Related CFAES News Releases
WOOSTER, Ohio – Chang-Won (Charles) Lee, a virologist with The Ohio State University, is making a significant contribution toward national and international food security.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES THE EASY CHOICES
Ohio 4-H sent a small delegation to the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living in Washington, D.C. in 2015 and 2016 to learn about health. Thanks to a private grant, the team purchased a “Smoothie Bike” they saw at the summit, which has been used by over 2,000 Ohioans to draw attention to the importance of physical activity and healthy nutrition.
More: go.osu.edu/healthyliv
A NEW WEAPON TO COMBAT MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes that transmit dengue, malaria and Zika virus are developing resistance to traditional insecticides. A team of Ohio State entomologists, which includes researchers at Cornell and Vanderbilt universities, has identified a chemical that interferes with mosquitoes’ “kidney” function, rendering them bloated and unable to fly, all leading to a shorter lifespan. The team hopes its ongoing research leads to next-generation mosquito-control products that will not be harmful to beneficial insects, including honeybees and other pollinators. More: go.osu.edu/mosquitoes
The Affordable Care Act requires nonprofit hospitals and health providers to conduct a community health needs assessment every three years. Ohio State University Extension can help.
ASSESSING HEALTH NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES
OSU Extension has worked with counties to gather and analyze data on local health concerns and challenges, and in Highland County in 2016 a survey revealed that the public’s primary health concern was illegal drug use. Similar findings in Clinton County in 2012 led a local nonprofit to create and fund a new position to start addressing these needs.
A NEW APPROACH TO FIGHT CANCER
In an OARDC-led multidisciplinary study, researchers were able to compile a list of compounds in black raspberries effective against cancer. Together with the fruit’s pigments, these compounds halted cancer cell division and, in some cases, caused cancer cell death. This approach could be applied to any produce against any cancer. Health researchers can use this information to determine how each stage of cancer is affected by different compounds at different concentrations, and plant breeders can draw on it to develop new varieties that contain the most effective compounds.