanding may provide new techniques that either prevent the start of a change in DNA sequence or interrupt the series of events leading to change. I truly believe that review papers such as this one will initiate important discussions between scientists of different disciplinary origins and consequently lead to new ideas and decisions in research.

The most rewarding message I will take away with me after reading these reviews is the importance of overlap in science disciplines and its contribution towards a high level of understanding in complex fields of research. Many of the individual studies referred to in these reviews have necessitated considerable interdisciplinary collaboration, which, in my opinion, can only be a good thing. I am quite convinced that the increase in collaborations witnessed in recent years between university departments, institutes and small independent research groups, has lead to a dramatic increase in the speed and quality of scientific output. This scenario is taking place in many countries worldwide, including The Netherlands.

As I and Professor Wensing wrote in a recent editorial, the advent of genomics will only be of value when all disciplines work together [1]. This is equally true for a topic such as homeostasis or a clinical problem such as FIP where molecular biology is a multidisciplinary subject and should be used as a means to an end. In these examples, molecular biology becomes a multidisciplinary subject and should be used as a means to an end.

It is time I left you to browse further through this most enjoyable and stimulating journal. Just before I go, however, I would like to quote an old Asian proverb:

    "A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion".

On this note, I wish "Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow" a permanent place as an initiator of debate and a cross-pollinator of ideas that will stimulate new and unexpected combinations in biomedical research.

Professor Eric Claassen
Director of Research and Deputy Director General,
Institute for Animal Science and Health (ID-Lelystad)
Lelystad
The Netherlands


Reference
Claassen, E. and Wensing, C.J. (1999) Fish and chips. Vet. Quart. 21, 42-3.

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