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Hot Topics of the Day|PHGKB
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12/09/2019

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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Archived Hot Topics of the Day By Date

Finding a cure for sickle cell disease
J Makani, Nature Medicine, December 2019

I have personally witnessed the excruciating painful episodes known as vaso-occlusive crises that result from sickled red blood cells obstructing circulation, and I have lost family members to this disease. I believe that through research, we will be able to improve the health of individuals with SCD.

Current status of opioid addiction treatment and related preclinical research.
Kreek M J et al. Science advances 2019 Oct (10) eaax9140

Risk Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: A Review.
Kelty Erin et al. CNS drugs 2019 Nov (11) 1113-1120

A range of risk factors have been associated with NOWS, including features of neonatal drug exposure, maternal and neonatal characteristics, aspects of labor and delivery, and genetics. Increased length of gestation and higher birth weight were consistently associated with an increased risk of NOWS.

Looking forward 25 years: the future of medicine
Nature Medicine editorial, December 5, 2019

We are now on the cusp of an inflection point, where the ‘bigness’ of biomedicine turns into an advantage. We are beginning to see advances towards these goals, in polygenic risk scores, in understanding the cell and modules of action of genes. Going forward, our success in harnessing bigness will rely on our ability to leverage structure, prediction and data scale.

The cost of getting personal
Nature editorial

The recent report of an antisense oligonucleotide therapy designed for only one patient spotlights regulatory, economic and ethical issues that must be grappled with in an era of accelerated development of ‘ultra-personalized’ drugs.

Appraising causal relationships of dietary, nutritional and physical-activity exposures with overall and aggressive prostate cancer: two-sample Mendelian-randomization study based on 79 148 prostate-cancer cases and 61 106 controls
N Kazmi et al, Int J Epi, December 5, 2019

The results for physical activity, serum iron, BMI, monounsaturated fat and height are compatible with causality for prostate cancer. The results suggest that interventions aimed at increasing physical activity may reduce prostate-cancer risk, although interventions to change other risk factors may have negative consequences on other diseases.

Mendelian randomization with multiple exposures: the importance of thinking about time
JA Labrecque et al, Int J EPi, December 4, 2019

Have you ever wondered how Mendelian randomization (MR) studies can estimate a lifetime effect when the exposure is only measured once?1 This is incredible, considering that other familiar methods2 would require that the exposure (and time-varying covariates) be measured repeatedly and frequently throughout the life course.


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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