Health News: Food inspectors file case against Nestle over noodles ♦ Cancer trial of drug combination yields spectacular results ♦ FDA make its own job on food additives harder

Food inspectors file case against Nestle over noodles Food safety inspectors in Uttar Pradesh said they had filed a criminal complaint against Nestle's local arm after saying they had found high levels of lead in some packets of Maggi instant noodles Nestle India, which disputes the findings, has said the batch in question was manufactured in February 2014 so was already past its sell-by date in April

Why must FDA make its own job on food additives harder Let’s face it: we all make self-destructive choices from time to time.  But when federal regulators illogically shoot themselves in the foot, the harm to public safety can be serious.  Such is the sad situation at the Food and Drug Administration, which just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to the regulation of food additives.

Cancer trial of drug combination yields spectacular results Terminally ill cancer patients could be “effectively cured” of the disease using a powerful new combination of drugs described by scientists as heralding a once-in-a-generation advance in treatment. A British-led trial brought “spectacular” results with more than half of patients with advanced melanoma seeing tumours shrink

Smokers and those exposed to passive smoke require more anesthetic and painkiller during operations New research shows that both smokers and those exposed to passive smoke require more anesthetic and painkillers to reach the same level of anesthesia as non-smokers.

Hypothermia occurs during surgery in around half of patients

A study shows that hypothermia occurs in around half of patients undergoing surgery, despite national guidelines for its prevention.

Health News: New way to eliminate antibiotic-resistant infection ♦ 9 case outbreak from rare strain of Salmonella ♦ India Maggi noodles recalled due to excess lead

Arizona reports 9 case outbreak from rare strain of Salmonella  Maricopa County, AZ, is reporting nine illnesses from a rare strain of Salmonella paratypi which officials say is associated with raw minced or ground tuna used in sushi. Disease onset for the nine AZ cases was from and three people have been hospitalized.

Scientists may have found a way to eliminate antibiotic-resistant infections A new method of gene therapy called CRISPR to selectively slash the DNA of an antibiotic-resistant strain of E. coli. The method uses a virus as its vector to infect the bacterial cells and target the exact sequence of genetic base-pairs that confers antibiotic resistance.

India Maggi noodles recalled due to excess lead Food inspectors have ordered Nestle India to recall a batch of Maggi noodles from shops across the country, saying the product contained dangerous levels of lead.

Beyond the poppy: A new method of opium production Moonshiners and home-brewers have long used yeast to convert sugar into alcohol. New research shows that those methods could also be adapted for something with more significant ramifications: the production of drugs including opiates, antibiotics, and anti-cancer therapeutics.

Getting smokers to quit with an unlikely drug: Nicotine COPD is a mix of chronic bronchitis (which involves a constant cough) and emphysema (which destroys lung tissue). Most people who develop COPD are older with a history of smoking. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that smoking is the cause for as many as nine out of 10 COPD-related deaths, yet 39 percent of people with COPD continue to smoke. Nicotine stimulates the reward pathways in the brain, which is why most people can't just have one cigarette every once in a while. They're always craving the feeling of satisfaction they get from smoking. Researchers are studying whether people would quit smoking if they were allowed to keep having nicotine