Medical blog » Medical conferences

FDA says Georgia plant is sole salmonella source

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 09:30:25 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sole source of the U.S. salmonella outbreak involving contaminated peanut butter appears to be the Peanut Corp of America’s Blakely, Georgia processing facility, federal officials said on Wednesday.
More than 125 products including cookies, crackers, ice cream and even some pet food have been recalled in connection with the outbreak, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
Six deaths may be associated with the outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC said at least 486 people from 43 states and one person in Canada have been reported ill from the outbreak of the Salmonella typhimurium strain, with 107 of them being hospitalized.
Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said Connecticut health authorities tested an unopened container of peanut butter from the PCA’s Blakely plant and discovered the strain linked to the outbreak of illness.
The fact that the unopened container had the strain indicates contamination did not occur after it was shipped from the facility, Sundlof said. Coupled with previous evidence, Sundlof said authorities believe the Blakely plant is the only source of the outbreak.
“That is our assumption at this point. We will continue to follow up on any leads that point us in a different direction,” Sundlof told reporters during a conference call.
The plant is not currently operating, he said.
Sundlof said he expects the number of recalled products to continue to increase.
Among the latest was by NutriSystem Inc, which announced on Wednesday a voluntary recall of its peanut butter granola bar. On Tuesday, PetSmart Inc, the largest U.S. pet-products and services retailer, recalled seven of its Grreat Choice Dog Biscuit products.
General Mills Inc, Kellogg Co and other companies also have recalled products.
Authorities say peanut butter sold on grocery store shelves does not appear to be involved.
PCA has recalled peanut butter and peanut paste products manufactured since July at the Blakely plant because of potential Salmonella contamination. Peanut paste is a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts.
PCA manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste distributed to food manufacturers to be used as ingredients in commercially produced products. PCA peanut butter also is served in long-term care facilities and cafeterias.
Salmonella can cause abdominal cramping, diarrhea and fever and it can kill the very young and very old.
“More cases are being reported every day. The outbreak appears to be ongoing,” Dr. Robert Tauxe of the CDC said.
Minnesota authorities previously tested an opened container from the plant, and found the Typhimurium strain.
Sundlof said a federal inspection of the Blakely plant turned up evidence of salmonella on the floor, but not the Typhimurium strain.
“It does indicate that there are problems within the plant because salmonella should not be found there,” he said.

FDA says Georgia plant is sole salmonella source

admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:29:40 +0000

paidContent.org – Verisign's Naming Business Health Checkup …

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:30:18 +0000

?We processed 6.3 million new domain name registrations during Q408, compared with 7.5 million names during Q407. The decline..reflects the continuation of weakness in names registered for the
continues to weaken.?We expect online advertising will increasingly become a smaller part of our Naming business?currently these names make up 7 percent of the adjusted zone for registered names and .com and .net names?.As a result we plan to
after this quarter.?New name registrations or traditional names during Q4 were approximately 5.9 million, 12 percent lower than Q407?On a net basis, there was a decline of
.?Typically, Q1 is our strongest quarter for new name registrations and we expect that this will be the case this year as well, however, given the composition of the expiring name base, we also expect that Q1 will also see the highest number of non-renewals.
As for its continued efforts to sell off the rest of its non-core businesses and focus on Internet infrastructure services, interim CEO Jim Bidzos had this to say about the still-slow process: “We have now sold seven smaller businesses plus
of the Jamba joint venture. Since our last earnings conference call, we’ve sold three additional businesses including post paid billing, communications consulting, and the 3united portion of the messaging business.Since beginning the process late in ‘07, we’ve now received net proceeds of approximately $300 million from these sales and the sale of our interest in the Jamba joint venture. At this time, we have
, including communications, enterprise security, messaging, and two small businesses, one of which we expect will close shortly.”

Apple shares drop as Jobs health rumors resurface

admin — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:27:26 +0000

The Apple co-founder, who is 53, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003 but has said he was cured with surgery. As The Times reported Dec. 17, however, “Appearances over the summer, in which Jobs looked unusually thin and drawn, renewed questions about his health.”
Rumors flared again this month after Apple said Jobs wouldn’t deliver the keynote address at January’s Macworld Conference & Expo, the venue the company has used for more than a decade to unveil products.
It makes sense that Jobs’ health is an issue for Apple shareholders. But that also means there’s an incentive for traders to take advantage of the situation, by spreading rumors, or playing them. However, Apple shares aren’t heavily “shorted” by speculators who borrow stock and sell it in an effort to profit from a decline in the share price.

China to launch pre-New Year food safety campaign

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:20:34 +0000

BEIJING, Jan 12 (Reuters) – China will launch a pre-Lunar New Year crackdown on food safety, the Health Ministry said on Monday, focusing on illegal use of additives after a milk scandal last year killed at least six babies and made thousands sick. The campaign would focus on seven provinces, including Hebei where the milk contamination scandal began, ministry spokesman Mao Qunan told a news conference.
“Groups and individuals who have broken the law will be dealt with firmly to completely ensure people’s food safety over the holiday period,” Mao said. “We will report important cases to society in a timely manner.”
The Lunar New Year starts on Jan. 26, when traditionally millions of Chinese head back to their home towns to feast and celebrate with their families.
At least six young Chinese children died from kidney stones and more than 290,000 were made ill from melamine-contaminated milk formula, battering already dented faith in China-made goods and prompting massive recalls of dairy and other food products around the world.
Melamine is used to maker fertilisers, plastics and other industrial goods but gained notoriety as a cheap additive for milk and other foods. Rich in nitrogen, melamine can be used to fool tests for protein.
It has also been detected in eggs, chocolates, ice creams, yoghurts and other foods.
China has suffered other food additive scandals in the past, including the use of carcinogenic chemicals as food colourings. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Hospital board delays contract award

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:25:25 +0000

January 20, 2009
FLORESVILLE — A decision on who will construct a 5000-square-foot medical office building near the intersection of F.M. 775 and U.S. 181 near Eagle Creek will likely come at the Wilson Memorial Hospital District’s February board meeting.
Ella May Calloway presided Jan. 15 as board members Carl Ashley, Susan Coates, Carolyn Perkins, Scott Toeppich, Tommy Soriero, and Jane Wiatrek unanimously voted to table awarding the contract until the next meeting because of some recent changes in the building’s design. Their decision came after a nearly one-hour executive session, in which the lowest three bids — Struthoff Co. for $539,856, FJ Inc. for $489,753, and The Eden Group Inc. for $410,664 — were considered.
The three companies were among 10 who submitted bids out of the 30 who requested plans for the project, said architect Edward Trevino of San Antonio-based MDN Architects.
Trevino described the facility, which will house a family medical practice office, as a one-story, shell building with 2,500 square feet of space to be finished for use. The exterior, including the stucco and brick walls and the green metal roof, are designed to match Connally Memorial Medical Center’s facility in Floresville. He estimates the building could be constructed within seven months barring any significant weather delay.
Trevino also said the design calls for additional buried electrical lines for a proposed second phase to be built on 1 acre in the rear of the property. Lines would also be in place for a possible third building, leaving the option open for the hospital or future owner to build on the remainder of the property.
But all indications are that the target area, which includes 12,718 residents living within less than an 8-mile radius, is right for this type of facility. Consultant Kathy Campbell of the Houston-based firm Viewpoint Research, who gave a presentation via conference call, said her firm conducted a feasibility study by surveying 252 randomly selected adult residents who live in the target area. Of those interviewed, 46 percent said they would consider changing doctors “if a medical clinic with a good primary-care doctor” is built at the site.
Viewpoint’s research concluded that the population in the target area is also expected to increase 15 percent to 21 percent by 2013.
The board members also heard a presentation from consultant David Hunt of the Waco-based accounting firm Parrish Moody & Fikes, who said start-up costs for the new facility are estimated at approximately $30,000. He expects the total cost for running the facility for its first 15 months will be $292,905.

Canadian Health Officials, Echoing the FDA, Determine Infant …

admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:17:07 +0000

Canadian health officials have found that infant formulas marketed in that country are safe for consumption, echoing what U.S. food-safety regulators said earlier in the week about U.S. infant formulas.
The results, in a report to be issued as early as Friday, come amid manufacturers’ objections that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration data also generated unnecessary concerns among parents.
Earlier this week, controversy arose in the U.S. when the FDA said tests showed that a few infant formula products available in the U.S. contained traces of melamine or a byproduct, cyanuric acid.
Melamine is the chemical blamed for causing at least four deaths and sickness in tens of thousands of infants in China.
In information first provided to the Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request, the FDA said Tuesday that it found melamine in
Co.’s Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron from Swiss-based Nestlй SA’s Nestlй USA unit.
During a conference call with U.S. makers of infant formula Wednesday, however, the agency said that it transposed the names and that the Nestlй product actually contained traces of melamine and the Bristol-Myers product the cyanuric acid.
The FDA insisted that all tested products were found to be safe, as the trace amounts of the chemical found were at levels far lower than those thought to be harmful.
But parents called into the product makers to ask about the findings. Bristol-Myers, based in New York, said it has received “thousands of calls from moms asking for clarification and information,” according to spokesman Pete Paradossi.
“We don’t want moms to absolutely panic over the situation thinking that trace levels are harmful to their infants,” he said.
In the U.S., infant-formula sales were $3.5 billion over the last year through October, according to Information Resources Inc., a Chicago market-research firm.
In the Canadian report, independent tests conducted by Health Canada of 80 infant-formula products — many of which are also available in the U.S. — showed that the majority contained trace amounts of melamine, but at levels that aren’t harmful, consistent with the FDA’s report.
—Jane Zhang contributed to this article.
Shirley S. Wang at

Ravens' Flacco voted Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:07:39 +0000

was named the Week 17 Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week.
Now that the regular season is over, five players will be nominated for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com/rookies and via Sprint wireless service throughout the month of January. The winner will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay.
This is Pepsi’s seventh year as the official soft drink sponsor of the NFL and the fourth year that Diet Pepsi will present the NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL Rookie of the Year awards.

FDA Widens Peanut Butter-Salmonella Probe

admin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:03:08 +0000

FRIDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) — U.S. health officials said
Friday that they were expanding their investigation into peanut
products possibly contaminated with salmonella, as the toll from
the outbreak climbed to 452 people sickened in 43 states and one in
Canada, and possibly six deaths.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have asked food
companies around the country that may have bought peanut butter or
peanut paste from a Georgia facility owned by the Peanut Corp. of
America to test their products for salmonella contamination.
reported that federal health
officials late Friday said at least 85 companies had purchased
peanut products from the Georgia plant and 30 had been
“urged” to run their own tests for the bacteria.
Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition, told a late afternoon teleconference:
“We have traced one likely source of salmonella contamination
to a plant owned by the Peanut Corp. of America in Georgia, which
makes both a brand of peanut butter distributed in bulk to large
institutions like nursing homes, and also produces a peanut paste
that is distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an
ingredient in many products, including cookies, crackers, cereal
and ice cream.”
Although salmonella was found at the plant, it's not yet
known whether it's the same strain behind the outbreak, Sundlof
said, adding that testing continues.
Sundlof said the FDA doesn't know all the peanut butter
brands or foods containing peanut butter that might be affected.
“We don't have specific information about what brands or
products consumers should avoid,” he said.
He added, however, that popular brands of peanut butter found on
store shelves don't seem to be affected.
, quoting consumer representatives who took part in
an earlier-Friday conference call with federal officials, said
companies producing products with peanut butter were being asked to
consider halting sales.
The concern is that peanut paste is used in dozens of products,
from baked goods to cooking sauces. Initially, federal and state
investigators had focused on bulk containers of peanut butter sold
to institutions such as nursing homes, but not to supermarkets, the
said.
“Now it turns out, it's not just institutions,”
said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union.
On Wednesday, cereal giant Kellogg asked stores to stop selling
its popular Keebler and Austin brand peanut butter crackers.
Kellogg, of Battle Creek, Mich., said it hadn't received any
complaints or discovered any problems with the crackers, but took
the action as a “precautionary measure” after Peanut
Corp., one of its suppliers, announced a nationwide recall of
peanut butter made at the Georgia plant.
The crackers are Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, Peanut
Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers, Cheese and Peanut Butter
Sandwich Crackers, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich
Crackers.
, the most common of the
more than 2,500 types of salmonella bacteria in the United States.
It's often found in uncooked eggs and meats, officials with the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The most recent death linked to the outbreak was an elderly man
in North Carolina, according to state health officials.
On Wednesday, health officials in Minnesota and Idaho said that
one death in each state had been linked to the outbreak. Another
death in Minnesota and two in Virginia were confirmed Tuesday, the
reported.
Although the causes of death haven't been determined, all
six adults had salmonella infection when they died. CDC officials
said the salmonella outbreak may have contributed to their
deaths.
Peanut Corp., based in Lynchburg, Va., issued its own recall
Tuesday of 21 lots of peanut butter for possible salmonella
contamination. The product was made at the plant in Blakely, Ga.,
on or after July 1, 2008, and sold under the brand name
Parnell's Pride and by the King Nut Company as King Nut, the
said.
Peanut Corp., which also has plants in Virginia and Texas, makes
the product for bulk distribution to institutions, food service
industries and private label food companies.
The recall and the potential link to the multi-state outbreak
came two years after ConAgra recalled its Peter Pan brand peanut
butter, which had been linked to at least 625 salmonella cases in
47 states.
To learn more about salmonella, visit the
.

Mason's Vaughan hurt in NU win

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:14:40 +0000

Northeastern vaulted from a two-way tie for second place into a three-way tie for first in the Colonial Athletic Association by posting a 58-57 victory over George Mason last night, but the Huskies could claim no joy after watching their opponent’s leading scorer faint from a head injury with 2:12 to go, and get carted off the court and taken to the hospital.
A pall was cast over a Matthews Arena crowd of 2,300 when senior guard John Vaughan came out of a ferocious skirmish for an offensive rebound beneath the basket holding his left eye. He retreated to NU’s end of the floor, holding his eye all the way down the court, and had a delayed reaction, fainting and crumpling to the floor near the foul line after Nkem Ojougboh made the first of two foul shots.
George Mason sports information director Richard Coco said Vaughan suffered a concussion, and said Vaughan was released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center last night and joined his teammates at the team hotel in Boston.
“He will return to Virginia [today], where he will be reevaluated by the team physician,” Coco said.
Coco said Vaughan was awake and alert but complaining of a “bad headache” when he arrived at the hospital. “He asked for the score when coach Jim Larranaga came in to see him.”
Jerry Berger, a hospital spokesman, said Vaughan “was in good condition.”
According to Larranaga, Vaughan fainted and had to be revived by medical personnel from both teams. When he came to, Larranaga said Vaughan asked George Mason trainer Debi Corbatto “if he could get back in the game.” He had scored a team-high 19 points (off the bench) on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5 of 7 from the 3-point arc.
Larranaga said Vaughan, whose head and neck were immobilized, had his pulse and blood pressure checked and both were fine. “His breathing appeared to be even. He wasn’t gasping for air,” said Larranaga, who was escorted afterward by police to the hospital. “I was observing his stomach and it appeared to be going up and down, like a normal person laying on their back.”
Asked how the injury occurred, Larranaga said, “I think there was a collision underneath our basket the play before and maybe something happened then.”
“Our thoughts and our prayers are with John Vaughan,” said NU coach Bill Coen. “We’re out here playing a game of basketball and sometimes you get caught up in the emotion of the game. It’s a reminder to all of us that this is just a game. There’s more important things going on.”
Vaughan and fellow senior guard Dre Smith began the game on the bench, snapping a streak of 17 starts, after both were late to a meal before last Saturday’s game against James Madison. Vaughan and Smith reported their tardiness to Larranaga.
“I thought he was having a heck of a game,” Larranaga said of Vaughan, who is tied for the team scoring lead, averaging 11.6 points per game.
The Huskies, who were looking to bounce back from their first conference loss, last Saturday at Hofstra, controlled a 32-25 lead at halftime. They led for most of the game until the Patriots made a spirited run to take a 57-56 lead on a pair of foul shots by Cam Long (11 points).
The Huskies wrested the lead away when Manny Adako (9 points) converted a pretty dribble-and-dish feed from Baptiste Bataille with 25 seconds remaining, then came up with a defensive stop at the end of the game.
“You think about [Vaughan] and you think about what you need to do out there,” said NU’s Matt Janning (game-high 20 points). “It was just a tough turnaround either way.”
Globe correspondent Peter Martin contributed to this report.