The bacterial genus Burkholderia for example includes dangerous disease-causing pathogens--one species has even been listed as a potential bioterrorist agent
These species the scientists discovered lack those genes that make other Burkholderia species harmful agents of infection.
They found a strong distinction between genes in these beneficial strains and in pathogenic strains.
They searched for genes typically involved in infection--for attaching to and invading cells or for secreting toxins.
Unlike their dangerous cousins the four symbiotic Burkholderia species did not have associated genes with the virulence systems found in the pathogenic species. Burkholderia were discovered first as plant pathogens in 1949 by Walter Burkholder who identified them as the agent causing
Later Burkholderia species were identified as the causative agent of the disease melioidosis a public health threat especially in tropical countries like Thailand and in parts of Australia.
B. pseudomallei which causes melioidosis is classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent.
Other Burkholderia belong to the Burkholderia cepacia complex a group of related bacteria that are not true pathogens
but can cause opportunistic or hospital-acquired infections in people with weakened immune systems or with cystic fibrosis.
Although some members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex have been used to protect plants from dangerous fungal infections their potential to cause infection has resulted in severe limits on their use in agriculture.
It wasn't until many decades after Burkholder's discovery that closely related Burkholderia species were found to enter plant roots not as pathogens
The harmful Burkholderia species are more resistant to antibiotics than the symbiotic and agricultural strains.
In addition to the bioinformatics analysis in the current study the team analyzed resistance to a panel of common antibiotics and tested the potential of different Burkholderia species to cause infection in laboratory conditions.
Experiments testing the potential of the four symbiotic species to cause infection in the small nematode worm known as Caenorhabditis elegans
Shailaja Yerrapragada of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; Paulina Estrada-de Los santos of the department of microbiology at Mexico's Instituto Politã cnico Nacional Prolongaciã n de Carpio y Plan de Ayala;
Study author Dr Gabriele Macho examined the diet of Paranthropus boisei nicknamed Nutcracker Man because of his big flat molar teeth and powerful jaws through studying modern-day baboons
Dr Macho's study finds that baboons today eat large quantities of C4 tiger nuts
Dr Macho's study is based on the assumption that baboons intuitively select food according to their needs.
Dr Macho modified the findings of the previous study on baboons by Stuart Altmann (1998) on how long it took the year-old baboons to dig up tiger nuts
Dr Macho also factored in the likely calorie intake that would be needed by a big-brained human relative.
Dr Macho suggests that hominins'teeth suffered abrasion and wear and tear due to these starches. The study finds that baboons'teeth have similar marks giving clues about their pattern of consumption.
All this chewing put considerable strain on the jaws and teeth which explains why Nutcracker Man had such a distinctive cranial anatomy.
Dr Macho from the School of Archaeology at Oxford university said:''I believe that the theory--that Nutcracker Man lived on large amounts of tiger nuts-helps settle the debate about what our early human ancestor ate.
In a paper appearing in the January 8th edition of the journal PLOS ONE Dr. Corinne Kendall of Columbia University
Because the vultures spend so much time outside of protected areas they are extremely susceptible to poisoning
and reduce the risk of rabies and other diseases is now the focus of a new effort by the Wildlife Conservation Society the Peregrine Fund and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Dr. Steve Zack Coordinator of Bird Conservation at WCS who is working with Dr. Kendall
and others in shaping a conservation effort to revive vulture populations while eliminating the poisoning said:
This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Virani of The Peregrine Fund Dr. Hopcraft of Frankfurt Zoological Society Dr. Bildstein of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and Dr. Rubenstein of Princeton university.
Rainer Lohmann a professor at the URI Graduate school of Oceanography is collaborating with a researcher at the Southwest Fisheries science Center in California to learn about the health and ecology of fur seals that winter in different locations in the South Pacific.
#Amount, types of fat we eat affect health, risk of diseasehealthy adults should consume between 20 percent
The position paper provides guidance for registered dietitian nutritionists and dietetic technicians registered to translate research on fat and fatty acids into practical dietary recommendations for consumers.
Registered dietitian nutritionists can help consumers understand that a total diet approach is more beneficial than simply reducing dietary fat
and replacing it with carbohydrates as a high intake of refined carbohydrate can also negatively affect health.
â#¢A simple and effective way to improve health is to eat more fish nuts
and certain types of fat such as omega-3s and omega-6s are needed for good health. For this and other health reasons a fat-free diet is recommended not. â#¢Fish is an excellent source of the omega-3s EPA and DHA;
flax walnuts and canola oil are good sources of ALA omega-3. â#¢Both the amount of fat (how much) and the type of fat
(what foods) in the diet can affect health and risk of disease. â#¢Different foods provide different types of fat.
Some fats improve your health (omega-3s help your heart and brain) while some are detrimental to your health (trans fat increases heart disease risk factors).
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference g
#Oceans hidden waves show their power: Origins of giant underwater waves explainedlarge-scale tests in the lab and the South china sea reveal the origins of underwater waves that can tower hundreds of feet.
and legislation tobacco use still remains an important public health issue in the United states. In 2010 25.2%of all adults and 35.6%of young adults reported current tobacco use.
According to a new study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive medicine the belief that e-cigarettes pose less of a health risk may lead to increased experimentation with e-cigarettes among young adults.
Investigators from the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health University of Minnesota looked at whether or not there was a relationship between perceived notions about the harmfulness of e-cigarettes relative to cigarettes and subsequent e-cigarette use among young adults.
and their effect on health relative to cigarettes or their usefulness as an aid to stop smoking.
in e-cigarettes among nonsmoking young adultsâ#explains Dr. Choi. â#oethis is problematic because young adults are still developing their tobacco use behaviors
and former smokers and to determine the role of e-cigarettes on relapse of smokingâ#adds Dr. Choi.
when designing public health messagesâ#concludes Dr. Choi. â#oeresults from this study suggest that messages about the lack of evidence on e-cigarettes being cessation aids
since Surgeon generals tobacco warning 50 years agoa Yale study estimates that 8 million lives have been saved in the United states
as a result of anti-smoking measures that began 50 years ago this month with the groundbreaking report from the Surgeon general outlining the deadly consequences of tobacco use.
The Yale School of Public health-led analysis is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
First author Theodore R. Holford professor of biostatistics and member of Yale Cancer Center and six other researchers who are part of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Intervention
Using data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics from 1965 to 2009 the team recreated smoking life history summaries for groups born each year starting in 1890.
The tobacco warning was released by then-U s. Surgeon general Luther Terry. It is seen by many as a pivotal moment in American public health
and as the opening salvo in an ongoing effort to convince people to stop smoking.
This has included the now-familiar Surgeon general's warning on the side of cigarette packages as well as increased taxation restrictions on advertising
and is the single largest cause of preventable death in the United states. Tobacco control has been a great success story for public health.
Senior author on the study was David Levy of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University.
and Jihyoun Jeon and Suresh Moolgavkar of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center. This study was funded in part by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (R01-CA-152956.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Yale university. The original article was written by Michael Greenwood.
Given the importance of tobacco as a risk to health monitoring the distribution and intensity of tobacco use is critical for identifying priority areas for action
Marie Ng Ph d. of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation University of Washington Seattle and colleagues conducted a study to estimate levels
Although in several countries substantial uncertainty remains in monitoring tobacco exposure and estimating the disease burden associated with it there can be no doubt that both are large.
Policies and strategies to improve global health must include comprehensive efforts to control tobacco use as envisaged under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
countries and the global health community need to collect timely reliable and detailed information on the effect of those policies particularly among vulnerable populations
and its health effects needs to be strengthened and routinely used to evaluate the impact of tobacco control strategies the authors write.
or a species that is especially important to the health of ecosystems in Africa Eggert said.
We're all affected by the health of the forests in Africa Central america and here in the U s. The fact that elephants are surviving in a place where drilling for oil is happening is exciting
and heat stress. By altering the landscape with roads facility construction billboards and transmission lines and in some cases providing sources of water
--or minimal--negative impact on the environment non-target organisms and human health. According to Choe from a practical standpoint future development of the proper formulation of (Z)- 9-hexadecenal would help improve its efficacy and usability.
and mean arterial pressure using an automatic sphygmomanometer applied to the subject's left middle finger. Subjective test subjective scoringthe test subjects retained the taste sample fluids in their mouths for 30s before swallowing
The researchers explain the mechanism in terms of the nose's high quantities of arteriovenous anastomoses controlled by adrenergic vasoconstrictor nerves.
While the vasoconstriction is strongest in the nose previous studies have noted sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity in the forehead and cheek as noted by the researchers in the current study.
#Researchers target cancer stem cells in malignant brain tumorsresearchers at the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Department of Neurosurgery identified immune system targets on cancer
and regenerate--and created an experimental vaccine to attack them. Results of laboratory and animal studies are published in the online edition of Stem Cells Translational Medicine
and will appear in the March 2014 print edition. A Phase I safety study in human volunteers with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults is underway.
Like normal stem cells cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and generate new cells
if the cancer stem cells can be destroyed a tumor may not be able to sustain itself
but if the cancer originators are removed not or destroyed a tumor will continue to return despite the use of existing cancer-killing therapies.
The researchers identified certain fragments of a protein--CD133--that is found on cancer stem cells of some brain tumors and other cancers.
In the laboratory they cultured the proteins with dendritic cells the immune system's most powerful antigen-presenting cells
which are responsible for helping the immune system recognize and attack invaders. Studies in lab mice showed that the resulting vaccine was able to stimulate an immune response against the CD133 proteins without causing side effects such as an autoimmune reaction against normal cells or organs.
CD133 is one of several proteins made at high levels in the cancer stem cells of glioblastoma multiforme.
Because this protein appears to be associated with resistance of the cancer stem cells to treatment with radiation
or chemotherapy or both we see it as an ideal target for immunotherapy. We have found at least two fragments of the protein that can be targeted to trigger an immune response to kill tumor cells.
We don't know yet if the response would be strong enough to prevent a tumor from coming back
but we now have a human clinical trial underway to assess safety for further study said John Yu MD vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery director of surgical neuro-oncology medical director
of the Brain tumor Center and neurosurgical director of the Gamma Knife Program at Cedars-Sinai.
He is senior author of the journal article. With standard care which includes surgery radiation treatment
and chemotherapy median length of survival is 15 months for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme.
Cedars-Sinai researchers have studied dendritic cell immunotherapy since 1997 with the first patient human clinical trial launched in 1998.
The dendritic cell vaccines are produced by the biotechnology company Immunocellular Therapeutics Ltd . which funded this study.
Cedars-Sinai owns equity in the company and certain rights in the vaccine technology and corresponding intellectual property have been licensed exclusively by Cedars-Sinai to Immunocellular Therapeutics.
Two members of the research team and authors of this article have ties to the company.
James Bender Phd MPH a co-author is Immunocellular Therapeutics'vice president for product development and manufacturing.
The above story is provided based on materials by Cedars-Sinai Medical center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The research by the Schools of Psychology and Biosciences at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) is comparing two different health drinks.
The relationship between skin carotenoid coloration and improved facial appearance has already been demonstrated in a western population by lead researcher Dr Ian Stephen. In this previous study published in the academic journal Evolution
Dr Stephen said: There is a lot of research out there suggesting that people who look healthier actually are healthy.
So hopefully we will be able to find out something about the health benefits of drinking a carotenoid rich smoothie as well as how it affects our perceived attractiveness.
Dr Brigitte A Graf a nutrition scientist and an expert in bio-availability of active food ingredients has designed the intervention product--the smoothies.
Together with Dr Soma Mitra we also assessed the background diet of all the participants before they were allowed to join the study.
#Dietary fibers protect against asthma, study suggeststhe Western diet probably has more to do with the asthma epidemic than has been assumed so far
because developing asthma is related to the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed. Gut bacteria ferment the dietary fibers contained in them
and fatty acids enter the blood as a result influencing the immune response in the lungs. This has been shown by a research project funded by The swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF.
In the West an increasing number of people have developed allergic asthma in the past fifty years. But dietary habits have changed also during the same period:
fruit and vegetables are playing an ever smaller role in people's diets. Now new results suggest that these two developments are not merely simultaneous they are linked also causally.
A team of researchers led by Benjamin Marsland from Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) has shown in experiments with mice that the lack of fermentable fibers in people's diet paves the way for allergic inflammatory reactions in the lungs.
when digesting and fermenting fibers plays a significant role in preventing intestinal cancer. We are now showing for the first time that the influence of gut bacteria extends much further namely up to the lungs says Marsland His team
When the researchers exposed the mice to an extract of house dust mites the mice with the low-fiber food developed a stronger allergic reaction with much more mucus in the lungs than the mice with the standard diet.
Attracted by the extract of house dust mites these immune cells wander into the lungs where they eventually trigger a weaker allergic response.
We plan to conduct clinical studies to find out how a diet enriched with fermentable fibers affects allergies and inflammations.
The products are designed specially for people with allergies to cow's milk lactose or gluten intolerance as well as children and pregnant women.
The in vitro studies conducted show how some of the products developed have anti-inflammatory properties in intestine cells
which could alleviate allergic reactions caused by food and increase the bioavailability of iron. The caseins of cow's milk as well as being on the list of allergens components hinder the absorption of iron.
and health properties of vegetable milks in view of future industrial applications to develop innovative quality products suitable both for the general public
They also have components of great nutritional value that can provide numerous health benefits for both consumer groups with specific problems (lactose intolerance allergic to cow's milk vegetarian...
and carbohydrates with low glycaemic index (suitable for diabetics). Moreover they constitute an important source of vitamins B and E antioxidant compounds (phytosterols and/or polyphenols) and dietary fibre
which helps to improve intestinal health. They are also rich in potassium and very low in sodium so these drinks help maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes.
Lead author Dr Pierre Dutrieux from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: We found ocean melting of the glacier was the lowest ever recorded
and prevent 200 million premature deaths from lung cancer and other diseases this century according to a review published today in the New england Journal of Medicine.
Such a large tax increase would double the street price of cigarettes in some countries and narrow the price gap between the cheapest and most expensive cigarettes
and where smoking rates continue to rise said Dr. Prabhat Jha director of the Centre for Global Health Research of St michael's Hospital and a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public health at the University of Toronto.
but they don't need to be in that order Dr. Jha said. A higher tax on tobacco is the single most effective intervention to lower smoking rates
and the World health organization's 2013 Assembly to decrease the prevalence of smoking by about one-third by 2025 to reduce premature deaths from cancer and other chronic diseases by 25 per cent.
Dr. Jha said that even while higher tobacco taxes would reduce consumption they would still generate an additional $100 billion U s a year for a total of $400 billion.
and who die from their addiction reducing premature deaths from smoking and yet at the same time increasing government income.
Dr. Jha and Sir Richard noted that the 21st-century hazards of smoking have been documented reliably only in the past year
Both Dr. Jha and Sir Richard published papers last year showing that people who quit smoking
The above story is provided based on materials by St michael's Hospital. The original article was written by Leslie Shepherd.
and improve your health and state of mind. Here â¢s a short list.##1: Try to reduce your fuel usage
And it's occasionally addicted to energy. New york and Pennsylvania are sitting on an enormous reserve of natural gas, the Marcellus Shale.
while improving the health of trees. For cities to really reap the benefits of trees,
A fitness device that transforms data into high designwe live in a data-driven world--one where,
if you care about your personal fitness, you are most likely tracking it. It wasn't long ago that the use of pedometers,
but they have changed also the way we approach fitness. Today, to be fit is to be obsessed data.
the Shine represents the logical next step in fitness electronics: a data-driven device that's as fashionable on the outside as it is geeky on the inside.
a pioneering mobile health company known for making the first glucose meter for Apple's iphone.
and the partners eventually settled on a high-design fitness tracker that could take swimming and biking into account as easily as running.
and the therapeutic value of observing these fascinating creatures in action. Is this design a viable method for home-friendly beekeeping?
because it was so devastating--people crammed into hospitals and mass graves. When I came back to New york,
No one is really sure of what will happen to their health. It could be another Chernobyl.
it's time for the health sector to get involved Earthquake could threaten California â¢s water supply Tech,
sustainability meet on the robotic marijuana farm Invention may lead to greener power plants When it comes to packaging,
I went to a doctor's appointment at George washington Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) here in D c
I've now used the kiosk four times at MFA, a facility that treats about 4, 600 patients daily.
and the direction we are headed with electronic health, I called Chicago-based Allscripts, which makes the machines,
imagine if our banks operated in the low-tech and arcane way that our health providers doâ entering data manually,
we had a client from New york who was concerned very about Medicare fraudâ patients using one card and passing it around.
Do you want a flu shot? The kiosk has the capability to ask a series of targeted questions.
Same with patients of different ages. After the first time you use it, there are fewer questions.
and to provide more information to the nurse and the doc so they understand more about your situation before they see you.
I just went to the doctor, and I had to tell the security guard where I was going.
but what if I was going to the place for sexual dysfunction or drug rehab? GW was one of the first to use your kiosks?
Have you been exposed to swine flu? The machines are all the same, but the questions are tailored by the client.
When you think about EHR (electronic health records), you think about a doctor or nurse talking to a computer or tablet.
We're extending the edges of where the EHR reaches: We're extending it to the waiting room,
and we're extending the boundaries of where that information is available. It used to be a really hard boundaryâ you had to be in the clinic
or connect VPN (virtual private network) to the clinic. So how do we make it easier?
We're trying to make sure wherever that point of care is, the information is, and make it easy for the patient to have access to his information.
And for doctors, we should make it electronically easy for them to pick up their smart phone,
access your records and know how to treat you. Knowing, for example, when your last tetanus shot was shot,
so the is wasted not if your shot is current. We give you the tetanus shot
if you need it, but we don't depend on you to remember when your last one was.
I think training is always an issue--helping doctors, nurses, patients do things in a new way.
I think managing is always a challenge. I think with the new wave of devices like ipads and digital pens,
How do we help orchestrate the data flow between the various physicians? The kiosk is one way.
how about just connecting the 180,000 physicians who use Allscripts software? We started about a year,
I believe so much in the problem-solving ability of our physicians that if we prime that pump with information,
How do we help that doctor practice medicine more efficiently and effectively? We're not the magic part;
the physician is the magic part
An idea to save Detroit and other beleaguered urban areas: return it to farmlanddetroit, Michigan is one of those places even hard luck has chosen to pass by.
but has created also some of the world's worst air and water pollution, deforestation and dangers to public health.
Ma realized that without persistent public awareness and participation in the environmental health of their country,
Another cure for whisky's carbon hangoverthe stink of methane is not what comes to mind
So pick your poison. Related on Smartplanet: Scots to blend whiskey with tidal power In Scotland,
Apple bakes fitness deeper into its ipod nano device with Nike+Ten years after its debut, Apple is integrating fitness more deeply into its line of ipods.
Health and fitness applications, especially where sensors can monitor a person's health, have been adopted widely.
a maker of sleep and fitness monitor provides online analytics. There are other products chasing the same demand for gadgets that monitoring health and fitness.
For example, a startup called Basis just came out with a hip new watch measures your pulse,
making it useful throughout the day to track overall fitness activity. With each company focusingâ on a specific consumer segment they should be able to coexist
The awareness that Apple will bring to market will likely just increase demand for fitness-related gadget and apps.
Already, the ios health and fitness app space is expected to expand from 9, 000 to 13,000 healthcare-related apps by next year, according to Mobihealthnews.
Self service health technology will become more and more common as the cost of sensors decrease and ubiquity of smartphone software increases,
One can imagine a scenario where health insurance companies actually start to offer lower premiums just for consumers to use these technologies to monitor their health outcome,
Baking fitness apps into ios devices will allow those already using the tech to start tracking their fitness.
At Health 2. 0, apps for helping you sleep, breathe better Three consumer health apps that you should know about Wellnessfx launches with a platform that can help you lead a healthier life
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