Health News: Pesticides in fruit and vegetables linked to semen quality ♦ Supermarkets fined for selling mouldy food ♦ outbreak determined to late to warn the public + more

Supermarkets fined for selling mouldy food  Australia’s biggest supermarkets have been ashamed for trying to sell mouldy and out-of-date food. Source: News Limited IGA Nabiac sold potato salad and herb bread two weeks out of date Woolworths had expired milk on shelves at Caltex in Blacktown Coles copped fines for failing to display food at correct temperature

CDC: Source of cucumber linked outbreak determined to late to warn the public In late February, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a detailed report describing a summer 2014 outbreak of Salmonella linked to cucumbers grown in the Delmarva region of Maryland. The outbreak resulted in 275 confirmed illnesses and the death of one man. Considering that CDC estimates only one in 30 Salmonella cases are confirmed

Pesticides in fruit and vegetables linked to semen quality  The first study to investigate the relationship between eating fruit and vegetables containing pesticide residues and the quality of men's semen has shown a link with lower sperm counts

Date syrup shows promise for fighting bacterial infections  Date syrup – a thick, sweet liquid derived from dates that is widely consumed across the Middle East – shows antibacterial activity against a number of disease-causing bacteria,

3-D human skin maps aid study of relationships between molecules, microbes and environment Researchers have produced 3-D maps of molecular and microbial variations across the body. These maps provide a baseline for studies of the interplay between the molecules that make up our skin, our microbiomes, our personal hygiene routines and other environmental factors. The study may help further our understanding of the skin's role in hu

Physical labor, hypertension and multiple meds may reduce male fertility

Working in a physically demanding job, having high blood pressure, and taking multiple medications are among health risks that may undermine a man’s fertility, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and Stanford University, Stanford, California. The study is the first to examine the relationships between workplace exertion, health, and semen quality as men are trying to conceive. The results were published online in Fertility and Sterility.

“Nearly 15 percent of U.S. couples do not become pregnant in their first year of trying,” said Germaine Buck Louis, Ph.D., the study’s senior author and director of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Male infertility plays a significant role, and our aim is to explore the influence of environmental factors and health status on semen quality.”

Semen quality is a measure of a man’s ability to achieve fertilization and is based on the number, shape, and movement ability of sperm, as well as other factors.

The investigators followed more than 500 couples in Texas and Michigan over a yearlong period. The couples were in committed relationships and stopped using contraception. All male participants completed preliminary interviews in which they were asked about their reproductive history, health, lifestyle and occupational activity. Most of the men provided a semen sample for analysis.

The final study group comprised 456 men with an average age of 31.8 years. Most were white (77 percent) and college-educated (91 percent); more than half had never fathered a pregnancy. The researchers found that 13 percent of the men who reported heavy work-related activity had lower sperm counts, compared to 6 percent of the men who reported no workplace exertion. In contrast, no other work-related exposure, such as heat, noise or prolonged sitting, appeared to influence semen quality.

Of the men who reported receiving a physician’s diagnosis of high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol, the researchers found that only those with high blood pressure had a lower percentage of normally shaped sperm, compared to men who reported no high blood pressure.

“As men are having children later in life, the importance of diseases we once thought as separate from fertility must be re-explored,” said Michael L. Eisenberg, M.D., the study’s principal investigator and director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. “Future investigations need to examine whether it’s the high blood pressure itself or the treatment that is driving these trends.”

To that end, the researchers observed that the more medications a man reported taking, the higher his risk of a low sperm count. For example, 7 percent of the men who did not take medications had sperm counts below 39 million (a normal sperm count is between 40 million and 300 million). Of the men who reported taking two or more medications, 15 percent had sperm counts below 39 million.

“The good news is that these factors, if they are confirmed to have negative effects on male fertility, can potentially be modified by medical care or changing job-related behaviors ,” said NIH’s Dr. Buck Louis. “We look forward to additional research in this area.”

6/15/!4 Health News: Semen Test for Prostate Cancer ♦ CHIA SEEDS:CAUSE 65 SALMONELLA INFECTIONS, ♦ Test Predicts if Breast Cancer Will Spread ♦ Babies May Get Allergy Protection Roaches

CHIA SEEDS: 65 SALMONELLA INFECTIONS, EXPANDING RECALL

Chia seeds are an increasingly popular ingredient in the health food world. The Dr. Oz Show and various health magazines have been highlighting them, and recipes with this “superfood” have been popping up all over Pinterest and BuzzFeed. But before you go adding chia powder to your morning smoothie, check to be sure it isn’t... Continue Reading

New Test Predicts if Breast Cancer Will Spread

A test that counts the number of locations in tumor specimens where tumor cells may invade blood vessels predicted the risk of metastasis for the most common type of breast cancer.. "Tests assessing metastatic risk can help doctors identify which patients should receive aggressive therapy and which patients should be spared," said Thomas Rohan, M.D., Ph.D., the lead and corresponding author of the study. Continue Reading

Babies May Get Allergy Protection From Cats, Even Roaches

Cockroaches might not seem to have much in common with farm animals. But a new study suggests urban newborns who share their homes with cockroaches, mice and cats might get the same kind of protection from allergies and asthma that farm children seem to get from the animals in their barns. Continue Reading

Semen Test for Prostate Cancer May Improve Diagnosis,

Semen contains prostate cancer biomarkers that could over time improve diagnosis of the condition, a group of Australian researchers said. After analyzing seminal fluid samples from 60 men, the researchers discovered tiny molecules called microRNAs known to be elevated in prostate cancer Continue Reading