[via:visualoop]

New research, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrates that human papillomavirus, HPV, is the leading cause of cancer of the oropharnyx in the U.S. The number of people diagnosed with HPV-related oral cancers in the U.S. tripled from 1998 to 2004.

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A fascinating report on a recent piece in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology where online gamers help create a 3D model of the monomeric protease enzyme in retroviruses, including HIV.

WATCH: Breakdancers Bring the Message of Clean Energy in New York City

Help bring the nation “Beyond Coal” by supporting this campaign from the Sierra Club to educate the public about the perils of coal energy and real sustainable alternatives.

The human ramifications of austerity rears its heinous head with thousands of HIV-infected individuals not able to get necessary medications as a result of budget slashing, reports The Washington Post:

Cash-strapped states are scaling back efforts to provide life-saving medicines to HIV patients. The result: more than 8,300 people — a record number — are on waiting lists in 13 states to get antiretrovirals and other drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS or the side effects, mental health conditions or opportunistic infections. And that number probably understates the need, say advocates, who note that many states have simply eliminated waiting lists or reduced eligibility.

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CHECKUM: Testicular Cancer Awareness Campaign

Need these guys to help?

Dr. Jeffrey Fishberger, a psychiatrist and LGBTQ youth mental health special for The Trevor Projects’s The Trevor Lifeline, reports on a recent study published in Pediatrics by Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler who was looking into the relationship between the social environment of lesbian, gay, bisexual youth and rate of suicide.

Dr. Fishberger states the obvious:

The findings in Dr. Hatzenbuehler’s recently published study in Pediatrics largely mirror what we have learned through the Trevor Lifeline regarding social environments and the risk for suicide among LGTBQ youth — namely that young people who live in areas with a more negative sociopolitical climate towards LGBTQ young people and without affirming resources are at an increased risk for suicide when compared with their peers in more supportive environments.

Hatzenbuehler’s research lays groundwork, but as Fishberger correctly notes, it did not include transgender, gender-queer youth who do not identify with either gender taxonomies.

+ on the study here

Hormones, pesticides, toxic fumes, chemical softeners. Those are just some of the things that can enter your bloodstream and cause cumulative health issues. I’d add that people should definitely try to buy organic fruits where you are likely to consume the skin as well: for example, apples, pears, peaches, etc. But these 12 things are absolutely things to look out for.

A study out yesterday in The Lancet by Moffitt Cancer Center researcher Anna Giuliano, PhD, and her colleagues finds that 50 percent of men ages 18 to 70 in Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S. have genital infection with human papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is the virus that causes cervical cancer in women. It also causes warts and cancer of the genitals and anus in both men and women.

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Jennifer Grayson, editor of The Red, White and Green and HuffPo’s Miss Eco Etiquette answers this great question that underscores the relationship between poverty and health(y eating). Read below:

In the past two years, I lost my job, ran out of unemployment…long story short, I’m now on food stamps. Any tips for how I can still eat healthy and maybe organic? (I used to buy organic when I had money.) I don’t want to live on junk food. -Jared

First off, I’m so sorry to hear that you’re struggling right now. But you’re in good, though probably far from gleeful, company: More than one in seven American households now relies on food stamps. That’s up over 58 percent since the start of the recession.

Not surprisingly, with so may people on public assistance, much of the stigma associated with government subsidies has disappeared. Last year, Salon.com ran a feature about hipsters using food stamps to supplement their diet with roasted rabbit and triple-crème brie. This, however, is not one of those articles.

Eating healthy — even organic — shouldn’t be viewed as a privilege for the liberal elite. In fact, it should be common sense. Throughout the course of human history, people weathered tough times by planting edible gardens on what little land they had and stretching out their limited meat supply with beans and whole grains. Now they waddle up to (or drive through) the nearest fast food establishment and order a double cheeseburger and fries.

I may sound insensitive, but I’m speaking (or rather, writing) the truth: The less money you have in the United States, the more likely you are to be overweight. Cheap food is crap food, thanks to an agricultural policy that subsidizes commodity crops like corn and soybeans. We have come to blindly accept that a bunch of carrots costs more than a king-size candy bar.

It should come as no surprise, then, that many states permit fast food establishments from KFC to Domino’s to accept EBT cards (the modern day debit-card version of food stamps). After all, this is what we expect poor people to eat; being skinny is a luxury for those with macrobiotic food delivery services and regular Pilates sessions.

So when it comes to eating healthy on food stamps, the odds are stacked against you. To maximize your money, I suggest focusing first on unprocessed, locally grown foods rather than organic, per se. But if you’re determined to eat organic — whether to reduce pesticide exposure or do your part for the planet — I still say it’s doable. It will, however, take a bit of effort on your part.

(How do I know what it takes to stretch those food dollars? Disclosure: I have a close family member who is currently on food stamps. I was also raised by a single mom who cooked healthy homemade dinners every night, despite a full-time job and a sometimes below-the-poverty-line income.)

For starters, with the average benefit per person nationwide at just over $33 a week, you’re going to have to change your notion of what it means to eat organic. Microgreens, goji berry smoothies, and line-caught salmon may be out of reach, but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat a well rounded — even delicious — diet. Here’s what you need to know:

Learn how to cook, if you don’t know how to already (unemployed = more time on your hands). Organic packaged/prepared foods waste precious funds; a home-cooked meal is almost always more nutritious, anyway.

Think inexpensive sources of protein like tofu and eggs. Learn how to use dried beans, and a $2.99 bag of organic lentils will serve up soup for several days. If you’re a meat-eater, look for a cheap cut on sale and use it more as a condiment than the main event.

Shop in bulk and you’ll save even more money on staples like nuts, beans, and grains. My local market sells organic oats in the bulk bin section for 89 cents a pound — that’s an entire week’s worth of belly-filling breakfasts.

Remember the clean 15 and you can avoid pesticide exposure without actually buying organic; these conventional fruits and veggies are sprayed the least. Conventional onions top the list, so pinch extra pennies by buying these for your aforementioned lentil soup.

Look to the hundreds of farmers markets around the country that now accept food stamp benefits. Bonus: Get the most bang for your buck by shopping near closing time, when most farmers offer their end-of-day specials.

Don’t overlook classic budget meals like a good old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Stick to natural, no-sugar peanut butter on whole wheat bread, throw in an organic apple, and you’ve got a nutritious, plant-based lunch that will also cut your carbon footprint.