#Combating key viral livestock diseases in Ethiopiagelagay Ayelet Melesse's doctoral research reveals that there are several serotypes of the virus causing foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the African horse sickness virus (AHSV
His study also highlights the economic repercussions of these viruses and other viral diseases in domestic livestock.
and combating the spread of such diseases and to increased self-sufficiency in food. Livestock play an important role in Ethiopia as a livelihood both for nomads
However due to a number of diseases affecting domestic animals this resource is not reaching its full potential.
Typical diseases in this respect are foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) African horse sickness (AHS) lumpy skin disease (LSD) and camel pox.
Up until now we have had limited only knowledge about the real economic consequences of these diseases their distribution types of virus
and also the ecological and operational factors that may have a bearing on the prevalence of the diseases.
Research on lumpy skin disease and African horse sickness shows that outbreaks of these diseases occur at the end of the rainy season (in November and December.
Melesse's doctoral research has provided us with valuable information about virus types disease distribution in relation to season and geographical region and the economic significance and risk factors for FMD LSD AHS and camel
Using his findings vaccine-based control strategies can be implemented which may lead to the country becoming more self-sufficient in food.
These bioactive compounds respectively help to prevent cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This is contained in a study carried out by the University of Barcelona and the CIBEROBN network Spain
The study PREVENTION with a MEDITERRANEAN Diet (PREDIMED) has shown recently the link between the Mediterranean diet and low levels of cardiovascular disease.
Now researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Biomedical Research Centres Network--Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN) of the Carlos III Health Institute have identified for the first time polyphenols
which we eat are reduced related to cardiovascular diseases Rosa Marã a Lamuela researcher at the UB and the person responsible for the project told SINC.
Various studies have shown that the intake of carotenoids such as lycopene prevents prostate cancer and the consumption of foods rich in beta-carotene help to reduce the incidence of lung cancer.
Eating a daily amount of 120 grams of sofrito added to pasta for example the total intake of polyphenols is 16 to 24 milligrams per portion
The combination of these foods equals the bio-health compounds of each one separately. With regard to oil scientists recommend using virgin olive oil instead of sunflower oil.
However according to a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public health in Boston Massachusetts SNAP benefits alone may not be enough to provide its beneficiaries with the long-term food security
which suggests that SNAP could do more to adequately address the problem of food insecurity according to lead investigator Dr. Eric Rimm Associate professor in Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public health.
Dr. Rimm and his colleagues found a small improvement in food security for both SNAP participants and nonparticipants after the three-month study but no significant differences between the two groups.
This mapping database which will be updated annually quantifies all forest stand-replacement disturbances whether due to logging fire disease or storms.
because in 2006 the European union prohibited the feeding of antibiotics to livestock as growth promoters.
whether probiotics could substitute for antibiotics by reducing pathogen populations in the intestines says first author Carmen Bednorz of Freie Universitat Berlin Germany.
We found a clear reduction of E coli strains possessing typical genes for extra-intestinal pathogenic E coli (Expec) says Bednorz.
Antimicrobials are thought to promote growth in industrially grown livestock because without them the rationale goes in such close quarters a surfeit of pathogens would slow growth.
Our data suggest that the feeding of probiotics could substitute for antimicrobials as growth promoters says Bednorz.
This could help to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance she adds. In previous studies the working groups from the Institute of Microbiology and Epizootics at Freie Universitat Berlin found that feeding E. faecium probiotic did not change the general swine intestinal microbiota
but reduced infections by Chlamydia spp. and pathogenic E coli according to the report. In the study Bednorz and her collaborators compared piglets fed with E. faecium to those in a control group.
They collected more than 1400 samples of E coli from piglets of different ages and from different parts of the intestine.
While a number of strains of E coli are pathogenic non-pathogenic E coli contributes to the maintenance of the microbial gut balance according to the report.
and threatening human health he said. The sooner we make preparations the better off we'll be.
#¢High temperature stresses in summer will become more frequent and damaging to agriculture and will possibly drive dairy and livestock production farther north.
and pollen counts will go up damaging human health. Residents of the Southeast should begin to prepare for the likelihood of more frequent extreme weather events Ingram said.
Dr Anna Harper from the University of Exeter said: This study suggests that forests are not only more able to withstand droughts than we had thought previously
Co-author of the study Dr Sonia Yeh from the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies said:
Sahoko Yui a UC Davis graduate student researcher completed the work under Dr Yeh's supervision.
if the queen also is providing workers with information about her health. The more we know about what affects the queen's health the better chance we will have of creating high-quality queens
and disease-resistant stocks of honey bees Niã o said. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Penn State.
The original article was written by Sara Lajeunesse. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference l
#Tomato therapy: Engineered veggies target intestinal lipids, improve cholesterolucla researchers report that tiny amounts of a specific type of lipid in the small intestine may play a greater role than previously thought in generating the high cholesterol levels and inflammation that lead to clogged arteries.
These lipids may be a new culprit that we can target in the small intestine in fighting atherosclerosis said senior author Dr. Alan Fogelman executive chair of the department of medicine
and director of the atherosclerosis research unit at the David Geffen School of medicine at UCLA. Big effect of small amount of LPAPREVIOUSLY it was thought that the role of the small intestine in response to a high-fat high-cholesterol diet was simply to package the fat
because they are found in far smaller amounts in the small intestine than other lipids like cholesterol may play a more direct role in contributing to the factors that cause atherosclerosis.
The findings suggest that some of the factors leading to atherosclerosis occur in the small intestine and not just the liver.
and prevent abnormalities in blood levels of'good'and'bad'cholesterol that contribute to heart attack
and lead to new treatments said Judith Gasson a professor of medicine and biological chemistry director of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and senior associate dean for research at the Geffen
The above story is provided based on materials by University of California Los angeles (UCLA) Health Sciences. Note:
#Researcher finds potential new use for old drugsa class of drugs used to treat parasitic infections such as malaria may also be useful in treating cancers
and immune-related diseases a new WSU-led study has found. Researchers discovered that simple modifications to the drug furamidine have a major impact on its ability to affect specific human proteins involved in the on-off switches of certain genes.
This was unexpected rather given how relatively simple the molecules are modified that we and how difficult it has been to affect these proteins said Gregory Poon pharmaceutical scientist at Washington state University.
The proteins--known as transcription factors--regulate the expression of genes in a highly coordinated and intricate manner making them attractive targets for therapeutic drugs
But it has proven difficult to design drugs to affect them Poon said. For this reason they have been called undruggable he said.
Recently however scientists have been making headway in targeting these transcription factors with drugs and now our results suggest this class of drugs can be a useful addition to the arsenal.
Furamidine belongs to a family of drugs known as heterocyclic dications. The drug has a long history of use in serious parasitic diseases such as malaria African sleeping sickness and PCP a common infection in HIV/AIDS.
There is tremendous knowledge and experience with using furamidine and related drugs in humans so these drugs have an important advantage over other classes of drugs that are relatively behind in clinical experience Poon said.
Poon collaborated with researchers at Georgia State university. The team found that derivatives of furamidine can target a specific transcription factor known as PU. 1. Their findings were published in Nucleic acids Research journal.
PU. 1 is a major factor in development and function of the human immune system and it plays important roles in diseases such as some leukemias multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
PU. 1 is also a member of a large family of related transcription factors known as ETS that is involved in a broader range of cancers and other diseases.
I am fortunate to be working with some of the best people in this area Poon said referring to his collaborators Dave Boykin and David Wilson of Georgia State university.
The challenge now is to fine-tune this class of drugs to make them as specific as possible to other ETS-family transcription factors as well.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Washington state University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
This gene is especially interesting in Arabidopsis as mutations only cause the semi-dwarfism and have no further negative effects on the performance of the plants
They apparently can compensate for all of the effects of the loss except for the semi-dwarfism.
Koornneef and his colleagues have identified six different genetic causes for the semi-dwarfism. These include mutations that the prevent the growth factor from being formed with the correct size mutations that replace especially important amino acids with useless ones as well as mutations that prevent the proper splicing of MESSENGER RNA prior to the protein biosynthesis
Moreover Koornneef and his colleagues were able to show that Arabidopsis only rarely displays semi-dwarfism in the wild.
Koornneef's investigations also prove that semi-dwarfism has arisen independently in every location. The semi-dwarf Arabidopsis plants always had different genetic backgrounds explains the geneticist
The DNA sequence shows that a few plants attempted to rid themselves of the semi-dwarfism again.
The answer may be found somewhere within the genetics of the sheep and the course of the disease assessment and control of tick populations and biological control of ticks.
Weakens the immune systemtick-bites in sheep may result in the disease tick-borne fever (TBF) induced by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum (A. ph). TBF causes high fever
However they do not necessarily die from the infection says tick researcher Lise Grã¸va at Bioforsk Organic at Tingvoll in Norway.
The disease itself is not fatal but makes sheep more susceptible to secondary infections. Arthritis is the most common disease that can arise.
Illness normally occurs 10-14 days after grazing starts. Blood tests show that almost all the lambs are infected during the season in tick infested areas.
The direct cause of death due to TBF is often an acute pasteurella infection--a bacterial disease
which can cause acute blood poisoning with inflammation of the heart sac heart lungs or digestive organs.
It is recommended therefore to vaccinate sheep against pastuerella in areas where tick-borne fever is prevalent.
Disinfection of the umbilical cord in lambs immediately after birth has also been effective. It prevents new bacteria from entering the bloodstream.
Bacteria can survive in the body for a long time and can attack and cause disease if the immune system is weakened.
There are no exact figures as to how many lives ticks take compared to predators. There have been attempts to uncover this by using radio transmitters to monitor the sheep.
However in practice it has proved difficult to find the mortalities in order to say anything about the cause of death with this type of monitoring.
Breeding resistant animalswork is currently in progress to develop measures that may help sheep tolerate tick bites better.
We know that individuals respond differently to infection. Some lambs experience a shorter period of fever and a shorter period with poor immune system after an infection than others.
We are also looking at whether some individuals have more ticks than others and whether this has an influence on the growth in lambs says Grã¸va. She emphasizes that having robust animals with good immune systems is a prerequisite for sheep husbandry in tick areas.
whether it is right to utilise them as it is seems that lambs are infected despite the use of such remedies.
It is presumed that the infection can cause flu-like conditions. In people with impaired immune systems an infection can cause pneumonia
but as far as we know nobody has died from this says Grã¸va. Sick sheep are slaughtered not.
Tick##ites in sheep can lead to the disease tick-borne fever (TBF) which causes high fever
and weakens the immune system. As a result of TBF animals may become seriously ill from diseases they usually cope with.
Bioforsk is therefore conducting field trials where the aim is to reduce tick populations in sheep grazing areas by using a tick pathogenic fungus called Metarhizium.
Killing ticks from insideingeborg Klingen Head of Section of Invertebrate Pests at Bioforsk Plant Health and Plant Protection Division and her group are currently conducting field trials with BIPESCO 5
During this growth the fungus produces substances that are toxic and lethal to the tick.
In general Bioforsk Plante Health has good knowledge of the control of insects and mites. We know a great deal about the tick's biology and its natural enemies.
In collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public health and several other parties we could use this knowledge in a strategy for the control of ticks--also in recreational areas.
Included on the EU's positive listbipesco 5 with the active ingredient Metarhizium has been tested for toxicity in relation to animals
#Higher dietary acid load increases risk of diabetes, study saysa study of more than 60 000 women has shown that higher overall acidity of the diet regardless of the individual foods
making up that diet increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. The study the first large prospective study to demonstrate these findings is published in Diabetologia the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)
and is by Dr Guy Fagherazzi and Dr Franã§oise Clavel-Chapelon Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health INSERM Paris France and colleagues.
A western diet rich in animal products and other acidogenic foods can induce an acid load that is not compensated for by fruit and vegetables;
whether increased acidosis caused by dietary acid loads increased the risk of type 2 diabetes.
A total of 66485 women from the E3n study (The french Centre of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition a well-known ongoing epidemiological study) were followed for new diabetes cases over 14 years.
During follow-up 1372 new cases of incident type 2 diabetes occurred. In the overall population those in the top 25%(quartile) for PRAL had increased a 56 risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with the bottom quartile.
Women of normal weight (BMI of 25 and under) had increased the highest risk (96%for top quartile
In our study the fact that the association between both PRAL and NEAP scores and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes persisted after adjustment for dietary patterns meat consumption
and intake of fruit vegetables coffee and sweetened beverages suggests that dietary acids may play a specific role in promoting the development of type 2 diabetes irrespective of the foods
We have demonstrated for the first time in a large prospective study that dietary acid load was associated positively with type 2 diabetes risk independently of other known risk factors for diabetes.
and may lead to promotion of diets with a low acid load for the prevention of diabetes.
#Low levels of blood calcium in dairy cows may affect cow health, productivitythe health of dairy cows after giving birth plays a big factor in the quantity and quality of the milk the cows produce.
Now researchers at the University of Missouri have found that subclinical hypocalcemia which is the condition of having low levels of calcium in the blood
John Middleton a professor in the MU College of Veterinary medicine says these higher levels of fat are often precursors to future health problems in cows.
These higher levels of fat in the liver are tied often to health problems in dairy cows including increased risk for uterus and mammary infections as well as ketosis
years to determine how subclinical hypocalcemia affected the health of the cows after they gave birth.
While the researchers did not find any direct links to health problems they say correlations with higher levels of fat in the liver call for further research into the health implications of low blood calcium levels.
To maximize the health of the cows and the amount of quality milk dairy cows produce Middleton recommends paying close attention to dietary management in the late dry/early lactating period as well as providing supplemental sources of calcium during early
Because our study suggests some potential risks for health issues in dairy cows with subclinical hypocalcemia it is important for dairy farmers to monitor these levels in their cows Middleton said.
or providing calcium solutions orally or by injection at the time of calving could be beneficial to their overall health and productivity.
#Obesity among risk factors for delayed lactation in women with gestational diabetespre-pregnancy obesity and older maternal age are among the risk factors for delayed lactation for women with gestational diabetes mellitus
according to a Kaiser permanente study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study analyzed 883 racially
or diabetes during pregnancy and to determine whether pre-pregnancy weight was an independent risk factor even after the severity of their GDM was taken into account.
and March 2011 in the Study of Women Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes (SWIFT) an ongoing study of Kaiser permanente Northern California members who experienced a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
(which is indicative of greater severity of gestational diabetes). Given the potential for breastfeeding to mitigate the higher risk that women with GDM face for developing type-2 diabetes skilled lactation support is particularly important for obese women with GDM said lead author Susana L
. Matias Phd a postdoctoral researcher at the Kaiser permanente Division of Research and the University of California Davis Department of Nutrition.
Gestational diabetes mellitus defined as glucose intolerance with first onset during pregnancy occurs in 7 percent of all U s. pregnancies
A history of GDM confers up to a sevenfold higher risk of diabetes and almost 50 percent of women with a GDM pregnancy will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within five to eight years after pregnancy.
Identification of risk factors for delayed milk production could help target breastfeeding support services and enable women with GDM to experience the benefits of lactation for their own future health and that of their offspring.
Lactation is characterized by increased glucose utilization and decomposition of fat through the processes for milk production as well as higher maternal basal metabolic rates and mobilization of fat stores.
Timely onset of milk production following delivery is important for successful breastfeeding and newborn health.
These risk profiles could be used to develop a screening tool for health care providers to assist mothers
or mostly breastfeeding groups had lower prevalence of pre-diabetes than formula-feeding groups even among obese women.
Dr. Gee however has applied now successfully microct to visualize silicified conifer seed cones as old as 150 million years without cutting sawing
Using this technique X-ray images similar to those used in the medical field are captured providing virtual cross-sections of the specimen without ever cutting into the sample.
Dr. Gee hopes this study will provide researchers with an alternative to traditional techniques such as thin-sectioning
Euscorpius scorpions are relatively harmless with poison that has effects similar to a mosquito bite.
and Muä la Province in the southwest of Turkey. explains Dr. Yaä mur the lead author of the study.
Whitefly experimentation to prevent contamination of agricultureon November 8th Jove the Journal of Visualized Experiments will introduce a new technique to aid in the development of defenses against diseases threatening food crops worldwide.
The whitefly method provides a means of interfering with the plant-contamination process as well as the cultivation of plants that are altogether resistant to infection.
and her colleagues write that numerous genera of whitefly-transmitted plant viruses (such as Begomovirus Carlavirus Crinivirus Ipomovirus Torradovirus) are part of an emerging and economically significant group of pathogens affecting important food
while omitting the possibility of cross-contamination to other viruses--an easily encountered problem because of the sheer number of whiteflies used in testing.
Such contamination would jeopardize the results of an entire experiment. After exposing large numbers of a particular plant species to a specific whitefly-transmitted virus a researcher can then note which individual plants resisted infection and why.
This article outlines how to generate hundreds or thousands of infected plants year-round by exposing them to whiteflies each week.
Therefore the whitefly-assisted transmission method provides researchers with a powerful means for continued experimentation in developing plant defenses against the threat of whitefly-transmitted disease.
#You can have a food allergy, and eat it toohave food allergies? If you answered yes you know the best way to prevent a severe allergic reaction is to totally avoid the offending food.
But according to a presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) you may no longer have to avoid the food entirely.
Different parts of food may have said different allergenicity presenter Sami Bahna MD allergist and ACAAI past president.
For example someone with an egg allergy may be able to tolerate egg yolk but not the whites.
And someone with a fruit allergy may be allergic to the seeds but not the pulp.
In his presentation Dr. Bahna noted not only can certain parts of food be safe to eat for some food allergy sufferers
but there are some substitutes that can be eaten as well. Just because someone is allergic to cow's milk doesn't mean they are allergic to milk from all other animals said Dr. Bahna.
Some sufferers might have to avoid several foods which can be difficult and cause malnutrition.
But there are substitutes that can be eaten without any side effects. Some food sensitivities may also predict other food allergies.
Different types of fruits and fish can often have substantial cross-reactivity meaning there may be several types that need to be avoided.
Rosaceae fruits which include apple apricot almond peach pear plum and strawberry showcase this cross-reactivity.
Crustaceans such as shrimp and lobster or molluscs like clam and squid can also have this cross-reactivity.
But it's more unlikely that someone allergic to shrimp is also allergic to squid.
While many food allergic individuals find they can eat certain parts of food or substitutes this isn't a one size fits all approach said Dr. Bahna.
Allergy manifests in everyone differently. If you have a food allergy evaluation by a board-certified allergist can identify the exact foods that you should avoid
and the substitute foods that you can safely eat. Allergy skin testing or blood testing are good screening procedures for food allergy.
Allergists often confirm the suspected foods by performing oral food challenges. During this test patients are fed tiny amounts of the suspected allergy-causing food in increasing doses under strict supervision by an allergist.
Although there is no cure for food allergies at present some sufferers may outgrow their allergy over time.
Milk allergy is commonly outgrown in childhood while a peanut or shellfish allergy usually lasts for many years or for a lifetime.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#Oral allergy syndrome, high blood pressure medications can create lethal cocktailoral allergy syndrome sufferers that take high blood pressure medications may experience extreme facial swelling
and difficulty breathing the next time they bite into a juicy apple. When patients with oral allergy syndrome take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for hypertension
and congestive heart failure they are increased at an risk for a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis according to new research.
The case studies being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy Asthma
and Immunology (ACAAI) found use of ACE inhibitors can cause what is known as a priming effect in oral allergy syndrome sufferers.
When a sufferer's allergies are primed and they come in contact with a particular allergen they experience a more severe than normal reaction said allergist Denisa Ferastraoaru MD ACAAI member
and lead study author. Symptoms can include extreme facial swelling (angioedema) and difficulty breathing which can lead to death in some cases.
Hay fever sufferers that experience an itchy mouth or scratchy throat after eating certain raw fruits
or vegetables and some tree nuts may have oral allergy syndrome. It is also known as pollen-food syndrome
since it is caused by cross-reacting allergens found in both pollen and raw produce. Sufferers can often mistake oral allergy syndrome symptoms for food allergy said allergist David Rosenstreich MD ACAAI fellow and study author.
But it isn't a food allergy and often patients can eat that food when it is cooked.
For example an individual may have a reaction to a raw apple but not to apples baked in a pie.
When allergists advised patients to avoid raw produce and switched from ACE inhibitors to ANGIOTENSIN II receptor blocker (ARB) therapy no further oral allergy symptoms occurred.
Not everyone with a pollen allergy will experience oral allergy syndrome when eating raw produce and tree nuts.
However the syndrome is associated commonly with these allergens: While oral allergy symptoms are typically mild including mouth
and throat discomfort swelling and itching it is important sufferers discuss these symptoms with their allergist
because anaphylaxis can sometimes occur. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
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