BedBugRegistry.com is a free online site where people can go to report bed bugs from the United States and Canada.

The site was founded in 2006 and has collected over 20,000 reports of bed bugs in over 12,000 locations.

It is impossible to verify all the reports of bedbugs that are submitted but the owner of the site, Maciej Ceglowski The site states that all the bed bug reports have not been verified for accuracy. This is due to the large number of bed bug reports.

Names are not posted on the site but Ceglowski does require an email address so he can reply to the person if the report draws questions by readers.

Ceglowski deals with reporters on a regular basis and is disappointed by their work.

This is mainly because they do not get the facts right and often post photos of bugs other than bed bugs.

Simulac Powder Infant Formula Recall

Abbott Laboratories is recalling millions of Similac formula cans Wednesday, due to possible insect contamination. This affect about 5 million powder formula brand from Similac that is sold in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam and a few Caribbean countries.

Abbott’s spokesperson Melissa Brotz made this statement, “We immediately shut down the one area and began an investigation, We’re in the process of resolving it now.”

The recall only affect formula in the powder form, liquid formulas and other product from Abbot has not be affected or recalled. Simulac is one of the top infant formulas sold in the U.S., and the recall could cost the company over one million dollars.

Here is a list of products under the recalls. For more detailed and complete information visit the Simulac website (the website is under high volume and may take several minutes to load)

Similac Advance
Similac Advance EarlyShield
Similac Sensitive
Similac Isomil Advance
Similac Sensitive Isomil Soy
Similac Organic
Similac Organic and Similac Advance Organic
Similac Sensitive R.S.
Similac Sensitive for Spit-Up
Similac Go & Grow
Similac Go & Grow EarlyShield
Similac Go & Grow Soy

Similac formula that is not part of the Similac recall includes:

all liquid forms of Similac formula
all concentrated forms of Similac formula
small size powder forms of Similac formula (0.6-oz singles)
Similac Expert Care Alimentum
Similac Expert Care Neosure
Elecare
Similac Human Milk Fortifier

A company statement for the Norwegian cruise ship called Epic, has confirmed that an unidentified 21-year-old man on board suffered a heart attack and died when the ship was about 40 miles from Miami. The heart attack was possibly caused by a fatal allergic reaction.

Shocked passengers on board the 1,080-foot-long Epic, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship based at the port and big enough for 4,100 guests used online social websites and forums to spread the news of the tragedy, which occurred late Saturday night. One guest said that a CODE ALPHA was called to a cabin on deck 11. Then 3 guests were paged 15 minutes later to call 00 or go to customer service immediately, the guest recalled. The cruise director said that they were returning to Miami for a medical emergency about 15 minutes later.

The Epic docked at 12:45 a.m. and was met by Miami-Dade police investigators. The ship returned to sea at approximately 2:45 a.m. The rest of the ship’s travel plan won’t be affected by this delay, and Norwegian Epic will call in St. Maarten on Monday as planned.

Teens that are seen in the emergency room may benefit from a quick visit from a therapist. That therapist can be a real live human or a computer that gives the teen advice about alcohol consumption. A new study shows that teens that had some kind of brief intervention were less likely to be involved in an alcohol-based violent act.

Maureen A. Walton of the University of Michigan led the study. Walton and her colleagues used information gathered from 726 teens that were seen in an ER in Flint, Michigan. The teens were between 14 and 18 years of age. Each teen was given a questionnaire asking about their alcohol use and aggression. A second group of teens was given a pamphlet discussing the risks of alcohol use and a list of community resources available to them. Some teens met with a therapist while others were asked to use a computer to receive information about alcohol usage.

Six months after the original consultation, the teens that met with a therapist or interacted with the computer were less likely to have alcohol related consequences than those who only received a brochure. The teens did not report a reduction in alcohol usage, but the reduction of consequences like fighting is significant.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee held its first hearing to evaluate a 34-year-old law related to toxic substances. The Toxic Substances and Control Act is under review after many environmental and public health leaders have asked for better, more updated policies. New legislation has been proposed and is being called the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act. The new law would require a company to prove a chemical is safe to use in the environment in order to be kept on the market.
Companies
A spokesperson from a chemical manufacturer’s society states the new act could be dangerous to the industry as a whole. Beth Bosely testified against the act, stating it is too vigorous in its safety demands and should not be applied to industrial chemicals. Bosely goes on to state that the strict safety testing standards would be costly and would deter new chemicals from being created. She also states there would be too much paperwork involved if the act is passed.

Advocates for the new legislation feel it is time the government regulates the amount of chemicals being put into the environment. Many toxic chemicals are blamed for the increasing number of cases involving asthma, diabetes, heart disease and several other illnesses that result in premature death.

As anticipated, the flu vaccine for the approaching flu season will protect against three strains of flu, including the 2009 H1N1 pandemic swine flu strain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday.
Your Flu Shot This Year Will Be An All In One
The news comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have announced expanded recommendations that advocate everyone older than six months get a seasonal flu shot.

Since the 2009 H1N1 flu came out after production had began on last year’s seasonal flu vaccine, two separate vaccines were needed last season to protect against seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 virus.

Seniors, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease, and healthcare professionals, are viewed at high-risk of having serious flu-related complications. The CDC advises that it is particularly crucial for high-risk groups, as well as people who care for those at high-risk, to get a flu vaccine each flu season.

Infection and detection of the H1N1 virus endured from spring into summer, with levels of outpatient visits for influenza-like sickness staying elevated throughout the summer months.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated pandemic and seasonal flu activity across the world is down, but stated activity is growing in a few parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with substantial action still happening in certain tropical areas, such as India.

Health officials recommend people to begin getting flu vaccination as soon as it’s available in their area.

Pharmaceutical drug company Orexigen has had positive results with their new combo obesity drug Contrave. This two medicine treatment uses an anti-addiction drug and an anti depressant as a way to fight obesity.

Researchers found that the drug helped reduce the cravings for sweet or starchy foods and that the anti depressant part of the drug satiated the need to eat.

The study lasted for 56 weeks and covered only people classified as obese. On average the participants lost 13 pounds when taking the drug.

While this may seem very good, this is only 13 pounds over the course of 13 months. It is not really a miracle drug if you are only loosing a ¼ pound a week, this could be done with a simple diet change. Many doctors unrelated to the research are questioning if taking a drug to loose such little weight is really worth the effort.

Obesity is a hot topic in the medical community and pharmaceutical arena. Pharaceutical companies are racing towards getting obesity medication on the market as quick as possible because the profit margins are incredible.

Earlier this month a separate two part obesity pill was denied by the Food and Drug Administration because of the damaging effects it has on the heart.

A new report in the journal, Science Translational Medicine, is leading to speculation that diabetics will soon not need to prick their finger for blood to test glucose levels.

A team of medical researchers have developed a wireless implantable device which reads oxygen amounts in tissue to measure glucose levels. The team, consisting of professionals from the University of California San Diego and nearby GlySens Inc., say they have been testing similar experimental medical devices in pigs for nearly thirty-one years. Currently, the glucose measurement device has worked in one pig for more than a year. Another pig went ten months without a device problem.

The implant is roughly 1.5 inches in diameter, with a thickness of 5/8s of an inch. Transmission of gathered data can be sent ten to twelve feet.

Diabetics require glucose measurements to determine the amount of insulin necessary to take. Incorrect amounts of insulin can lead to hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, which can damage the body or lead to a coma. The diabetes research field has been working towards an artificial pancreas, which could regulate how a diabetic’s body handles blood sugar automatically.

The researchers hope to begin trials in human diabetics within a few months.

For the first time ever, a team of scientists has demonstrated it is possible to grow joints inside the body that are capable of full range movements and can bear weight by using a patient’s own stem cells, after damaged bone has been removed.

The team used a computer that created artificial scaffolds that were anatomically the same size and shape as rabbit hip joints. Only a single compound called a growth factor was needed to induce the rabbits’ bodies to remodel the joint tissue. The work was carried out by Professor Jeremy J Mao, and his team at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA, and colleagues from University of Missouri and Clemson University.

The scientists removed the limbs from 10 rabbits and replaced them with an artificial limb-shaped skeleton.

Until now, no one has been able to regenerate a limb joint with either stem cells harvested or the host’s endogenous stem cells. If their research holds the same results for humans, the regenerated joints would last longer than the titanium or stainless steel joints, which currently only last approximately 10 to 15 years.of titanium or stainless steel.

A New York man has received a new liver Friday after allegedly killing his wife and destroying his original liver in a botched attempt to commit suicide.

Johnny Concepcion, 43, was witnessed to be leaving the scene of the murder of Jordania Sarita, 36, on July 5th. Sarita was later discovered to be stabbed at least fifteen times, causing her death. When law enforcement launched a city-wide manhunt for Concepcion, he texted family members asking for their forgiveness before swallowing rat poison. The suicide attempt destroyed his liver, sending him to the hospital where he was arrested by police. Authorities say Concepcion confessed to the murder of Sarita while at the hospital.

Sarita had recently separated from Concepcion and had received full custody of their three children. The cause of the separation was years of documented abuse.

New York-Presbyterian University Medical Center officials say that transplants are given on the basis of urgency and need. Sarita’s family has expressed their shock and outrage that a man with a murder confession could receive a life-saving transplant.

309 people are currently waiting for liver transplants at New York-Presbyterian University Medical Center.