Precision Medicine Is Hot Field These Days, But It’s Undermined By Lack Of Diversity In Genetic Research
An analysis finds that 78 percent of all individuals included in genomic studies of disease up to 2018 were of European descent. In other public health news: loneliness in teens, childhood trauma, trigger warnings, cancer and vaccines by mail.
NPR:
Minorities Neglected In Human Genetics Research That Focuses On White Europeans
Precision medicine promises to tailor the diagnosis and treatment of disease to your unique genetic makeup. A doctor may use the presence of certain genetic markers to diagnose a disease, or choose one drug for treatment over another. But the studies that link genetic markers with disease focus largely on white European populations and neglect other races and ethnicities, according to an analysis published in the journal Cell on Thursday. (Lambert, 3/21)
PBS NewsHour:
Genetic Research Has A White Bias, And It May Be Hurting Everyone’s Health
As of last year, 78 percent of the people included in the most prominent form of genomic research — genome-wide association studies (GWAS) — were of European ancestry. But worldwide, Europeans and their descendents make up just 12 percent of the population. (Stein, 3/21)
USA Today:
Loneliness Soars Among Teens Along With Social Media Use, Study Says
Teens whose face time with friends is mostly on their phones are the loneliest of all, but even those who mix real-world socializing with social media still are increasingly isolated, a report out Wednesday shows. Loneliness isn't just an age thing; it's generational, says the author of the study, San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge. The percent of high school seniors who said they often felt lonely increased from 26 percent in 2012 to 39 percent in 2017. The number of 12th graders who said they often felt left out also increased, from 30 percent in 2012 to 38 percent in 2017. (O'Donnell, 3/20)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
‘Change The Environment’, Reduce Kids Exposure To Trauma, Says California Surgeon General At University Hospitals
While the most common diagnosis for kids with attention and behavior issues is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, Burke Harris found that many of the kids who might normally receive this label had experienced high levels of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, from extreme poverty and exposure to violence, to neglect or living with a parent who suffered from addiction to drugs or alcohol. (Zeltner, 3/21)
The New York Times:
Trigger Warnings May Not Do Much, Early Studies Suggest
For years, they have been the subject of impassioned academic debate: Trigger warnings, do they protect people from distress or encourage fragility? The warnings, which alert individuals to disturbing material, have been talked about, used and promoted on college campuses and elsewhere for more than a decade, but little was known about how well they work. Now, a pair of recent studies suggest that they may have little effect at all. (Chokshi, 3/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Despite Rulings, Farmers Remain Loyal To Bayer’s Roundup
Farmers are standing by Bayer AG’s Roundup herbicide despite rulings from two juries that the world’s most widely used weedkiller caused cancer in plaintiffs. The chemical, used on the vast majority of corn, soybean and cotton acres planted in the U.S., remains prized by farmers for its low cost and effectiveness. (Bunge, 3/21)
Reuters:
UPS Eyes In-Home Health Services With U.S. Vaccine Project
United Parcel Service Inc wants to get beyond U.S. doorsteps with a new push into healthcare. The world's largest package delivery firm is preparing to test a U.S. service that dispatches nurses to vaccinate adults in their homes, Reuters has learned, as the company and its healthcare clients work to fend off cost pressures and competitive threats from Amazon.com. (Baertlein and Erman, 3/22)
