• The following are headlines from on-line news articles published during the past week.
• The headlines and lead sentence are exactly as they appear in the popular press and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of CDC.
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“Web-Based Genomics Tool Designed to Help Predict Disease Susceptibility”  (Jan 23) GEN reports, “A new gene information resource designed to aid biomedical researchers in more effectively identifying small alterations in the human genome that are associated with individuals' susceptibility to disease has been established.”

“The genes that maketh the man” 
(Jan 25) Biotechnology News reports, “Disorders of sexual development (DSD), previously known as intersex conditions, occur when the genetic sex does not match the genital sex.”

“Help for kids with genetic disorder” 
(Jan 24) The Times of India reports, “At six months, Rahul hadn't started sitting up.”

“New Gene Implicated in Crohn’s Disease” 
(Jan 23) GEN reports, “Scientists have discovered a new gene that may predispose humans to Crohn's disease.”

“Scientists identify gene that may indicate predisposition to schizophrenia”  (last accessed 2/2008)
(Jan 23) The University of Chicago Press reports, “In a new study from The American Journal of Human Genetics, a research team lead by Xinzhi Zhao and Ruqi Tang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) present evidence that genetic variation may indicate predisposition to schizophrenia.”

“Hopkins doctor studied rare disorder ALD”
(Jan 23) Baltimoresun.com reports, “Dr. Hugo Wolfgang Moser, a renowned Baltimore neurologist whose work with a rare genetic disorder was depicted in the 1992 film Lorenzo's Oil, died Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital of surgical complications after treatment for pancreatic cancer.”

“H5N1 genetic mutation observed in Egypt” 
(Jan 22) News-Medical.Net reports, “Viruses with a genetic mutation, linked in laboratory testing to moderately reduced susceptibility to oseltamivir, have been discovered in two persons previously reported with H5N1 infections in Egypt.”

“Gene key offers hope to heroin addicts” 
(Jan 22) thewest.com.au reports, “The success of methadone treatment could skyrocket after Australian scientists uncovered the genetic key to stop heroin addicts slipping off the drug substitute.”

“Your Genes and Breast Cancer”  (last accessed 2/2008)
(Jan 21) abc30.com reports, “This year, more than 212,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer.”

“Cracking open the black box of autoimmune disease” 
(Jan 21) EurekAlert! reports, “Autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis occur when the immune system fails to regulate itself.”

“'Quiet revolution' may herald new RNA therapeutics” 
(Jan 21) EurekAlert! reports, “Scientists at the University of Oxford have identified a surprising way of switching off a gene involved in cell division.”

“Many Genetic-Based Cancer Studies Flawed”  (last accessed 2/2008)
(Jan 18) healthfinder.gov reports, “Many cancer studies that rely on what scientists call genetic microarrays have critical flaws in their analyses or their conclusions.”

“Genes modified by diet” 
(Jan 25) The Sydney Morning Herald reports, “What your grandma did and ate can reprogram healthy DNA to go haywire.”

“My brother my saviour” 
(Jan 23) Daily Mail reports, “On November 30, 2003, Allison and David Hartley were asked to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, where two of their sons were being treated for anaemia.” 

Family history of cardiovascular disease is associated with cardiovascular responses to stress in healthy young men and women
Wright CE, et al.
Int J Psychophysiol 2007 Jan

Family history is neglected in the work-up of patients with colorectal cancer: a quality assessment using cancer registry data
van Dijk DA, et al.
Fam Cancer 2007 Jan

Estimating the referral rate for cancer genetic assessment from a systematic review of the evidence Featherstone C, et al.
Br J Cancer 2007 Jan;96(2):391-8

Estimating risk of breast cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations: a meta-analytic approach
Fu R, et al.
Stat Med 2007 Jan

“BioServe, Harvard, and University of Michigan to Determine Link Between Genetics and Lead Exposure” 
(Jan 24) GEN reports, “BioServe, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the University of Michigan School of Public Health will work together to understand how genetics and environmental lead pollution interact to affect children’s intellectual and behavioral functioning.”

“Finding the 'Genetic Freckle'” 
(Jan 24) advance for Managers of Respiratory Care reports, “They came from the land of ice and snow, carrying the Hammer of the Gods, and a genetic freckle, alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency.”

“GENETIC MEDICINE; Some Heart Patients Get DNA Tests to Determine Correct Drug Dose”  (last accessed 2/2008)
(Jan 22) Red Orbit reports, “Personalized medicine, the tailored treatments that a few patients now get based on their own DNA, is finally headed for the masses: the many heart patients at risk of deadly blood clots.”

“New Study Investigates Links Between Fatigue, Genes And Athletic Performance” 
(Jan 22) Medical News Today reports, “Scientists at the University of Portsmouth are investigating whether endurance athletes with a specific type of gene are less likely to suffer fatigue.”

“Quest Diagnostics Announces Licensing Agreement For Genetic Testing Technology To Screen Fragile X Syndrome” 
(Jan 20) Medical News Today reports, “In a move that promises to advance physicians' ability to widely screen for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited mental retardation,(1) Quest Diagnostics Incorporated today announced the signing of a worldwide license agreement with U.S. Genomics.”

“Gene test predicts survival chances” 
(Jan 19) The Star reports, “A new test using 186 genes accurately predicted the risk of recurrence of breast cancer and other types of the disease, researchers reported.”

“Simple diagnostic test detects genetic signs of lung cancer in sputum” 
(Jan 18) News-Medical.com reports, “DNA coughed up along with phlegm could point to lung cancer, say researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who are developing an inexpensive and non-invasive gene probe to help diagnose early stage lung cancer in current and former smokers.”

Cost-effectiveness of surveillance programs for families at high and moderate risk of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer
Olsen KR, et al.
Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2007 Winter;23(1):89-95

Is genetic analysis helpful for diagnosing chronic pancreatitis in its early stage?
Naruse S, et al.
J Gastroenterol 2007 Jan;42 Suppl 17:60-5

Importance of genetics for health inequalities
Mielck A & Rogowski W
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz  2007 Jan

Articles that report on population prevalence of genotypes, gene-disease associations, gene-environment and gene-gene interactions and evaluation of genetic tests. For more information on HuGE, please visit the HuGENet™ home page

For the week ending January 24, 2007, there are HuGE articles in the following areas:

Gene Variant Frequency
Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Neoplasms
Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases
Mental Disorders
Diseases of the Nervous System and Sense Organs
Diseases of the Circulatory System
Diseases of the Digestive System
Diseases of the Genitourinary System
Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue
Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue

For more information on HuGE, please visit the HuGENet™ home page

Canadian Program on Genomics and Global Health  
An independent and objective source of information about the ethical and social implications of genomics and biotechnology for citizens, communities and the media. The program is based at the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics.

International Genomics Consortium 
The International Genomics Consortium (IGC) is a non-profit medical research foundation established to expand upon the discoveries of the Human Genome Project and other systematic sequencing efforts by combining world-class genomic research, bioinformatics, and diagnostic technologies in the fight against cancer and other complex genetic diseases.