News Letter March, 2009

News Letter

Zhion's News Letter March 24, 2009
Issue No.: 00003
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STORIES AROUND US

Make sure that we have enough sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation's annual poll of 2009 estimated that
Americans get an average of about 6.7 hours of sleep during a
weekday. Aside from financial anxieties, in just a decade society has
become more around-the clock and more complex. According to the
report, with the advent of the Internet, cell phone, Blackberries,
people are able to be active at any time from anywhere, and this
increased activity is essentially giving sleep less importance. Doctors
warn about the effects of sleep deprivation, such as car accidents,
depression, anxiety and cardiovascular problems. We should have at
least seven to eight hours a day. [1]

[1] Why we're sleeping less, CNN March 6, 2009

Obesity can trim 10 years off life
In a study of 265 patients with pancreatic cancer, Dr. Jason B.
Fleming, from the University of Texas, Houston, observed Cancer was
12 times more likely to be found to have spread to the lymph nodes in
patients with BMIs of 35 of more, compared to those with lower BMIs.
[Click here for details]

Youth Ends At Age 27
Professor Timothy Salthouse of the University of Virginia found
reasoning, spatial visualisation and speed of thought all decline at age
of about 27. Things like memory stayed intact until the age of 37, in
general, while abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as
performance on tests of vocabulary or general information, increased
until the age of 60.

Supplements and Food

The side effect of green tea extract
I have updated the article of green tea extract (epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG)). Recent report suggests EGCG induced hippocampal neuron
death through the mitochondrion-dependent pathway. I don't know how
prolonged excessive drinking of green tea affects our body. [click here to read]

One product, 7 labels
I read an "olds". In 2007, NBTY, Inc. conducted nationwide recalled 3 lots of
Shark Cartilage Capsules manufactured in 2004 because they have the
potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The Shark Cartilage Capsules
were packaged for various NBTY divisions and sold under seven labels:
Puritan's Pride brand Shark Cartilage Capsules, Good and Natural brand Shark
Cartilage Capsules, Nature's Bounty brand Shark Cartilage Capsules,Natural
Wealth brand Shark Cartilage Capsules, Physiologics brand Shark Cartilage
Capsules, Rexall Sundown brand Shark Cartilage Capsules and Vitamin World
brand Shark Cartilage Capsules. [FDA News May 26, 2007]

Mushrooms
Researchers found that women consuming at least a third of an ounce of fresh
mushrooms every day were 64 per cent less likely to develop a tumor. Dried
mushrooms had a slightly less protective effect, reducing the risk by around
half.
Diseases

An elephant calf that apparently caught an antibiotic-resistant staph infection
from a San Diego zoo caretaker passed the infection to more than a dozen
other zoo caretakers! This is the first reported case of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, in an elephant and the first suspected
transmission of the bug from an animal to human caretakers at a zoo. [Click
here to read information about MRSA]

Industry Stories

About KV Pharmaceutical Company
The FDA announced a Consent Decree of permanent injunction filed March 2,
2009, enjoining KV Pharmaceutical Company, its subsidiaries ETHEX
Corporation and Ther-Rx Corporation, and its principal officers from making
and distributing adulterated and unapproved drugs. The injunction against KV
and the other defendants, once entered by the court, will prevent them from
manufacturing and shipping drugs until the firm obtains FDA approval. It will
remain in place until the defendants sustain continuous compliance with FDA's
current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and new drug approval
requirements for six years. [FDA News, March 2, 2009]

Risk of Wearing Medicated Patches During MRIs
Certain adhesive patches that deliver medication through the skin have been
found to be a risk to patient safety. The patches, if worn while undergoing
magnetic resonance imaging scans or MRIs, can cause skin burns. The FDA
issued the Public Health Advisory on transdermal drug patches after learning
that a warning was missing on some patches that contain aluminum or other
metals in their non-adhesive backing. The backing is the portion of the patch
not in direct contact with the skin. While not attracted to the magnetic field of
the MRI, the metal can conduct electricity, generating heat which can cause
burns. [FDA News, March 2, 2009]

DNA test for HPV approved
The FDA on March 12, 2009 approved the first DNA test that identifies the two
types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause the majority of cervical cancers
among women in the United States. HPV is the most common sexually
transmitted infection in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimates that more than 6 million Americans become infected
with genital HPV each year and that more than half of all sexually active women
and men become infected at some time in their lives.[FDA News, March 13,
2009]