Editorial [Hot Topic: Drug Metabolisms Associated with Human Microbiome (Guest Editor: Chun-Ming Huang) ]

The human microbiome contains all of the genomes or proteomes, of all the microorganisms present in or on the human body [1, 2]. With increasing interest in the understanding of the association of human microbome with diseases, this special issue is focused specifically on diseases caused by the alteration in human microbiome. The biological mechanisms and pharmacokinetics of various drugs are also included. In addition, this issue also introduces some novel modalities or concepts for treatments of human microbome-related diseases. Two papers, by Matthew E. Falagas and his colleagues, in this issue exemplify the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic aspects of linezolid and tigecycline, two antibiotics for human bacterial infections including community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and infections due to vancomycin-resistant enterococci. The paper, by Anja Sandek and coworkers, discusses the gut and intestinal bacteria in chronic heart failure and suggest that the gut may pose a potential target for therapeutic interventions in patients with chronic heart failure. The paper, by Minoru Fukuda and his coworkers, demonstrated their recent findings of inhibition of cholesterol alphaglucosyltransferase by mucin-type O-glycans. The finding illustrates that a battery of carbohydrates expressed in the stomach is closely associated with pathogenesis and prevention of Helicobacter pylori-related diseases. The paper, by Doris M. Jacobs and coworkers, reviews the metabolomics studies with a focus on microbe-host mutualism and concludes that metabolomics holds great potential to better understand the fate of non-digestible food ingredients on gut health and immunity. Keith L. Kirkwood and Carlos Rossa, Jr. discuss the importance of the p38 MAPK pathway in periodontal disease progression and the potential therapeutic consequences of pharmacological antagonism of this pathway in the treatment of periodontal diseases. The paper, by Maria Carmen Collado and coworkers, introduces new evidences support the use of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of many human diseases including atopic diseases, immune disorders, obesity, and diabetes. Andrea M Stringer and his colleagues explore the potentially vital connection between intestinal microflora and the subsequent development of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Benjamin J. Vesper and his colleagues summarize current advancements in the interactions between the proton pump inhibitors and the natural human microbiota. In this paper of Huang Chun-Ming Eric and his coworkers, novel modalities using vaccination and photodynamic therapies for oral microbialrelated diseases are introduced. The advantages of novel modalities are highlighted and compared with antimicrobial agents and traditional periodontal surgery. We hope you enjoy reading these papers as we did. Special thanks must go to our reviewers for this special issue. REFERENCES [1] Raoult, D. Human microbiome: take-home lesson on growth promoters? Nature, 2008, 454(7205), 690-691. [2] Whitlock, D.R. Human microbiome: hype or false modesty? Nature, 2008, 454(7205), 690.