Malnutrition News and Research

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Malnutrition is a condition which occurs when there is a deficiency of certain vital nutrients in a person’s diet. The deficiency fails to meet the demands of the body leading to effects on the growth, physical health, mood, behaviour and other functions of the body. Malnutrition commonly affects children and the elderly.

Transcranial direct current stimulation can enhance outcome of swallowing therapy for post-stroke dysphagia

After stroke, patients often suffer from dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that results in greater healthcare costs and higher rates of complications such as dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia.

2 Jul 2012

Mothers, children in northern Mali most affected by food insecurity due to conflict, drought

"Tens of thousands of people uprooted or trapped by conflict in northern Mali are going without enough food, leading to a spike in cases of children suffering from malnutrition, medical aid groups say," AlertNet reports.

29 Jun 2012

U.N. High Level Task Force on Global Food Security to shift focus to 'Zero Hunger Challenge' initiative

"In the wake of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's High Level Task Force on Global Food Security will be reoriented to focus on a new initiative as part of its efforts to ensure a coherent U.N. system approach to the issue of food and nutrition security," the U.N. News Centre reports.

29 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

IRIN examines efforts against malnutrition amid increasing food insecurity in Chad

IRIN examines efforts to tackle malnutrition amid increased food insecurity in Chad. "Like in the rest of the Sahel region, a mix of drought, poor rains and harvests as well as rising food prices have resulted in food insecurity and subsequent malnutrition," the news service writes, noting, "Chad's 'embryonic' economy is among factors limiting the local diversity of food sources and income, notes USAID's Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), adding that sociocultural care practices and poor health systems are also to blame."

27 Jun 2012

Vatican official calls on international community to provide 'free, efficient' HIV treatment in Africa

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state and number two official, "called Friday on the international community to provide 'free and efficient treatment' for AIDS in Africa, starting with pregnant women, mothers and their babies," Agence France-Presse reports.

26 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

European CHMP adopts positive opinion for teduglutide to treat short bowel syndrome

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., jointly announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorisation for the medicinal product teduglutide (Revestive) as a once-daily treatment for adult patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS).

22 Jun 2012

U.N. agencies renew commitment to REACH initiative to combat child hunger, malnutrition

"United Nations agencies on Wednesday stressed the need to tackle child hunger and undernutrition in the pursuit of sustainable development, highlighting a joint initiative that offers practical and effective approaches to combat this problem in the most affected countries," the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Jun 2012

Guardian publishes 'shortlists' of International Development Journalism competition entries

The Guardian has published "shortlists" of the amateur and professional entries for its International Development Journalism competition. Topics of the amateur entries include the advancement of women's rights in fragile states, education as a tool for change in the developing world, and the dangers of childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa.

21 Jun 2012

Yemen facing extremely high levels of malnutrition, UNICEF official says

With "the highest level of chronic malnutrition after Afghanistan, affecting 60 percent of under fives," Yemen is facing levels of acute malnutrition that are equal to or worse than those in Africa's Horn or Sahel, UNICEF's Yemen representative Geert Cappelaere said on Friday in London, AlertNet reports.

18 Jun 2012

NGOs have 'critical role' in improving food security

Writing in a commentary on the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) webpage, Ambassador William Garvelink, a senior adviser with the CSIS Project on U.S. Leadership in Development, and Kristin Wedding, a fellow with the CSIS Global Food Security Project, examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, an initiative that "aims to move 50 million people out of poverty over the next decade through agricultural growth and development."

18 Jun 2012

Millions suffer chronic food shortages in North Korea, U.N. report says

"Millions of North Koreans suffer chronic food shortages and dire health care ..., and there are no immediate signs of reforms to spur economic growth, the United Nations says" in a report released Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Jun 2012

Opinion pieces published in advance of 'Child Survival Call to Action' event to take place in Washington

The following are summaries of several opinion pieces published in anticipation of the Child Survival Call to Action event to be held on June 14-15 in Washington, D.C. Convened by the Governments of United States, Ethiopia and India, and organized in close collaboration with UNICEF, the event will focus on ending preventable child death through the survival of newborns, children and mothers and will convene 700 prominent leaders from government, the private sector, faith-based organizations and civil society to kick off a long-term, focused effort to save children's lives.

12 Jun 2012

Economic Community of West African States launches urgent appeal for aid to Africa's Sahel region

"The Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS] sent a distress call Tuesday to the international community declaring that more than six million people are at risk of hunger in the Sahel region of Africa, including more than a million children exposed to severe malnutrition," CNN reports.

7 Jun 2012

Study reviews role of gut microbes in nutrient absorption and energy regulation

Microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract form an intricate, living fabric made up of some 500 to 1000 distinct bacterial species, (in addition to other microbes). Recently, researchers have begun to untangle the subtle role these diverse life forms play in maintaining health and regulating weight.

7 Jun 2012

IPS, AlertNet report on health issues resulting from climate change

Inter Press Service examines the relationship between climate change and family planning in least-developed countries (LDCs), writing the "double challenge of mitigating climate change and combating crushing poverty makes improving reproductive rights and promoting gender equality imperatives that can no longer be delayed, according to several recent reports and agreements."

31 May 2012

U.N. officials warn 18M people will be affected by hunger in African Sahel this year

"U.N. officials say they expect 18 million people in West Africa will go hungry this year, including three million young children whose lives or health will be at risk," the Associated Press reports.

31 May 2012

Alleviating world hunger, malnutrition essential for sustainable development, FAO report says

"Sustainable development cannot be realized unless hunger and malnutrition are eradicated, the [Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)] said in a policy document prepared for the Rio+20 Summit to be held in June in Rio de Janeiro," an FAO press release reports.

31 May 2012

Aid agencies warn April's steep increases in grain prices will affect Sahel nations during lean season

"Unexpectedly sharp price rises in April for local cereals like millet, rice, and maize in parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad mean many vulnerable people in the drought-hit Sahel could find it even harder to get enough to eat," IRIN reports.

30 May 2012

Malnutrition News and Research

Further Reading

Transcranial direct current stimulation can enhance outcome of swallowing therapy for post-stroke dysphagia

Mothers, children in northern Mali most affected by food insecurity due to conflict, drought

U.N. High Level Task Force on Global Food Security to shift focus to 'Zero Hunger Challenge' initiative

European Commission needs comprehensive strategy to address malnutrition, report says

IRIN examines efforts against malnutrition amid increasing food insecurity in Chad

Vatican official calls on international community to provide 'free, efficient' HIV treatment in Africa

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

European CHMP adopts positive opinion for teduglutide to treat short bowel syndrome

U.N. agencies renew commitment to REACH initiative to combat child hunger, malnutrition

Guardian publishes 'shortlists' of International Development Journalism competition entries

Yemen facing extremely high levels of malnutrition, UNICEF official says

NGOs have 'critical role' in improving food security

Millions suffer chronic food shortages in North Korea, U.N. report says

Opinion pieces published in advance of 'Child Survival Call to Action' event to take place in Washington

Economic Community of West African States launches urgent appeal for aid to Africa's Sahel region

Study reviews role of gut microbes in nutrient absorption and energy regulation

IPS, AlertNet report on health issues resulting from climate change

U.N. officials warn 18M people will be affected by hunger in African Sahel this year

Alleviating world hunger, malnutrition essential for sustainable development, FAO report says

Aid agencies warn April's steep increases in grain prices will affect Sahel nations during lean season

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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