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Families abandon women who suffered spinal injuries in Pakistan earthquake

Women who suffered spinal injuries in the 2005 Pakistan earthquake continued to endure hardships years later, including abandonment by spouses and families, according to new research from the University of Alberta.

27 Jul 2012

No 'quick fix' for eradicating the malaria mosquito

The fact that the global death toll from malaria has dropped by 25 percent over the last ten years would suggest that efforts to control the malaria mosquito are succeeding. But control methods are still largely based on chemical insecticides. A risky business, according to entomologists and experts in biological pesticides from America and Wageningen.

27 Jul 2012

Insights into link between fat-hoarding genes and ancient diet

Why do Native Americans experience high rates of diabetes? A common theory is that they possess fat-hoarding "thrifty genes" left over from their ancestors - genes that were required for survival during ancient cycles of feast and famine, but that now contribute to the disease in a modern world of more fatty and sugary diets.

25 Jul 2012

Eating raisins may provide the same workout boost as sports chews

New research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests that eating raisins may provide the same workout boost as sports chews.

24 Jul 2012

Guardian examines U.S. food aid program

The Guardian has analyzed "hundreds of food aid contracts awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2010-11 to show where the money goes," the newspaper reports.

21 Jul 2012

Menu labeling at chain restaurants has some benefits

The recent Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for national requirements about posting nutritional information at chain restaurants. Listing calories, fat content, and sodium levels of menu items at the point of purchase has been promoted as a way to address the obesity epidemic.

21 Jul 2012

IRIN examines food security issues

"With the help of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and food security experts, IRIN takes a closer look" at how droughts worldwide are affecting grain and cereal supplies, the resulting price fluctuations, and how these issues affect food aid operations.

14 Jul 2012

Scientists clone tannin gene in sorghum

They might be called a blessing or a curse -- tannins, which are present in certain sorghums, contain health-promoting antioxidant properties, but also provide a bitter taste and decreased protein digestibility. To better understand tannins, their role in sorghum and how they can be altered to improve sorghum's use as food and feed, a team of scientists led by Kansas State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, has cloned the tannin gene in sorghum.

14 Jul 2012

Sandia researchers develop SpinDx medical diagnostic tool

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a lab-on-a-disk platform that they believe will be faster, less expensive and more versatile than similar medical diagnostic tools.

14 Jul 2012

SunLink closes $9,975,000 loan for Trace Regional Hospital in Houston

SunLink Health Systems, Inc. today announced that it closed a $9,975,000 loan for its Trace Regional Hospital in Houston, MS. Approximately $1,475,000 of the loan proceeds will be used to make improvements to the hospital and its medical office building, as well as for working capital and costs.

12 Jul 2012

Nearly 3.8M California adults are food insecure: New policy brief

An estimated 3.8 million California adults - particularly those in households with children, as well as low-income Latinos - could not afford to put adequate food on the table during the recent recession, according to a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

10 Jul 2012

Study: 13 zoonoses responsible for 2.4B cases of human illness per year

A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.

5 Jul 2012

UN food standards body agrees on new regulations to protect health of consumers across the world

The UN food standards body has agreed on new regulations - including the maximum level of melamine in liquid milk formula for babies - to protect the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs and food labelling.

5 Jul 2012

Study shows higher levels of phenolic compounds in organic tomatoes

Study conducted at the University of Barcelona shows that organic tomatoes contain higher levels of phenolic compounds than conventional tomatoes. Phenolic compounds are organic molecules found in many vegetables with proven human health benefits.

4 Jul 2012

Secrets to the Danish success in combating antimicrobial resistance

The global consumption of antimicrobial agents for animals is almost twice the size of human consumption. Since the mid-1990s, Denmark has reduced animal consumption of antimicrobial agents by 60% without reducing its agricultural output. In a comment in the journal Nature, Professor Frank Møller Aarestrup, the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, gives his explanation of the success of the Danish efforts.

2 Jul 2012

Enlightening risk factor findings for REM sleep behavior disorder

Cigarette smoking, head injury, farming, pesticide exposure, and a lower level of education may be risk factors for idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, researchers report.

29 Jun 2012

Amending U.S. farm bill could save money, help food aid reach millions more

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, one of a series "organized by the Huffington Post and the NGO alliance InterAction to call attention to the crisis in the Sahel," Kelly Hauser, agriculture policy manager at ONE, writes that an amendment to the U.S. farm bill "could save money and lives in Africa."

29 Jun 2012

Potential risk factors for disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep

Smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep, according to a study published in the June 27, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Jun 2012

European Commission needs comprehensive strategy to address malnutrition, report says

"The European Commission needs to develop a proper and integrated strategy on nutrition backed by a significant increase in funding, according to a report" on the E.U. and nutrition development policy that is supported by international organizations, companies and non-governmental organizations, the Guardian reports.

28 Jun 2012

U.N. SG Ban announces 'Zero Hunger Challenge' in message to Rio+20 summit

In a video message addressing the Rio+20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "announced a 'Zero Hunger Challenge' to rid the world of malnutrition," Bloomberg News reports.

23 Jun 2012