ChemNutra, a Las Vegas-based importer and distributor of wheat gluten, announced a recall of nearly 800 metric tons of the product. The tainted batch, imported from Chinese supplier Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd., was found to have the presence of the chemical melamine and has been connected with the pet food contamination scare that has killed dozens of cats and dogs.

ChemNutra supplies wheat gluten to three pet-food manufacturers and one distributor within the pet-food industry. The company says it does not supply wheat gluten to any producers of human food. The recall applies to 25 kg. bags of wheat gluten that were shipped from ChemNutra’s Kansas City plant between November 9, 2006, and March 8, 2007.
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Pesticides and other toxic environmental agents can be dangerous risk factors in the development of Parkinson’s disease, according to the latest research by the Parkinson’s Institute. Surprisingly, however, the group also noted that nicotine may actually help fight Parkinson’s disease.

The Collaborative Centers for Parkinson’s Disease Environmental Research (CCPDER) is a joint study effort sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and includes scientists from Emory University, UCLA, and the Parkinson’s Institute, which has coordinated the study.
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This week, Pfizer ran television ads promoting their controversial arthritis drug, Celebrex, for the first time in more than two years. The move came following protracted negotiations between Pfizer and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who had asked Pfizer to voluntarily suspend its television marketing of Celebrex in December of 2004–a time when the safety of the drug was under close scrutiny.

The ads take a new tack: They stress the significant risks associated with the drug early on, comparing them with the risks of rival painkillers naproxen and ibuprofen. Only later on in the ads do they mention the drug’s benefits.
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For years, smoking has been known to increase the risk of gum disease, but a new study has shown specifically that even secondhand smoke can lead to bone and tooth loss. The study is published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Periodontology.

“This study really drives home the fact that even if you don’t smoke the effects of secondhand smoke can be devastating. Part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle should include avoiding smoke-filled places such as night clubs, bars, and even some restaurants,” said Dr. Preston D. Miller, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, who publishes the journal. “The Academy applauds the cities that are taking steps to make their hospitality industries smoke-free so all patrons can enjoy not only a good time but also good overall health.”
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While some politicians and business leaders hailed the historic free-trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and South Korea, a host of consumer advocates are worried that the pact may lead to an increase in prescription-drug costs in both nations.

Writing in the online public affairs journal TomPaine.com, authors Sean Flynn and Sharon Treat note that the trade agreement “could jeopardize state programs that provide medicines for America’s poor and elderly.”
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The district attorney of Sacramento County, California, has decided not to file criminal charges in the case of a 28-year-old woman who died as a result of water intoxication following an on-air radio-station contest. However, the attorney representing the victim’s family announced his plans to move forward with a civil wrongful-death suit, claiming the station’s negligence led to the victim’s death.

Jennifer Strange, a mother of three, had participated in a contest, run by The End (KDND, 107.9 FM) in Sacramento, called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii,” in which the winner was to receive a Nintendo Wii video-game system. Participants were asked to drink copious amounts of water during a three-hour period without going to the bathroom, and the contestant who drank the most water without relieving himself or herself would be ruled the winner.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation that the company must cease its marketing of Zelnorm (tegaserod), a prescription drug used in the treatment of constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). According to the FDA, Zelmorm has been associated with an “increased risk of serious cardiovascular adverse events (heart problems).” Novartis has agreed to voluntarily suspend its marketing of Zelnorm.

Zelnorm was first approved by the FDA in 2002 to treat constipated women with IBS, and the approval was expanded two years later to treat chronic constipation in both men and women younger than 65. However, recent randomized trials conducted by Novartis have called into question the drug’s safety, and the FDA now says that “for most patients the benefits of this drug no longer outweigh the risks.” According to the data, “the risk of serious cardiovascular adverse events (e.g., angina, heart attacks, and strokes) associated with use of Zelnorm is higher than with placebo treatment.”
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In a landmark environmental ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks. In addition, it also ruled that the EPA had an obligation to regulate heat-trapping emissions that may affect global climate change, unless they can offer scientific proof to the contrary. The 5-4 decision was a significant blow to the Bush Administration, who’d argued unsuccessfully that carbon dioxide and other tailpipe emissions were not subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act.

In Justice John Paul Stevens’s majority opinion, which was backed by Justices Souter, Ginsburg, Kennedy, and Breyer, the Court ruled that the EPA had flouted the “clear statutory command” of the Clean Air Act and that tailpipe emissions definitely qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act’s broad definition. While the ruling cannot force the EPA to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, it opens the door for further legal challenges if the agency should fail to do so.
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