False beliefs about junk food could help diet
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For some people, simply suggesting that they had a bad childhood experience with a certain food may cause them to think twice before eating it again, researchers reported Monday.
The implication, they say, is that false beliefs about food could serve as a basis for a whole new form of dieting—where, for instance, parents of a junk-food-loving teen tell him that a doughnut made him sick when he was 4.
U.S. drug makers to review advertising complaints
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Drug makers will set up an office to review complaints about the marketing of prescription drugs, industry officials said on Tuesday as they moved to quiet rising criticism of glitzy commercials and magazine ads.
That pledge, and voluntary guidelines urging balanced and informative ads, failed to appease critics who say drug promotions exaggerate the benefits of some drugs and prompt unnecessary prescribing to patients who may not need them.
HK experts see no mutation in swine flu - paper
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A deadly pig-borne disease that has killed 36 people in southwestern China is caused by one type of bacteria and is not a mutated or new strain, a Hong Kong newspaper said on Tuesday.
Three Hong Kong health experts investigating the outbreak in Sichuan province have identified the bacteria as Streptococcus suis and found no evidence that the victims had been infected by any other bacteria, the South China Morning Post reported.
Athletics - U.S. propose life bans for steroid offences
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The United States will urge the world governing athletics body this week to impose life bans on any athlete testing positive for steroids.
The U.S. motion is one of around 300 tabled for debate at a two-day meeting of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) congress starting on Wednesday in advance of the 10th world championships opening on Saturday.
At present first time offenders who test positive for steroids are banned for two years. Lifetime bans follow a second offence.
Russian region culls birds after flu outbreak
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Russia’s Siberian region of Novosibirsk said on Tuesday it will slaughter 65,000 birds in 13 locations as more cases were confirmed of a strain of bird flu dangerous to humans.
“It has been decided to slaughter all hens, ducks, geese and turkeys at farms where the virus had been detected. The farms’ owners will be paid compensation for all the birds that are killed and provided with safe poultry meat and eggs at a discount price,” a Novosibirsk administration spokeswoman said.
China farmers ignore swine flu hygiene orders
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Many frugal farmers in southwest China are refusing to bury infected pigs safely, Chinese media said on Tuesday, raising fears that a deadly swine flu could spread further after infecting almost 200 people and killing 36.
Draconian measures were in place around the Chinese capital to prevent infection. The Beijing News said city authorities had blocked inward shipments of about 4,000 tonnes of pork and pork products from stricken Sichuan province up to July 31.
Romanian heatwave kills 56
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A heatwave gripping Romania since last week has contributed to the death of 56 people, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
With temperatures reaching 36 degrees Celsius (96.80 Fahrenheit), 1,000 people were in hospital with heat-related problems, it said.
“Those who died suffered from chronic illness, heart or neurological problems,” the ministry said in a statement.
Tax assessor threatened in Florida anthrax hoax
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A federal health agency worker was charged with making a false threat to infect Florida property assessors with anthrax for revoking her tax exemption, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Michelle Ledgister, who works at the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, was arrested in Maryland on Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. An anti-terrorism law enacted last year makes it a federal crime to convey false information about anthrax exposure, punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
Perrigo recalls oral drops for children in U.S.
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Perrigo Co. voluntarily recalled four types of liquid pain, cough and cold drops packaged with syringes that could make it difficult to measure proper doses for young children, the company and regulators said on Monday.
Perrigo said the recall would cost the company about $2 million.
The recalled products are Cherry Flavor Infant Pain Reliever 160 mg Acetaminophen (0.5 oz. and 1.0 oz.), Grape Flavor Infant Pain Reliever 160 mg Acetaminophen (0.5 oz. and 1.0 oz.), Cherry Flavor Cough and Cold Infant Drops (0.5 oz.) and Cherry Flavor Decongestant and Cough Infant Drops (0.5 oz.).
Some teens try to get buff from a bottle
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Many teenagers wish for a toned physique, and some turn to dietary supplements or hormones to get one, according to a new study.
Researchers found that among more than 10,000 12- to 18-year-olds, roughly 5 percent of boys and 2 percent of girls regularly used some purported muscle enhancer—most commonly protein powders or shakes, but also dietary supplements such as creatine and amino acids.
A handful said they frequently used steroids or other hormonal substances—namely growth hormone or the over-the-counter supplement DHEA—and more had at least tried such products in the past year.
China educates farmers on pig-borne disease
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Sichuan province in southwestern China has launched a campaign to educate poor, illiterate farmers not to slaughter sick pigs or eat their meat after an outbreak of swine flu hit about 100 villages and killed at least 34 people.
Sichuan, the country’s top pork-producing province, has been forced to suspend all exports of chilled and frozen pork from Ziyang city and surrounding Neijiang prefecture to Hong Kong, where there have been 10 infections since 2004.
New York company expands recall of chicken products
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A New York company is expanding its recall of ready-to-eat chicken products by an additional 90,000 pounds because of possible listeria contamination, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday.
The voluntary recall by Brooklyn, New York-based Ilyssa Manufacturing Corp. started on July 28 when it recalled about 3,200 pounds of “Chef Pronto” chicken products.
Russia bird flu could spread to EU
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A strain of bird flu dangerous to humans could spread to parts of the European Union from Siberia, a senior Russian veterinary official warned on Monday.
Chances were “very high” the strain found in the Novosibirsk region could spread to other parts of Siberia, the official from the Russian Veterinary and Phytosanitary Inspection Service told Reuters.
Angola immunizes 5 million children in polio fight
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Angola stepped up its fight against polio on Sunday, with mothers out in force to take advantage of a nationwide immunization drive after the first appearance of the disease in the African country in four years.
The three-day, $3.74 million campaign was run by the Health Ministry, the United Nations Childrens Fund UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) and is aimed at stopping polio before it spreads.
Stem cell sponsor sees veto-proof Senate backing
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An expansion of federally funded embryonic stem cell research could pass the U.S. Senate with a veto-proof margin now that the chamber’s leader backs the idea, a leading sponsor of the effort said on Sunday.
But it may be harder getting the super-majority needed to override a possible presidential veto in the House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said.
Specter said the decision last week by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to defy President Bush and support legislation liberalizing the administration’s policy on stem cell research had given the effort a “big boost” in Congress.
