Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content


Hot Topics of the Day|PHGKB
Search PHGKB:

01/12/2024

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.

Sign up MyPHGKB to receive the daily hot topic email alert.

Search Archive:
Archived Hot Topics of the Day By Date

As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Here’s What to Know About JN.1, the Latest SARS-CoV-2 “Variant of Interest”
R Rubin, JAMA, January 12, 2024

From the article: "BA.2.86’s spawn, JN.1, has become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in the US, status its parent variant never achieved. Fortunately, although COVID-19 cases have surged, hospitalizations and deaths from the disease are still considerably lower than they were the same time a year earlier. When BA.2.86 joined the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron family last summer, it grabbed pandemic trackers’ attention because it was so different from its progenitor, BA.2. Compared with BA.2, BA.2.86’s spike protein carries more than 30 mutations, suggesting that it might spread more easily than its predecessors. But even armed with those new mutations, BA.2.86 failed to dominate the other subvariants. "

Reanalysis of genomic data, how do we do it now and what if we automate it? A qualitative study
Z Fehlberg et al, EJHG, January 12, 2023

From the abstract: " Automating reanalysis of genomic data for undiagnosed rare disease patients presents a paradigm shift in how clinical genomics is delivered. We aimed to map the current manual and proposed automated approach to reanalysis and identify possible implementation strategies to address clinical and laboratory staff’s perceived challenges to automation. "

Mediating Factors in the Association of Maternal Educational Level With Pregnancy Outcomes: A Mendelian Randomization Study.
Tormod Rogne et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024 1 (1) e2351166

From the abstract: " Which pathways mediate the inequity in pregnancy health associated with low educational attainment? In this cohort study of more than 3 million individuals, an association between genetically estimated lower educational attainment and increased risk of ectopic pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and offspring low birth weight was observed. A sizeable portion of these associations were explained by targetable risk factors. These findings suggest that the association of socioeconomic inequalities with adverse pregnancy outcomes may be reduced by intervening for type 2 diabetes, body mass index, smoking, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and systolic blood pressure."

Medical AI falters when assessing patients it hasn’t seen
M Nadaf, Nature, January 11, 2024

From the article: "Computer algorithms that are designed to help doctors treat people with schizophrenia do not adapt well to fresh, unseen data, a study has found. Such tools — which use artificial intelligence (AI) to spot patterns in large data sets and predict how individuals will respond to a particular treatment — are central to precision medicine, in which health-care professionals try to tailor treatment to each person. "


Disclaimer: Articles listed in Hot Topics of the Day are selected by Public Health Genomics Branch 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.
TOP