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June 11, 2013

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I admit to being hopelessly in lovewith these two critters:Val and Sam. They are such fun to watch play. Despite scary mouths open and filled with sharp teeth. Val likes to grab Sam by the nub of her tail. And Sam likes to sit on Val's head.There is something about puppy playthat leaves me happier and calmer.(and grateful they are nipping each otherrather than chewing my books).

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7:00 PM | Meet Camden’s Witnesses to Hunger: Photographing Hope Amid Desolation

This week, a photo exhibit at the headquarters of the Campbell Soup Company marked the debut of the Camden, N.J. site of Drexel’s “Witnesses to Hunger” program. Photos from 10 low-income Camden women were on display to raise issues and challenges associated with food insecurity, as experienced by those who have lived with them. “Witnesses … Continue reading »

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6:27 PM | IoM proposes national public health research agenda to prevent gun violence

It seems we barely go a week now without news of another violent gun incident. Last week's shooting rampage in Santa Monica, Calif., has resulted in the deaths of five people. And since the Newtown school shooting last December — in the span of less than six months — thousands of Americans have been killed by guns.

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2:29 PM | Healthcare: Don’t Fear the “What Ifs” in Social Media

Editor’s Note: On Friday, June 14, Farris K. Timimi, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media will speak at Albert Einstein College of Medicine during a faculty development session associated with a social media grant Einstein received in 2012. Einstein is one of four medical schools in the United States selected for the Education [...]

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12:00 PM | New Study Highlights PTSD and Trauma Among Youths in Prison

Of the approximately 2.1 million arrests of youths each year in the United (81,000 per day according to some estimates), approximately two-thirds of males and three-quarter of females in prison meet the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder with...

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10:00 AM | Another ?Take? on Using Multivitamin Supplements

In his article ?Don?t Take Your Vitamins? in the NY Times on Saturday, Paul Offit selectively cites studies to warn people against taking vitamin supplements. He cites 1974 testimony as evidence that the dietary supplement industry does not want FDA regulation.This is 2013 not 1974. Remember, it wasn?t until 1972 that the FDA was given authority to regulate biological drugs. In 1974, the US was conducting nuclear tests in Nevada. The USSR existed (and was conducting nuclear tests too). Much has […]

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8:57 AM | 87 now sick; Townsend Farms has said nothing about its food safety procedures

As the frozen berry Hepatitis A outbreak reached 87 confirmed sick people, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspection contract organic inspector said the outbreak was preventable. Most are. “I was a contract inspector under the USDA’s national organic programs … Continue reading →

June 10, 2013

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10:22 PM | Is There Such a Thing as Precarious Manhood?

What is manhood exactly? Despite images of “real men” from movies, television, and magazines, the various “masculine” stereotypes set an imposing standard for men in modern society to follow. Everything from Chuck Norris jokes to John Wayne movies suggest that...

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6:57 PM | Organic cherry tomatoes recalled because of Salmonella in US

Alderman Farms Sales Corporation, Boynton Beach, Florida is recalling one pint containers of Certified Organic Cherry Tomatoes because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. This recall notice is being issued out of an abundance of caution. An Alderman … Continue reading →

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6:48 PM | Good on ya, Tom; McMeekin receives Australian award for risk modeling work

Tom always reminded me of my uncle Larry – greagarious and quick with a quip for Douggie whenever I saw him. ABC News reports that University of Tasmania Emeritus Professor Tom McMeekin has been made an Officer of the Order … Continue reading →

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6:31 PM | How to make perfectly dangerous burger patties

The Food Network, home of dysfunctional food safety procedures – but at least they don’t claim they’re science-based – has a number of tips for hamburger patties that profiles food porn over safety: • for square sliders, “cook the patties … Continue reading →

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6:29 PM | Lead-poisoned workers: Thousands each year in the US, especially among Hispanic workers

Between 5,000 and 6,000 cases of elevated blood lead levels from workplace exposures are reported each year to state health departments. In California, where the workforce is 36 percent Hispanic, the proportion of individuals with elevated blood-lead who also had Hispanic surnames was 64-70 percent.

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6:19 PM | Piping hot becomes steaming hot; are you ready to cook safely? FSA thinks you’re dumb, fails to apply science to messages

Sometimes, it’s best to remain baffled. Who can explain some things? Like why the UK Food Standards Agency insists it’s a science-based organization but publishes advice that panders. In their annual food safety week blitz, FSA focuses on home cooks … Continue reading →

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4:12 PM | Who Helps the Helpers? Stress First Aid Targets First Responders

In the aftermath of a building collapse last week in Philadelphia that killed six people in a Salvation Army thrift store and injured more than a dozen others, have we considered the impact on first responders who worked at the scene in an extensive effort at rescue and recovery? That’s the question raised by Dr. … Continue reading »

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10:00 AM | Another ?Take? on Using Multivitamin Supplements

In his article ?Don?t Take Your Vitamins? in the NY Times on Saturday, Paul Offit selectively cites studies to warn people against taking vitamin supplements. He cites 1974 testimony as evidence that the dietary supplement industry does not want FDA regulation.This is 2013 not 1974. Remember, it wasn?t until 1972 that the FDA was given authority to regulate biological drugs. In 1974, the US was conducting nuclear tests in Nevada. The USSR existed (and was conducting nuclear tests too). Much has […]

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8:59 AM | Poop and produce

Irrigation water, hand hygiene, and crap in the soil – the big three of produce safety. Linda Harris, who was on my PhD committee all those years ago, has spent a lot of time in poop since then, the pretty … Continue reading →

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8:28 AM | Water and fresh produce; does it matter?

Water is sortofa big thing in agriculture. For the past 15 years I’ve had lively chats with growers of fresh produce about the quality of irrigation water. When the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak happened in Walkerton, Ontario, 13 years ago, … Continue reading →

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5:54 AM | Trench Fever: An Ancient Zoonosis

Trench fever is an ancient disease with a surprisingly short history. Named after its discovery in the trenches of World War I, its case history is only about a century old. Yet, the louse transmitted Bartonella quintana that causes trench fever has been found in human remains as old as 4000 years and is one […]

Li H, Liu W, Zhang GZ, Sun ZZ, Bai JY, Jiang BG, Zhang YY, Zhao XG, Yang H, Tian G & Li YC (2013). Transmission and maintenance cycle of Bartonella quintana among rhesus macaques, China., Emerging infectious diseases, 19 (2) 297-300. PMID: 23347418

Citation

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2:15 AM | ICPIC 2013 - 25-28 June 2013 - Geneva

ICPIC 2013 by HUGI really enjoyed speaking at and attending the 1st International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC) in 2011. It was great opportunity to share the best science and best practices with colleagues from around the world. I hope to see many of you there in 2013.

June 09, 2013

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7:19 PM | Update on MalTrials project

In January 2013 we finalised all agreements regarding the Norwegian Research Council grant regarding the MalTrials project: …… This note presents an update on the progress of the planned work: Ethical clearance: We have applied for ethical permission to start the project, and we hope to get these permissions in July. Once we get permission [...]

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6:04 PM | 18 sick in E. coli outbreak ‘entirely preventable’ Food safety leaders create perceptions rather than follow; surveys still suck

Eighteen people got sick from E. coli O157:H7 in Canada in 2012 leading to the recall of 1,800 products because both the company, XL Foods, and government inspectors, sucked at safety. The Calgary Herald reiterates this point by arguing that … Continue reading →

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5:02 PM | 294 sick; ‘We’ve been vilified … We certainly weren’t managing our restaurants poorly’ Firefly forced to cut back on staff after Salmonella outbreak

A lot of people got sick eating at one of the Firefly restaurants in Las Vegas; at least 294. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) concluded that of the 21 food items that were analyzed, one item, cooked chorizo (a … Continue reading →

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4:29 PM | 224 sick mainly kids; more chicks more Salmonella

A total of 224 persons have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium in 34 states, up from 146. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control: • 26% of ill persons have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been … Continue reading →

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12:00 PM | The Addicted Surgeon

For 19th century medicine, there were few new drugs that were welcomed more enthusiastically than cocaine. Though coca leaves had long been recognized for their analgesic properties, it was not until 1860 when Albert Niemann published his doctoral dissertation describing...

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10:08 AM | Soy sauce overdose sends man into coma

A young man who drank a quart of soy sauce went into a coma and nearly died from an excess of salt in his body, according to a recent case report. The 19-year-old, who drank the soy sauce after being … Continue reading →

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9:57 AM | Pubic hair in meal means I’m not paying; except it’s mine; caught on video

Forty-year-old UK man Lee Tyers was recently sentenced to 14 days in jail for trying to get out of paying the check at Jamal’s Indian Restaurant by putting his own pubic hair in his food. According to The Mirror and summarized by Eater, Tyers and a … Continue reading →

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9:15 AM | Are chia (pet) seeds safe?

When I think chia seeds, I think chia pet head with hairstyles by Lyle Lovett or the dude from Eraserhead. But when a microbiologist and cook marries a French professor, anything is possible. I prefer fun with fermentations, but Amy’s … Continue reading →

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3:58 AM | 3D Food Printer: End To Global Hunger?

In recent years there has been a lot of excitement over 3D printing. Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of forming virtually any kind of 3D shape from a digital model. The procedure behind it is the addition of successive layers of materials which are placed in various shapes. Stratasys is the worldwide leading manufacturer in 3D printers and have a revenue of 21 […]

June 08, 2013

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8:12 PM | Hepatitis A in Italy? We’ll see

Food safety friend of the blog, Luca Bucchini, offers an Italian perspective on the ongoing Hepatitis A outbreaks: You are responsible for the control of infectious diseases in the Italian Region of Trentino-Alto Adige. In your position you know that … Continue reading →

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6:47 PM | 79 now sick; Hepatitis A outbreak continues to grow

Whenever I buy a house in some new town, the first thing I do is plant berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, even got some loganberries in Brisbane. They take a couple of years to come in to full production, but after … Continue reading →

June 11, 2013

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