Prospective studies that evaluate the influence of arsenic methylation capacity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk are lacking. The objective of the study is to evaluate the association of arsenic exposure from drinking water and arsenic methylation capacity with CVD risk..

In many parts of the world, livestock production is undergoing a process of rapid intensification. The health implications of this development are uncertain. Intensification creates cheaper products, allowing more people to access animal-based foods. However, some practices associated with intensification may contribute to zoonotic disease emergence and spread, for example the sustained use of antibiotics, concentration of animals in confined units, and long distance and frequent movement of livestock.

Ambient air pollution may have neurotoxic effects in children. Data examining associations between traffic-related air pollution and attention domains remain sparse. The researchers examined associations between black carbon (BC), a marker of traffic particles, and attention measures ascertained at age 7-14 years among 174 children in a Boston-based birth cohort.

In this article we have studied a scheme of partitioning the global carbon budget using an equity principle. In contrast to earlier approaches, this article carefully distinguishes between the two quantities – ‘entitlements to carbon space’ and ‘physically available carbon space’. A positive feature of the carbon budgets approach to allocation of mitigation burdens discussed here

Variations in nearshore wave power at four shallowwater locations along the east and west coast of India are examined based on the measured wave data for one-year period. The study shows that along the west coast of India, 83–85% of the annual wave power is during the summer monsoon period (June–September), whereas at Visakhapatnam (on the east coast), 55% of the annual wave power is during the summer monsoon period. Along Puducherry coast in the east, wave power is relatively less with maximum value of 31.8 kW m–1.

Protected areas (PAs) are inviolate and invaluable landscapes that promote the in situ conservation of endangered, threatened and rare species. Accordingly, and in keeping with this definition, PA managers ensure that PAs are free from fire, poaching, grazing, non-timber forest products collection, mining, etc. In India, following the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972), there are

Periodic and quantitative assessment of research activities in a given area is an essential step to ensure identification of priority and niche areas. White-space, a term borrowed from spectrum analysis, in this context refers to areas of research (frequency bands) that are less explored. Thus white-space mapping or analysis identifies relative strength of research, and enables us to uncover opportunities that are not obvious or less explored. (Scientific Correspondence)

Serum levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been associated with decreased renal function in cross-sectional analyses, but the direction of the association is unclear. The researchers examined the association of measured and model-predicted serum PFOA concentrations with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a marker of kidney function, in a highly exposed population (median serum PFOA, 28.3 ng/mL).

Globally, solid fuels are used by about 3 billion people for cooking. These fuels have been associated with many health effects, including acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children. Nepal has a high prevalence of use of biomass for cooking and heating. This case–control study was conducted among a population in the Bhaktapur municipality, Nepal, to investigate the relationship of cookfuel type to ALRI in young children.

Recently, the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) of the Societies of Epidemiology (SE), a consortium of national and international epidemiologic societies and organizations, released a statement calling for the global ban of asbestos use (JPC-SE 2012). This is not the first such call for an international ban (Collegium Ramazzini 2010), but it is a significant one because it is endorsed by 10 member organizations of the JPC-SE, numerous major epidemiologic and public health associations, and many epidemiologists (JPC-SE 2012).