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Hot Topics of the Day|PHGKB
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08/02/2023

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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AI and Medical Education — A 21st-Century Pandora’s Box
A Cooper et al, NEJM, August 3, 2023

Many valid concerns have been raised about AI’s effects on medicine, including the propensity for AI to make up information that it then presents as fact (termed a “hallucination”), its implications for patient privacy, and the risk of biases being baked into source data. But we worry that the focus on these immediate challenges obscures many of the broader implications that AI could have for medical education — in particular, the ways in which this technology could affect the thought structures and practice patterns of medical trainees and physicians for generations to come.

A Genetic Explanation for Why Some People Had Asymptomatic COVID-19
J Abbasi, JAMA, August 2, 2023

A recent study of COVID-19 infected individuals found that a common variant, or allele, known as HLA-B*15:01 was present in 20% of asymptomatic participants but only 9% of participants who reported symptoms. People with 2 copies of the variant, inherited from both parents, were more than 8 times as likely to not have symptoms than those who carried no copies. The variant also had a strong association with asymptomatic infection in 2 independent cohorts. A meta-analysis of data from the discovery and independent cohorts found that asymptomatic infections were more than twice as common in people who carried the variant. The T cell analysis revealed that before the pandemic even began, participants with the variant had killer T cells that could effectively target SARS-CoV-2.


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.
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