Articles: health.
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Comment Multicenter Study Observational Study
Expanded Newborn Screening Using Genome Sequencing for Early Actionable Conditions.
The feasibility of implementing genome sequencing as an adjunct to traditional newborn screening (NBS) in newborns of different racial and ethnic groups is not well understood. ⋯ These interim findings demonstrate the feasibility of targeted interpretation of a predefined set of genes from genome sequencing in a population of different racial and ethnic groups. DNA sequencing offers an additional method to improve screening for conditions already included in NBS and to add those that cannot be readily screened because there is no biomarker currently detectable in dried blood spots. Additional studies are required to understand if these findings are generalizable to populations of different racial and ethnic groups and whether introduction of sequencing leads to changes in management and improved health outcomes.
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Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), also known as "service connection," have been shown to reduce homelessness and poverty, increase mental health engagement, and improve clinical outcomes. However, gender and race disparities in PTSD service connection have been described in Vietnam and post-Vietnam era Veterans. ⋯ Women were less likely to receive PTSD service connection compared to men; this difference was nearly completely mediated by gender differences in combat exposure. Black women were less likely than non-Black women to receive PTSD service connection, but we could not identify a plausible mechanism to explain this finding. On net, the base compensation package was lower for Veterans denied PTSD service connection than for those receiving PTSD service connection.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and a major global health concern. In the United States, individuals of Black or African American racial identity experience disproportionately higher rates of TBI and suffer from worse postinjury outcomes. Contemporary research agendas have largely overlooked or excluded Black populations, resulting in the continued marginalization of Black patient populations in TBI studies, thereby limiting the generalizability of ongoing research to patients in the United States and around the world. ⋯ Studies identified statistical variation in S100ß, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1, amyloid-ß, and tau across participant race, either at baseline or following TBI. Additionally, several studies identified genetic polymorphisms associated with TBI outcomes related to apolipoprotein E, ANKK1, and COMT polymorphism and TBI outcome and identified allele frequency variation across population ancestry. The role of race and ancestry on biomarkers associated with TBI outcome remains indeterminate and subsequent work is still required to understand the implications for patients with TBI.