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On 26 November 2021 the WHO designated the new SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.529, now named Omicron, a variant of concern.
Much is still unknown about Omicron and it is expected that the variant’s real world impact will become clearer over the next weeks.

In individuals with co-morbidities, defective immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 may allow unrestricted viral replication which elicits hyperinflammation and severe complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
COVID-19 resulting in ARDS has recently emerged as an important disease that predisposes patients to secondary pulmonary aspergillosis.

In recent years, liquid biopsies have emerged as a promising tool in the fields of molecular oncology and precision medicine. Liquid biopsy methodology typically analyses genomic DNA isolated from circulating tumour cells (CTCs) or circulating cell-free tumour DNA (cfDNA/ctDNA) in a peripheral blood sample, to gain insight into the genomic profile of the patients’ tumour.

Due to a rapid increase in serious infections related to especially carbapenemase producing Enterobacterales, the clinical use of the polymyxin antibiotics colistin (polymyxin E), and polymyxin B has recently resurged as salvage therapy for otherwise untreatable Gram-negative infections.

Newborn screening is a process where infants are screened for specific conditions shortly after birth. These conditions may not always be clinically evident in the newborn period.

Newborn screening (NBS) is a form of preventative health care and entails the process of screening infants for specific genetic conditions in the first few days of their life.

Chromosomal aneuploidies (abnormal number of chromosomes) are the most common of first trimester miscarriage, accounting for more than 50% of spontaneous abortions.

Genetics is an evolving field, and even though technology has improved in order to identify more disease-causing genetic variants, current laboratory testing strategies still have significant limitations.

A fairly recent article on the nationwide outbreak of Hepatitis E (HEV) in informal settlements in Namibia as well as the recent academic interest in this previously mostly ignored virus, prompted this EduPath.