Month: July 2021

Sixteen rare genetic variants could protect people from being obese, a new study claims.  Researchers performed 'whole exome sequencing' – an extensive genetic test that looks at thousands of genes at once – on more than 645,000 people.  They identified 16 variants that influence body mass index (BMI), the standard measurement for determining if people are of a normal weight, overweight or obese.  Rare genetic mutations in one of the genes, called GPR75, was associated with protection against obesity.  People with at least one inactive copy of GPR75 weighed about 12 pounds less and faced a 54 per cent lower risk of obesity than those without the mutation.  Carriers of the mutation had a 1.9 kg/m2 lower BMI on average – an almost two point reduction.  Scroll down for video  ...

A photo of Burkholderia pseudomallei cultured in chocolate agar after three days timePhoto: Todd Parker/CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning doctors about a strange cluster of illness in three states caused by a rarely seen bacteria in the U.S., one that’s killed at least one person and hospitalized two others so far. The illness, called melioidosis, can be highly fatal but isn’t normally considered contagious between people. Officials don’t know how these victims contracted the bacteria, though the cases do seem to be connected. Since March 2021, the CDC announced in a health alert on Wednesday, at least three people in three non-adjacent states (Kansas, Texas, and Minnesota) have contracted melioidosis. The first victim, a man with preexisting lung issues, d...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - If you think you have COVID-19, it might be best to stay away from your pets, says the author of a Dutch study that found a surprising number of dogs and cats may be getting infected. FILE PHOTO: A man walks a dog as lockdown restrictions increase during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Santiago, Chile, March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado“About one out of five pets will catch the disease from their owners,” said Dr Els Broens of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, although there are no known cases of the disease spreading from pets to humans. “Luckily, the animals do not get very ill from it.” In Broens’ study, presented this week in a paper at the European Congress of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 156 dogs and 154 cats from 196 househol...

The search for the best barbecue cities continues.  Ahead of the Fourth of July, a new study has claimed to find the best American cities for barbecue.  Kansas City, Missouri, took the top spot, according to the report released Wednesday by lawn care company LawnStarter That’s mostly because Kansas City has "far more winners in the World Series of Barbecue contests and the second-highest number of national excellence awards," the report says.  THIS FOURTH OF JULY ICEBOX CAKE RECIPE IS A REFRESHING DESSERT FOR SUMMER CELEBRATIONS Kansas City, Missouri, took the top spot, according to the report from LawnSmart. (iStock) However, those weren’t the only categories that LawnStarter used for its ranking. The company analyzed the 199 largest U.S. cities based on 14 metric...