Body

CHICAGO— Sunflower seeds and sunflower oils have been shown to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease as well as have potential beneficial effects on obesity, bone health, and blood pressure. However their high protein and fat content mean they can have a short shelf-life. A study in the Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) showed that the addition of oregano essential oils to sunflower seeds preserved their positive sensory attributes and freshness quality.

CHICAGO— The majority of consumers that eat or buy organic products do not want synthetic antimicrobials or antioxidants added to their foods and prefer a "clean label". A study in the Journal of Food Science published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) showed that extracts from pecan shells may be effective at protecting meats, such as chicken from listeria growth.

At Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, Cheryl Nickerson and her team have been investigating the intriguing effects of spaceflight on microbial pathogens.

The good news: Research suggests that a new federal rule has prompted the nation's schools to serve an extra $5.4 million worth of fruits and vegetables each day.

The bad news: The nation's children throw about $3.8 million of that in the garbage each day.

WASHINGTON, D.C., and FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Dec. 17, 2013 — In the past decade, a single strain of Escherichia coli, or E. coli, has become the main cause of bacterial infections in women and the elderly by invading the bladder and kidneys, according to a study published today in the American Society for Microbiology's open access journal mBio.

Scientists believe they have an explanation for how the most common strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rapidly rose to prominence. Research published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, suggests that the strain recently acquired a number of genes from common skin bacteria that allow it to grow and thrive on the skin where other strains of MRSA cannot.

ROCHESTER, Minn -- The methods used to anesthetize prostate cancer patients and control pain when their prostate glands are surgically removed for adenocarcinoma may affect their long-term cancer outcomes, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. Opioids, painkillers commonly given during and after surgery, may suppress the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells.

WASHINGTON—The ancestor of snakes and lizards likely gave birth to live young, rather than laid eggs, and over time species have switched back and forth in their preferred reproductive mode, according to research published in print in Ecology Letters Dec. 17.

Claud Regnard, FRCP, a palliative care consultant, has called the demise of the Liverpool Care Pathway a "tragedy" and compared it to banning the Highway Code because of bad drivers in a paper for the journal Age and Ageing, published online today (Tuesday).

Widespread ignorance among cat-owners about the sex lives of their pets may be leading to more than 200,000 unplanned litters - or more than 850,000 kittens every year in the UK, finds research published online in Veterinary Record.

In fact most litters of cats born in the UK are unplanned, the findings indicate.

It is thought that up to 150,000 cats in the UK ended up in animal welfare facilities in 2009-10, and that unplanned litters account for up to one in seven cats being given up for rehoming by an owner.

Overpopulation in cats is recognised to contribute to high numbers of cats entering rescue shelters each year. New research suggests that the high number of unwanted kittens may be due to common misconceptions held by cat owners.

The research led by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences is published online in the Veterinary Record.

1. Physicians urge, 'stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements'

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues in Belgium have developed a specialized catheter for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart. The novel device includes a curved needle and graded openings along the needle shaft, allowing for increased distribution of cells. The result is maximized retention of stem cells to repair the heart. The findings appear in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

CHICAGO -- Julian Kerbis Peterhans, a Roosevelt University professor and adjunct curator at The Field Museum who has conducted extensive studies on mammals in Africa, has announced the discovery of four new species of small mammals in the eastern section of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

PHILADELPHIA—Despite a national consensus among policy makers and educators to train residents to be more conscious of the cost of care, less than 15 percent of internal medicine residency programs have a formal curriculum addressing it, a new research letter published today in JAMA Internal Medicine by a Penn Medicine physician found.