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Seafood research will bring healthier lifestyle

The biggest research project ever sponsored by the EU in the seafood sector will help to meet the consumer demand for more healthy products.

23 Dec 2004

Drinking water with high levels of arsenic increases risk of lung cancer

Residents of Taiwan who consumed drinking water with high levels of arsenic have a higher risk of lung cancer, with cigarette smokers from this group having an even greater risk, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2004

Turning off cell suicide switch fails to stop prion damage

Researchers knew that prions, the misfolded proteins that cause mad cow disease and other brain disorders, were killing off a class of important brain cells in a transgenic mouse model. But when they found a way to rescue those cells, they were astonished to discover the mice still became sick.

21 Dec 2004

Gulf War report confirms link between lung cancer and combustion products

The available evidence is too sparse or of insufficient quality to determine whether the majority of health problems that may be experienced by Gulf War veterans could be associated with exposures to fuels for military vehicles, propellents in Scud missiles, or substances given off by combustion sources such as oil-well fires, exhausts, and tent heaters

21 Dec 2004

Out-of-office blood pressure readings help predict CVD risk

Blood pressure readings taken at home with approved devices can be a useful addition to blood pressure management, and may even predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk better than readings from the doctor’s office alone, according to a scientific statement issued today by the American Heart Association.

21 Dec 2004

Patients with abdominal trauma at risk for intra-abdominal infections following surgery

Patients who undergo surgery for abdominal trauma caused by firearm wounds or by blunt trauma are at risk for developing intra-abdominal infections, and several factors increase that risk, according to a study in the December issue of The Archives of Surgery.

20 Dec 2004

FDA protects U.S. human and animal food supply

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final regulations on the establishment and maintenance of records to protect the U.S. human food and animal feed supply in the event of credible threats of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

7 Dec 2004

Health risks of goat milk and derived products with regards to BSE/TSE

The Scientific Expert Working Group on BSE/TSE of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards have published a statement on the safety of goat milk and milk products with regards to possible BSE/TSE risks.

29 Nov 2004

Cord blood registry sees FDA regulation as good for consumers and industry

Beginning in May 2005, cord blood banks must meet new federal safety standards mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

24 Nov 2004

Mad cow disease prions can be removed from blood

New research results released today confirm that infectious variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) prions that cause the human form of "mad cow disease" can be removed from blood.

From Pall Corporation 3 Nov 2004

Tabletop DNA test laboratory cuts disease diagnosis down to 30 minutes

British scientists have developed a tabletop DNA test laboratory that can cut the diagnosis of disease and infection from hours to 30 minutes. This new test laboratory will soon begin trials in UK hospitals.

24 Oct 2004

UK agencies stepping up action to protect the public's health following continued outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis

The UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are stepping up action to protect the public's health following continued outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis (other than phage type 4) since 2002, many of which have been linked to Spanish eggs used in the catering trade.

14 Oct 2004

FDA and MHRA to cooperate efforts to address manufacturing concerns related Chiron's influenza vaccine

The FDA and the U.K's MHRA have announced their intent to continue in a cooperative effort to address the manufacturing quality concerns related to the production of Chiron's influenza vaccine, Fluvirin, at the company's Liverpool facility.

13 Oct 2004

Viruses from human sources occur in the La Crosse, Wisconsin municipal drinking water supply prior to its chlorination

Although the city's treated water meets or exceeds state and federal standards for drinking water, researchers and public health officials agree that more study is needed to pinpoint sources of the viruses and to determine if some viruses are surviving chlorination and making people sick with diarrhea and vomiting.

6 Oct 2004