Tag Archives: diarrhea

Bacteria fighting fabric

Gates Foundation funds civil engineering professor’s novel wastewater treatment fabric

Each year in India, waterborne diseases sicken approximately 37.7 million people. One and a half million children die of diarrhea alone, according to a report by WaterAid

In the developing world, open pit latrines are common, but they pose a significant risk to public health and the environment. Open pit latrines can be as sophisticated as an outhouse or as simple as a trench in the ground. (more…)

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Helping Patients Navigate New Cancer Drugs

As cancer treatment in pill form transforms how care is delivered, a new Michigan State University study underscores the challenges patients face in administering their own chemotherapy outside the supervised environment of a cancer clinic.

Chemotherapy pills can target specific cancers better than some traditional intravenous drugs, said Sandra Spoelstra, the MSU assistant professor of nursing who led the study. But they also can be difficult for patients to take. (more…)

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Why Environmental Water Pollution is a Health Hazard

Water is a natural element that provides life to all living things, from plants to animals and especially human beings. Thus, it is vital that water be consistently available for consumption. It does much more than quench your thirst. It is necessary to regulate body functions, and therefore keep you alive. However, water has evolved over time. From the clear and reflective waters of the rivers, streams, lakes, seas and oceans during the early years of the earth’s birth, water has gradually turned into different a kaleidoscopic, dirty mass that’s almost drowning the earth in pollution. This basically comes from the waste of man. Massive environmental pollution has had such a huge impact on our health, and here’s what you should know about it. (more…)

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High Population Density is Greatest Risk Factor For Water-Linked Diseases

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Water-associated infectious disease outbreaks are more likely to occur in areas where a region’s population density is growing, according to a new global analysis of economic and environmental conditions that influence the risk for these outbreaks.

Ohio State University scientists constructed a massive database containing information about 1,428 water-associated disease outbreaks that were reported between 1991 and 2008 around the world. By combining outbreak records with data on a variety of socio-environmental factors known about the affected regions, the researchers developed a model that can be used to predict risks for water-associated disease outbreaks anywhere in the world. (more…)

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Salmonella Stays Deadly With a ‘Beta Version’ of Cell Behavior

COLUMBUS, Ohio Salmonella cells have hijacked the protein-building process to maintain their ability to cause illness, new research suggests.

Scientists say that these bacteria have modified what has long been considered typical cell behavior by using a beta form of an amino acid – as opposed to an alpha form – during the act of making proteins. (more…)

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‘Combining Therapies Appears Safe, May Benefit Patients with Advanced Liver Cancer’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Few treatments exist for patients with advanced primary liver cancer, but University of Florida researchers have found a new way to broaden the range of options and potentially improve health outcomes by combining two treatments.

In the first study of its kind, the researchers combined sorafenib, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved pill for treating advanced liver cancer, with another routinely used therapy known as transarterial chemoembolization, which works by cutting off the blood supply to tumors. No unexpected toxic effects were seen, and the combo appears to have the potential to improve survival for certain groups of patients. (more…)

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