Potential Psych Warning On Flu Drugs - FDA

FDA mulls psych warning for 2 flu drugs

U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff have recommended new warnings about psychiatric side effects seen in some patients taking Tamiflu and Relenza, according to documents released Friday.

An FDA advisory panel will review the recommendations for the anti-viral influenza drugs at a meeting next week.

It based its recommendations on a review of nearly 600 cases of neuropsychiatric events reported by patients on Tamiflu and 115 cases of such events by patients taking Relenza.

In the case of Tamiflu, "the number of cases continues to increase," FDA staff wrote, in one of several documents posted ahead of the meeting.

The panel meeting will be the third public meeting on the safety of Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu, originally prompted by reports two years ago of a dozen deaths of children in Japan who had been taking the drug.

Experts then found no evidence of a direct connection between the drug and the deaths, although the FDA did ultimately update Tamiflu's label to add a caution urging close monitoring of patients for abnormal behaviour such as delirium or self-injury.

In documents prepared for the meeting next week and posted on the FDA's Web site, agency staff recommended that Tamiflu's label be strengthened further to note: "In some cases, these behaviors resulted in serious injuries, including death, in adult and pediatric patients."

Consumer group Public Citizen chided the agency for failing to note the reported adverse events earlier on the label.

"What is the justification for not warning people for these adverse events that have clearly occurred?" said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, head of Public Citizen's health research arm.

"Japan has said, 'stop using the drug if these things occur.' In [the U.S.], we haven't even mentioned that deaths have occurred."

Hallucinations, delirum seen in Relenza patients

In March, Japan warned against prescribing Tamiflu to young people aged 10 to 19 as more than 100 individuals, mostly young, showed signs of abnormal behaviour after taking the drug.

Earlier this year, Japan broadened its probe of Tamiflu to look at amantadine and GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Relenza.

The FDA staff also reviewed Relenza, a drug in the same class as Tamiflu, recommending its label be changed to note "reports of hallucinations, delirium and abnormal behaviour" observed in some patients taking the drug.

The current Relenza label has no label warning related to psychiatric events.

The FDA staff said the evidence is "conflicting" as to whether the events are medication-related, a manifestation of disease or a combination of the two.

It will present the advice to the advisory panel of experts meeting on Tuesday. The agency typically takes the advice of these panels but is not bound by them.
Source: CBC.ca

Resist the Drag and Clear the Air

Source: Women's Health September 2007

Shower Savings

Source: Women's Health November 2007

High lead levels found in children's umbrella

Parents are being urged to return a children's umbrella because it contains lead in excess of allowable limits under the Canadian Hazardous Products Act.

The Yellow Duck Handle Kids Umbrella, which comes in two different looks, has the style No. 79WWM.

Health Canada and A.C.I. Accessory Concepts of Oakville, Ont., which issued the joint urgent recall on Monday, said no injuries or illness have been reported. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.

Approximately 2,000 umbrellas were sold at Wal-Mart stores throughout Canada from January 2005 to Oct. 15, 2007.

The umbrellas can be returned for full refunds at point of purchase. No sales receipt is necessary. If umbrellas aren't returned, consumers are urged to carefully dispose of them so they cannot be reused.

For more information, consumers can call A.C.I. Accessory Concepts at (905) 829-1566 ext. 234.

Source: CBC.ca

Tread the Green Path with An Open Eye

Consumers Warned: Beware Of "Green" Product Claims

If businesses love one thing in their marketing it's riding a trend. And going green is definitely one of them. From hybrid vehicles to environmentally friendly aerosols, there's no shortage of items you can buy that promise you're getting a product you need while saving Mother Nature's hard-done-by hide.

But just when does that 'green' turn a shade of gray? According to a survey by Toronto-based environmental marketer TerraChoice, the answer may be a lot more often than you think. The organization sent researchers into six big box stores to look for every environmental claim made in the products sold there and wound up recording more than 1,000 of them in goods ranging from shampoo and air fresheners to mouthwashes and light bulbs. They found consumers aren't getting the straight goods from businesses that claim to be doing favours for the environment.

The vast majority of products marked as friendly to the planet contained labels that were either misleading or so vague it was hard to figure out what they were really saying. The organization refers to something it calls "greenwashing, a term defined as false environmental advertising designed to pull the synthetic wool over your eyes.

They claim advertisers know you want to help the environment and think nothing of making you believe you're doing just that. How bad did it get? Consider this: they say all but one of the 1,018 products surveyed "made claims that are either demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences."

Among them: paper products that trumpeted they were 10 per cent recycled, leaving questions about where the other 90 per cent came from; items whose labels scream "all natural", without saying what that really means. The group points out poisons like arsenic and mercury all are natural, too.

Then there are the CFC-free designations, even though chlorofluorocarbons were banned three decades ago. "What that claim basically says is: 'We're obeying the law.' Well, whoop-de-do," observes TerraChoice's Scott Case sarcastically.

And there's also the issue of hypocrisy. The group cites a dishwashing detergent that came in a box made of 100 per cent recycled paper - but was wrapped in never-degrading plastic wrap.

"We began to anecdotally observe a dramatic increase not only in the number of green claims in the marketplace, but also in the general lack of trustworthiness and effectiveness of much of that green marketing," notes TerraChoice's Stewart McDougall. "(Marketers) risk misleading their intended audiences."

The watchdog points out "six sins" it says marketers use liberally throughout their claims, a pattern that occurs over and over. The list:

1. The Hidden Trade-Off: like "energy-efficient" electronics that contain hazardous materials or recycled paper that used inefficient energy to make it.

2. No Proof: Among them: shampoos claiming to be "certified organic," with no verifiable evidence of that claim.

3. Vagueness: These are goods that don't exactly spell out what they mean and only skirt around their supposed environmental value. An example? Anything that claims to be chemical free. Chemicals are in just about everything - including the make-up of humans and animals. Also watch for "non-toxic", "all-natural", "environmentally-friendly", and "earth-friendly" which can sound good but mean nothing.

4. Irrelevance: The CFC instance cited above is a classic example of saying what's not there and never should have been.

5. Fibbing: Products that boast the backing of internationally known environmental groups when in fact there's no relation to any of them and they didn't give an endorsement.

6. Lesser of Two Evils: A bit subjective, but it's like putting perfume on a skunk. It still stinks, but maybe just a little less. Organic cigarettes or a hybrid SUV fall into this category. Better not to use either, researchers say.

None of it surprises the men in green. "Marketers are ... desperately grabbing for any environmental claim they can slap on the label because they think it will help them sell more products," Case observes.

The survey is eye-opening, but not always that helpful because those behind it have refused to release the names of the products they tested and found deficient. So what can you do if you can't tell green from greed? Case suggests looking for a label from a government agency called EcoLogo, a non-profit group that marks verified environmentally friendly items. For a list of the more than 7,000 North America-wide products they've approved and the reasons they passed, click here.

And remember that while many companies really do care about the environment, in the end the real green they're interested in is the stuff in your wallet.
Source: CityNews.ca

Benefits of Exercise Education Reaped in 65+

Retraining promotes physical fitness in seniors: study

Attribution retraining" may be the key to convincing seniors that advanced age is no excuse for
being physically unfit, according to American researchers.

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles used the technique, which changes a person's perceptions and patterns, to boost seniors' activity levels.

"We can teach older adults to get rid of those old beliefs that becoming sedentary is just a normal part of growing older," Dr. Catherine Sarkisian, assistant professor of geriatrics and the study's lead author, said in a release.

Four times a week, the study's 46 participants — all over the age of 65 — were taught in hour long sessions that activity can continue in old age.

The seniors then participated in exercise classes of the same duration and frequency. The classes focused on exercises that increased stamina, flexibility and strength.

During the seven-week study, the participants were fitted with electronic pedometers that counted how many steps they walked each week. They also filled out surveys that were meant to determine their views on aging and fitness.

Over the course of the pilot program, the people involved in the study increased the number of steps they took weekly from a mean of 24,749 to 30,707, an increase of 24 per cent.

The study was published online Thursday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study's participants also reported higher energy levels, less pain and an improvement in the quality of their sleep.

As for their views on exercise and aging, there was a 30 per cent increase in positive feelings towards aging and exercise, the researchers found.

Source:CBC.ca

Health Canada Foreign Product Usage Warning

Health Canada is advising consumers not to use 2 foreign health products due to concerns about possible side-effects:

Royal Medic No.1 Chinese Caterpillar Fungus is a proprietary Chinese medicine promoted as a general health tonic. Health Canada advises Canadians not to use this product due to microbial contamination.

Steripaste Medicated Paste Bandages may not be sterile therefore there is a possibility the bandage may cause a wound infection.

Source: HealthCanada

Weight Loss Drugs Reveal Minimal Effects - Study

No magic pills: Anti-obesity drugs provide only modest weight loss, study shows

Most severely overweight patients taking anti-obesity drugs will realize only modest weight loss, especially if they fail to augment the medications with regular exercise and a healthy diet, say Canadian researchers after reviewing numerous studies on the agents' effectiveness.

Despite being touted in the marketplace as miracle pills that can melt away pounds, doctors say that in reality the medications are no panacea to society's growing obesity epidemic and should only be taken by certain people.

"I think the most important thing that people need to understand is these are definitely not magic pills," said Dr. Raj Padwal, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Alberta and principal author of the review.

Padwal and his colleagues looked at the results of 30 clinical trials of three drugs recommended for obese patients for long-term use - orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant - and found that they helped people shed on average less than 11 pounds.

"We found that the amount of weight loss on average with these medications ranges between three and five kilograms," Padwal, who specializes in treating hypertension and obesity, said from Edmonton.

Orlistat (Xenical) reduced patients' weight by 6.4 pounds, sibutramine (Meridia) by about nine pounds and rimonabant (Acomplia) by just over 10 pounds in the studies, which each lasted at least a year. Participants had a mean weight of 220 pounds, with a body mass index (BMI) of 35. A BMI of 25 is considered normal.

In their analysis published in Friday's issue of the British Medical Journal, the researchers showed that those given one of the drugs were significantly more likely to achieve the minimum weight loss target of five to 10 per cent than those given a dummy pill.

But although the drugs overall can be beneficial in reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, they have differing side-effects that in some cases can be detrimental, Padwal pointed out.

For some people, sibutramine can significantly boost blood pressure; rimonabant - which is commonly prescribed in the U.K. and some European countries but not approved in Canada or the United States - can elevate the risk of mood disorders such as depression.

In fact, a review of studies published Friday in The Lancet shows that obese patients taking rimonabant have a 40 per cent increased risk of developing severe depression and anxiety compared to those taking a placebo. Participants were up to three times more likely to stop taking the drug because of those mood disorders.

Padwal said getting patients to stick with any of the three weight-loss drugs long-term is a challenge.

"There's a large disconnect between what patients want in terms of weight loss and what practitioners desire," he said. "So patients will often want to lose . . . about 30 to 40 per cent of their initial weight. They want to get down to the weight they were in high school, two to three decades earlier."

"And they're disappointed when they're told that's going to be difficult to achieve."

Cost is also a major factor: orlistat and sibutramine (the only ones approved in Canada) will set back patients $80 to $130 per month, he said, noting that the drugs along with rimonabant represent more than $1 billion in worldwide sales for their makers each year.

Patients may also stop taking the drugs because of adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset, anxiety or headaches.

But one of the biggest reasons, said Padwal, is the health-care system's failure to provide proper followup for Canadians battling obesity.

"We don't make it easy for individuals to see their practitioner if they want to have a visit regarding lifestyle changes or dietary counselling. And I think if people have to wait one to two hours to get in to see their doctor, it's unrealistic to think patients are going to come to us and wait that long for a medical assessment and counselling."

Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres, director of cardiology research at the Quebec Heart Institute, agrees that the system is far from ideal in helping overweight and obese Canadians trim excess fat and keep it off for good.

"In clinical practice we do a dismal job at this because we're not providing hospitals and physicians with adequate support with dietitians and exercise physiotherapists and kinesiologists," he said Thursday from Quebec City.

But Despres, who has studied the effects of rimonabant, said the medical community needs to redefine obesity. It should be based not on BMI but on waistline measurement and the proportion of abdominal fat - a much better indicator of weight-related risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, he said.

Furthermore, so-called weight-loss drugs should be used judiciously, he said, and only to cut a person's risk for heart attack and other conditions.

"There are some obese patients out there who are just fine, that are at very low risk of diabetes and heart disease, and they shouldn't take a weight-loss drug, period. It's not worth it," said Despres, who was not involved in Padwal's research group.

"It's like managing hypertension or high cholesterol. Why do you give a drug? You give a drug because you have no other option. If you don't, people are going to die, people are going to develop diabetes."

Padwal said the pills will assist in achieving the five to 10 per cent threshold. "Some people will have more weight loss . . . but that's very rare."

"So people have to understand the reason to prescribe these medications is to improve the obesity-related co-morbidities (illnesses) that they have. And if they stop the medication, they're going to see the weight back."

In an editorial accompanying the review, Dr. Gareth Williams, dean of medicine and dentistry at the University of Bristol, said he has reservations about the U.S. approval of a half-strength form of orlistat for over-the-counter purchase without a prescription.

"Even though orlistat seems to be innocuous, selling it over the counter could cause insidious collateral damage," writes Williams. "Globally, obesity is spiralling out of control and will only be reined in by public health campaigns that somehow persuade people to eat less and exercise more."

"Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill and could further undermine the efforts to promote healthy living, which is the only long-term escape from obesity."

Source: CBC.ca

Blood Pressure Tweak Elevates Awareness

Source: Men's Health October 2007

Compliments Burgers Recall - Possible E. Coli

Compliments frozen beef burgers recalled over E. coli fears

Canada's food watchdog has issued a health hazard alert warning consumers that some packages of Compliments frozen beef burgers may be contaminated with the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday said Mississauga-based Cardinal Meat Specialists Ltd. is recalling the following products:

• Compliments Super 8 Beef Burgers, 1.36 kilograms, UPC 55742 37055, best before date May 7, 2008.
• Compliments Beef Burgers with Omega 3, 1.13 kilograms, UPC 55742 35724, best before date May 7, 2008.
• Compliments Balance Lean Beef burgers, 907 grams, UPC 55742 36814, best before date May 7, 2008.

The products were distributed across the country. One associated illness has been reported.

The agency said food contaminated with E. coli may not look or smell spoiled. It warned that consumption of food contaminated with the bacteria may cause death or serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses, such as permanent kidney damage.

Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Some people may have seizures or strokes and some may need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis.

Consumers with questions can call the CFIA at 1-800-442-2342.

Source: CBC.ca

Ease Fibromyalgia with Holistic Exercise Approach

Exercise eases fibromyalgia pain

Regular walks and stretching exercises can help ease the chronic, depressing pain of fibromyalgia, a mysterious ailment with no obvious cure, researchers said on Monday.

Striking more than 3 per cent of U.S. women and 0.5 per cent of men, the illness' primary symptoms are debilitating pain throughout the body -- often with sensitivity and stiffness focused in the joints. Other symptoms include sleep problems, fatigue and depression.

No single test can diagnose fibromyalgia, and sometimes patients are treated with behavioural therapy.

Pregablin, a drug that calms nerve cells, gained U.S. regulatory approval in June to treat the pain from fibromyalgia. It is sold as Lyrica by Pfizer Inc.

In a study of 207 women aged 18 to 75 diagnosed with fibromyalgia, researchers assigned one group to a twice-weekly aerobic and stretching program for 16 weeks. Another group added mild strength training, a third group attended a two-hour education course every two weeks, and a fourth combined all the approaches. The 135 women who completed the courses were reevaluated six months later.

"An appropriately structured exercise program that involves progressive walking and flexibility movements with or without strength training improves physical, emotional and social function," concluded study author Daniel Rooks of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Assessing their own well-being, the participants scored better in such categories as pain reduction, physical functioning and vitality after completing the courses. Those who both exercised and took the education course improved the most.

"The beneficial effect on physical function of exercise alone and in combination with education persisted at six months," Dr. Rooks said in the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Such findings should encourage people with aches and pains to exercise more, as they tend to be "even less active than the relatively sedentary general public," the report said.

Source: TheGlobeandMail.com

Toothpaste Cleans More than Teeth

Source: WIRED Oct 2007

Bike Incentives in Ontario - Tax Free

Bikes And Helmets PST-Free As Of December 1st

t may not be as free wheeling as you'd like, but it's a start - the provincial government is giving cyclists a gift that may just allow them to afford a better bike. Beginning December 1st, the provincial sales tax is being removed from all bicycles, bike helmets and bike related safety equipment sold in Ontario, in an effort to encourage people to get more active.

The tax axe falls on two wheelers that sell for under $1,000. It won't come as any surprise that those who pedal the conveyances for a living are welcoming the idea. Most believe it will be good for business, and even though the cold has terminated the riding season for some, the levy severing comes just in time for Christmas.

The McGuinty government explains the move as being a proactive idea to get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes, potentially taking a large number of cars off the road. That might work better in the summer than in the coming months - Ontario's winter climate isn't exactly conducive to a long bike ride into work in the snow, slush, ice, wind and rain.

Source: CityNews.ca

Alcohol Linked to Cancer - Harmful to Women's Health

Booze linked to cancer

Even moderation harmful

There's yet another reason to stay away from booze.

Drinking alcohol can now be definitively added to the list of factors that contribute to cancer.

It's long been known that alcohol is a carcinogenic, but new research confirms that even moderate drinking poses a cancer risk. New research shows one drink of alcohol a day increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 7 to 10%.

In light of this disturbing trend, the Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) will be holding a seminar today at the St. Lawrence Hall with cancer experts on alcohol, cancer and public policy to address research and emerging prevention opportunities.

"We will give biological reasons on how alcohol is acting to influence all these cancers and look into the number of people who are actually being killed by alcohol via cancer," said Dr. Jurgen Rehm, section head of public health and regulatory policy at CAMH.

According to the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer, almost 460,000 cancer deaths worldwide in 2002 were caused by alcohol.

In Canada, alcohol is killing more than 1,800 people a year and leading the number of deaths caused by alcohol is esophageal cancer in men at 400 deaths a year and breast cancer in women at 300 deaths.

For more information, log onto camh.net

Source: Sun Media

Energy Drink Potentially Boosts Negative Heart Effects

That energy drink's jolt

The increasingly popular high-caffeine beverages called energy drinks may do more than give people a jolt of energy – they may also boost heart rates and blood pressure levels, researchers said on Tuesday.

The results of a small study prompted the researchers to advise people who have high blood pressure or heart disease to avoid energy drinks because they could elevate their blood pressure or change the effectiveness of their medications.

The drinks generally have high levels of caffeine and taurine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods such as meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure, the researchers said.

"We saw increases in both blood pressure and heart rate in healthy volunteers who were just sitting in a chair watching movies. They weren't exercising. They were in a resting state," James Kalus of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who led the study, said in an interview.

The increases did not rise to dangerous levels in the group of 15 healthy volunteers, whose average age was 26, the researchers said.

The increases potentially could be significant, however, in people with cardiovascular disease or those taking drugs to lower heart rate or blood pressure, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

"While the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or coffee may cause a slight and temporary increase in blood pressure, it would have no greater effect than walking up a flight of steps," the American Beverage Association industry trade group said in a statement responding to the findings.

"So singling out energy drinks in a unique manner, particularly when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinated beverage like coffee, does not provide a full and proper context for consumers."

Boosting energy

The products have names like Coca-Cola's Full Throttle, Pepsico's Amp and Monarch's Rush. Red Bull, made by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, is a market leader. Beverage companies market various energy drinks as soft drinks that can boost a person's energy.

Mr. Kalus declined to say which brand of energy drink was used in the study. He said the drinks generally contain similar ingredients, adding, "By giving the brand, it would dilute the message that all of these drinks need to be looked at."

The study participants were asked not to consume other forms of caffeine for two days before starting the study and then throughout a study in which they consumed two cans of energy drinks daily over seven days. Each can contained 80 milligrams of caffeine and 1,000 milligrams of taurine.

The volunteers' heart rates rose about 8 per cent on the first day and 11 per cent on the seventh day.

Maximum systolic blood pressure – the top number in blood pressure readings that represents pressure while the heart contracts – rose by 8 per cent on the first day and 10 per cent on the seventh day, the study showed.

Diastolic blood pressure – the bottom number that gives the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats – rose 7 per cent on the first day and 8 per cent on the seventh day.

The study did not identify ingredients responsible for the changes, but Mr. Kalus said it probably was caffeine and taurine.

Mr. Kalus said the study did not address possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, such as mixing them with alcohol.

Source:TheGlobeandMail.com

Choking Hazard - Fisher Price Children's Toy Recall

155,000 Fisher-Price kitchen toys recalled for choking hazard

Fisher-Price has announced a global recall of about 155,000 Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen toys because they pose a choking danger to young children.

The recall issued Tuesday affects 12,500 English editions and 2,400 French versions of the toy sold in Canada. The toy was manufactured in Mexico.

The company warns its kitchen sets' faucets and clock hands contain small pieces that may come loose and present a choking hazard.

There has been one incident of pieces detaching from the clock hand along with two reports of parts releasing from the faucet in Canada.

The toys have been sold in stores across the country since May 2007 for about $70. Parents should remove the affected toys from their children's play area and contact the company for a repair kit.
Source: CBC.ca

Natural Protection against ills of Radiation - Study

Antioxidants in grains, legumes offer radiation protection: study

Two powerful antioxidants that occur naturally in legumes and bran may protect against cellular damage caused by radiation, new research suggests.

Inositol, found in rice, wheat, rye and soybean seeds and IP6, found in wheat bran, whole grains and legumes, offered protection against the sun's ultraviolet B radiation in tests on mice that had been genetically engineered to be predisposed to skin cancer.

The findings were presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine in Singapore.

Researchers at the Maryland School of Medicine exposed mice to UVB radiation three times a week. In mice that drank water laced with a two per cent solution of IP6, 23 per cent developed tumours. But in the group that was irradiated but not given any antioxidants, the incidence of tumours was 54 per cent.

In studies in which IP6 and inositol were mixed with a skin cream and applied externally to the mice before they were exposed to radiation, the antioxidants also offered some protection. In the mice that were given the skin cream, 62 per cent developed tumours at 31 weeks while 76 per cent of the untreated mice developed tumours.

The researchers believe that the antioxidants repaired damaged DNA in the irradiated cells.

IP6 certainly has some interactivity with DNA, but how exactly it works to repair DNA is still something of a mystery," said Abulkalam Shamsuddin, professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a release.

People are exposed to UVB radiation through sunlight and when receiving medical treatment, such as radiation therapy for cancer. As well, pilots and airline staff are routinely exposed to radiation when flying aircraft. "Radiation, particularly ionizing radiation, has cytotoxic effects on cells and tissues," reads the report.

The researchers say that chronic exposure to UVB radiation can lead to cell death and increase a person's risk of developing cancer. But they believe that inositol and IP6 can be protective in these circumstances.

"It is possible that people regularly exposed to ionizing radiation, such as airline pilots, frequent fliers or people who handle radioactive materials, might take IP6 prophylactically to prevent possible long-term effects of exposure," Shamsuddin said.

He believes that in the future IP6 or inositol could even be used to protect people against nuclear accidents or a "dirty bomb" in which huge amounts of radiation could be released into the surrounding environment.

Source: CBC.ca

Bayer Suspends Trayslol at Health Canada's Request

At the request of Health Canada, the manufacturer Bayer Inc. has temporarily suspended marketing of the drug Trasylol (aprotinin), an anti-bleeding drug, pending a review of preliminary results from a clinical trial (the BART study) that suggested an increased risk of death.

Bayer Inc. will work with Health Canada so that the drug can be made available to certain patients in cases where the doctor believes the potential benefit clearly outweighs the risk.
Source: Health Canada

Possible E. Coli Tainted Beef Warning

Food Inspection Agency Warns Against Tainted Beef With Possible E. Coli Connection

Canadian health and food safety inspectors are erring on the side of caution, choosing to warn the public about a possible connection between contaminated meat from an Alberta-based faciliy and a fatal E. coli outbreak, despite the fact that an investigation has yet to confirm a link.

"These cases had the same unique genetic pattern associated with it," Canadian Food Inspection Agency recall specialist Garfield Balsom said in reference to products from Rancher's Beef Ltd. of Balzac, Alta. "The linkage we had made with Rancher's was not associated with the illnesses, or any source of the illnesses that occured this summer," he said. "There was nothing common that could link us back to a particular source for that outbreak."

A total of 46 cases of E. coli illness scattered across the country were reported between July and September.

The CFIA has released the following expanded list of 17 locations and dates where potentially contaminated beef products, products that are likely no longer available for sale, but could still be in consumers' freezers. There have been no reported illnesses associated with consumption of these products.

Alberta

Blackman's Butcher Shop, Grand Prairie: chuck-eye roll, chuck-eye steak "Pure Beef Patties" (9 lb. box, frozen), "Seasoned Lean" beef patties (9 lb. box, frozen), lean ground beef sold Aug. 3-24 inclusive

Saskatchewan

B & D Meats, Weyburn: lean ground beef and hamburger beef patties, sold July 24-31 inclusive

Jankes Meat, Weyburn: rib-eye steak and seasoned burgers (5 lb. cases), sold July 24-29 and Aug. 20-26 inclusive.

Boryski's Butcher Block, Saskatoon: rib-eye and striploin steaks, sold July 30-Aug. 4 inclusive.

Manitoba

Food Fare, Winnipeg: boneless chuck blade roast and steak, boneless cross-rib roast and steak and ground beef, sold July 23-Aug. 18 inclusive.

Frostland Meats (trading as Dutch Market Meat), Winnipeg: regular ground beef and rib-eye steaks, sold Aug. 9-12 inclusive.

Harry's Foods, Winnipeg: bulk pack boneless blade steak, boneless chuck blade roast and steak, boneless cross-rib roast and steak, regular, lean and extra-lean ground beef, and fresh stewing beef, sold July 23-Aug. 17 inclusive.

Ontario

Consumer Frosted Foods, Kenora: chuck roast, lip-on rib-eye steak and roast, and stewing beef, sold July 30-Aug. 10 inclusive

Renco Foods, Thunder Bay: blade steak, boneless blade roast, cross-rib steak and roast, regular, medium and lean ground beef, and lip-on rib-eye steak, sold July 27-Aug. 14 inclusive.

Country Good Meats, Thunder Bay: blade steak, boneless blade roast, extra lean and lean ground beef, pot roast, rib-eye roast and steak and stewing beef, sold July 27-Aug. 14 inclusive.

Cottom Cold Storage Meats, Windsor: ground beef and steak, sold June 27 -July 3 inclusive.

Dunrobin Village Meat, Dunrobin: lean and regular ground beef and sirloin steak, sold June 26-July 7 inclusive

Grey County Meats, Maxwell: top sirloin steak, sold June 26-Aug. 4 inclusive.

Moncion Grocers, Petawawa Market, Petawawa: lean, medium and regular ground beef, top sirloin steak and roast, sold June 26-July 7 inclusive.

Northern Meat Packers Ltd., Trout Creek: hamburger (ground beef) and top sirloin steak, sold June 26-30 inclusive

P.S. Shop at Home, Toronto: sirloin steak, sold June 29-July 29 inclusive.

Toronto Wholesale Meats, Toronto: "arrosto" (Italian roast), steak and stewing beef, sold June 26-30 inclusive.

Source: CityNews.ca

Nationwide M and M Shrimp Recall

Drug Scare Prompts M and M Meat Shops To Recall Shrimp Products

Shrimp products sold in M and M Meat Shops across Canada are being recalled because of possible drug contamination.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Port Dover, Ont.-based company said breaded shrimp and coconut shrimp products in 400-gram packages may be contain nitrofurans, drugs banned for use in Canada in food-producing animals.

So far, there are no reports of anyone becoming ill from consuming the seafood products.
Source: CityNews.ca

Avoid Going Up In Smoke with These Tips

What You Don't Know About Smoke Alarms Can Kill You

It's not often you shell out money for something you don't ever want to use. But smoke detectors are a different animal than most products. Many of us will change the battery in our alarms this weekend, as you we proceed with the annual clock changing ritual. But is the device designed to warn you about a fire in your home working properly? And do you need a new one?

Some people aren't aware that changing the battery may not be enough. Smoke detectors don't last forever - most have about a 10-year lifespan. And the law in Ontario says there has to a working model on every floor of your house, or you could face a big fine. But that's still a lot better than facing a big fire.

"You normally see a rise in fires during the winter months so it's the perfect opportunity to change your battery," explained Marla Friebe, Toronto Fire Services.

One of the reasons smoke alarms don't work is because people disconnect them themselves when they're cooking. But instead of turning it off altogether Friebe suggested pushing the "hush" button that sits on the front of the casing.

"It will silence the alarm for just a few minutes, reset itself and then it's primed for working again when you need it most," she said.

And another thing that can seriously hinder the device from functioning properly is dust. So after you've set your clocks back this weekend, you might want to take a minute to clean out your smoke alarm by popping open the lid and vacuuming the inside with the wand of your vacuum.

A little effort and maintenance will go a long way and could potentially save your life. And another thing to keep in mind is that smoke alarms don't detect deadly and odourless carbon monoxide. You need a separate alarm for that.

Statistics show that 14 people lost their lives in house fires in Toronto last year alone.

Fire/Smoke Alarm Tips (information courtesy of Toronto Fire):

• Install smoke alarms on the ceiling of every level of your home and near sleeping areas
• Test your smoke alarms regularly by pressing the test button
• Change the batteries in your alarms at least once a year
• Create a family fire escape plan and practise it
• Prevent dust from clogging your smoke alarms by gently vacuuming them with a soft brush every six months. Never vacuum electrically connected alarms unless you shut off the power. Test each unit when finished.

Choosing A Fire/Smoke Alarm (information courtesy of the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office):

There are two types of fire/smoke alarms: ionization or photoelectric type alarms

What's the difference?

Ionization:
This type of alarm uses a small amount of radioactive material to ionize air in the sensing chamber. As a result, the air chamber becomes conductive permitting current to flow between two charged electrodes. When smoke particles enter the chamber, the conductivity of the chamber air decreases. When this reduction in conductivity is reduced to a predetermined level, the alarm is set off. Most smoke alarms in use are of this type.

Photoelectric:
A photoelectric type smoke alarm consists of a light emitting diode and a light sensitive sensor in the sensing chamber. The presence of suspended smoke particles in the chamber scatters the light beam. This scattered light is detected and sets off the alarm.

Which type of alarm is more effective?

There is no simple answer to this question. The two types operate on different principles and therefore may respond differently to various conditions. Some advantages to each type are set out below:

Ionization

• Fastest type to respond to flaming fires Lowest cost and most commonly sold
• Some models have a hush or temporary silence feature that allows silencing without removing the battery
• Some models are available with a long life battery

Photoelectric

• Fastest type to respond to slow smoldering fires and white or gray smoke
• Less prone to nuisance alarms from cooking

Many newer models now come with a temporary silencing device that turns them off if you're cooking, preventing the detectors from responding to smoke from a not-so-distant fire.

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What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a gas that you can't see, smell or taste. It's produced by gas or oil furnaces, space and water heaters, clothes dryers, ovens, wood stoves and other household appliances that run on fossil fuels - such as wood, gas, oil or coal.

Why is carbon monoxide so deadly?

When you inhale carbon monoxide, it can cause brain damage, suffocation or death. Because you cannot see, smell or taste this deadly gas, poisoning can happen to anyone, any time, anywhere. Everyone is at risk but pregnant women, young children, senior citizens and people with heart and lung problems are at greater risk. If your home is well sealed or not well ventilated, the levels of carbon monoxide in the air may easily rise to deadly levels.

Warning signs

Carbon monoxide poisoning and the flu seem a lot alike at first. Early warning signs of low-level poisoning include tiredness, headaches, dizziness, nausea or vomiting and shortness of breath. Your skin may also turn pink or red in response to rising blood pressure. If you experience any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and should call 9-1-1 as well as talk to your doctor.

Protect yourself

Install at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home, especially outside sleeping areas. There are several types of detectors, including battery-operated and plug-in models. Install the carbon monoxide detector according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Have a qualified service technician inspect and clean your fuel-burning appliances, furnace, vent pipe and chimney flues once a year. Bird nests, twigs and old mortar in chimneys can block proper ventilation and lead to build-up of carbon monoxide gas in the home.

Maintenance

Test your carbon monoxide detector regularly to make sure it is operating properly. The owner's manual should tell you how to test your alarm. Remember to check the manual for information on when to buy a new carbon monoxide detector.

What should you do if the detector alarm sounds?

You and all members of your household should leave your home immediately. From outside the home, call 911. Don't go back inside until the problem has been found and corrected. The Fire Services will inspect your home to find the source of the carbon monoxide.

Outside

Carbon monoxide isn't really a problem in the open air. But you should never run your car in the garage with the door closed. The results are always deadly.

Information courtesy Toronto Public Health

Source: CityNews.ca

Drug for Neurodegenerative Disease potentially Harmful

Drug tested on neurodegenerative diseases could be harmful: scientists

Minocycline, an antibiotic being tested as a possible treatment for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, may actually cause harm, a group of U.S. scientists has warned.

The scientists reported that in a clinical trial of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, those who received the drug minocycline declined more rapidly than those who received a placebo.

Their report, published Thursday in the journal Lancet Neurology, comes just a week after the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced it was funding a multi-centre Phase 3 trial to look at whether the inexpensive and off-patent minocycline can slow the progression of MS when treatment is started in the earliest stages of the disease.

One of the lead researchers in the MS study, Dr. Wee Yong of the University of Calgary, admitted the U.S. findings gave him pause when he heard them presented in April at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

But Yong said he thinks the trial should proceed. "We will of course be cautious," Yong said in an interview. "We are always cautious in a clinical trial. But we don't really want to kill anything too early because of what is observed in another context which may not have any bearing to the current condition that we're trying to treat."

"I should point out that we are dealing with different diseases altogether. The pathology or the reason for ALS is very much different from the pathophysiology of MS."

The U.S. researchers were studying minocycline as a possible therapy for ALS, a progressive and eventually fatal degeneration of motor neurons that destroys the brain's ability to instruct the body to move.

The study was led out of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, but involved investigators from medical institutions across the United States.

Early tests positive

Testing in mice genetically engineered to suffer from ALS showed the drug was beneficial. Likewise, early testing in humans — the small Phase 1 and 2 trials designed to establish safety and look for early signs of effectiveness — were sufficiently positive to allow the researchers to proceed to a larger and more expensive Phase 3 trial.

But there, to their surprise, they discovered that people taking the drug declined and died more rapidly than people who received a placebo.

"We were shocked. We were just absolutely stunned when we saw these results," one of the lead investigators, Dr. Robert Miller, said from San Francisco, where he is director of the Forbes Norris ALS Research Center at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute.

"That was our first thought. But our second thought was that we need to get these results out because we need to avoid this happening to other people with other diseases."

Miller and his co-authors acknowledge in their article that their animal model might have been faulty, or they might have been using too high a dose of the drug.

But they also cautioned researchers who are studying minocycline as a potential therapy for conditions such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, stroke and MS to take note of their results.

"The justification for these trials should be reassessed in light of our findings: Minocycline might have a detrimental effect on patients with neurological diseases other than ALS," they wrote.

Yong and his colleagues have also conducted animal studies and Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in humans and have seen nothing that suggests minocycline would be harmful in MS patients.

Source: CBC.ca

Halloween Teeth and Toy Soldier Recall Due to High Lead Levels

Toy soldiers, Halloween teeth recalled over lead-poisoning fears

From toy soldiers to monster teeth, tens of thousands of Chinese-made toys were swept from North American store shelves Wednesday because they contain high levels of lead.

In the largest such recall, major toy retailer Toys "R" Us pulled about 16,000 Chinese-made Elite Operations toys from its U.S. stores because their surface paint contains excessive levels of lead.

A Health Canada spokeswoman said only 52 of the military-style toys had been sold in Canada, and were also being recalled.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers early on Wednesday - Halloween Day - that $2 packages of "Ugly Teeth" sold by the tens of thousands since last year contain excessive amounts of lead.

The joke teeth, identified by product numbers 394207 and 390630, were imported from China by Amscan Canada of Dorval, Que. Health Canada said 571 of the items had been sold across the country at a variety of retail outlets.

An Amscan spokesman said the company was in the process of contacting retailers to ask that they be removed from shelves.

Wednesday's Toys "R" Us recall in Canada included three Elite Operations toy sets: the Command Patrol Center (Sku 661317), the Barracuda Helicopter with two figures (Sku 661287) and the Combatant Squad three-pack of 20-centimetre (8-inch) figures (Sku 577286 ).

Joey Rathwell, a Health Canada spokeswoman, said the excessive lead levels had been found in paint used on the toys' logos. She said the products were new stock and most were unsold and had been removed from shelves.

Rathwell noted that the "Ugly Teeth" were particularly dangerous because "they are meant to go in the mouth." Simply handling the product "would not cause major lead poisoning."

Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause neurological damage.

Under Canada's Hazardous Products Act, lead content in paints applied to toys must not exceed 600 milligrams per kilogram.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or illness in connection with either recall.

This is the second recall of lead-tainted children's products for Toys "R" Us this month. Earlier in the month, the company recalled Totally Me! Funky Room Decor Sets, also due to high lead levels in surface paints.

Source: CBC.ca