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FDA opens its first foreign branch in China

Thu, 11/20/2008 - 19:49 by Nisha Bhatia

Beijing, November 20, 2008- China is the country where first foreign branch of Food and Drug Administration, an organization of the United States Department of Health and Human Services has been opened.

A lot of food manufactured outside the U.S. is exported to the U.S., the new FDA branches which the United States Department of Health and Human Services plans to open in various countries will help in keeping a check on food manufactured by a number of countries.

EPA seeks comment on nanosilver petition

Thu, 11/20/2008 - 10:45 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Washington -- The U.S. Environmental Agency is seeking public review and comment on a petition asking the agency to classify nanoscale silver as a pesticide.

The petition, filed by the International Center for Technology Assessment and others, also calls on the EPA to require formal pesticide registration of all products containing nanoscale silver, analyze the potential human health and environmental risks of the tiny germ-killing particles, and take regulatory action against existing products that contain the material.

The center said manufacturers are infusing products with nanoscale silver for its enhanced anti-microbial abilities. There are more than 260 nanosilver products currently on the market, including household appliances and cleaners, clothing, cutlery, children's toys and personal care products.

Ginkgo won't delay dementia, survey shows

Thu, 11/20/2008 - 03:44 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

New York -- The herbal supplement ginkgo biloba, popular among U.S. adults hoping to improve their memory, doesn't appear to delay or prevent dementia, a study indicates.

The longest and largest trial to date on the compound indicates Americans may have wasted $250 million spent on ginkgo annually, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

"This is going to be a wake-up call to people who are blindly taking over-the-counter brain boosters, thinking if it's being sold in a reputable store it's effective," P. Murali Doraiswamy, a memory expert at Duke University not involved in the study, told the Journal.

The study tracked 3,069 adults age 75 and older -- nearly evenly divided between those with normal cognitive function and those with a mild impairment -- for an average of nearly six years. One group received a twice-daily dose of ginkgo and the other received a placebo.

Blue plastic reported in Lean Cuisine leads to heavy recall

Wed, 11/19/2008 - 14:55 by Shikha P

United States, November 19: Nestle Prepared Foods Co. has recalled 900,000 Pounds of Lean Cuisine frozen meals after seven consumers reported that they found small bits of blue plastic in their Lean Cuisine dinners. One consumer also reported an injury.

Chile failed to inform 2,000 of HIV

Sat, 11/15/2008 - 09:52 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Santiago, Chile -- Chile's health minister said the country's public and private health systems failed to notify nearly 2,000 people they were infected with HIV.

Health Minister Alvaro Erazo said there was no attempt, in about half of the cases, to reach the patients, the New York Times reported Friday.

Erazo's predecessor Maria Soledad Barria was forced to resign recently when initial allegations about HIV notification surfaced. Erazo told Chile's Congress that the problem partially resulted from a lack of coordination between the National AIDS Commission and the Health Ministry.

The head of the School of Medicine at the University of Chile estimates about 40,000 people in Chile do not know that they are infected with HIV, the newspaper said.

Violent video games alter heart rate

Sat, 11/15/2008 - 06:16 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Stockholm, Sweden -- A Swedish study said violent video games can cause irregular heart rates in children.

Researchers from Stockholm University, Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institute tested 19 boys aged 12 to 15 while playing one violent and one non-violent video game.

Lead researcher Frank Lindblad of Stockholm University said the study found the boys had irregular heart rates after they were finished playing the violent game, The Local newspaper reported Friday.

"What we saw was irregular rhythms with variations in the distances between beats," Lindblad told the newspaper.

He said the findings suggest violent video games have a marked influence on the nervous system of young gamers and raises concerns about the effect on their central physiological systems.

Fake cigarette claims to be 'healthier'

Fri, 11/14/2008 - 11:17 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Sunrise, Fla. -- A Florida company is billing its product, a battery powered device that looks like a cigarette, as a "healthier way to smoke."

The company, Smoking Everywhere, said the Smoking Everywhere E-Cigarette contains no fire, tobacco or smoke but it does release a jolt of nicotine with every drag to satisfy people with the addiction, WFAA-TV, Fort Worth, Texas, reported Thursday.

The company's Web site describes the fake cigarette as "the healthier way to smoke."

"With this device, you can actually enjoy smoking without the bad parts of the cigarette," said Ohad Naim, Smoking Everywhere's franchise owner and operator at the Grapevine Mills Mall in Fort Worth, Texas. "There is no tar, no tobacco (and) no bad chemicals that can cause you cancer."

Various brands of acne creams are recalled

Thu, 11/13/2008 - 23:21 by MT Bureau

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of brands of acne cream because of possible contamination.

The FDA said the manufacturer, CSI USA Inc. of Gallatin, Tenn., issued a voluntary nationwide recall of all lots of 1 ounce tubes of 10 percent benzoyl peroxide acne cream after some of the lots were found to contain bacteria identified as Burkholderia Cepacia, formerly known as Pseudomonas Cepacia, which poses a health hazard for some people.

The medication is sold as "DG Maximum Strength Acne Medicated Gel" at Dollar General stores, Kroger Acne Gel 10 percent Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Medication at Kroger Co. outlets and Equate: Medicated Acne Gel at Wal-Mart stores.

Consumers can obtain a refund by mailing the tube, or proof of purchase, to CSI USA, Inc., 170 Commerce Way, Gallatin, Tenn., 37066, Attn: Acne Cream Recall.

Preterm Birth Rate In U.S. Exceeds Projections

Thu, 11/13/2008 - 22:41 by Daisy Sarma

The rate of premature birth in the U.S. has escalated to a worrisome 12.7 percent, which translates into many negative effects on the health and well-being of the newborns. This new number was far above the 7.6 percent rise that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had predicted.

Ideal Yorkshire pudding is 4 inches high

Thu, 11/13/2008 - 22:22 by MT Bureau

London-- A Yorkshire pudding must be at least 4 inches high to be considered worthy of being named after the British culinary mainstay, a group says.

The Royal Society of Chemistry detailed the parameters of a perfect Yorkshire pudding after receiving a request for a definitive recipe on the difficult kitchen creation, The Times of London said Thursday.

Chemist John Emsley said the puddings, which are essentially batter raised in high temperatures to make a nice side dish, require the perfect balance to work out well.

"I have seen many grim results from people who have tried to get their Yorkshires to rise," Emsley told The Times. "They frequently made gross
errors."

"Cooking is chemistry in the kitchen and one has to have the correct formula, equipment and procedures."

Statins found to reduce heart attack risk

Mon, 11/10/2008 - 10:30 by MT Bureau

New Orleans -- Drugs known as statins can significantly lower risk of heart attacks, strokes and death, the authors of a new study say.

Statins are mainly used as cholesterol-lowering agents, but a study involving nearly 18,000 people worldwide found that even those with low cholesterol can benefit from taking them, The New York Times reported Sunday.

The study, which was presented at an American Heart Association convention in New Orleans and published online in The New England Journal of Medicine, indicated the risk of heart attack was more than cut in half for people with low cholesterol who took statins. The test subjects did, however, have high levels of a protein called high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or CRP, which indicates inflammation in the body.