#A natural way to monitor, and possibly control populations of, stink bugsanyone who has squashed a stink bug knows why they got their name.
since its adoption in 2009 because we knew their introduction into our state poses a huge threat to the future of our forests says Bernie Williams invasive species specialist in forest health at the Wisconsin Department of Natural resources.
#Health risks posed by third hand tobacco smokeresearch led by the University of York has highlighted the potential cancer risk in nonsmokers--particularly young children--of tobacco smoke gases
However a new study published in the journal Environment International has estimated for the first time the potential cancer risk by age group through non-dietary ingestion and dermal exposure to third hand smoke.
Using observations of house dust composition they estimated the cancer risk by applying the most recent official toxicology information.
They found that for children aged one to six years old the cancer risks exceeded the limit recommended by the US Environmental protection agency (EPA) in three quarters of smokers'homes and two thirds of nonsmokers'homes.
The maximum risk predicted from the third hand smoke levels in a smoker occupied home equated to one extra cancer case per one thousand population exposed.
Lead investigator Dr Jacqueline Hamilton from York's Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry laboratories said: The risks of tobacco exposure do not end
and its impact should be included in future educational programs and tobacco-related public health policies. Each year 600000 people die worldwide through passive inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke also known as second hand smoke.
and whereas there is a general public awareness about the harms of second hand smoke there is little knowledge about the dangers of third hand smoke.
Dr Noelia Ramirez a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from York's Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry laboratories who started this research line said:
Although disease has played likely a role in the retreat of the long-tongued giant B. terrestris also appears to be out-competing an earlier European immigrant the long-tongued Bombus ruderatus.
#Experts voice concerns over arsenic in riceinorganic arsenic in rice and rice-based foods poses health concerns in infants and young children and steps should be taken to minimize exposure according to a commentary in the Journal
of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the North american Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition.
The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The inorganic arsenic levels of dietary products used by children should be regulated according to the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition.
Health concerns over arsenic in rice--especially for childreninorganic arsenic is considered a first level carcinogen
and its long-term exposure has negative effects on human health comments Dr Iva Hojsak of University Children's Hospital Zagreb Croatia lead author of the Committee report.
or the United states. No safe level of arsenic can be identified--any exposure may increase health risks.
Their recommendations state that rice-based formulas are an option for infants allergic to cow's milk
and considered by doctors and parents. Otherwise the Committee recommends avoiding rice drinks for infants and young children.
The Committee calls for further research on the inorganic arsenic content of rice and other foods and its lifelong impact on health.
The above story is provided based on materials by Wolters Kluwer Health. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
This reality has been attributed to the fact that people with psychiatric disorders who have higher suicide rates also tend to smoke.
Our analysis showed that each dollar increase in cigarette taxes was associated with a 10 percent decrease in suicide risk said Grucza associate professor of psychiatry.
but then also as a way to improve public health Grucza explained. Higher taxes and more restrictive smoking policies are well-known ways of getting people to smoke less.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United states according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Every death that occurs in the United states is recorded in a database managed by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Although scientists have known for years that people who smoke have a higher risk for suicide they had assumed the risk was related to the psychiatric disorders that affect many smokers.
These new findings however suggest smoking may increase the risk for psychiatric disorders or make them more severe
and nicotine not only on physical health but on mental health too Grucza said. We don't know exactly how smoking influences suicide risk.
It could be that it affects depression or increases addiction to other substances. We don't know how smoking exerts these effects
This mechanism purportedly allows those addicted to nicotine to get a fix without affecting the air others breathe.
Like any other addicting drug people start using nicotine to feel good but eventually they need it to feel normal.
And as with other drugs that chronic use can contribute to depression or anxiety and that could help to explain the link to suicide.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Washington University in St louis. The original article was written by Jim Dryden.
#How gardens could help dementia carea new study has revealed that gardens in care homes could provide promising therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from dementia.
The research is published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association and by critically reviewing the findings from 17 different pieces of research has found that outdoor spaces can offer environments that promote relaxation encourage activity
Conducted by a team at the University of Exeter Medical school and supported by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR Penclahrc
) the systematic review also found that gardens could offer welcome spaces for interactions with visitors helping to stimulate memories for dementia patients
Dementia is a global public health priority with reports suggesting that 7. 7 million new cases are identified each year.
Almost half of the elderly people living in residential care have dementia or dementia symptoms a figure
which increases to more than three-quarters in nursing homes. The study's lead researcher Rebecca Whear said There is an increasing interest in improving dementia symptoms without the use of drugs.
We think that gardens could be benefitting dementia sufferers by providing them with sensory stimulation and an environment that triggers memories.
They not only present an opportunity to relax in a calming setting but also to remember skills
if gardens are to be useful in the future care of dementia patients. These include understanding possible hazards that a garden might represent to residents
Dr Ruth Garside an expert in evidence synthesis and one of the paper's authors said:
We want to pursue these answers to ensure that care experiences can be maximised for sufferers of dementia their carers and families.
To a certain extent mobility enables nomads to continue their pastoral farming practices in less productive systems thereby offsetting negative effects of climate change reports Dr Romina Martin of the UFZ who is now conducting research at the Stockholm
and therefore to climate change says Dr Anja Linstã¤dter of the University of Cologne.
Dr Birgit MÃ ller of the UFZ adds: So we should not simply dismiss nomadism as an outdated tradition.
#Progress in allergic asthma research after ingestion of fruitsresearchers at the UPM suggest that the interaction between two proteins can be the responsible for the allergic asthma episodes after eating an infected fruit.
and Genomics (CBGP) of Universidad Politã cnica de Madrid (UPM) conducted infection assays of commercial kiwis with Alternaria alternata spores which is a pathogenic fungus involved in chronic asthma
This could trigger the involuntary ingestion of the fungus found in this fruit causing an asthmatic crisis in people allergic to Alternaria.
According to this research this protein can be a major cause of childhood asthma in US. When a pathogen infects a plant the defense response is activated producing an increase of certain proteins related to the defense (known as protein 5). Likewise the fungus increases the production of the proteins involved in attacks or virulence.
However the symptoms of rot by Alternaria alternata are seen not in some fruits for example in kiwifruit.
Fourteen days after the infection the kiwifruits showed a regular aspect without apparent development of the fungus
which is particularly important in processes of fungal infection. Researchers did observed not development of the fungus in kiwifruit
From health point of view the presence of Alt a 1 in apparently healthy kiwis is important
since Alternaria is described as a major cause of chronic asthma in children. These results suggest that patients allergic to Alternaria can suffer an allergy attack after eating infected kiwifruit.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Universidad Politã cnica de Madrid. Note:
Worrying link to fungal drug resistance in UK, warns scientistscrop spraying on British farms could be aiding a life-threatening fungus suffered by tens of thousand of people in the UK each year.
and other organic matter--has become resistant to lifesaving drugs in parts of rural Yorkshire.
Although the link has been made before in The netherlands it's the first time its been made in the UK between drug resistance in Aspergillus
and raise serious implications for transplant patients those with leukemia and people who suffer from severe asthma.
In the three-year study researchers from Radboud University Medical Centre and The University of Manchester compared resistance profiles in 230 fungal samples collected from rural areas in West yorkshire
which were treated with fungicides to 290 air and soil samples from inner city sites across Greater manchester.
Guus van Muijlwijk of the Department of Medical Microbiology at Radboud University is a final year medical student who contributed to the research during an exchange visit to Manchester.
He believes merging antifungal resistance in human pathogenic fungi is causing a huge threat to patients especially to those with weaken immune systems
and this study emphasises that there may be even a greater problem in treating such diseases.
and here at home in The netherlands--and it is raising great concerns among clinicians as no new classes of antifungal agent are currently in clinical development.
Dr Michael Bromley Lecturer at The University of Manchester and study leader commented: Given the frequent finding of resistance across Northern europe it is not a surprise to see resistance in the UK.
Diseases caused by Aspergillus affect millions of people worldwide causing high morbidity and mortality. The only oral antifungal agents (triazoles) for human use are similar in structure to certain fungicides.
The use of certain compounds in agriculture notably difenoconazole propiconazole epoxiconazole bromuconazole and tebuconazol are particularly likely to lead to resistance yet are used freely in agriculture.
There is a very limited range of antifungal compounds to treat fungal diseases and some fungi are multi-resistant.
'Although whole genome duplication events are widespread in plants finding evidence of exactly how plants use this new'toolbox'of copied genes is said very difficult Dr Steve Kelly of Oxford university's Department of Plant sciences
In the wild plants have to overcome the challenges posed by pathogens and predators in order to survive.
However once domestication by humans began plants grown as crops had to cope with a new set of artificial selection pressures such as delivering a high yield and greater stress tolerance.'
'Whole genome duplication events are key in allowing plants to evolve new abilities'said Dr Kelly.'
The problems often lead to the syndrome Colony Collapse Disorder which can cause whole bee colonies to fall apart.
However there is increasing evidence that the global honey bee trade has detrimental effects including the spread of new diseases
whether commercial honey bee strains are actually more productive all things considered. There is not much point in having a highly productive strain
if it succumbs to Colony Collapse Disorder. The studies were carried out in 621 colonies of honey bees with 16 different genetic origins.
The beehives were set up in 11 countries in Europe. There was one local strain and two foreign strains of honey bees at each of the locations.
The factors that had the greatest influence on the survival of the bees were infection with varroa mites problems with the queen and infection with the disease nosema.
Colonies with queens from the local environment managed on average 83 days more than colonies with queens from foreign areas.
and pens said Dr John Macginnis from Cambridge's Macdonald Institute for Archaeological Research who led the research.
Otherwise the body was recovered in good condition. Because of the remarkable preservation of Lyuba and Khroma stringent conditions were placed on their study.
and analyzing much of their anatomy without compromising exhibit potential or options for future analysis. CT scans of Lyuba were done in Tokyo in 2009
and in Wisconsin in 2010 using medical scanners. But because of Lyuba's size (about 110 pounds and slightly smaller than a baby elephant) the researchers could not acquire 3-D data from her entire body.
Khroma's CT scans were done at two French hospitals. Micro-CT scans of teeth from both mammoth calves were conducted at the University of Michigan School of dentistry.
#Study of noninvasive retinal imaging device presented at Alzheimers conferencea noninvasive optical imaging device developed at Cedars-Sinai can provide early detection of changes that later occur in the brain
and are a classic sign of Alzheimer's disease according to preliminary results from investigators conducting a clinical trial in Australia.
The researchers will present their findings July 15 in an oral presentation at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2014 in Copenhagen Denmark.
In preliminary results in 40 patients the test could differentiate between Alzheimer's disease and non-Alzheimer's disease with 100 percent sensitivity and 80.6 percent specificity meaning that all people with the disease tested positive and most of the people without the disease tested negative.
The optical imaging exam appears to detect changes that occur 15-20 years before clinical diagnosis. It's a practical exam that could allow testing of new therapies at an earlier stage increasing our chances of altering the course of Alzheimer's disease said Shaun
Frost a biomedical scientist and the study manager at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
CSIRO is Australia's national science agency. Frost first author of the AAIC 2014 abstract will make the oral presentation.
of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain is a hallmark sign of Alzheimer's but current tests detect changes only after the disease has advanced to late stages.
Researchers believe that as treatment options improve early detection will be critical but existing diagnostic methods are inconvenient costly and impractical for routine screening.
and cerebrospinal fluid analysis requires that patients undergo invasive and often painful lumbar punctures but neither approach is quite feasible especially for patients in the earlier stages of disease he said.
Positron emission tomography or PET is the current diagnostic standard. The retina unlike other structures of the eye is part of the central nervous system sharing many characteristics of the brain.
A few years ago we discovered at Cedars-Sinai that the plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease occur not only in the brain but also in the retina.
By'staining'the plaque with curcumin a component of the common spice turmeric we could detect it in the retina even before it began to accumulate in the brain.
--just as an ophthalmologist looks through the eye to diagnose retinal disease --and see these changes.
This clinical trial was designed to enable researchers to correlate retinal plaque detected by optical imaging with brain plaque detected by PET scans.
Studies involved patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's a group with mild cognitive impairment and a group of people with no evidence of brain abnormality.
and the postmortem investigation of human retinas of people who had died with Alzheimer's. Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui Phd assistant professor of neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Biomedical sciences and Yosef Koronyo a research scientist were first authors of the original results that were published in a journal and presented
if similar results can be confirmed in humans living with the disease. This large double-blind clinical trial appears to validate our novel human retinal amyloid imaging approach using curcumin labeling.
It further demonstrates significant correlation with brain amyloid burden thereby predicting accumulation of plaques in the brain through the retina said Koronyo-Hamaoui a faculty principal investigator and head of the Neuroimmunology and Retinal Imaging Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai.
The above story is provided based on materials by Cedars-Sinai Medical center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
As a result the harvested portion of the plant will often contain lower concentrations of other nutrients including health-promoting antioxidants Without the synthetic chemical pesticides applied on conventional crops organic plants also tend to produce more phenols
and polyphenols to defend against pest attacks and related injuries. In people phenols and polyphenols can help prevent diseases triggered
or promoted by oxidative-damage like coronary heart disease stroke and certain cancers. Overall organic crops had 18 to 69 percent higher concentrations of antioxidant compounds.
The team concludes that consumers who switch to organic fruit vegetables and cereals would get 20 to 40 percent more antioxidants.
The researchers also found pesticide residues were three to four times more likely in conventional foods than organic ones as organic farmers are allowed not to apply toxic synthetic pesticides.
and deliver bona fide health benefits said Benbrook. In a surprising finding the team concluded that conventional crops had roughly twice as much cadmium a toxic heavy metal contaminant as organic crops.
The leading explanation is that certain fertilizers approved for use only on conventional farms somehow make cadmium more available to plant roots.
Another review published by a Stanford university team in 2011 failed to identify any significant clinical health benefits from consumption of organic food
but incorporated less than half the number of comparisons for most health-promoting nutrients. We benefited from a much larger and higher quality set of studies than our colleagues who carried out earlier reviews said Carlo Leifert a Newcastle University professor and the project leader.
but the news isn't all bad according to Dr. Srinivasulu Ale Agrilife Research geospatial hydrology assistant professor in Vernon Texas. Long-term (1930-2010) trends in groundwater levels in Texas:
Influences of soils land cover and water use authored by Dr. Sriroop Chaudhuri former postdoctoral research associate at Vernon
The authors assumed that the elimination of Gmchx1 in salt-sensitive germplasms may be an example of negative selection against a stress tolerance gene in unstressed environments.
The expression of stress tolerance genes may be an energy burden on the plant if the functions of these genes are required not.
and even its colorful bark now has a disease problem--although so far only in the commercial nursery setting.
Through genetic testing scientists identified the disorder as being caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis. The disease is most likely spread by wind-driven rain
or overhead irrigation and some crape myrtle varieties are more susceptible than others. I've been working with crape myrtles for a long time
and they've been such a disease-resistant plant for such a long time so it's pretty significant
when their susceptibility to disease is increased said Gary Knox an environmental horticulture professor with UF's Institute of food and agricultural sciences.
however with 130 compared with 72 in Texas. In the June issue of the journal Plant disease the UF/IFAS team outlined the first report of the disease
The researchers say for now the disease affects only crape myrtle commercial producers and is spread by factors such as overhead irrigation systems
I think you can safely say that nearly every crape myrtle producer would have the disease at this point Knox said.
While the disease appears contained in the commercial sector that could change. Most bacterial diseases can be spread in wind-driven rain
and in Florida we know there's no shortage of that said Mathews Paret an assistant professor of plant pathology who led the study.
and the limited use of bactericides would be part of such an integrated strategy the researchers said.
if the disease ever makes the leap from nurseries to home gardens. Crape myrtle is so close to Southern gardeners'hearts that they endlessly debate such topics as how to spell its name (variants include crepe myrtle crape myrtle
In a new paper available online in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters a Rice team led by chemist James Tour compared its RRAM technology to more than a dozen competing versions.
or the Seychelles explains Dr. Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury TU Darmstadt Germany. According to the new study in the palm forest Anoplolepis gracilipes was confined to the north-east of the Vallã e de Mai
in addition to continued monitoring of distribution and abundance explains Dr. Kaiser-Bunbury. Chemical control poses a considerable risk to non-target species such as endemic ants.
#Food imagery ideal for teaching doctors--but they must have strong stomachsfrom'beer belly'to'port wine stain'food imagery has a long history of being used in medicine to identify the diagnostic features of a wide range of conditions
and ailments says a pathologist in Medical Humanities. The helpful visual and diagnostic clues it provides are ideal for enhancing doctors'understanding of disease
and are part of a tradition that is worth celebrating despite its admittedly European bias she says.
In a gastronomic tour of some of the many food descriptors used in medicine the author highlights imagery such as'anchovy sauce'to describe the pus from a liver abscess through'sago spleen'to indicate protein (amyloid) deposits to'oat
cell carcinoma'which describes the appearance of a highly aggressive form of lung cancer. Dairy products feature prominently in the medical lexicon:'
'milk patch'describes the appearance of healed inflamed membranes surrounding the heart (rheumatic pericarditis) while cafã au lait describes the telltale skin pigmentation of von Recklinghausen's disease--a genetic disorder characterised by nerve tumours.
And'egg shell crackling'denotes the grating sound indicative of the bone tumour ameloblastoma. Fruit is also popular as in'apple
'or'pear'shape to describe the appearance of fat distribution around the body or'strawberry cervix'which indicates inflammation in the neck of the womb brought about by Trichomonas infection.
Water melon oranges currant jelly grapes and cherry all find their way into visual clues for a range of conditions
while breakfast food imagery is common. A'croissant'appearance in a cell nucleus is indicative of a benign growth on peripheral nerves.
Similarly a'blueberry muffin'rash is characteristic of congenital rubella while the appearance of a red blood cell is referred to as'doughnut'shaped.
There's even a reference to an entire dish as a skin condition called tinea versicolor is denoted by its'spaghetti and meatball'appearance.
The author suggests that food descriptors reflect a basic human need for survival or perhaps the fact that many medical practitioners are forced to grab their meals on the job.
But doctors must have strong stomachs she says. It is a wonder that in the midst of the smells
and sights of human affliction a physician has the stomach to think of food at all she suggests.
But she adds: Whatever the genesis these time honored allusions have been and will continue to be a lively learning inducement for generations of budding physicians.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by BMJ-British Medical Journal. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference n
#Taking account of environment of bees to better evaluate insecticide-related risksa study coordinated by INRA
A new source of variability concerning the effects of pesticidesthe scientists now need to explore the complexity of these environmental and toxicological interactions.
By characterising the environmental conditions that constitute the most risks for bees scientists will be better able to evaluate toxicological risks in the field
and improve the design of epidemiological watch networks. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by INRA-France.
Benefits of carotenoidswhatâ's more according to the researchers the inclusion of carotenoids in a diet can help to reduce risk of developing diseases such as certain types of cancer heart disease or damage to vision especially those related to an aging population.
#Position statement on e-cigarettes by American Thoracic Societyexperts from the world's leading lung organizations have released a position statement on electronic cigarettes focusing on their potential adverse effects on human health
or restrict their use until their health impacts are better known. Produced by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) the position statement will be presented on July 9th 2014 at a meeting hosted by FIRS and the NCD Noncommunicable Disease Alliance Shared Drivers Shared Solutions:
NCDS Lung Health and Sustainable Development. The meeting coincides with the United nations High-level Review on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases on July 10-11
which will include chronic respiratory illness--including COPD the third-leading cause of death worldwide--for the first time.
FIRS established in 2001 is composed an organization of the world's leading international respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally including the American Thoracic Society (ATS) the Asociaciã n Latinoamericana del Thorax
(ALAT) the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR) the European Respiratory Society (ERS) the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
(The Union) and the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS. The goal of FIRS is to unify
and enhance efforts to improve lung health through the combined work of its more than 70000 members globally.
Past ATS President Dean Schraufnagel MD is the lead author of the statement and will be presenting it at the meeting.
The gravity of tobacco use on global health and the historical behavior of the tobacco industry that has included deceit about the health effects of tobacco intentional marketing to children
and manipulating nicotine levels in cigarettes to maintain addiction should prompt us to proceed cautiously said Dr. Schraufnagel.
Nicotine is central to lifelong addiction and these are nicotine delivery devices. The position of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) on electronic nicotine delivery devices includes:
and its untoward effects should not be underestimated. â#¢The potential benefits of electronic nicotine delivery devices including harm reduction
and as an aid to smoking cessation have not been studied well. â#¢Potential benefits to an individual smoker should be weighed against harm to the population of increased social acceptability of smoking
and use of nicotine. â#¢Health and safety claims regarding electronic nicotine delivery devices should be subject to evidentiary review. â#¢Adverse health effects for third parties exposed to the emissions of electronic cigarettes cannot be excluded. â#¢Electronic nicotine
delivery devices should be restricted or banned at least until more information about their safety is available. â#¢
If electronic nicotine delivery devices are permitted they should be regulated as medicines and subject to the same evidentiary review of other medicines. â#¢If electronic nicotine delivery devices are regulated not as medicines they should be regulated as tobacco products. â#¢Research supported by sources other than the tobacco
or electronic cigarette. â#¢industry should be carried out to determine the impact of electronic nicotine delivery devices on health in a wide variety of settings. â#¢The use
and population effects of electronic nicotine delivery devices should be monitored. â#¢All information derived from this research should be conveyed to the public in a clear manner.
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