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Jan 18, 2021

Last Posted: Jan-18-2021 10:02:29

Twins with Covid Help Scientists Untangle the Disease’s Genetic Roots “I want to know,” one twin said, “why did she have Covid worse than me?”
KJ Wu, NY Times, January 18, 2021

‘A bloody mess’: Confusion reigns over naming of new COVID variants As more lineages emerge, researchers are struggling with a patchwork of nomenclature.
E Callaway, Nature News, January 15, 2021

Alarming COVID variants show vital role of genomic surveillance
D Cyranoski, Nature News, January 15, 2021

The pandemic has ushered in an era of genomic surveillance in which scientists are tracking genomic changes to a virus at a speed and scale never seen before. But surveillance is patchy globally. Scientists warn that worrying variants are probably spreading undetected in these regions.

The challenges of containing SARS-CoV-2 via test-trace-and-isolate
S Contreras et al, Nat Comm, January 15, 2021

Without a cure, vaccine, or proven long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2, test-trace-and-isolate (TTI) strategies present a promising tool to contain its spread. For any TTI strategy, however, mitigation is challenged by pre- and asymptomatic transmission. Our modeling suggests that TTI alone is insufficient to contain an otherwise unhindered spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Comparative Genomics and Integrated Network Approach Unveiled Undirected Phylogeny Patterns, Co-mutational Hotspots, Functional Crosstalk and Regulatory Interactions in SARS-CoV-2
V Gupta et al, BIORXIV, January 15, 2021

Correlation of Computerized Tomography (CT) Severity Score for COVID-19 pneumonia with Clinical Outcomes
K Hilal et al, BIORXIV, January 15, 2021

Metabolic markers distinguish COVID-19 from other intensive care patients and show potential to stratify for disease risk
F Schmelter et al, MEDRXIV, January 16, 2021

Coronavirus-19 and coagulopathy: A Systematic Review [COVID-COAG]
SG Lee et al, MEDRXIV, January 16, 2021

The microbiota in pneumonia: From protection to predisposition.
Thibeault Charlotte et al. Science translational medicine 2021 Jan (576)

The normal upper respiratory tract and gut microbiota protects against pneumonia by impeding colonization by potentially pathogenic bacteria and by regulating immune responses. However, antimicrobial therapy and critical care procedures perturb the microbiota, thus compromising its function and predisposing to lung infections. Interindividual variations and age-related alterations in the microbiota also affect vulnerability to pneumonia.

Polygenic risk scores in cardiovascular risk prediction: A cohort study and modelling analyses.
Sun Luanluan et al. PLoS medicine 2021 Jan (1) e1003498

We quantified the incremental predictive gain with polygenic risk scores on top of conventional risk factors using data on 306,654 individuals from UK Biobank.?Addition of PRSs to conventional risk factors provided modest improvement in prediction of first-onset CVD. even moderate improvements could translate into meaningful clinical benefit if applied at scale, and lead to the prevention of 7% more CVD events than conventional risk factors alone.


Hot Topics of the Day are picked by experts to capture the latest information and publications on public health genomics and precision health for various diseases and health topics. Sources include published scientific literature, reviews, blogs and popular press articles.

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Disclaimer: Articles listed in Hot Topics of the Day are selected by the CDC Office of Public Health Genomics to provide current awareness of the scientific literature and news. Inclusion in the update does not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor does it imply endorsement of the article's methods or findings. CDC and DHHS assume no responsibility for the factual accuracy of the items presented. The selection, omission, or content of items does not imply any endorsement or other position taken by CDC or DHHS. Opinion, findings and conclusions expressed by the original authors of items included in the Clips, or persons quoted therein, are strictly their own and are in no way meant to represent the opinion or views of CDC or DHHS. References to publications, news sources, and non-CDC Websites are provided solely for informational purposes and do not imply endorsement by CDC or DHHS.
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