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New method could make cashews safer for people with allergies

For the millions of adults and children in the U.S. who have to shun nuts to avoid an allergic reaction, help could be on the way. Scientists are now developing a method to process cashews - and potentially other nuts - that could make them safer to eat for people who are allergic to them.

11 Aug 2014

Despite public programs, food insecurity remains an intractable problem in the US

Vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and low-income households are disproportionately affected by food security, despite the extensive private and public food safety net in the United States, according to a new report by RTI International.

27 Jul 2014

Study: Climate change to slowdown growth of global crop yields

The world faces a small but substantially increased risk over the next two decades of a major slowdown in the growth of global crop yields because of climate change, new research finds.

26 Jul 2014

New way for development of barley with resistance to powdery mildew

New research at the University of Adelaide has opened the way for the development of new lines of barley with resistance to powdery mildew.

26 Jul 2014

Mexico, US sign statement of intent to promote safety of fresh agricultural products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the government of Mexico's National Service for Agro-Alimentary Public Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) and Federal Commission for the Protection from Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) signed a statement of intent forming a partnership to promote the safety of fresh and minimally processed agricultural products.

25 Jul 2014

Immunosignaturing holds promise for accurate diagnosis of Valley Fever

On July 5, 2011, a massive wall of dust, ("haboob," in Arabic), blanketed Phoenix, Arizona, creating an awesome spectacle, (or stubborn nuisance, depending on your perspective). Dust storms are a common occurrence in the arid desert environments of the American Southwest.

23 Jul 2014

Study of woodrats may impact farming practices in arid regions

Woodrats lost their ability to eat toxic creosote bushes after antibiotics killed their gut microbes. Woodrats that never ate the plants were able to do so after receiving fecal transplants with microbes from creosote-eaters, University of Utah biologists found.

21 Jul 2014

Researchers seek ways to prevent foodborne illnesses with cinnamon

Seeking ways to prevent some of the most serious foodborne illnesses caused by pathogenic bacteria, two Washington State University scientists have found promise in an ancient but common cooking spice: cinnamon.

18 Jul 2014

Analysis urges health professionals to consider environmental and health impact of seafood sourcing

As government agencies recommend greater consumption of seafood for its health benefits, a new analysis led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future urges medical and public health professionals to consider the environmental and health impact of seafood sourcing, particularly aquaculture, or the farming of fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

17 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 15, 2014

Today's headlines include news about how some states are planning to address their backlogs of new Medicaid enrollees.

15 Jul 2014

Nutrition of low-income Americans can be improved across life span by participating in SNAP-Ed

The nutrition of low-income Americans can be improved across the life span through participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed), according to a new research brief published by RTI Press.

15 Jul 2014

CDC closes labs after anthrax, flu accidents

Federal government labs in Atlanta were temporarily shut after it was discovered they had improperly sent potentially deadly pathogens, including anthrax, botulism and virulent bird flue virus, to other labs.

15 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 14, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of Medicare, the health law and veterans' care policy issues as well as reports from the campaign trail.

14 Jul 2014

State highlights: N.Y. gives millions for hospital primary care; fight over new Ga. trauma center; San Francisco premiums expected to drop

New York health officials have awarded $462 million to help 22 hospitals and five large public hospital systems statewide continue key services. The funds followed a federal agreement in April for New York to reinvest $8 billion in Medicaid savings to support hospital overhauls and expand primary medical care over five years. The goal is to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent while helping financially struggling institutions shift to more primary and outpatient care (7/9).

11 Jul 2014

Valent Biosciences opens new biorational manufacturing facility in Iowa

Valent BioSciences Corporation (VBC) today marked the official opening of its new $146 million biorational manufacturing facility in Osage, IA in a ceremony that included more than 130 international dignitaries, state and local VIPs, and media personnel.

28 Jun 2014

Nutrition education program can improve child's at-home diet

A nutrition education program in low-income child care centers can improve a child's at-home consumption of vegetables and low-fat/fat-free milk, according to a study by researchers from RTI International, Altarum Institute, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study was supported by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

26 Jun 2014

Energy balance: A viable public health solution to address obesity epidemic

A majority of Americans are overweight or obese, a factor in the rapid rise in common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and more. According to a paper published collaboratively in this month's issues of the official journals of both the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, energy balance is a viable public health solution to address the obesity epidemic.

26 Jun 2014

Agricultural pesticides raise risk of autism in unborn children

Pregnant women who lived in close proximity to fields and farms where chemical pesticides were applied experienced a two-thirds increased risk of having a child with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental delay, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute has found. The associations were stronger when the exposures occurred during the second and third trimesters of the women's pregnancies.

23 Jun 2014

New research explores massive depopulation of ethnic Tibetan communities in Nepal

Ethnic Tibetan communities in Nepal's highlands are rapidly shrinking as more parents send their children away for a better education and modern careers, a trend that threatens to create a region of graying ghost towns at the top of the world, according to a study that includes Dartmouth College.

19 Jun 2014

Number-learning process depends on child's environment, shows study

American children learn the meanings of number words gradually: First they understand "one," then they add "two, "three," and "four," in sequence. At that point, however, a dramatic shift in understanding takes place, and children grasp the meanings of not only "five" and "six," but all of the number words they know.

19 Jun 2014