Nearly 1. 6 billion people worldwide depend on forests as a source of food medicines timber and fuel.
Professor Michael Kimlin and Dr David Borradale from QUT's Aussun Research Lab said the study of 45 young healthy women in Brisbane aged 18 to 47 showed high rates
This is concerning as the benefits of folic acid are well-known with health professionals urging young women to take a folic acid supplement prior to
Folate has been found to reduce miscarriage and neural tube defects such as spina bifida in unborn babies.
The NHMRC recommends pregnant women or those planning a pregnancy take 500 micrograms a day.
Dr Borradale said in showing the link between UV exposure and folate depletion further research including a controlled clinical trial was needed.
We are not telling women to stop taking folate supplements but rather urging women to talk to their doctor about their folate levels
and the importance of folate in their diet especially those who are planning a pregnancy Dr Borradale said.
The results of this study reinforce the need for adequate folate levels prior to and during pregnancy.
Folic acid can also be taken as a pill. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Queensland University of Technology.
and validate genes from the P450 detoxification enzyme superfamily which are expressed highly in the adult females from the area.
Emerging Infectious diseases 18: 1508-1511 2012. This is the first wild Anopheles population to display such complete multiple resistance
and carbamates was generated in otherwise susceptible fly strains..These genes are familiar candidates to LSTM researchers who have documented previously their links with pyrethroid and DDT resistance.
Dr David Weetman senior author said: The work has given a uniquely detailed insight into the varied mechanisms through
The above story is provided based on materials by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
graphic health warning sign at point of sale might notpolices that ban tobacco product displays at point of sale may reduce adults smoking by deterring purchases though a single graphic health warning sign
The study published in the March issue of American Journal of Public health looked at the behaviors of more than 1200 current adult smokers and recent quitters in a virtual convenience store in
or hidden with a graphic health warning sign on display. â#oetobacco ads and displays may act as cues to smoke stimulate purchases among customers who did not intend to buy cigarettes
though we found placing a single graphic health warning at the POS did not have the same effect. â#The results showed that adult smokers
The addition of a single graphic health warning sign at the point of sale did not affect smokersâ
and germinated more frequently than the unmoved seeds explains Dr. Matthias Schleuning co-author and scientist at Bik-F. Quite often the ants removed the seed aril only in their nests
seven times bigger was said just too much Steven Salzberg professor of medicine and biostatistics at Johns hopkins university one of the directors of the loblolly genome assembly team who was also an author on the papers.
The genome also revealed the location of genes that may be involved in fighting off pathogens which will help scientists understand more about disease resistance in pines.
The megagenomes of conifers are a challenge to sequence. Thanks to the important innovations described in these articles the draft genome of the loblolly pine is not only the largest ever assembled its quality is impressive.
and their diseases and minimal human disturbance said Benjamin Wilder a Ph d. graduate student in UC Riverside's Department of Botany
which actually produce a lot of vibrant and diverse alcoholic spirits including vodka said Timothy W. Stephens a graduate student at the University of North Texas Denton where he
and fungi that decompose plant matter in healthy ecosystems are hindered by radioactive contamination. They showed a smaller effect for small invertebrates such as termites that also contribute to decomposition of plant biomass.
It's another facet of the impacts of low-dose-rate radioactive contaminants on the broader ecosystem Mousseau says.
and redistribute the radioactive contamination that is in the trees and the plant biomass Mousseau says.
That would end up moving radio-cesium and other contaminants via smoke into populated areas. This litter accumulation that we measured
Dr Mick Hanley Lecturer in Ecology at Plymouth University said the study showed the continued importance of promoting diversity
or even enhance biodiversity Dr Hanley said. In particular the presence of large densities and varieties of flowering plants supports a number of pollinating insects
Dr Hanley added As a general rule bees will go wherever there are flowers available. However if native plants were to disappear completely from our towns
The fungal disease commonly known as scab not only dramatically shrinks yields but produces toxins that make the grain dangerous for human or animal consumption.
From 1991 to 1996 head blight caused $2. 6 billion in losses to the U s. wheat crop.
Two decades later the U s. Department of agriculture still ranks head blight as the worst plant disease to hit the U s. since the rust epidemics in the 1950s.
and Barley Scab Initiative scientists admit that efforts to control this devastating disease have met with limited success. This is an extraordinary disease that requires extraordinary means to combat it says Yen who began working on head blight in 1997.
Multiple hosts and pathogens Head blight can be caused by multiple pathogens and these pathogens can attack multiple hosts including grasses
and corn Yen explains. This makes the disease tougher to combat. Researchers are working to develop resistant types of grain alter tillage practices
and apply fungicides to fight the disease. This disease is not new Yen says. It was reported first in England in 1884 and in North america in 1890.
Over the last century serious outbreaks have occurred in Asia Canada Europe and South america. If this disease could be controlled through breeding Yen believes that scientists would have done so by now.
Varieties of wheat with some resistance to blight were collected in China during the 1950s and breeding for better resistance has been done since.
The most resistant variety of wheat Sumai 3 was released in China in the 1960s Yen explains
but it still gets the disease. Fusarium spores exist during winter in the plant debris. Even plowing the stubble under does not eliminate the problem
While diseases such as stem rust want the host to survive Yen says fusarium attacks the wheat
Sumai 3 successfully delays the development of the disease. Though the kernel on which the spore has landed will be empty it won't affect the rest of the head he explains.
Gene expression Yen has undertaken a molecular study of the disease investigating how the fungal infection impacts wheat gene expression.
How they respond to regulations triggered by the fungal infection makes the difference he says. That's why normal gene cloning didn't work.
Resistance to the disease is controlled by the chemical pathways of two growth hormones jasmonate and ethylene Yen explains.
because suppressing its function in the first eight to 60 hours after the infection causes the disease development.
Disease development Essentially Yen hypothesizes that the fungus softens the host cell wall during infection and triggers a chain of host resistance responses.
In the resistant wheat the key resistance gene may delay this chain of reactions until the host tissue is too hard for the disease to develop Yen explains.
In the susceptible wheat the disease makes the plant drop this gene expression so the fungus can get established.
Only then can the researcher figure out how to prevent the disease from becoming an epidemic.
and identify which step is the easiest to manipulate to control the disease he explains.
#Precise reason for health benefits of dark chocolate: Thank hungry gut microbesthe health benefits of eating dark chocolate have been extolled for centuries
but the exact reason has remained a mystery--until now. Researchers have reported just that certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate
and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart. Their findings were unveiled at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS.
and ferment it producing compounds that are anti-inflammatory. The other bacteria in the gut are associated with inflammation
and can cause gas bloating diarrhea and constipation. These include some Clostridia and some E coli.
which are absorbed more easily These smaller polymers exhibit anti-inflammatory activity he said. Finley also noted that combining the fiber in cocoa with prebiotics is likely to improve a person's overall health
and help convert polyphenolics in the stomach into anti-inflammatory compounds. When you ingest prebiotics the beneficial gut microbial population increases and outcompetes any undesirable microbes in the gut like those that cause stomach problems he added.
Prebiotics are carbohydrates found in foods like raw garlic and cooked whole wheat flour that humans can't digest
Finley said that people could experience even more health benefits when dark chocolate is combined with solid fruits like pomegranates and acai.
and had a major impact on local water stress. This is shown in a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
thus increasing local water stress. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of our global freshwater consumption and therefore has a huge potential to affect local water scarcity lead author Anne Biewald says.
As an economist Baylis said that she studies how policy can create headaches for farmers and on the consumer end of the supply chain.
Dr. Gavin Svenson curator of invertebrate zoology at The Cleveland Museum of Natural history described the new species
#Study fingers chickens, quail in spread of H7n9 influenza virusamong the copious species of poultry in China quail and chickens are the likely sources of infection of H7n9 influenza virus
Knowing the likely poultry species lets us target our interventions better to prevent human infections says corresponding author David Suarez of the United states Department of agriculture.
The H7n9 avian influenza virus was reported first in humans in March 2013 in China. Since then over 375 human cases have been confirmed
According to the World health organization most known human infections have resulted from direct or indirect contact with poultry.
This work supports the need for better surveillance in animal species for avian influenza says Suarez.
versus the public health goals of eradicating the virus says Suarez. This work supports the field epidemiology studies that had identified live poultry markets as the likely source of the outbreak says Suarez.
The Chinese correctly closed the live bird markets where they had human infections and that reduced the number of cases for a while.
However their efforts did not eradicate the virus and it has returned for a second wave.
and is an academic research tool that has many of the same features as powerful learning aids that are currently on the market.
These tools which are called sometimes digital tutors can be used as study aids or as platforms for administering homework
Led by Dr Luca Cortese from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne Australia the team used the Herschel Space Observatory to observe galaxies at far-infrared
and physical properties in galaxies other than our own Milky way said Dr Cortese'Cosmic dust is heated by starlight to temperatures of only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero
However our results show that galaxies'chemical history plays an equally important role commented Dr Cortese.
Co-author of the work Dr Jacopo Fritz from Ghent University in Belgium said: This affects our ability to accurately estimate how much dust is in the Universe.
if medications and other perishable products were still active or fresh they said. This report on the color-changing food deterioration tags was presented today as part of the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS.
and trading patterns across the Pacific says lead author Dr Vicki Thomson of ACAD. We were also able to trace the origins of these lineages back into the Philippines providing clues about the source of the original Polynesian chicken populations.
but humans can't.'Elephants appear to be able to manipulate their vocal tract (mouth tongue trunk and so on) to shape the sounds of their rumbles to make different alarm calls'said Dr Lucy King of Save the Elephants
and Oxford university who led the study with Dr Joseph Soltis a bioacoustics expert from Disney's Animal kingdom and colleagues.'
#Honey offers new approach to fighting antibiotic resistancehoney that delectable condiment for breads and fruits could be one sweet solution to the serious ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
Medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing but it could play a larger role in fighting infections the researchers predicted.
The unique property of honey lies in its ability to fight infection on multiple levels making it more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance said study leader Susan M. Meschwitz Ph d. That is it uses a combination of weapons including hydrogen peroxide
acidity osmotic effect high sugar concentration and polyphenols--all of which actively kill bacterial cells she explained.
or communities of slimy disease-causing bacteria she said. Honey may also disrupt quorum sensing
which weakens bacterial virulence rendering the bacteria more susceptible to conventional antibiotics Meschwitz said. Quorum sensing is the way bacteria communicate with one another
In certain bacteria this communication system also controls the release of toxins which affects the bacteria's pathogenicity or their ability to cause disease.
Meschwitz who is with Salve Regina University in Newport R i. said another advantage of honey is that unlike conventional antibiotics it doesn't target the essential growth processes of bacteria.
The problem with this type of targeting which is the basis of conventional antibiotics is that it results in the bacteria building up resistance to the drugs.
Honey is effective because it is filled with healthful polyphenols or antioxidants she said. These include the phenolic acids caffeic acid p-coumaric acid and ellagic acid as well as many flavonoids.
Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between the non-peroxide antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of honey and the presence of honey phenolics she added.
A large number of laboratory and limited clinical studies have confirmed the broad-spectrum antibacterial antifungal and antiviral properties of honey according to Meschwitz.
and is an effective antibacterial. We have run standard antioxidant tests on honey to measure the level of antioxidant activity she explained.
In our antibacterial studies we have been testing honey's activity against E coli Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa among others.*
In this study published in the Journal of Public health Dr. Helena Laroche an assistant professor of internal medicine
and pediatrics at the University of Iowa and her research team along with researchers from the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (B. E. N. Center) identified two successful strategies
and Ruth Nussinov a researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick Md. and a professor at the Sackler School of medicine at Tel aviv University pulls together current thinking on how an explosion of data combined with ever more powerful computers is bringing about a second
Ultimately understanding these machines will help researchers design drugs to treat diseases like cancer the focus of Rice's Center for Theoretical Biological Physics.
He said understanding essential motor proteins in bacteria will be important as researchers begin to apply DCA to advance human health.
and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Onuchic is the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Chair of Physics and Professor of Physics and Astronomy.
And until now scientists believed the inner workings of movement were pretty much the same--the nerves send a message to the muscles
and electromyography to monitor electrical activity in the muscles. We expected to see a one-to-one correlation between the muscle activity
and environment affect an organism's anatomy. The study found that muscle activity in the green anoles was most consistent on broad vertical surfaces such as tree trunks suggesting that
and agriculture to health and energy--the researchers took the so-called CH2011 Scenarios as their starting point for the future development of temperature and precipitation in Switzerland.
Cows for example would be threatened by heat stress and the dryness would be a problem for the forests.
and direct hunting. â#oethe round-the-clock monitoring of maleo and sea turtle nests on this protected beach prevents the exploitation of these species a threat that still frequently occurs at other sitesâ#said Dr. Peter Clyne Deputy
According to the Gates Foundation the awards recognize researchers who are developing ways to manage human waste that will help improve the health and lives of people around the world.
and treat human waste result in serious health problems and death--food and water tainted with pathogens from fecal matter results in the deaths of roughly 700000 children each year.
Linden's team is one of 16 around the world funded by the Gates Reinvent the Toilet Challenge since 2011.
and transferred to the fiber-optic cable system--similar in some ways to a data transmission line--can heat up the reaction chamber to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit to treat the waste material disinfect pathogens in both feces and urine and produce char.
Everyone is very creative patient and supportive and there is a lot of innovation. It is exciting to learn from all of the team members.
and Sarah Tishkoff a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in Penn Medicine's Department of Genetics and Penn Arts and Sciences'Department of biology.
Thomas Nyambo of Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania; and Sabah A. Omar of the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Tishkoff will be discussing this work and other studies of African genetic variation at the meeting Evolution of Modern Humans:
Dr Kate Parr from the School of Environmental sciences said: The distinctive evolutionary histories and biodiversity values of these areas needs to be recognised by conservation managers and policy makers.
--and that concerns about social dangers more than physical dangers to health will be the cause of it.
that it may become a gateway drug to others more dangerous; and on a moral sentiment:
that it is wrong for anyone to be addicted to anything no matter whether there are physical dangers or not.
which yield nicotine tar and a bewildering array of carcinogens and'stop smoking devices'in the form Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTS) such as patches gum lozenges throat sprays and inhalators
which have been promoted widely by health practitioners to help wean smokers off cigarettes. But with e-cigarettes--which are marketed as'recreational'nicotine products--that simple distinction between'keep smoking
E-cigarettes are used both as cessation aids and as safer alternatives to combustible tobacco: ultimately it depends not on how we classify these new products
Professor Hughes argues future legislation that positions e-cigarettes as'therapies'which require tight regulation may drastically diminish their appeal.
Dr. Chris Seabury and research associates (Yvette Halley and Eric Bhattarai) along with members of the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center (Drs.
Charles Johnson and Dale Rollins) Texas A&mâ##s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries sciences (Dr. Markus Peterson) and two private-industry scientists (Dr. Scot E
Loss of natural habitat changes in land use pesticides the potential for bird diseases and even climate change have all been mentioned
A Texas Tech University veterinary epidemiologist has found that although there are significant societal benefits to the practice an increase in death loss of cattle raises questions about welfare implications of its use.
and public health in Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural resources adds to this ongoing national dialogue.
and Drug Administration for use in cattle increase muscle growth and may reduce the amount of fat the cattle accumulates he said.
We believe an inclusive dialogue is needed to explore the use of animal drugs solely to improve performance yet have no offsetting health benefits for the animals to
This is particularly needed for those drugs that appear to adversely impact animal welfare such as beta agonists.
To paraphrase Dr. Grandin we owe the animals we raise for food a decent life
For example the systems biology approach could be applied in research to develop sweeter citrus fruit disease-resistant rice or drought-resistant trees.
which was discovered as part of this work including quantitation of all 21 enzymes carried out by chemist David Muddiman.
if there are shrub diseases. We're also interested in knowing if the shrubs have changed these microbes
The second att 1 aids in the insects'immune response. These genes have been found to play a role in rootworm resistance to crop rotation.
#No greater injury risk on artificial playing surfaces, study showsnew research presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found no greater injury risk for athletes
Despite these advantages many elite professional soccer teams are reluctant to install artificial turf because of a perception that injuries occur more often on these types of surfaces.
In the study Safety of Third Generation Artificial Turf in Male Elite Professional Soccer Players Italian researchers reviewed injuries involving players in the top Italian football (soccer) league
For every 1000 hours of play there were 23 injuries recorded on artificial surfaces and 20 on grass with muscle strains being the most common injury (13 on artificial turf 14 on grass).
The authors of the study do not consider the injury rates between the two surfaces to be statistically significant as only three injuries per 1000 hours of play were attributable to artificial surfaces.
The study authors concluded that there are no major differences between the nature and causes of injuries sustained on artificial turf
and those that occur on natural grass surfaces. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#Detecting, testing, treating rare diseases: Technology delivers new era of personalizationa team of researchers from the National institutes of health Emory University
and Cedars-Sinai--specialists in identifying and treating very rare diseases--used three innovative tools to detect a previously unknown gene mutation test potential therapies in the lab
and initiate personalized drug treatment for a boy with a lifelong history of uncontrollable seizures that caused significant impact on his cognitive and social development.
This personalized medical approach exemplifies the power of current research tools and shows the immense potential of applying these technologies for future patients said Tyler Mark Pierson MD Phd a pediatric neurologist and member of the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai.
Pierson a member of the research faculty at the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute is first author of an article in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology that published online March 3 ahead
of print. Pierson was a member of the National institutes of health's Undiagnosed Diseases Program when he was introduced to the patient and his family.
The child was seen first at the NIH-UDP when he was 6; he was diagnosed with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy of unknown etiology.
The patient had experienced treatment-resistant seizures since 3 months of age which caused significant issues with brain development resulting in global developmental delay.
The NIH-UDP is a program of NIH's National Human genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Office of Rare Diseases Research and Clinical Center.
The researchers identified a de novo gene mutation--one that occurs for the first time in a member of a family--in a gene called GRIN2A.
The discovery required an analysis of the patient's genetic makeup in search of the one gene that changed setting this detrimental series of events in motion.
Pierson and his colleagues at the NIH-UDP and Emory University used a recently developed technique called exome sequencing which focuses on this functional part of the genome.
They further employed a unique set of data bases and filters to streamline their search and screen out false positive results
which are fairly common with new-generation technology that rapidly analyzes thousands of genetic sequences.
Genome-scale sequencing is a powerful new tool in medical diagnostics. The data it returns
however can be challenging to interpret especially for ultra-rare disorders. The rapid bench-to-bedside story of the GRIN2A variation in this family is an example of the coalescence of expertise in medicine medical genomics and basic science around a single child.
This is the type of collaboration that will be needed in an age where we will struggle to connect vast data-collecting capability with the health of individual people said David Adams MD Phd pediatrician and biochemical geneticist at NHGRI.
Pierson added that many other genes have been associated with several forms of epilepsy in infancy but only few other instances of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy involved the GRIN2A gene.
The GRIN2A gene influences electrochemical events that affect the flow and strength of electrical impulses in the brain.
Having identified the de novo gene defect the researchers conducted laboratory experiments to confirm the resulting protein dysfunction and its effects on electrical-regulating mechanisms.
We then performed lab studies with several drugs that were approved already by the Food and Drug Administration and which we thought might block the seizure activity.
Memantine a drug developed to treat Alzheimer's disease was shown to have some effect. This medication was previously found to have anticonvulsant effects in animal models of epilepsy
and has been used safely in children with autism said Hongjie Yuan MD Phd scientist in the Department of Pharmacology at the Emory University School of medicine.
Based on the lab studies memantine gradually was added to the patient's regimen which included three anti-seizure drugs that had provided little or no control.
With memantine the number of seizures dropped dramatically and two of the drugs were discontinued. We believe this GRIN2A mutation initiated changes in the child's brain that led to intractable seizures which contributed to his poor development
and cognitive deficits Pierson said. It is conceivable that earlier intervention of this personalized medicine approach could have altered the course of the disorder and possibly the child's neurological development.
Our results suggest that children with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy should undergo evaluation for similar gene variants with the possibility of using memantine
or other anti-seizure medications to reduce long-term effects. Pierson has continued his work with rare undiagnosed neurogenetic diseases at Cedars-Sinai with the Pediatric Neurogenetics and Neuromuscular Clinic and his laboratory in the Regenerative Medicine Institute.
Pierson was also a co-author on a recent article published in Nature Communications by his Emory University
and NIH colleagues that provides a more thorough description of how the GRIN2A mutation results in epilepsy.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Cedars-Sinai Medical center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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