Two of the members of the CIRM governing board, Chair Jon Thomas and Vice Chair Art Torres, during an earlier meeting.(Photo: CIRM)Directors of the $12 billion California stem cell agency have moved to weaken conflict of interest provisions affecting its governing board — eliminating “leave-the-room” requirements that are used by most private nonprofits to assure the integrity of their operations.
Bee hives for pollination in an almond orchard in California's Central Valley. (Photo: Richard Thornton, via Shutterstock)As the world faces a declining bee population, California almond growers say they are doing their best to promote bee health. Over the last few weeks, bee keepers from all over the U.S. were in the Central Valley releasing bees to pollinate the almond crops. Almond growers use about 75 percent of the commercial beehives in the country to pollinate their crops.
An elderly man in his wheel chair, taking a a breath of fresh air. (Phboto: Kazoka, via Shutterstock_)Many seniors and people with disabilities who need services through Medi-Cal and Medicare struggle every day to navigate complex health and long-term care decisions. Dealing with a serious illness is difficult enough without having your doctors, specialists, long term care providers, and other health care providers disconnected with no overall attention to the holistic needs of the individual.
Illustration by Tasha Tuvango, via ShutterstockRecent cases of meningitis B on the campus of Santa Clara University have reinforced the threat of vaccine preventable illnesses and the importance of education and vaccination in the fight against meningitis B. Meningitis is a dangerous bacterial infection that can cause neurological injury, loss of limbs and even death.
Healthy foods and exercise are a deterrent to diabetes. (Photo: Dimitry Lobanov)More than one out of three adults have pre-diabetes. Fifteen to 30 percent of them will develop type 2 diabetes within five years if they don’t make lifestyle changes now. This is no exaggeration, these are numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there is no easy answer to curbing obesity and diabetes, the good news is both can be prevented through a combination of physical activity, balanced food choices and good old-fashioned weight loss.