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Botox reduces short-term pain in thoracic outlet syndrome patients

Made popular for its ability to smooth wrinkles when injected into the face, Botox - a toxin known to weaken or paralyze certain nerves and muscles - may have another use that goes beyond the cosmetic.

11 Jun 2010

Video study shows need for new food safety-focused messages, methods targeting food handlers

How safe is the food we get from restaurants, cafeterias and other food-service providers? A new study from North Carolina State University -- the first study to place video cameras in commercial kitchens to see how precisely food handlers followed food-safety guidelines -- discovered that risky practices happen more often than previously thought.

10 Jun 2010

Hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation: Scientists

In a surprising discovery that someday may lead to new treatments for many inflammatory diseases, University of Utah scientists found that a hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation.

8 Jun 2010

BGS develops new bio filters for testing E. coli, salmonella, listeria and pseudomonas in food samples

BioSpec Global Solutions Inc., and partner -ICBS Ltd., announced today that it has begun development of three new bio filter for the testing of E. coli, salmonella, listeria and pseudomonas in food samples. Development of the Antibody/antigen multiple discrete filters and optical system for the simultaneous analysis of E.coli, salmonella, listeria and pseudomonas in food samples.

7 Jun 2010

IFST Advisory Statement cautions against food-borne Campylobacter infection

Campylobacter is one of the major causes of food poisoning, and the theme of this year's Food Safety Week is how to prevent illness caused by it. Campylobacter is a germ that occurs widely in the intestines of many warm-blooded animals and birds, particularly chickens and turkeys, and can be carried in animals that are used for food production and in domestic pets. In addition, it can occur in untreated water and raw milk.

5 Jun 2010

Researchers develop biosensors to monitor concentration of c-di-GMP within single living bacteria cells

Some species of bacteria perform an amazing reproductive feat. When the single-celled organism splits in two, the daughter cell - the swarmer - inherits a propeller to swim freely. The mother cell builds a stalk to cling to surfaces.

4 Jun 2010

Researchers offer solutions for groundwater contamination crisis

Over 100 million people in rural southern Asia are exposed every day to unsafe levels of arsenic from the well-water they drink. It more than doubles their risks for cancer, causes cardiovascular disease, and inhibits the mental development of children, among other serious effects.

2 Jun 2010

FDA warns consumers not to purchase or use Arrow Brand Medicated Oil & Embrocation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers not to purchase or use a product called "Arrow Brand Medicated Oil & Embrocation," also labeled as "Aceite Medicinal La Flecha (Spanish) or "箭嘜驅風油 (Mandarin)." The product is potentially toxic and contains two substances, methyl salicylate and camphor, which are poisonous when ingested.

29 May 2010

Scientists offer low-cost solutions to reduce arsenic in drinking water

An estimated 60 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to unsafe levels of arsenic in their drinking water, dramatically raising their risk for cancer and other serious diseases, according to the World Health Organization.

28 May 2010

VBI researchers establish new tree of life for gamma-proteobacteria

A new "tree of life" has been constructed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech for the gamma-proteobacteria, a large group of medically and scientifically important bacteria that includes Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and other disease-causing organisms.

18 May 2010

Australian TGA approves Acetadote for treatment of paracetamol poisoning

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Phebra Pty Ltd. today announced that Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection has been granted regulatory approval for marketing and sale in Australia. Acetadote, an injectable drug used to treat acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose, was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the government agency responsible for regulating drugs and medical devices in Australia.

12 May 2010

Vita Breath may contain hazardous levels of lead, warns FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to purchase nor consume Vita Breath, a dietary supplement manufactured by American Herbal Lab Inc. of Rosemead, Calif., and marketed at health fairs and on the Internet, because the product may contain hazardous levels of lead.

3 May 2010

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Division of Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first transplant surgeon in the United States to use a new totally artificial liver assist device as a bridge to transplantation.

27 Apr 2010

Nicotine poisoning linked to weight gain

A new study links nicotine poisoning with weight gain, and concludes tha active smokers, not only those who stop, put on more weight than non-smokers. After four years of analysis in the University of Navarra, those who put on least weight were those who had never smoked.

23 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 22, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes about the Money Follows The Person program: "Richard Hasselbach and Deborah Kadlec met in a nursing home and dreamed of a life together outside its walls. Their health conditions made living on their own a challenge: Hasselbach, 63, is disabled from a stroke and lost a leg to a blocked artery. Kadlec, 52, has multiple sclerosis. They both use wheelchairs and need help with chores such as bathing, cooking and remembering to take their medicines.

22 Apr 2010

Need for better understanding potential dangers of prescription painkillers

In response to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine called "Hospitalizations for Poisoning by Prescription Opioids, Sedatives, and Tranquilizers," the Waismann Method of Opiate Detoxification is urging Americans to take measures to better understand and recognize the potential dangers and addictive nature of prescription painkillers.

22 Apr 2010

Study: Tobacco company's nicotine pellet can lead to accidental nicotine poisoning in children

A tobacco company's new, dissolvable nicotine pellet--which is being sold as a tobacco product, but which in some cases resembles popular candies--could lead to accidental nicotine poisoning in children, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

19 Apr 2010

Escherichia coli cases drop in 2009

As per a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a 12 % drop in rates of Escherichia coli (E.coli) infection has been noted in 2009 as compared to statistics for 2008. This is being seen by federal health officials as a sign that the new food safety measures are effective. Most of the pathogens under study are from the bacteria family like E.coli 0157, salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and vibrio. It was found that food poisoning rates for the most common pathogens have changed little from statistics collected in 2004.

16 Apr 2010

Complicating doctors' work: Prescription drug scams and excessive paper work

News outlets examine two issues affecting doctors' work: patients fraudulently seeking prescriptions and overwhelming paper work.

12 Apr 2010

Prescription overdoses are second leading cause of unintentional deaths in US

"Unintentional poisoning is now the second leading cause of unintentional death in the US," reports Dr. Jeffrey H. Coben of West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown. Among people 35 to 54 years old, unintentional poisoning surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of unintentional death in 2005.

6 Apr 2010