Experts disagree on bmj.com today about the best way to tackle the obesity crisis. While Professor Louise Baur and colleagues from the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney in Australia acknowledge that "physical inactivity is a major contributor to the global burden of disease," they says that it would be wrong to only focus on this and ignore the problem of obesity.
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MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- For marine iguanas living in the Galapagos Islands, an El Niño can be deadly. Some die from starvation while others survive. Scientists have long believed that the difference between life and death for the iguana depended on the animals' ability to secrete the stress hormone corticosterone.
Droughts in the late 20th century rival some of North Africa's major droughts of centuries past, reveals new research that peers back in time to the year 1179.
New evidence from a population-based study carried out in Iceland casts doubt on previous suggestions that high blood sugar levels are linked with coronary heart disease risk in otherwise healthy people. Although there is strong evidence that blood sugar control is important amongst diabetics, both to reduce the risk of heart disease as well as to prevent other complications, there is greater uncertainty regarding the relationship for non-diabetic people.
In research published this week in PLoS Medicine, Ken Ong of Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and colleagues show an association between greater early-infancy gains in weight and length and genetic markers for adult obesity risk.
Although advances in the control and elimination of neglected infections have been steadily increasing in the past decade—specifically with heightened interest by policy makers, governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), and private philanthropies—more can and must be done, says a new editorial, "'Manifesto' for Advancing the Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases," published May 25 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The most common aquatic habitat in Dar es Salaam – drains – are important vectors for the development of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and malaria, according to new research. The study, published May 25 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows that more than 70% of open Anopheles and Culex larval habitats in Dar es Salaam are human-made, and may be treatable.
Non-Suicidal Self-injury (NSSI) also known as "self-injury" or "self-harm," which is a common practice amongst adolescents, is typically defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially-sanctioned. Medical providers are uniquely positioned to detect the presence of self-injurious behavior, to assess its lethality, and to assist patients in caring for wounds and in seeking psychological treatment.
The majestic animals most closely associated with the African savanna – fierce lions, massive elephants, towering giraffes – may be relatively minor players when it comes to shaping the ecosystem. The real king of the savanna appears to be the termite, say ecologists who have found that this humble creature contributes mightily to a grassland in central Kenya. Robert M.
New insight into what stem cells are and how they behave could help scientists to grow cells that form different tissues.
A study at the University of Edinburgh has shown that embryonic stem cells consist of cells that switch back and forth between precursors of different cell types. This may be linked to their potential to become any cell type in the body.
The findings could help scientists catch embryonic stem cells at exactly the right point when they are primed to differentiate into cells that form specific tissues.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- The majestic animals most closely associated with the African savanna -- fierce lions, massive elephants, towering giraffes – may be relatively minor players when it comes to shaping the ecosystem.
If you're headed to a freshwater stream this summer and a friend dares you to eat a raw crayfish – don't do it. You could end up in the hospital with a severe parasitic infection.
Among infants and children hospitalized in Kenya with severe pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) appears to be the predominant virus detected, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA.
The leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa is pneumonia. "The main means for controlling disease and death due to pneumonia are infant vaccination and case management. Thus, establishing the contribution to severe disease of individual pathogens and vaccine efficacy in infancy are essential to reducing the burden of disease," the authors write.
Why have CEO salaries skyrocketed over the past 20 years? Much of the blame lies in the practice of compensation benchmarking, say the authors of a study to be published next week in the American Journal of Sociology.
SAN DIEGO, CA – May 25, 2010 -- New research from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) identifies a new potential cause for "Colony Collapse Disorder" in honeybees. A group of pathogens including a fungus and family of viruses may be working together to cause the decline. Scientists report their results today at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego.