Eradicating deadly E. coli O157:H7 from the bottoms of cows may prevent future outbreaks of food poisoning by this famous bug. According to an article in the August 2004 issue Microbiology Today, the quarterly magazine of the Society for General Microbiology, the majority of people with E. coli O157:H7, picked up the infection from cattle, either through direct contact with faeces or by consuming contaminated meat or milk.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the
E. coli, the bug made famous by food poisoning outbreaks, can be used to point the finger of blame at the right culprit when our waterways become polluted. E. coli live in the guts of animals and are already used to indicate whether food and water are contaminated with faecal material. However, according to a recent article in the August 2004 issue of Microbiology Today, the quarterly magazine of the Society for General Microbiology, this work can be extended to use the bugs to detect and find the s
Rats are unwelcome visitors, and for most people getting rid of them means putting down poison, such as anticoagulant compounds based on warfarin.
Recent estimates suggest that rat populations are on the increase, and continued reliance on rodenticides as the only means of controlling rats may be building big problems for the future. The use of warfarin and similar poisons can present problems of its own, killing other wildlife and domestic pets and leading to ‘hotspots’ of super-r
As the government promises an imminent ban on hunting, researchers have produced the first scientifically-based population estimate for foxes living in Britain. Their results show that the number of foxes has remained constant despite changes in culling methods.
The study, published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology today and funded by the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW), shows that at the end of winter there are 225,000 adult foxes living in rural
Far fewer animals would be killed on the roads if planners took the findings of new research into account when designing and building new roads.
According to a study published today in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology, it is possible to predict where most animals will attempt to cross roads, and hence where they are most likely to be killed by vehicles.
Researchers from Madrid University found that 70% of collisions occurred on just 7.7% of
Now more than 100 000 kilometres away from Earth, ESA’s Moon-bound spacecraft SMART-1 looked back at Earth and returned this planetary perspective of the Middle East and Mediterranean Sea.
’Smart’ usage of the solar-electric propulsion system (the ion engine) has saved a lot of fuel and the spacecraft will get to the Moon earlier than expected.
Almost 20 kilograms of the xenon fuel could be saved out of the original 84 kilograms, which could then be used to get closer to
Scientists investigating the possible effect of underwater seismic pulses on marine mammals have conducted a series of tests, designed to better understand the force of sound waves generated by shipboard airguns. These instruments are used by some 100 vessels worldwide to penetrate into the seabed for oil exploration and geophysical research, with an estimated 15 to 20 active on any given day.
Researchers from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University conducted tests in
Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure are just some of the problems that overweight people may encounter. While researchers across the globe are working to solve these problems, the University of Missouri-Columbia has created the new MU Health Activity Center under the leadership of one MU professor. The center is the focal point of an effort to bring a cross-disciplinary approach to investigating the sedentary lifestyle, which is believed to be the cause of many of these problem
A massive grant of almost a million pounds has been awarded to the University of Bristol to carry out a major trial that will assess the effects of diet and exercise on people with type 2 diabetes. This trial will be the largest diet and exercise trial in the world for people with type 2 diabetes.
The recent large rise in the number of people suffering from type 2 diabetes is closely linked to the increase in obesity within the population, and this is thought to be due to a lack of exercise
DT, or destination therapy, refers to the implantation of heart pumps as permanent treatment for advanced heart failure.
Until recently, these pumps – which help the heart pump blood to the body more efficiently – were most often used to bridge the gap until patients could get a transplant. “Although heart transplantation has been viewed as the gold standard for heart failure, there are simply not enough hearts to go around,” says Robert Bourge, M.D., director of UAB Cardiovascular
As the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids reach the awareness of consumers eager to improve the functions of their body—from the cardiovascular system to the brain—food makers are scurrying to enrich and fortify products with omega-3s and get them to market. But one major obstacle tempers progress—flavor.
Great sources for omega-3s are fish oils, algal oils and linseed oil. Each can be highly susceptible to oxidation, however. That deteriorates flavor, increases the risk of rancidity
A study published in the July issue of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society’s journal, Foot and Ankle International, found no significant difference in the incidence of stress fractures, ankle sprains or other foot problems between the users of expensive custom made foot orthoses and those who used prefabricated orthotic devices.
Foot orthoses are devices worn within shoes that allow the foot to function better. They are usually prescribed to treat specific existing foot condit
When a Kopi Luwak coffee bean, the world’s most expensive coffee, comes out the other end of a large cat after it’s been eaten by the animal – called a civet or Luwak – the micro-structural properties of the beans are altered, according to new research by a University of Guelph scientist published in Food Research International.
They’re harder, more brittle and darker in colour than the same type of bean that hasn’t been eaten and digested by the three- to 10-pound tree-climbing animal foun
The Pamplona-based psychologist, Margarita Aguinaga Aguinaga, has recently defended her PhD at the Public University of Navarre on her research work into eating behaviour disorders – such as anorexia and bulimia – and drug consumption.
This descriptive and analytical study was in fact based on the requests for assistance for eating behaviour disorders registered in a centre in Pamplona between 2000 and 2002. 90 women patients were studied of which 46.7% were diagnosed anorexic, 43.4% with
A rare event in the history of space exploration took place yesterday (25 July) when the second European-Chinese Double Star spacecraft lifted off a day early from Taiyuan spaceport, west of Beijing, on a Long March 2C rocket.
The launch of the spacecraft, officially called Tan Ce 2 (Explorer 2), was brought forward one day to avoid bad weather. Lift off occurred at 08:05:18 BST (07:05:18 GMT or 15.05:18 local time).
Preliminary analysis of spacecraft data indicate that th
Physical symptoms that impact quality of life, such as nausea and shortness of breath, may predict shorter survival for patients with terminal cancer.
A new study published July 26, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, finds a patient’s symptoms and results of quality of life assessments may provide important clues to an individual patient’s prognosis. Psychosocial factors, such as anxiety or spiritual distress, did
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