Alpha-gal syndrome is an emerging public health concern in Massachusetts, driven by the northward spread of the lone star tick, which is most commonly associated with the condition.
In children below the age of five, whose immune systems are still developing, the infections can lead to malnourishment; they cause up to 42,000 deaths annually. Soon there may be a vaccine to protect against these infections. In the Lancet Infectious Diseases last month, scientists shared the results of the first study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an ETEC-controlling vaccine in a large pediatric population in Gambia.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), all ground meat, as well as poultry (even those with longer expiration dates) should be used or frozen within the first 48 hours of coming home from the store. Raw steaks, pork chops, and roasts can go a bit longer, at three to five days.
DNA variants near a gene called MSRB3 - which is important for hearing in humans - could determine whether a dog's ears are pendulous like a basset hound's or stubby like a rottweiler's. Researchers analysed the genomes of thousands of canines and found that small, single-letter changes to DNA in a region of the genome near MSRB3 could boost the gene's activity. The boost can increase the rate at which ear cells proliferate, resulting in longer ears.
From ultra-processed foods to hidden chemicals, we ask whether what's on our plates is making us ill. From ultra-processed foods to chemicals linked to cancer and chronic disease, this episode unpacks what's really inside everyday supermarket products. We examine how mass production and convenience culture reshaped our diets, why some ingredients are banned in parts of the world but legal elsewhere, and what FDA-approved actually means.
"A Bradford food business was recently the subject of a complaint from an individual with a nut allergy who was hospitalised after ordering a dessert dish. "Despite making the business aware of her allergy the complainant was served a 'Nutella' style topping instead of Belgian chocolate." It said undercover officers then visited the premises and replicated the customer's experience "The food product was submitted to the public analyst, where the presence of hazelnuts was confirmed."
E. coli - you don't want it. You really, really don't. Properly known as Escherichia coli, E. coli are bacteria found in the intestines of humans and animals. While many of them are harmless, some kinds can cause severe gastrointestinal illness, with the most dangerous pathogenic types - such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) - potentially leading to kidney failure and death, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
"If you are actively sick with diarrhea or some kind of a GI-related condition, go ahead and separate those clothes from other healthy people in the household," said Emergency Medicine specialist Dr. Ali Jamehdor with Dignity Health St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach. Some people let clothes sit in the hamper for weeks. He said that diarrhea-causing E. coli and salmonella can live that long in your laundry bin.