On January 24th and 25th, 2008, HuGENet™ will be hosting the HuGENet Workshop, “HuGE Networks, Genome-Wide Association Studies, and the Knowledge Base on Genetic Variation and Human Health”, at the CDC Global Communications Center in Atlanta, GA. This HuGENet™ Network of Networks workshop will review progress on the HuGENet™ Roadmap for human genome epidemiology and discuss approaches for developing the knowledge base on genetic variation and human health, focusing on “field synopses” that summarize genetic associations with specific diseases and a proposal for an online encyclopedia.

Cumulative Evidence of Genetic Associations
The following systematic reviews examined the epidemiologic evidence between genes and diseases using a quantitative approach and were added to PubMed in December:

Methods for meta-analysis in genetic association studies: a review of their potential and pitfalls

HuGE Reviews

• Genetic variants of Glutathione S-Transferase as possible risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma: A HuGE systematic review and meta-Analysis.

• Meta- and pooled analyses of the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk: A Huge-GSEC review.

List of HuGE Review topics under development

Other Systematic Reviews

• Association between Apolipoprotein E genotype and carotid intima-media thickness may suggest a specific effect on large artery atherothrombotic stroke.

• Gene polymorphisms and male infertility - a meta-analysis and literature review.

• MDM2 promoter polymorphism SNP309 contributes to tumor susceptibility: Evidence from 21 case-control studies.

• Prospective meta-analysis of IL-1 gene complex polymorphisms confirms associations with ankylosing spondylitis.

• Replication of reported genetic associations of PADI4, FCRL3, SLC22A4 and RUNX1 genes with rheumatoid arthritis: results of an independent Japanese population and evidence from meta-analysis of East Asian studies.

• The ENPP1 K121Q Polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes in European populations: Evidence from an updated meta-analysis in 42,042 subjects.

• Apolipoprotein epsilon alleles in sporadic inclusion body myositis: A reappraisal.

• Lack of association of single nucleotide polymorphism in LRCH1 with knee osteoarthritis susceptibility.

Search for HuGE Reviews in the HuGE Navigator
Search for systematic reviews in the HuGE Navigator

Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAs)
The following genome wide association studies were added to PubMed in December:

• Genetic variation in DPP6 is associated with susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

• Genome-wide quantitative trait locus association scan of general cognitive ability using pooled DNA and 500K single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays.

• Runs of homozygosity reveal highly penetrant recessive loci in schizophrenia.

• Two genome-wide association studies of aggressive prostate cancer implicate putative prostate tumor suppressor gene DAB2IP.

• Identifying genes for coronary artery disease: An idea whose time has come.

Search for genome wide association studies in the HuGE Navigator 

HuGENet™ Publications

The following publications were written by HuGENet™ collaborators and were added to PubMed in December:

• Required sample size and nonreplicability thresholds for heterogeneous genetic associations.

• Evidence based medicine meets genomic medicine.

• Clustered environments and randomized genes: A fundamental distinction between conventional and genetic epidemiology.

• The continuum of translation research in genomic medicine: how can we accelerate the appropriate integration of human genome discoveries into health care and disease prevention?

View all HuGENet™ Publications

As of December 31, 2007, the HuGE Navigator  contains 31,386 research studies, referencing 3,141 genes,and 1,942 health outcomes/diseases. Both epidemiologic studies and review articles can be found in the database which includes 64 HuGE Reviews and 615 meta-analyses.

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