Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Current State of Fetal Heart Disease Counseling and Training: Room for Improvement? : Endorsed by the Fetal Heart Society

We sought to describe the fellowship experiences and current practice habits of pediatric cardiologists who counsel patients with fetal heart disease (FHD) and to identify fellowship experiences related to FHD counseling perceived as valuable by respondents as well as opportunities for improvement. A cross-sectional survey of attending pediatric cardiologists who care for patients with FHD was performed. The respondents\u27 demographics, fellowship experiences related to FHD counseling, reflections on fellowship training, and current practice habits were collected. The Fetal Heart Society endorsed this survey. There were 164 survey responses. 56% of respondents did not have 4th-year subspecialty training in fetal cardiology. Observing and performing FHD counseling were the most commonly used methods of training, with the highest perceived effectiveness. The number of counseling sessions observed and performed correlated moderately with confidence in FHD counseling skills at fellowship graduation. Extracardiac pathology and neurodevelopment were the least frequently addressed topics in fellowship training and in current practice. Fewer than 50% of respondents received formal education and feedback in counseling techniques during fellowship training. A significant proportion of practicing pediatric cardiologists provide FHD counseling with only standard categorical training. This highlights the potential importance of expanding FHD counseling education into categorical fellowship curricula. We suggest increasing opportunities for fellows to perform FHD counseling and receive feedback as this is a valued and beneficial experience during training. A formalized curriculum including extracardiac pathology and neurodevelopment and the use of evidence-based workshops in counseling techniques may address identified gaps in fellowship education