Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Water - Air Quality / Agriculture News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/water_quality/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170279.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170279.php The Dutch Government has given $23.5 million to UNICEF in Sudan which will be used to provide safe water and improved sanitation for hundreds of thousands of people across the country. "This very generous contribution by the Dutch Government will have a real impact on saving lives," said Hilde Johnson UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170254.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170254.php "We will need nothing less than a 'Blue Revolution', if we are to achieve food security and avert a serious water crisis in the future said Dr. Colin Chartres, Director General of the Sri Lanka - based International Water Management Institute. Chartres was speaking to the Economic and Finance Committee of the UN General Assembly, at a special event on "Enhancing Water Governance", convened by the UN today. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170118.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170118.php When it comes to plants' innate immunity, like many of the dances of life, it takes two to tango. A receptor molecule in the plant pairs up with a specific molecule on the invading bacteria and, presto, the immune system swings into action to defend against the invasion of the disease-causing microbe. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170128.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170128.php The agricultural biotechnology industry maintains that the Insect Resistance Management (IRM) Plan has been one of the most successful industry stewardship programs implemented since pest-tolerant biotech crops were introduced more than a decade ago. A report released today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) alleges that farmer compliance with the insect-resistance management requirement has declined somewhat in recent years. Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170125.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170125.php Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study. The study appears in the November 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "There has been very little study of the consequences of early life exposure to air pollution," said Catherine Karr, M.D. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170094.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170094.php According to a report (.pdf) by Save the Children, climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century, the Hindu reports. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170106.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170106.php A joint public meeting focused on improving the system for tracing of food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks or presenting other risks to the health of consumers was announced today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nutrition / Diet Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170115.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170115.php People living in volcanic areas may be at a higher risk for thyroid cancer, according to a new study published online November 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been attributed to more sensitive screening, but recent evidence indicates that this may not be the only cause. Various environmental factors, such as those associated with volcanoes, have not been excluded as risk factors. Cancer / Oncology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169957.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169957.php Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has reemerged as a global killer. Outbreaks typically occur once a year in Africa and Latin America. But in Bangladesh the epidemics occur twice a year - in the spring and again in the fall. Tropical Diseases Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php Air Pollution Major Factor in Fresno Health (#8164) Air pollution is a major health risk for patients in Fresno, CA, who suffer from chronic lung diseases. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno compared the weekly rates of those admitted to the ER with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with air pollution indices for corresponding weeks. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169953.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169953.php A world first study by Monash University researchers into the health of families who drink rainwater has found that it is safe to drink. The research was led by Associate Professor Karin Leder from the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in conjunction with Water Quality Research Australia (previously the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment). "This is the first study of its kind. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169922.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169922.php Three billion of the $20 billion that G8 leaders promised to invest in agriculture in developing countries "appears to be new money, diplomats and sources close to the matter said on Tuesday," Reuters reports. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169814.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169814.php The Christian Science Monitor looks at one idea about why hunger is receiving a lot of attention in the international arena. Nutrition / Diet Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php Zinc Deficiency May Contribute to Allergic Asthma (#8362) Zinc deficiency may play a role in the development of extrinsic or allergic asthma. Researchers from India evaluated serum zinc levels and absolute eosinophil count in 96 cases of asthma (61 patients had intrinsic asthma and 35 had extrinsic asthma). Patients who suffered from any comorbid illness were excluded from the study. Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169761.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169761.php On November 13, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the New York Academy of Sciences will host a symposium to address the complex issues surrounding water and health. Cited as one of the "grand challenges facing the 21st century" by President Barack Obama, water remains a priority among many public health professionals and is the focus of Water and Health: Global Issues and Our Shared Responsibilities. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169683.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169683.php A new study compares neighborhoods' walkability (degree of ease for walking) with local levels of air pollution and finds that some neighborhoods might be good for walking, but have poor air quality. Researchers involved in the study include University of Minnesota faculty member Julian Marshall and University of British Columbia faculty Michael Brauer and Lawrence Frank. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169689.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169689.php Nature inspires technology for an engineer and an ecologist teamed up at Michigan State University. They're developing robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments. "Fish are very efficient," explained Xiaobo Tan, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. "They can perform very efficient locomotion and maneuvering in the water. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169583.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169583.php A global collaborative has produced a first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig, an achievement that will lead to insights in agriculture, medicine, conservation and evolution. A red-haired Duroc pig from a farm at the University of Illinois will now be among the growing list of domesticated animals that have had their genomes sequenced. Researchers announced the achievement Nov. 2 at a meeting at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England. Genetics Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169573.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169573.php Even if the outcome of the December climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, are positive, scientific forecasts suggest that temperature rises in the next few decades are unavoidable. Human societies and economies are vulnerable to the associated negative impacts, particularly in South America, Africa and Asia. This week (4-6 November), an international group of experts meet in Brazil to discuss how global change will affect nations, with a focus on developing countries. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169431.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169431.php ABC News examines U.S. food aid policy, which "requires that food aid money be spent on food grown in the U.S., at least half of it must be packed in the U.S. and most of it must be transported in U.S. ships." But "critics are complaining that" these policies are "exacerbating the cycle of starvation." U.S. Aid / Disasters Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169444.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169444.php A research team from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) has analysed the presence of heavy metals in 12 species of mushroom collected from non-contaminated natural areas, and has found that the levels vary depending on the type of mushroom. The results of the study, which appears this month in the journal Biometals, show that the largest quantities of lead and neodymium are found in chanterelles. Nutrition / Diet Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169345.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169345.php Mobile phones are on the verge of becoming powerful tools to collect data on many issues, ranging from global health to the environment. Computer scientists at the University of Washington have used Android, the open-source mobile operating system championed by Google, to turn a cell phone into a versatile data-collection device. IT / Internet / E-mail Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169346.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169346.php Preventing the havoc wrought when freezing rain collects on roads, power lines, and aircrafts could be only a few nanometers away. A University of Pittsburgh-led team demonstrates in the Nov. 3 edition of Langmuir a nanoparticle-based coating developed in the lab of Di Gao, a chemical and petroleum engineering professor in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, that thwarts the buildup of ice on solid surfaces and can be easily applied. Public Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169289.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169289.php Missing Grain Deliveries in South Sudan Suggest Corruption Or Mismanagement, Finance Minister Says David Deng Athorbei, South Sudan's finance minister, "said he was trying to track down hundreds of millions of dollars worth of missing grain deliveries, at the heart of what could be a massive case of mismanagement or corruption," Reuters reports. Aid / Disasters