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Trial to eliminate deadly Dengue begins

The 12 week programme costing $18 million named ‘Eliminate Dengue’ has commenced. Mosquitoes bearing a special bacteria would be released into the wild around Cairns as part of a trial to rid the area of the insects that carry Dengue fever.

4 Jan 2011

Met-FISC complex formation critical step in juvenile hormone signaling pathway

Just as raging hormones are part of the process of a child's maturation through the teen years to adulthood, juvenile hormones, a group of insect isoprenoids, play an important role as butterflies, fruit flies and mosquitoes transform their body structures as they molt from larva to pupa and then adults.

28 Dec 2010

U.N. food official highlights food security challenges in world's most populous nation

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to food Olivier De Schutter said Thursday that recent food price spikes in China, "in the world's most populous nation," underscore the country's food security challenges resulting from decreasing amounts of arable land, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Dec 2010

EPA to clean up vector-breeding site to eliminate dengue epidemic

To control the severe dengue epidemic, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said the first priority is to locate diagnosed patients and eliminate virus-carrying mosquitoes, the vectors of Dengue fever, and called on all people to clean up mosquito breeding sites.

23 Dec 2010

Concentrated nicotine in E-cigarattes poses unknown risks to consumers

What do some pesticides and "electronic cigarettes" have in common? According to a new report published in the American Journal of Public Health, the answer is unregulated concentrations of nicotine that may pose unknown risks to consumers who are exposed to them.

8 Dec 2010

Plant-derived bioscavenger protects against pesticide and nerve agent organophosphate poisoning

The brain is forever chattering to itself, via electrical impulses sent along its hard-wired neuronal "Ethernet." These e-messages are translated into chemical transmissions, allowing communication across the narrow cleft separating one neuron from another or between neurons and their target cells. Of the many kinds of molecules involved in this lively chemical symposium, acetylcholine is among the most critical, performing a host of functions in the central and peripheral nervous system.

24 Nov 2010

UC Berkeley receives $16.5 million to support three research centers to examine children's health

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health are getting $16.5 million to support three research centers as part of a federal initiative to examine the environmental factors influencing children's health.

18 Nov 2010

Study finds arsenic improves survival rate in APL patients

Arsenic, a toxic compound with a reputation as a good tool for committing homicide, has a significant positive effect on the survival of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), when administered after standard initial treatment, according to a new, multi-center study led by a researcher at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

12 Nov 2010

Sanofi Pasteur's dengue vaccine enters phase III trial in Australia

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the pharmaceutical group Sanofi-Aventis, on Thursday announced the company had begun testing its dengue fever vaccine in a Phase III clinical trial in Australia, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports.

8 Nov 2010

Study concludes organic vegetables does not contain healthful antioxidants

With the demand for organically produced food increasing, scientists are reporting new evidence that organically grown onions, carrots, and potatoes generally do not have higher levels of healthful antioxidants and related substances than vegetables grown with traditional fertilizers and pesticides.

4 Nov 2010

Study confirms human excrements contribute to water pollution

Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20% of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by the Universidad de Almer-a says, confirming for the first time that human excrements contribute to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus.

3 Nov 2010

Study demonstrates widespread internal exposure of humans to cosmetic UV filters

An investigation conducted in the context of the Swiss National Research Programme (NRP50), Endocrine Disrupters: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems, demonstrates for the first time that internal exposure of humans to cosmetic UV filters is widespread.

3 Nov 2010

Global agriculture production must increase 70% by 2050 and adapt to climate change, FAO report says

Agriculture production worldwide needs to increase 70 percent by 2050 to meet global food demands, yet "billions of dollars in additional annual investment" are required to meet this goal and reduce the negative effects on the environment, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report (.pdf) on Thursday, Reuters reports.

30 Oct 2010

Mathematical models and maps to eliminate malaria

Two University of Florida researchers and their international colleagues have used mathematical models and maps to estimate the feasibility of eliminating malaria from countries that have the deadliest form of the disease.

29 Oct 2010

NCI indifferent to, or unaware, of avoidable non-smoking causes of lung cancer, says coalition

“You can't do experiments to see what causes cancer--it's not an accessible problem, and not the sort of thing scientists can afford to do--everything you do can't be risky.”

29 Oct 2010

WHO regulation on human toxicity helps in reducing acute pesticide poisoning

Current WHO pesticide classifications are based on toxicity in rats but basing regulation on human toxicity will make pesticide poisoning less hazardous and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths globally without compromising agricultural needs. These are the key findings from a study by Andrew Dawson (South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) and colleagues published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

27 Oct 2010

Mundus studies potential for VTOL UAV against Malaria

Mundus Group Inc., studies potential for VTOL UAV to provide increased capabilities in fight against Malaria and disease spread through mosquitoes with precision aerial laser eradication treatments.

26 Oct 2010

European FP7 research project to develop environment-friendly pest control products

Tecnalia, through its Construction Unit, is participating in and coordinating a European FP7 research project for SMEs, called Bimosyn. The aim is to develop pest control products with lower concentrations of biocides and, thereby, be more environmentally friendly and less damaging for human health.

21 Oct 2010

FDA purchases AB SCIEX QTRAP 5500 Systems for analysis of the U.S. food supply

AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has purchased eight of the company's AB SCIEX QTRAP® 5500 Systems for analysis of the U.S. food supply. These mass spectrometry systems will be deployed at FDA headquarters and across seven field laboratories. This supports government initiatives to help ensure food safety.

20 Oct 2010

Shift in agriculture techniques required to ensure future food security, U.N. special rapporteur on right to food says on World Food Day

Farming techniques must adapt to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure global food security, Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, said in a statement to mark Saturday's World Food Day, Agence France-Presse reports.

19 Oct 2010