Public Health
A physical examination is not complete without an assessment of whether a patient appears to be acutely or chronically ill but a new paper says how sick a patient appears to be may have limited value in diagnosing their actual state of health.
The researchers took photographs of patients who visited five of the hospital's primary care or general internal medicine clinics and asked them to fill out a survey regarding their general physical and mental health. General internal medicine physicians and residents looked at the photos, were told how old each patient was and were then asked "do you…
A new paper says that two compounds derived from garlic, diallyl sulfide and ajoene, significantly reduce the contamination risk of Cronobacter sakazakii in the production of dry infant formula powder.
The discovery could make the product safer to consume, easing the minds of new mothers who can't or opt not to breastfeed.
"A trace dose of these two compounds is extremely effective in killing C. sakazakii in the food manufacturing process," says Xiaonan Lu, corresponding author and assistant professor of food safety engineering at the University of British Columbia. "They have the…
A person with a food allergy is more likely to be murdered than to die from a severe reaction, according to a new paper in Clinical and Experimental Allergy.
One in 10 children has a food allergy and due to media coverage and political grandstanding about disasters that occur, many sufferers and their parents experience anxiety about the possibility of a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis.
And food allergies appear to be more common, or at least parents are more likely to visit an emergency room. Hospital admissions for children with food allergies have risen…
It has taken 19.5 years to Italy to sanate a wound to its democratic fabric, one which made the country look like a sort of Banana republic, where a tycoon could acquire consensus through his mediatic power, rule unchallenged, and break the law without punishment. But finally we got around it yesterday afternoon, where a vote of the Senate of Republic has decreed that Silvio Berlusconi is unfit to hold a seat in the Parliament.
Berlusconi has been kicked out of the Senate and is now a private citizen with the same rights of all others, and cannot any more ignore the result of its outlaw…
Older men with moderate testosterone,
a key male sex hormone involved in maintaining sex drive, sperm production and bone health
, tend to live longer, according to a new paper.
Physicians have long known that low testosterone levels can signal health problems, but the new study found men may not fare better when levels of the hormone rise too high.
The population-based cohort study analyzed the mortality rate in a group of 3,690 community-dwelling men between the ages of 70 to 89 in Perth, Western Australia. Participants' testosterone and DHT levels were measured between 2001 and 2004…
On November 7th, the FDA announced that it will remove partially hydrogenated oils from the GRAS list (Generally Regarded As Safe). These oils contain trans-fats. The agency has concluded that the voluntary replacement of such fats has not progressed far enough to adequately protect Americans from the negative cardiac health dangers that they pose. This is a good, if seriously belated, decision. It is worth looking back at the history of this food ingredient to see how we came to be eating trans-fats in the first place and what role…
The FDA is investigating a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157 illnesses possibly linked to pre-packaged salad products. 26 cases of illness were reported in 3 states, Arizona, California, and Washington.
On November 10, 2013, the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that Glass Onion Catering, a Richmond, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 181,620 pounds of ready-to-eat salads and sandwich wrap products with fully-cooked chicken and ham because some of these products have been linked to the illnesses through…
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, "The Physiology of Taste"
The next time you sit down to eat; you may look at your food differently. Freshly squeezed orange juice will be the sign, of that daily boost, to keep your vitamin C deficiency at bay. You may want to avoid the cheese bagel so your salt gene will not stress you out. Or that moist brownie will be the sign of your sugar genes going into overdrive!
Mildly put, your genes, not your nose or eyes, influence your taste though not always to the advantage of your health. That’s what…
A new paper in the Journal of Food Science says the buffaloberry could be the next super food du jour because it contains large amounts of lycopene and a related acidic compound, methyl-lycopenoate, which are important antioxidants and nutrients beneficial for human health.
The bright red fruit has a tart flavor, and was historically used as a source of nutrients for Native Americans. The sugar and acidity of the fruit make it desirable as a fresh or dried product.
In addition to its potential health benefits, lycopenoate may also be used as a natural food colorant. Recently the buffaloberry…
A new study has found that engaging in a physical exercise regimen helps healthy aging adults improve their memory, brain health and physical fitness - a significant finding considering that, among adults 50 and older, "staying mentally sharp" outranks social security and physical health as their top concern.
For the study, sedentary adults ages 57-75 were randomized into a physical training or a wait-list control group. The physical training group participated in supervised aerobic exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill for one hour, three times a week for 12 weeks.
Participants'…