Eleven Grand Challenges for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics and Genomics.

The past 2 decades have witnessed extraordinary advances in our understanding of the genetic factors influencing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), providing a foundation for the approaching era of genomic medicine. On behalf of the NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium, we herein survey 11 grand challenges for the field as it embarks on the next 2 decades of research utilizing integrative genomic and systems biology approaches. These involve elucidation of the genetic architecture of IBD (how it compares across populations, the role of rare variants, and prospects of polygenic risk scores), in-depth cellular and molecular characterization (fine-mapping causal variants, cellular contributions to pathology, molecular pathways, interactions with environmental exposures, and advanced organoid models), and applications in personalized medicine (unmet medical needs, working toward molecular nosology, and precision therapeutics).

The species of Pteromalus Swederus in America north of Mexico with a 4:4 mandibular formula, and description of a potential biocontrol agent of the introduced pest Anthonomus rubi (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is native to Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa, and has recently established in British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA. To determine whether any parasitoids in British Columbia parasitize this recently-established pest, A. rubi-infested buds of Rosaceous host plants were collected and reared for parasitoid emergence.

Mapping priority areas for measles surveillance: stratifying reintroduction and transmission risk in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Objective: To stratify areas at risk of measles transmission in the state of Rio de Janeiro, using the risk assessment tool developed by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with adaptations to the regional context.

Methods: This ecological study used municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state as the units of analysis. The overall risk of measles transmission was evaluated based on the scores of indicators grouped into four categories: vaccination, threat assessment, quality of health care services, and living conditions.

Impact of hydroxycarbamide treatment on the whole-blood transcriptome in sickle cell disease.

Hydroxycarbamide (HC) is the most widely used therapeutic for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD, including sickle cell anemia and other forms of the disease). HC's clinical benefits are primarily associated with its ability to induce foetal haemoglobin (HbF); this limited view of HC's therapeutic potential may lead to its discontinuation when a modest amount of HbF is induced. A better understanding of the HbF-independent effects of HC on genes and pathways relevant to SCD pathophysiology is therefore needed.