Officials don’t know if the bat had rabies. It escaped. But they want to alert passengers of the risk just in case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is trying to reach all 50 people who flew on Delta flight 5121, which departed from Madison, Wis., to Atlanta at 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 5.

If the animal was rabid, people could catch rabies from a bite or exposure to the bat’s saliva.

CDC officials asked anyone on the flight to call 1-866-613-2683. The airline didn’t retain the records for all the passengers.

The jet was in the air when the winged animal emerged and a passenger shot a video. Operators of the flight said it could have been a bird. But CDC says its rabies expert believes from the video that it was a bat.

Source: Associated Press

The findings come as a growing number of employers are seeking waivers from an early provision in the overhaul that requires them to enrich their benefits this year. At the end of April, the administration had granted 1,372 employers, unions and insurance companies one-year exemptions from the law’s requirement that they not cap annual benefit payouts below $750,000 per person a year.

But the law doesn’t allow for such waivers starting in 2014, leaving all those entities—and other employers whose plans don’t meet a slate of new requirements—to change their offerings or drop coverage.

Previous research has suggested the number of employers who opt to drop coverage altogether in 2014 would be minimal.

But the McKinsey study predicts a more dramatic shift from employer-sponsored health plans once the new marketplace takes effect. Starting in 2014, all but the smallest employers will be required to provide insurance or pay a fine, while most Americans will have to carry coverage or pay a different fine. Lower earners will get subsidies to help them pay for plans.

In surveying 1,300 employers earlier this year, McKinsey found that 30% said they would “definitely or probably” stop offering employer coverage in the years after 2014. That figure increased to more than 50% among employers with a high awareness of the overhaul law.

via Many Employers May Drop Health Coverage After Overhaul, Report Says – WSJ.com.

The recall includes 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL (in 25-, 30-, and 60-unit dose vials) because the 2.5 mg/3 mL single-use vials are mislabeled as containing 0.5 mg/3 mL.

The product is a prescription inhalation solution that is administered with a nebulizer to treat acute asthma attacks and exercise-induced asthma in children and adults.

If someone reads the incorrect concentration, he or she may upwardly adjust the volume, resulting in an administered amount that is five times the recommended dose.

Symptoms of albuterol overdose include tremors, dizziness, nervousness, headache, seizures, angina, high blood pressure, low potassium levels, rapid heart rates up to 200 beats/minutes, and potentially death.

The recalled solution is contained in single-use vials in a protective foil overwrap packaged in a shelf carton. The correct concentration is, however, labeled on the primary foil overwrap pouches and shelf cartons. In the hospital setting, the vials are often not accompanied by the rest of the packaging.
Recalled Lot Numbers

The recalled lot numbers are manufactured by The Ritedose Corporation under NDC: 0591-3797-83, 0591-3797-30, and 0591-3797-60.

They include:

* 0N81
* 0N82
* 0N83
* 0N84
* 0NE7
* 0NE8
* 0NE9
* 0NF0
* 0P12
* 0P13
* 0P46
* 0P47
* 0PF0
* 0S15

These products were distributed nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

Consumers should immediately return the affected product to where it was obtained.

Those with questions should contact the company at 803-935-3995 Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm EST or send an e-mail to recall@ritedose.com.

Source: WebMD

The testing strips are used to help diabetics check their blood sugar levels. But the FDA said the falsely low blood glucose results can lead patients to try to raise their blood sugar levels when it isn’t necessary, or to fail to treat elevated blood glucose due to a falsely low reading. Both scenarios pose health risks.

The FDA said the problems are caused by a defect that limits the amount of blood absorbed by each strip.

Abbott is recalling 359 lots marketed under these brand names: Precision Xceed Pro, Precision Xtra, Medisense Optium, Optium, OptiumEZ and ReliOn Ultima.

The test strips, which were manufactured between January and May 2010, are sold both in retail and online settings directly to consumers, but are also used in health-care facilities, the FDA said.

Abbott said it will replace the test strips for free.

Source:

The researchers have found out that the diabetes drug metformin counteracts alterations of the cell structure protein Tau in mice nerve cells. These alterations are a main cause of the Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, they uncovered the molecular mechanism of metformin in this process.

"If we can confirm that metformin shows also an effect in humans, it is certainly a good candidate for an effective therapy on Alzheimer’s diseases," says Sybille Krauß from DZNE.

The recent recall was the latest to hit J&J, which has been plagued by massive recalls of numerous consumer products, such as Children’s Tylenol and Motrin, keeping those medicines off pharmacy shelves for months.

J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare also said it started a voluntary recall of Junior Strength Motrin Caplets, 24 count, that were distributed in the United States.

The company has recalled about 4 million packages of Children’s Benadryl allergy tablets and about 800,000 bottles of junior-strength Motrin caplets, a Bloomberg report said.

In its Benadryl website, the drug giant said it was a wholesale and retail level recall, and that no action was required by consumers or healthcare providers.

“This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse events,” the company added.

He will say that it is acceptable to use a prophylactic when the sole intention is to “reduce the risk of infection” from Aids.

While he will restate the Catholic Church’s staunch objections to contraception because it believes it interferes with the creation of life, he will argue that using a condom to preserve life and avoid death can be a responsible act – even outside marriage.

Asked whether “the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms,” he replies: “It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution.

More:

Researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 20,000 people who were followed for 23 years starting in their 50s and 60s to see who would develop these conditions as they hit their twilight years The heightened risk may be due to smoking causing tissue inflammation, which plays a role in Alzheimer’s, the study authors say. “We’ve known for some time that smoking is bad for your respective health,” research scientist Rachel Whitmer told Reuters. “This really adds to our understanding that the brain is also susceptible.”

Source:

The odor is thought to be caused by a chemical — 2,4,6-tribromoanisole or TBA — leached into product packaging by wooden storage palettes. TBA is a pesticide and flame retardant.

“The risk of adverse medical events is remote,” states a news release by J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare division.

The recalled product is Tylenol 8 Hour Caplet 50 Count. The recalled product carries these codes:

* Lot number BCM155
* NDC Code 50580-297-50
* UPC # 3 0045-0297-51 8

People who bought this product should stop using it and contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare for a refund or product coupon. Adverse events related to the product should be reported to the FDA’s Medwatch Adverse Event Reporting Program at 800-FDA-0178.

After several alarming hits in Sunday’s games, the NFL’s president of football operations said the league may have to do more than fine players in order to prevent such behavior.

“There’s strong testimonial for looking readily at evaluating discipline, especially in the areas of egregious and elevated dangerous hits,” Ray Anderson told the Associated Press.

“Going forward there are certain hits that occurred that will be more susceptible to suspension. There are some that could bring suspensions for what are flagrant and egregious situations,” he said.

The league would have to consult with the NFL Players Association but Anderson said he didn’t expect any opposition, the AP reported.