Pet Food Recall

According to the Seattle Times, Diamond Pet Foods has expanded its recall of dog food made at its Gaston, S.C., plant to include more brands, including some Kirkland Signature products, Costco’s private label, because of Salmonella contamination.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that several brands of dry dog food made at Diamond’s South Carolina facility tested positive for Salmonella Infantis, a rare strain that has infected at least 14 people. The individuals became ill either through handling the tainted kibble or having contact with a dog that had eaten it. The outbreak has now spread across nine states.

Although Diamond has claimed no dog illnesses have been linked to the outbreak, Food Safety News reports the claim may be leaving some pet owners with a false sense of security because state and federal agencies don’t track pet illnesses. So although no dog illnesses have been reported, that doesn’t mean no dog illnesses have occurred, it says.

The Kirkland Signature products included in the recall are:

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Lamb, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Adult Dog Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Mature Dog Chicken, Rice & Egg Formula (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Dog Formulated with Chicken & Vegetables (Best Before December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Maintenance Cat Chicken & Rice Formula (Best Before Dec. 9, 2012 through Jan. 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Super Premium Healthy Weight Cat Formula (Dec. 9, 2012 through Jan. 31, 2013)

– Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato Formula for Dogs (Dec. 9, 2012 through Jan. 31, 2013)

To determine if their pet food is recalled, the FDA recommends consumers check the production codes on the back of bags; they must have both a number “3″ in the ninth position AND an “X” in the 11th position. The best-before dates for the recalled brands listed are Dec. 9, 2012 through Jan. 31, 2013.

The recall affects only products distributed Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Other brands included in the recall are:

– Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul
– Country Value
– Diamond
– Diamond Naturals
– Premium Edge
– Professional
– 4Health
– Taste of the Wild

The FDA also indicated that Natural Balance Pet Foods, Apex Pet Food, Candide Pet Foods and WellPet LLC have also issued voluntary recalls.

Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain, according to the FDA. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.

Human Flesh Capsules

The so called “human flesh pills” are to be highly scrutinized by South Korean officials from what is a form of pills that is steadily increasing in South Korea.

According to reports, The Korea Customs Service said it had found that almost 17,500 human flesh capsules were being smuggled into the country from China since August 2011.

BBC reports that the inspection will be increased on the shipments of drugs arriving from northeast China.

Officials have said that the powdered flesh was made from dead babies and fetuses and reportedly cured disease and boost stamina.

A South Korean custom official said: “It was confirmed those capsules contain materials harmful to the human body, such as super bacteria. We need to take tougher measures to protect public health.”

Junior Seau Dies

43-year old 12-time NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Junior Seau died on Wednesday May 2, 2012 from an apparent suicide.

Police confirmed that he was found dead in his home near San Diego, the result of a gunshot wound.

Police are investigating the shooting at the Oceanside, California, residence of the former New England Patriot and San Diego Chargers football star as a suicide. Police confirmed that Seau was found by his girlfriend at his beachfront home with a gunshot wound to his chest.

Junior Seau Dead

Police received a call at 9:35 a.m. PST from Seau’s girlfriend, who informed police Seau was unconscious with a gunshot wound, before making their way to Seau’s house and performing “life saving” efforts on him in his bedroom, according to police. A handgun was found.

Born Tiaina Baul Seau, Jr. in San Diego, California from parents who are natives of Aunu’u, American Samoa, Junior Seau married Gina Deboer in 1991 and divorced in 2002. He had three children with Deboer, a daughter and two sons.

Nutella Lawsuit

Nutella, maker of the sweet, chocolate-hazelnut spread, has settled a $3 million lawsuit brought on by a mother in California who claimed she was shocked to find that Nutella is nowhere near as healthy as she had thought.

Ferrero, the makers of Nutella, has decided to settle two class-action lawsuits filed in 2011 by consumers who said they felt deceived by the brand’s advertising.

The suit has been settled for $3.05 million, $2.5 million of which will be divided among consumers. Anyone who bought Nutella between Jan. 1, 2008 and Feb. 3, 2012, (or Aug. 1, 2009 and Jan. 23, 2012 in California) can file a claim.

Athena Hohenberg, a  San Diego, California mom was the lead plaintiff and alleged that Nutella’s ads falsely led her to believe that the chocolate spread made for a nutritious breakfast for her children.

Her complaint read: “Ms. Hohenberg was surprised and upset to learn that Nutella was in fact not a ‘healthy’ ‘nutritious’ food but instead a product with the nutritional properties of a candy bar, with very high levels of refined sugar and saturated fat. Had Ms. Hohenberg known the truth about Nutella’s qualities, she would not have purchased it for her family.”

A few tablespoons of Nutella spread onto toast contain the caloric (200), fat (3.5 grams, saturated) and sugar (21 grams) equivalent of a Three Musketeers bar, according to Consumerist.com.

Mad Cow Disease California

The USDA has confirmed a case of mad cow disease in California. Health officials said that the diseased cow never entered the human food chain and U.S. dairy and beef products are safe. It is the first confirmed case in the U.S. since 2006.

John Clifford, the chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Agriculture Department said: “The animal was a dairy cow from the state of California. Our laboratory confirmed the findings and also indicated that it was an atypical form of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) which is a rare form of the disease. It is not likely to be attributable to infected feed, which is the method in which normally BSE would be spread from cow to cow.”

Also, Two South Korean retailers have discontinued selling U.S.-imported beef after a new case of mad cow disease was discovered in the United States.

The diseased cow according to John Clifford “was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health.”

Plastic Surgery Chin Implants

Plastic surgery has long been associated with celebrities, but many people do get plastic surgery from breast augmentation to liposuction and now chin implants.

According to new statistics released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), chin implants increased 71 percent between 2010 and 2011, outdoing breast augmentation, liposuction and even Botox, which increased a mere five percent between 2010 and 2011.

Dr. Darrick Antell, a Manhattan plastic surgeon and clinical professor of surgery at Columbia University, said: “Having a strong chin is not something you can gain via diet or exercise. You’re either born with it or you see a surgeon to improve it.”

Chin Implants Before and After

The ASPS also reports that chin implants is now popular with both men and women, with nearly 21,000 Americans opting for the operation last year alone

Dr. Antell also said: “The biggest jump was in people over 40 which is the point where people are bridging the gap between youthfulness and middle age. They’re getting loose skin under the jaw line and a chin implant can make an immediate improvement.”

Another reason they assume for the rise is social media applications like Facebook and cameras in most devices like phones where everybody wants to look their best.

In regards to cameras and social media, Dr. Antell further added: “People have cameras everywhere. You can be at a wedding at the buffet table and a moment later see pictures of your double chin on Facebook. We’re a much more image-driven society than we were even five years ago.”

Tuna Salmonella Outbreak

Federal health authorities reported on April 13, 2012 that a yellowfin tuna product used to make dishes like sushi and sashimi sold at restaurants and grocery stores has been linked with an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened more than 100 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said 116 illnesses have been reported, including 12 people who have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Curtis Allen of the FDA said: “We have traced the illness back to certain lots of tuna scrape from Moon Marine.”

USA Today reported that Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., also known as MMI, is voluntarily recalling 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna. It was labeled as Nakaochi Scrape AA or AAA when it was sold to grocery stores and restaurants and is scraped off the fish bones and looks like a ground product.

According to the FDA, the product is not available for sale to individual consumers but may have been used to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and similar dishes available in restaurants and grocery stores, and many of the people who became ill reported eating raw tuna in sushi as “spicy tuna.”

Also, USA Today reported that these states and the District of Columbia have been linked to illnesses: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (5), District of Columbia (2), Florida (1), As Georgia (5), Illinois (10), Louisiana (2), Maryland (11), Massachusetts (8), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), New Jersey (7), New York (24), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (5), Rhode Island (5), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5), and Wisconsin (12).

The FDA warned anyone who may have become sick after eating Nakaochi Scrape should consult a doctor.

Miley Cyrus Gluten Free

19-year old Miley Cyrus looks much slimmer than she used to, thanks to her new gluten-free diet. Like many celebrities, Miley Cyrus is joining Gwyneth Paltrow, Oprah Winfrey, Zooey Deschanel and millions of others in jumping on the popular gluten-free diet bandwagon.

Whether she is truly allergic to gluten, is another story, but she claims to have gluten allergy. She told her Twitter fans saying: “For everyone calling me anorexic I have a gluten and lactose allergy. It’s not about weight it’s about health. Gluten is crappp anyway.”

You be the judge if she really has gluten and lactose allergy, or she is just doing it to lose weight as many others who are jumping on the gluten-free diet bandwagon.

What is Gluten Allergy (Celiac Disease)?

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine because of a sensitivity to gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. This hereditary disorder interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.

Mothers Obesity and Autism

According to Reuters, a new study shows that Children born to obese women are more likely to be diagnosed with autism or related developmental delays than the children of slimmer mothers.

The U.S. research, which appeared in the journal Pediatrics, was looking for the impact on childrens’ cognitive development from a variety of “metabolic conditions” in the mother, including high blood pressure or diabetes. The strongest links were found between obesity and autism-related disorders.

Lead author Paula Krakowiak, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, said: “If there is anything you can do to make yourself healthier, this is yet another reason for moms to consider.”

The study comes on the heels of a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that estimated one in every 88 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder. That number represents about a 25 percent increase from the agency’s last report in 2006.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Krakowiak and her colleagues looked at 1,004 children who were between two and five years old, born in California and already participating in a study underway at UC Davis.

Of those children, 517 had an autism spectrum disorder and 172 had developmental delays. For Krakowiak’s study, the children’s diagnoses were confirmed by a re-evaluation at the UC Davis MIND Institute.

Milder versions of autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome, form a “spectrum” of autism-related disorders. In addition, impairments in any one of the autism-related cognitive skill areas are considered developmental delays.

Among the children in the study with an autism spectrum disorder, 48 were born to mothers with Type 2 or gestational diabetes, 111 to mothers who were obese and 148 to mothers with any sort of metabolic condition, like high blood pressure.

For children with a developmental delay, 20 were born to mothers with Type 2 or gestational diabetes, 41 to mothers who were obese and 60 to a mother with any metabolic condition.

She and her colleagues also noted that nearly 60 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age are overweight, one third are obese and 16 percent have so-called metabolic syndrome – a constellation of symptoms, including high blood pressure and insulin resistance, that raise heart risk.

Mike Wallace Dead

93-year old Mike Wallace, the hard questioning 60 minutes reporter known for taking on world leaders died on April 7, 2012.

He had been in declining health in recent years. Mike Wallace was a correspondent on the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” since its premiere in 1968 where he earned a reputation as one of the toughest interviewers in the business.

He was a highly regarded journalist, interviewing many world leaders and controversial figures over the years including Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Jose Canseco, Yasir Arafat and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, till his retirement in 2006.

Mike Wallace 60 Minutes Dead

He started his journalism career in the 1940s as a radio news writer and broadcaster for Chicago Sun. He later joined CBS News in 1951 and later returned to the network in 1963 after leaving in 1955.

He also wrote several books including “Between You and Me,” with Gary Paul Gates and “Heat and Light: Advice for the Next Generation of Journalists” in collaboration with Fordham University journalism professor Beth Knobel.