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WFP says millions in Yemen going hungry, warns of 'serious humanitarian situation'

"The U.N. World Food Programme [WFP] said Wednesday that more Yemenis were going hungry because of rising food prices and severe fuel shortages brought about by months of political unrest," Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Oct 2011

Tart cherries can help fight America's Fruit Fatigue

Just four fruits - oranges, bananas, apples and watermelons - account for nearly half of America's fruit intake. Eating a variety of rich-colored fruits is essential to an overall healthful diet, but most Americans are falling far short of the daily recommended consumption of fruit. Only one in five Americans is currently getting the recommended 1 to 2 cups of fruit each day. In fact, Americans only average 42 percent of the recommended fruit, so the gap is significant.

14 Oct 2011

Micromet receives FDA feedback on blinatumomab registration for R/R ALL

Micromet, Inc. today outlined a clinical development plan intended to support U.S. registration of its lead product candidate blinatumomab in patients with B-precursor relapsed/refractory (r/r) acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

14 Oct 2011

World Food Prize symposium examines link between food security and health, poverty efforts

KPLU 88.5's "Humanosphere" blog reports on the World Food Prize symposium and Borlaug Dialogue taking place in Iowa this week, where "about 1,000 people, including many former heads of state and top agricultural policy folk, are gathered together to talk about … how to feed the planet's growing population."

14 Oct 2011

Growing global trade puts world at greater risk for foodborne disease outbreaks, WHO officials say

"The world has become more vulnerable to outbreaks of disease caused by contaminated food because of growing global trade, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday," Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Oct 2011

DRC worst off among 26 countries facing 'alarming' or 'extremely alarming' hunger levels, according to new Global Hunger Index

"Twenty-six countries have 'alarming' or 'extremely alarming' hunger levels, with the situation deteriorating particularly badly in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to this year's Global Hunger Index," AlertNet reports.

14 Oct 2011

One in six mobile phones in the UK is contaminated with fecal bacteria

One in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with faecal matter, according to new research released ahead of Global Handwashing Day.

14 Oct 2011

Tips to strengthen family connections

Combined with increasingly hectic work, school and extracurricular schedules, the advent of wireless technology has led to less quality time between parents and children. University of Missouri human development specialists say powering down digital devices is a vital step in maintaining family relationships and health.

14 Oct 2011

Improved SNAP benefit levels more effective for children's health

Pediatric researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC), in partnership with Children's HealthWatch investigators in Boston, Minneapolis, Little Rock, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, have found that higher benefit amounts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program protected the health and well-being of very young, low-income children during a period of great financial hardship for many families in America.

13 Oct 2011

HHS: Pica eating disorder hospitalizations on the rise in the U.S.

An unusual eating disorder that many people have never even heard of is attracting attention because of a recent government study that indicated the disorder is on the rise in the United States.

13 Oct 2011

Haiti uses 'peanut butter medicine' to battle malnutrition

CNN/Global Health Frontline News examines how "ready-to-use therapeutic foods" are being used in Haiti to help children with severe malnutrition. U.S. nonprofit organization Meds and Food for Kids makes "Medika Mamba, which means 'peanut butter medicine' in Creole. It's a ready-to-eat paste packed with nutritious ingredients that -- over a period of weeks -- gives a jolt to the system and puts children back on track," the news agency writes.

13 Oct 2011

Guardian photo gallery shows North Korea's food crisis in pictures

The Guardian published a gallery of photographs taken in North Korea by Damir Sagolj, after "a harsh winter and widespread flooding have exacerbated the food shortage in the country, leaving millions of people on a knife edge."

13 Oct 2011

Researchers design global plan for sustainable agriculture

The problem is stark: One billion people on earth don't have enough food right now. It's estimated that by 2050 there will be more than nine billion people living on the planet. Meanwhile, current agricultural practices are amongst the biggest threats to the global environment. This means that if we don't develop more sustainable practices, the planet will become even less able to feed its growing population than it is today.

13 Oct 2011

SFDA approves China Medical Technologies' colorectal cancer assay

China Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading China-based advanced in-vitro diagnostic company, today announced that China's State Food and Drug Administration has approved the Company's real-time PCR-based V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog assay as a companion diagnostic test for the use of a targeted drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer patients.

13 Oct 2011

Escalating sexual violence amid famine in Horn of Africa is 'going largely ignored'

In this Guardian opinion piece, Lisa Shannon, founder of A Thousand Sisters, Run for Congo Women, and co-founder of Sister Somalia, examines how, in the context of famine, sexual violence in the Horn of Africa, and particularly in Somalia, "is being de-prioritized as primarily a psychosocial issue," and asserts that grassroots international organizations offer a solution "outside the traditional big-aid model."

13 Oct 2011

Study explores link between BPA exposure and breast cancer

Chronic low-level exposure to a compound found in a variety of plastic household items could pose a threat to women who overproduce a protein linked with breast cancer, say researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

13 Oct 2011

Researchers identify age-dependent beta cell proliferation pathway

As a person ages, the ability of their beta cells to divide and make new beta cells declines. By the time children reach the age of 10 to 12 years, the ability of their insulin-producing cells to replicate greatly diminishes. If these cells, called beta cells, are destroyed-as they are in type 1 diabetes-treatment with the hormone insulin becomes essential to regulate blood glucose levels and get energy from food.

13 Oct 2011

High dose vitamin E supplements may raise risk of prostate cancer: Study

The chances of developing the disease rose by 17 per cent, even years after men stopped taking the vitamin, claim researchers. This comes right after the study which found women taking multivitamins and other supplements have an increased risk of dying.

13 Oct 2011

FDA grant to foster development of novel pediatric medical devices

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University and Saint Joseph's Translational Research Institute (SJTRI) a two-year, $1.8 million grant to foster the development of medical devices focused on the special needs of children.

13 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Screening for prostate cancer, stem cell research and free coverage for Iowa lawmakers

As a practicing internist, I need all the help I can get in diagnosing the many diseases that threaten the life and well-being of my patients. So perhaps you'll understand why I'm angered by the reckless new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (a panel of primary care experts) that I don't use the prostate-specific antigen to screen men older than 40 for prostate cancer.

13 Oct 2011