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Researchers find that humans carry more antibiotic-resistant staphylococci than farm animals

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a concern for the health and well-being of both humans and farm animals. One of the most common and costly diseases faced by the dairy industry is bovine mastitis, a potentially fatal bacterial inflammation of the mammary gland (IMI). Widespread use of antibiotics to treat the disease is often blamed for generating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

25 Aug 2015

Potential biomarker could help prevent pre-diabetic individuals from developing Type II diabetes

Virginia Tech researchers have identified a biomarker in pre-diabetic individuals that could help prevent them from developing Type II diabetes.

21 Aug 2015

JRC foresight report on global food security

Long considered in relation to malnutrition and humanitarian aid, food security policy should be moving towards a much broader landscape and focusing on regular access to food for a population nearing nine billion towards 2030-2050, while addressing food insecurity for a fraction of communities, according to a JRC foresight report.

19 Aug 2015

Case Western Reserve awarded federal grant for nutritious food access study

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $2.3 million to Case Western Reserve to lead a collaborative study of how changes in food options affect residents' nutritional choices and health over time.

11 Aug 2015

BGI to hold 10th International Conference on Genomics in October

The 10th International Conference on Genomics (ICG-10) will be held by BGI from October 22-25, 2015, in Shenzhen, China.

31 Jul 2015

New synthetic gene drives could one day improve human health and the environment

Gene drives are genetic elements - found naturally in the genomes of most of the world's organisms - that increase the chance of the gene they carry being passed on to all offspring, and thus, they can quickly spread through populations. Looking to these natural systems, researchers around the world, including some Wyss Institute scientists, are developing synthetic gene drives that could one day be leveraged by humans to purposefully alter the traits of wild populations of organisms to prevent disease transmission and eradicate invasive species.

31 Jul 2015

Plants send out stress signals normally associated with animals

University of Adelaide research has shown for the first time that, despite not having a nervous system, plants use signals normally associated with animals when they encounter stress.

30 Jul 2015

Race to meet EU biofuel targets could put human health at risk

The race to meet carbon-neutral biofuel targets could put human health and food crop production at risk unless it is carefully planned, according to new research.

30 Jul 2015

WSU scientists suggest that glyphosate not present in human breast milk

Washington State University scientists have found that glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, does not accumulate in mother's breast milk.

24 Jul 2015

Scientists discover genetic markers for mosquito resistance to insecticides

Controlling mosquitoes that carry human diseases is a global health challenge as their ability to resist insecticides now threatens efforts to prevent epidemics. Scientists from the CNRS, IRD, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble and Institut Pasteur in French Guiana have identified new genetic markers for mosquito resistance to insecticides, which could improve its detection in the field.

24 Jul 2015

Direct Relief honored with Esri's Special Achievement in GIS Award

Direct Relief was honored by Esri today with a Special Achievement in GIS Award for its role in developing map applications for the One-Million Community Health Workers campaign (1mCHW), a joint initiative of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

23 Jul 2015

Expanded use for IntelliCap with further CE Mark for aspiration of fluids

The small, pill-shaped IntelliCap wireless medical device is opening up research opportunities into the impact of the small intestine microbiota on health and disease. For the first time, scientists have been able to obtain and analyse samples of the small intestine’s microbiome in a non-invasive way.

21 Jul 2015

Study show that putting tax on sugary drinks could help reduce prevalence of obesity in the UK

In today's report, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition says no more than five per cent of daily calories should come from added sugar - about seven level teaspoons. The British Medical Association has called a 20 per cent tax on sugar because, according to its figures, poor diets are causing around 70,000 premature deaths each year.

20 Jul 2015

Virginia Tech scientist uses mathematical model to show how bacteria can control behavior of robots

Forget the Vulcan mind-meld of the Star Trek generation -- as far as mind control techniques go, bacteria is the next frontier. In a paper published July 16 in Scientific Reports, which is part of the Nature Publishing Group, a Virginia Tech scientist used a mathematical model to demonstrate that bacteria can control the behavior of an inanimate device like a robot.

17 Jul 2015

Light-based technologies help improve food shelf life, guard against food contaminants

Light-based technologies are emerging as tools to enhance food shelf life and guard against food contaminants but more research needs to be done, warn food scientists at a July 13 panel discussion at IFT15: Where Science Feeds Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago.

16 Jul 2015

Obesity-promoting behaviors increase among children during the summer break

Regardless of family income, children on summer break consume more sugar, watch more television, and eat fewer vegetables than the rest of the year, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

15 Jul 2015

New Healthy Beverage Index may help consumers to make diligent decisions about daily drinking habits

There may be a better way to think about daily drinking habits that impact health conditions such as obesity and diabetes, according to a new study by Virginia Tech researchers.

15 Jul 2015

Increased food energy supply contributes to global obesity epidemic, shows study

Obesity – a global health problem – is increasing in many countries in step with increases in the food energy supply, according to a study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization today.

3 Jul 2015

HIV capsid protein plays crucial role in the virus' life cycle

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is the retrovirus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. Globally, about 35 million people are living with HIV, which constantly adapts and mutates creating challenges for researchers. Now, scientists at the University of Missouri are gaining a clearer idea of what a key protein in HIV looks like, which will help explain its vital role in the virus' life cycle.

2 Jul 2015

Kansas State University nutritionist concerned about lack of summer food service programs in Kansas

A federal program that helps feed hungry children in the summer is not being used as well as it should be in Kansas — and that concerns a Kansas State University nutritionist.

1 Jul 2015