Undesirable expatriates: Preventing the spread of invasive animals
Reconsider relocating aquarium fish into your backyard pond. Restrain yourself from ordering exotic pets off the Internet, no matter how interesting they might look in the pictures. And vote for politicians that encourage sound port inspection. Because, according to recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences article by Drs. Jonathan M. Jeschke and David L. Strayer, our best defense in...Size matters: Preventing large mammal extinction
Saving large mammals such as elephants and rhino from extinction could be made more effective by focusing efforts on individual species as well as their habitats. Scientists at the Zoological Society of London's Institute of Zoology (IoZ) and Imperial College London have identified fundamental new approaches to improve the success of large mammal conservation. Published today in the journa...Controlling wildlife trade key to preventing health crises, study says
According to a study by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, controlling the movements of wildlife in markets is a cost-effective means of keeping potential deadly pandemics such as SARS and influenza from occurring. The study appears in the July edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The cost of controlling the spread of diseases afflicting both human and animal popula...Preventing a pandemic: Study suggests strategies for containing a flu outbreak
Though quick to caution about the many things that could go wrong, researchers say that it may be possible to contain a Southeast Asian outbreak of avian influenza in humans, buying precious time for the production of a vaccine. Using a computer model to simulate an outbreak in a rural Southeast Asian population, the scientists have shown how a combination of strategies, including targeted...Free HIV tests cheaper than charging when goal is preventing AIDS
Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania. The Duke researchers provided free HIV tests and counseling during a two-week pilot program in 2003. The number of people seeking tests increased from 4.1...Preventing Carry-over Contamination with Uracil-DNA Glycosylase
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can amplify a single molecule over a billionfold. Thus, even minuscule amounts of a contaminant can be amplified and lead to a false positive result. Such contaminants are often products from previous PCR amplifications (carry-over contamination). Therefore, rese...Preventing mental decline in the aged
According to a new study, it has been found that there are ways to keep your mental abilities sharp as you age. Mental decline is not a specific part of life. The older population is growing rapidly and people// are typically living longer. The ability to know, think, learn and judge, known as cognitive ability, is essential to quality of life and survival in older ages. Researchers from the Ins...Preventing 'white coat' hypertension
Researchers at the University of Southampton say that docotors are not the best people to assess blood pressure. White coat hypertension is a well-known problem - it means that your blood pressure //may go up when it's measured by a doctor (the 'white coat') but be lower if a practice nurse measures it, or if you measure it yourself. Researchers in, England, have been looking at the white coat e...Yoga for preventing weight gain in middle age
Regular practice of yoga can reduce the bulging girth of the abdomen in middle aged and overweight people.// Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center who have conducted a study showed that regular practice of yoga for at least 30minutes of a week for four or more years can lead to arrest of weight gain in obese people in their middle ages. Researchers had...Green tea beneficial in preventing osteoarthritis
Green tea, first discovered in China nearly 5000 years ago, has been linked to many health benefits including preventing coronary heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer. Researchers in the University of Sheffield have now discovered that two compounds found in green tea, EGCG (epigallocatchin gallate) and ECG (epicatechin gallate) can help prevent osteoarthritis by blocking the enzyme...Six Important Things to Know About Preventing Hospital Infections
Infection Control Professional Offers Patient Tips to Guard AgainstHospital Infections KANSAS CITY, Kan., April 02, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospitalinfections are among the top ten leading causes of death in theUnited States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Thereare countless stories about patients who go into hospitals withminor conditions and leave under much graver circumsta...