#Organic agriculture can pollute groundwater, research showsresearchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) using specialized monitoring technology have determined that intensive organic agriculture can cause significant pollution from nitrate leaching into groundwater.
Science Arnold School of Public health University of South carolina. These findings have important implications for summer day camps
This environmental evidence jibes with our behavioral interpretations of Proconsul anatomy--as being adapted for a life of climbing in the trees--and with present-day monkey and ape ecology.
but that details of its anatomy suggest some more apelike climbing and clambering abilities. Since 2011 the research team's work at the fossil forest site has resulted in the collection of several additional new primate fossils.
#Controlling stone fruit disease: New approaches foundresearchers at the University and East Malling Research have identified a new way of controlling a fungal disease that can have a devastating impact on the UK's valuable cherry and plum crops.
Brown rot disease--caused by the agent Monilinia laxa--attacks stone fruit as well as causing blossom wilt
and twig canker. Traditionally this has been controlled through the use of fungicide treatments but in some cases these are now becoming ineffective.
Now researchers from the two organizations have identified a new strategy for controlling the disease using biological control agents derived from isolates from UK cherries and plums.
The researchers identified 12 possible isolates and then narrowed this down to two via a series of tests on detached fruit.
Controlled sets of cherries and plums--with and without the biological control agents added--were placed in conditions known to induce the onset of brown rot disease.
'Brown rot disease is a major problem for the UK's cherry and plum producers and in a growing number of cases traditional fungicide treatments are becoming ineffective.'
'Our research found that microbial antagonists against the brown rot disease can be found from indigenous sources in the UK
and that they are capable of preventing the disease in controlled conditions.''The challenge now will be to see
and be used by the stone fruit industry to control brown rot disease.''Currently East Malling Research is exploiting ways with commercial companies to formulate the two strains of biocontrol agents and conduct pilot commercial trialling of formulated products.
The study was carried out by Professor Jeffries and research student Nattawut Rungjindamai of the School of Biosciences along with Professor Xiang-Ming Xu of East Malling Research.
Developing biocontrol methods and their integration in sustainable pest and disease management in blackcurrant production.
Warning against abrupt stop to geoengineering method (if started) As a range of climate change mitigation scenarios are discussed University of Washington researchers have found that the injection of sulfate particles into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight
It's used to calculate the correct human dosage of a medicine tested on mice among many other things.
#Study on flu evolution may change textbooks, history booksa new study reconstructing the evolutionary tree of flu viruses challenges conventional wisdom
and solves some of the mysteries surrounding flu outbreaks of historical significance. The study published in the journal Nature provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the evolutionary relationships of influenza virus across different host species over time.
In addition to dissecting how the virus evolves at different rates in different host species the study challenges several tenets of conventional wisdom--for example the notion that the virus moves largely unidirectionally from wild birds to domestic birds rather than with spillover
in the other direction. It also helps resolve the origin of the virus that caused the unprecedentedly severe influenza pandemic of 1918 The new research is likely to change how scientists
and health experts look at the history of influenza virus how it has changed genetically over time
and how it has jumped between different host species. The findings may have implications ranging from the assessment of health risks for populations to developing vaccines.
We now have a really clear family tree of theses viruses in all those hosts--including birds humans horses pigs
when and from where pandemic viruses emerged. Once you resolve the evolutionary trees for these viruses correctly everything snaps into place
And I had a glimmer of an idea that this would be important for our public health inferences about where these viruses come from
Using the new family tree of the flu virus as a map showed which species moved to which host species and when.
It revealed that for several of its 8 genomic segments avian influenza virus is not nearly as ancient as often assumed.
which included UA graduate student Guan-Zhu Han and Andrew Rambaut a professor from the University of Edinburgh who is affiliated also with the U s. National institutes of health found a strong signature in the data suggesting that something revolutionary happened to avian influenza virus
Worobey said the timing is provocative because of the correlation of that sudden shift in the flu virus'evolution with historical events in the late nineteenth century.
In the 1870s an immense horse flu outbreak swept across North america Worobey said City by city
The horse flu outbreak pulled the rug out from under the economy. According to Worobey the newly generated evolutionary trees show a global replacement of the genes in the avian flu virus coinciding closely with the horse flu outbreak
which the analyses also reveal to be the closest relative to the avian virus. Interestingly a previous research paper analyzing old newspaper records reported that in the days following the horse flu outbreak there were repeated outbreaks described at the time as influenza killing chickens
and other domestic birds Worobey said. That's another unexpected link in the history and the there is a possibility that the two might be connected given
Ever since the influenza pandemic of 1918 it has not been possible to narrow down even to a hemisphere the geographic origins of any of the genes of the pandemic virus. Our study changes that Worobey said.
The results also challenge the accepted wisdom of wild birds as the major reservoir harboring the flu virus from where it jumps to domestic birds
and medicines as well as wild animal-sourced foods increase the likelihood that subsistence farmers with access to natural ecosystems meet their nutrition and health needs.
and health properties can provide opportunities where smallholder farmers have economic advantages Prof. Johns argues.
Access to such products offers potentially profound public health benefits he adds. Products of biodiversity within culturally-based diets provide essential micronutrients and lower prevalence of diet-related chronic disease.
Carbohydrates--mainly cereals sugars potatoes and other tubers--and vegetable oils produced efficiently by large-scale agriculture
In many cases the result is a form of malnutrition defined by overconsumption of calories.
This has helped fuel a growing global epidemic of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Socially guided food-policy decisions should value the environmental health social and cultural benefits offered by agrobiodiversity Prof.
Our results show that Vitamin c deficiency should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke as were high blood pressure drinking alcohol
and being overweight in our study said study author Stã phane Vannier MD with Pontchaillou University Hospital in Rennes France.
Vitamin c deficiency has also been linked to heart disease. The study was supported by the University of Rennes France.
#Grape seed promise in fight against bowel canceruniversity of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that grape seed can aid the effectiveness of chemotherapy in killing colon cancer cells as well as reducing the chemotherapy's side effects.
Published in the journal PLOS ONE the researchers say that combining grape seed extracts with chemotherapy has potential as a new approach for bowel cancer treatment--to both reduce intestinal damage commonly caused by cancer chemotherapy
Lead author Dr Amy Cheah says there is a growing body of evidence about the antioxidant health benefits of grape seed tannins or polyphenols as anti-inflammatory agents and more recently for their anticancer properties.
This is the first study showing that grape seed can enhance the potency of one of the major chemotherapy drugs in its action against colon cancer cells says Dr Cheah researcher in the School of Agriculture Food and Wine.
and tissue damage caused by chemotherapy in the small intestine and had no harmful effects on non-cancerous cells.
Unlike chemotherapy grape seed appears to selectively act on cancer cells and leave healthy cells almost unaffected.
The extract was tested in laboratory studies using colon cancer cells grown in culture. The research showed grape seed extract:
â#¢significantly decreased intestinal damage compared to the chemotherapy control; â#¢decreased chemotherapy-induced inflammation by up to 55%â#¢increased growth-inhibitory effects of chemotherapy on colon cancer cells in culture by 26%Our experimental studies have shown that grape
seed extract reduced chemotherapy-induced inflammation and damage and helped protect healthy cells in the gastrointestinal tract says Dr Cheah.
While this effect is very promising we were concerned initially that grape seed could reduce the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.
In contrast we found that grape seed extract not only aided the ability of chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
but was also more potent than the chemotherapy we tested at one concentration. Co-author and project leader Professor Gordon Howarth says:
Grape seed is showing great potential as an anti-inflammatory treatment for a range of bowel diseases and now as a possible anticancer treatment.
These first anticancer results are from cell culture and the next step will be to investigate more widely.
Fellow co-author and joint lead researcher Dr Sue Bastian Senior Lecturer in Oenology says: These findings could be a boost to the wine grape industry as it value adds to
what is essentially a by-product of the winemaking process. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Adelaide.
and aids in improving the GHG mitigation potential of corn-derived renewable fuels continued Jayasundara.
#Drought contributed to Typhus epidemics in Mexico from 1655 to 1918, study showsepidemiological data integrated with climate data taken from tree-ring estimates of soil moisture levels demonstrate that drought contributed to the spread of typhus in Mexico from 1655 to 1918 according to a new study by researchers
at the University of Arkansas. The study has modern-day policy implications because although typhus can be treated with modern antibiotics it remains a threat in remote impoverished areas of South america Asia
and Africa and could reemerge as a serious infectious disease especially where social strife and underdeveloped public health programs persist.
The researchers describe their findings in an article published Feb 11 in Emerging Infectious diseases a Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention journal that tracks and analyzes disease trends. Historical records show that typhus has accompanied traditionally war famine
and poverty said David Stahle a Distinguished Professor of geosciences. Now because of Mexico's rich historical record of epidemic disease we can see that drought as reconstructed by tree-ring chronologies caused conditions that allowed typhus to flourish in central Mexico over a 250-year period.
Stahle and Jordan Burns a graduate student in geography at the U of A compared historical records of 22 typhus epidemics in central Mexico with soil moisture estimates based on tree-ring reconstructions.
They analyzed data gleaned from almanacs diaries and personal accounts as well as medical and death records from hospitals physicians cemeteries and municipalities.
They compared this with instrumental data for the Palmer Drought Severity Index or PDSI an index of the effects of temperature and precipitation on soil moisture dating back to 1895.
Burns Stahle and their collaborator Rodolfo Acuna a professor of microbiology at the National University in Mexico city observed a significant relationship between periods of drought and famine in rural agricultural regions of central Mexico.
Below-average tree growth drought and low crop yields occurred during 19 of the 22 typhus epidemics.
The observed relationship between drought and typhus epidemics in colonial and modern Mexico is curious
because drought has not been considered specifically a risk factor for typhus Burns said. But drought much like war and natural disasters caused famine in poor agricultural regions
and forced impoverished refugees to move into already crowded urban areas where infrastructure and sanitary systems were insufficient.
Epidemic typhus is caused an infectious disease by a bacterium transmitted between people by body lice. The disease spreads where conditions are crowded and unsanitary.
It is recognized for its high mortality rate throughout human history particularly before modern sanitary practices and the availability of antimicrobial drugs.
Despite these advances the disease persists in some areas of Africa South america and Asia and has not been eliminated from industrialized regions
because body lice infestation still occurs in homeless populations of Europe and the United states. For more than 30 years Stahle has taken core samples from trees
and behavior activities have been evaluated in the laboratory bioassays according to Aijun Zhang research chemist U s. Department of agriculture Agricultural research service Beltsville Agricultural Research center Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory.
Dr Mark Harrison based in the Department of Geography at the University of Leicester and Managing director of the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project (Outrop) has along with international colleagues published results of a seven year study of Orangutans in Borneo in the journal Scientific Reports.
Dr Harrison said: We've known for some time that Orangutans use the ground to travel and search for food
Dr Harrison added: The capacity of Orangutans to come down from the trees may increase their ability to cope with at least smaller-scale forest fragmentation
Dr Harrison explains that Increased terrestriality is expected to increase predation risk interactions with and persecution by humans and exposure to novel diseases.
Dr Harrison concludes: Ultimately a better understanding of what drives Orangutan terrestriality how this influences their dispersal movement and survival in a human-modified landscapes is important for designing effective management strategies for conservation of this endangered species in Borneo.
Australia adopted plain packaging for tobacco products in 2012 the same year that the Department of health in England held a public consultation on similar plans.
The researchers analyzed evidence cited in submissions made to the Department of health's consultation on plain packaging by the UK's four largest transnational tobacco companies:
In these submissions the companies rejected the conclusions of a systematic review commissioned by the Department of health that there was strong evidence that plain packaging would reduce the appeal of tobacco products and increase the prominence of health warnings.
The above story is provided based on materials by BMJ-British Medical Journal. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
but exciting emerging research shows that chocolate may be good for both cardiovascular health and even memory.
whether people in a positive mood would prefer healthy food to indulgent food for long-term health
because they put more weight on abstract higher-level benefits like health and future well-being said Gardner.
To get more insight into the underlying process the fourth study focused specifically on the thoughts related to food choice and differentiated concrete (taste/enjoyment-oriented) versus abstract (nutrition/health-oriented) benefits.
or indulgent foods depending on their moods an area previously under-represented in past clinical research on the role of healthy foods.
The findings also indicate the integral aspect of the time horizon showing that individuals in positive moods who make healthier food choices are often thinking more about future health benefits than those in negative moods who focus more on the immediate taste and sensory experience.
vegetableswe are all aware of the health benefits of dietary fiber. But what is dietary fiber
Known as microbiota these bacteria have a vital role to play in human health: they are central to our metabolism and well-being.
The above story is provided based on materials by University of Michigan Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The 11 food values they chose to examine included freshness health hormone-free/antibiotic-free animal welfare taste price safety convenience nutrition origin and environmental impact.
Freshness nutritional components and health attributes are desirable and consumers absolutely demand a product that is safe he said.
The largest share of the sale--half of the proceeds--will go to supporting local communities in the areas surrounding Makira for education human health and other beneficial projects.
Supporting forest conservation and community building projects like Makira is an important part of Microsoft's strategy to reduce its environmental impact support sustainable economic growth improve health and education and address societal challenges.
Archaeologists and chemists trace ancient British dietsthe change by our ancestors from hunter-gathers to farmers is one of the most intensively researched aspects of archaeology.
Other clues to ancient diets lie within human bones themselves explored by the Cardiff group led by Dr Jacqui Mulville The sea passes on a unique chemical signature to the skeletons of those eating seafood;
Lead author of the study Dr Lucy Cramp said: The absence of lipid residues of marine foods in hundreds of cooking pots is really significant.
Dr Cramp continued: Amazingly it was another 4000 years before sea food remains appeared in pots again during the Iron age
Dr Mulville said: Whilst we like to think of ourselves as a nation of fish eaters with fish and chips as our national dish it seems that early British farmers preferred beef mutton and milk.
During our field survey we found only one individual tree located on a gentle sloping section of closed dense forest explains one of the authors Dr. Strijk.
conservation efforts in southern Thailand adds Dr. Strijk. Currently more than 300 species of Stone Oak have been described occurring from eastern India to Japan and the eastern tip of Papua new guinea.
Algae have huge potential as a next generation renewable resource to manufacture a whole range of essential products including food medicines and fuel.
and coastal waters could become a renewable source of food plastics health products and fuel as a result of new research announced today.
However it also produces a range of compounds of great interest in pharmaceutical cosmetic nutraceutical
which can be turned into high-value products including food and medicines. If we can make algae biorefineries commercially viable we will have developed a new industry founded on an environmentally-kind raw material
Current biofuels may not be sustainable says Dr John Milledge Research Fellow at Greenwich and an expert in the commercialisation of algae.
Dr Milledge is working closely with group coordinator Professor Pat Harvey at Greenwich which is responsible for finding out
***Algae research into new medicines wins awarddrug discovery company IOTA Pharmaceuticals has chosen the University of Greenwich as its academic partner to research the potential of the microalga Dunaliella as a route to new medicines.
Over half of all human medicines originate from natural products says Dr David Bailey CEO of IOTA Pharmaceuticals.
These new numbers showing the continuing decline of the African forest elephant are the exact reason why there is a sense of urgency at the United for Wildlife trafficking symposium in London this week said Dr. John Robinson WCS Chief
Said WCS's Dr. Fiona Maisels one of the researchers releasing the new numbers and a co-author of the landmark paper:
when to what it should be said WCS's Dr. Samantha Strindberg one of the co-authors.
#Genetic find might lead to cattle that are more resistant to TBSCIENTISTS have identified genetic traits in cattle that might allow farmers to breed livestock with increased resistance to bovine tuberculosis (TB.
The study which compared the genetic code of TB-infected animals with that of disease-free cattle could help to impact on a disease that leads to major economic losses worldwide.
#Black raspberry candies find the sweet spot for cancer prevention studywhether it's a plate or pyramid healthy eating guidelines always give fruits
and that experts think may help prevent illnesses like cancer diabetes and heart disease. The research around these superfoods make headlines almost daily
but scientists say using foods-as-medicine in large-scale clinical trials --which demand an intense level of accuracy
Variations in storage seasonal availability absorption--these things can all change disease-fighting substances in fresh produce says Yael Vodovotz Phd a food scientist with The Ohio State university Department of Food Science
For instance if we give study participants a daily cup of fruit--these variations can make drawing high-quality conclusions about the fruit's efficacy to prevent or slow disease difficult.
In 2009 Vodovotz's team was approached by scientists from Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center--Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital
--and simplicity of use--expected of man-made drugs used in clinical studies. Supported by grants from Ohio State's Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)
and Food Innovation Center (FIC) Vodovotz has developed now novel black raspberry-based functional foods that can withstand the rigors of a large-scale cancer prevention trial.
Black raspberries--not to be confused with the more recognizable red variety--have piqued the interest of cancer scientists in the last decade due to research showing they have distinct antioxidant
and anti-inflammatory properties that appear to inhibit tumor growth. But the berries are grown only in a few places around the US (Ohio being one of them)
and like many of their berry cousins must be refrigerated and eaten within a few days of picking.
and stability you would find in a pharmaceutical medicine but that was 100%fruit simple to take
The black raspberry formulations are currently being used in a clinical study of men with prostate cancer undergoing surgery.
if the black raspberry preparations coupled with different types of diets can improve post-surgery outcomes versus a control group of men with diet interventions only.
and Vodovotz on the cancer study says that she is amazed that the food scientist team was able to engineer such a potent concoction that patients also seemed to enjoy.
Most of the participants inquired about ordering the gummies after they had completed their prescribed dose. said Roberts whose interest in gastrointestinal health absorption
Now I also have a greater appreciation for how to design a clinical trial that involves so many different disciplines
and Food Chemistrydetailing the production and manufacturing process as well as testing that showed both formulations maintained nearly 75%of key cancer-fighting chemicals for approximately 5 weeks in a controlled temperature setting.
The study also showed that active levels of antioxidants were appearing in patient's tissues
and body fluids--a key measure that that the disease prevention powers of the berry food had made successfully it past the digestive system to reach organs throughout the body.
and her manufacturing processes can be recreated around other types of produce saying that large scale production opens up possibilities well beyond clinical trials.
which has some of the highest cancer rates in America--that don't have regular access to fresh fruits and vegetables noted Vodovtoz.
This type of product could make a big difference supporting preventive health efforts where high-quality fresh produce deliveries are rare or unpredictable.
and treat diseases such as breast cancer and pancreatitis. Roberts is also planning to study how the body's natural gut bacteria impact the digestion of berry-based compounds.
The above story is provided based on materials by Ohio State university Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
and chief of the Division of Global Health in the UC San diego Department of Family and Preventive medicine and colleagues estimate that in 2011 almost 396000 Californians (12.3 percent of the state's population of smokers) smoked on a measurable basis
For individuals the behavior puts them at many of the same health risks as identified smokers.
This is especially true at the clinical setting where physicians might ask patients if they smoke
and patient fail to identify themselves as smokers. In their cross-sectional analysis of the 2011 California Longitudinal Smokers Survey Al-Delaimy and colleagues defined NIS as persons who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime reported smoking at least one day
and who believe they are addicted not to nicotine. And for the first time NIS includes a second group of adults over the age of 45 who were formerly regular smokers
so that subsequent interventions media campaigns and public health policies can be refined to more effectively reach smokers who don't think they're smokers.
The above story is provided based on materials by University of California San diego Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and red wine said Loyola University Health System preventive heart specialist Sara Sirna MD. Red wine and dark chocolate taste great
and have heart-healthy components said Dr. Sirna who also is a professor of medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of medicine.
We can help fight heart disease and aging and perhaps even boost our romance for the evening by choosing our foods wisely.
which may prevent the formation of toxic plaque that leads to Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Sirna warns that you should drink in moderation by consuming no more than one 5-ounce glass for women and two 5-ounce glasses for men.
Dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 70 percent or higher is rich in flavonoids which help prevent the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
and contains cancer-fighting enzymes. Other items that top the list of heart-healthy foods include:
Nuts--The heart-health benefits of nuts have been documented in several large studies including the Nurses'Health Study and the Iowa Women's Health Study.
The FDA reports that eating a diet that includes one ounce of nuts daily can reduce your risk of heart disease.
Fish--Consider a Valentine's meal with fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids which reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack.
The above story is provided based on materials by Loyola University Health System. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
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