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Mysterious kidney disease may be caused by chronic dehydration tied to global climate change

A mysterious kidney disease that has killed over 20,000 people in Central America, most of them sugar cane workers, may be caused by chronic, severe dehydration linked to global climate change, according to a new study by Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

9 Oct 2015

FIGO takes stand on human exposure to toxic chemicals

Dramatic increases in exposure to toxic chemicals in the last four decades are threatening human reproduction and health, according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the first global reproductive health organization to take a stand on human exposure to toxic chemicals.

1 Oct 2015

Endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure linked to increased risk of diabetes and obesity

Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society - diabetes and obesity, according to the executive summary of an upcoming Scientific Statement issued today by the Endocrine Society.

29 Sep 2015

UF researchers find a way to kill insects that carry devastating citrus greening bacterium

Researchers with the University of Florida and several other institutions have found a way in laboratory tests to use 200 times less insecticide and yet still kill as many insects that carry the devastating citrus greening bacterium.

21 Sep 2015

Scientists develop a way to stop pharmaceuticals from contaminating drinking water

In recent years, researchers have realized that many products, including pharmaceuticals, have ended up where they're not supposed to be -- in our drinking water. But now scientists have developed a way to make drugs that break down into harmless compounds before they contaminate our taps.

10 Sep 2015

Simple checklist to help parents determine their children’s school environment

Grassroots Environmental Education, a science-based environmental health non-profit organization based in New York, has issued a simple three-point checklist for parents of school-age children to help them determine if their child's school environment is as healthy as it can be.

4 Sep 2015

New UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center launched to protect communities from unhealthy exposures

A cross-disciplinary center focused on identifying connections between environmental toxins and disease has been established at UC Davis Health System with the ultimate goal of developing preventions and policies that protect communities from unhealthy exposures.

1 Sep 2015

Researchers to design, test sensors to protect firefighters from respiratory damage and illnesses

During the next three years, researchers at Case Western Reserve University will team with NASA Glenn Research Center and firefighters nationally, from Cleveland to Oregon, to design and test sensors aimed at protecting firefighters from respiratory damage and illnesses.

27 Aug 2015

Elite CBD Remedy Tincture now available through Mary's Nutritionals

Elite Botanicals, the leading cultivator of CBD-rich hemp in Colorado, today announced that it's Elite CBD Remedy Tincture is now available through medical and recreational dispensaries in Colorado, as well as online through Mary's Nutritionals.

26 Aug 2015

Newly developed oxidation process uses ozone to degrade contaminants in water

At the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco (CIATEJ) at the east of Mexico, an oxidation process was developed that uses ozone to degrade contaminants in water that alter the synthesis, transport, action or elimination of natural hormones, responsible for maintain self-regulation of metabolic and reproductive processes in living beings.

18 Aug 2015

Certain genes exposed to harsh environmental factors can increase diabetes risk

Arsenic, which can be present in ground water, modifies an enzyme that alters the secretion of insulin in the pancreas. Physicians, usually, show type II diabetes as a consequence of an exaggerated food intake and lack of exercise; however, there are about 50 genes that cause changes in the DNA, known as polymorphisms, that when combined with harsh environmental factors are at increased risk of developing the disease, mentioned PhD Marta Ostrosky Wegman, director of the Institute for Biomedical Research the National University of Mexico (UNAM).

5 Aug 2015

Environmental factors promote genetic mutations, have underappreciated effect on disease, evolution

Washington State University researchers say environmental factors are having an underappreciated effect on the course of disease and evolution by prompting genetic mutations through epigenetics, a process by which genes are turned on and off independent of an organism's DNA sequence.

3 Aug 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

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

TGen, NAU to jointly develop quick, affordable and accurate test to diagnose Lyme disease

Focus On Lyme, an initiative sponsored by the Leadership Children's Foundation of Gilbert, Ariz., has donated $75,000 to the Translational Genomics Research Institute to support research into the development of a quick, affordable and accurate method of diagnosing Lyme disease.

21 Jul 2015

Mothers with chemical intolerances more likely to have children with ASD or ADHD

A new study from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that mothers with chemical intolerances are two to three times more likely than other women to have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

21 Jul 2015

Tiny aquatic flatworms could replace existing animal models used in neurotoxicity tests

Laboratories that test chemicals for neurological toxicity could reduce their use of laboratory mice and rats by replacing these animal models with tiny aquatic flatworms known as freshwater planarians.

29 Jun 2015

NYU physician suggests changes for a healthier home

(Family Features) Dirt. Grime. Bacteria. Airborne allergens. As hard as you try to keep your home clean, these types of yucky things are an everyday reality. Taking the necessary steps to create a healthy home can not only give you peace of mind, but also help keep your family healthier.

27 Jun 2015

Study may help find strategies to control mosquito populations

Every time you put on bug spray this summer, you're launching a strike in the ongoing war between humans and mosquitoes -- one that is rapidly driving the evolution of the pests. Scientists studying mosquitoes in various types of environments in the United States and in Russia found that between 5 and 20 percent of a mosquito population's genome is subject to evolutionary pressures at any given time -- creating a strong signature of local adaptation to environment and humans.

26 Jun 2015

New initiative aims to determine prevalence of contaminants in Detroit’s urban agriculture soil

Urban gardens are becoming more commonplace across Detroit and other major urban cities throughout the United States. These gardens offer a source of free or inexpensive healthy food for the public and educate community members about food production and rehabilitating the local ecosystem.

25 Jun 2015