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In a translational research article, which will be peer-reviewed after publication in F1000Research, the FERG Task Force on Chemicals in Food (which involved leading researchers from 18 research affiliations in 8 different countries) calculated illnesses, deaths and 'disability adjusted life years' (DALYs) for four chemicals: dioxin, aflatoxin, peanut allergen and cyanide in cassava (a major staple food in the developing world).

One out of every 10 people worldwide suffer from foodborne diseases annually, and children and the poor suffer most, according to the findings of a World Health Organization task force headed by a University of Florida senior researcher.

The announcement, made Wednesday, comes after more than eight years of research and data analysis by a WHO task force composed to measure the effect of foodborne diseases on populations around the globe.

Chronic HIV infection results in exhaustion of the immune system, a phenomenon characterized by dysfunctional HIV-specific killer T cells. The exhausted T cells display inhibitory proteins on their surface, and scientists hope to be able to restore immune function by interfering with the negative signals transmitted by such proteins. A study published on December 3rd in PLOS Pathogens suggests that one such strategy blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway works, but only when the overall HIV load is low and regulatory T cells cooperate.

A defect in a vital mitochondrial process in heart cells causes a type of dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that in humans leads in most cases to heart disease and premature death. The research was undertaken by teams at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid and at the Research Institute CECAD/Max Planck in Cologne (Germany), with the participation of the University Hospital Fundación Jiménez Díaz and the CEU in Madrid.

Results from a new study reveal that just 9% of migratory birds receive adequate protection across their entire ranges. Migratory species of birds make major contributions to resource fluxes, biomass transfer, nutrient transport, predator-prey interactions, and food-web structure across ecosystems; yet more than half of migratory birds across all major migratory routes have declined in number significantly over the past 30 years, highlighting the need to better protect the areas on which these birds rely.

After accounting for evapotranspiration and runoff due to local water management strategies, humans may be consuming more fresh water and altering the water cycle to a greater degree than previously thought, a new study suggests. If correct, the results raise the total global freshwater footprint of humanity by 18%. In the past much research has focused on how water management affects factors such as river fragmentation and diversion, but only recently has the importance of more inconspicuous factors, such as evapotranspiration, become evident.

Scientists have called for a greater international collaborative effort to save the world's migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitat along their flight paths.

More than 90 per cent of the world's migratory birds are inadequately protected due to poorly coordinated conservation around the world, a new study published in the journal Science today reveals.

Children with significant congenital heart disease have a far better chance of surviving today than in decades past, thanks to major advances in surgery. But some infants who recover from repairs to their hearts later show the effects of delays in brain development, including impairments to cognitive, language and social functioning. Such impairments can affect how well these children do in school and in the workplace; they can even diminish their overall quality of life.

Stillbirth, which in the UK refers to the death of a fetus after 24 weeks of pregnancy, is under-researched compared with other pregnancy outcomes. Also, while many pregnancy conditions result from a single cause, stillbirth could be the endpoint of different pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction, congenital anomalies, or infection.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Dicamba herbicide drift onto plants growing adjacent to farm fields causes significant delays in flowering, as well as reduced flowering, of those plants, and results in decreased visitation by honey bees, according to researchers at Penn State and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Dec. 3, 2015) -- University of Oregon and University of Cincinnati researchers have found that everyday shoppers make assumptions about brands that use green colors. The findings, published in the Journal of Business Ethics, hold ethical implications for environmentally friendly branding.

Through a series of studies, lead researcher Aparna Sundar, a professor of marketing in the UO's Lundquist College of Business, and co-author James Kellaris of UC's marketing department uncovered evidence that color shapes opinion about eco-friendliness.

Thousands of marine species with mapped locations worldwide remain largely unprotected, according to a new study by a team of international marine scientists, including UC Santa Barbara's Ben Halpern. The research also shows that the United States ranks near the bottom in terms of supporting formal marine protected areas (MPAs) that could safeguard marine biodiversity.

A discovery by Rutgers scientists links a protein in human sperm to the same molecule needed for reproduction in tiny roundworms and may provide clues to human infertility.

With no previous microbiome studies of American Indian tribes, a University of Oklahoma-led research team collaborated with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes on a three-year study to establish a baseline of information related to the microbiome and American Indian health. The study confirmed that population-focused studies of the microbiome are much needed, particularly for under-represented groups, such as tribal populations.

Can watching a violent movie make you more likely to lie, cheat or steal? What about reading a violent book? While that may seem like a stretch, a new research study shows it may be the case.

The study, published in the Journal of Business Ethics, finds that exposure to human violence is strongly linked to an increase in cheating for monetary gain. In other words, violence may be making us less ethical.