Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Glass Fragments Spur Recall of Lean Cuisine Products
Reports of glass fragments in some Lean Cuisine ravioli dinners has prompted Nestle Co. to recall certain lots of the product, according to a company press release posted Friday.
The voluntary recall of Lean Cuisine Culinary Collection Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli comes after three consumers reported they “found small fragments of glass in the ravioli portion of the entree,” Nestle said in the news release. The company added that no injuries were reported by consumers.
The recall involves products with two production codes: 2311587812 and 2312587812, both carrying “best before dates” of DEC 2013. Since these lots of the product were produced early last November, Nestle believes few remain on store shelves. However, the company is asking consumers hat they check their freezers for the recalled products.
If the recalled meal is found, consumers should not eat it but instead contact Nestle Consumer Services at 866-586-9424 or leancuisine@casupport.com for a replacement coupon, the company said in the news release, which was posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.
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Britain Identifies World’s 10th Case of Virus Linked to SARS
British health officials say they have identified the world’s tenth known case of a viral infection that appears related to the SARS virus.
All of the prior cases of this emerging coronavirus have been located in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported. However, the World Health Organization said in 2012 that the virus is probably more widespread.
The latest case arose in a British resident who had been in the Middle East and Pakistan, the AP said. The patient is currently being treated in the intensive care unit of a Manchester hospital, according to a statement released Monday by Britain’s Health Protection Agency.
Coronaviruses include pathogens that can cause the common cold and SARS, an infection that emerged in 2003 and killed 800 people worldwide.
So far, patients with the new virus have typically experienced acute breathing difficulties and kidney failure. There is no proof as of yet that the infection spreads easily between people, and experts suspect humans are catching it from animals such as camels or bats, the AP said.
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Surgical Mesh Makers Sued by Thousands of Women
Lawsuits filed by thousands of women allegedly harmed by surgical mesh implanted in their pelvic region will start being heard this year by a U.S. federal court in West Virginia.
More than 6,000 federal lawsuits have been filed against vaginal-mesh manufacturers by women who claim the porous, plastic implants have caused them severe pain and suffering, the Associated Press reported. Most had the mesh inserted to treat weak pelvic muscles, which can cause a prolapsed uterus, meaning the uterus slips down into the vaginal canal.
The mesh received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for pelvic organ prolapse in 2002. Similar mesh products had been used for decades in other surgeries, including hernia repair. Based on those earlier implants, the FDA approved the pelvic mesh without requiring the tests normally needed for new devices, according to the AP.
In 2008, the FDA acknowledged problems with the pelvic mesh, and in 2011 it said as many as 10 percent of women were experiencing trouble within 12 months of implantation. In some cases, the mesh shifted, eroded or led to infections, the news agency reported.
Besides the 6,000-plus cases consolidated in West Virginia, state courts have received thousands of similar lawsuits. Last July, a case against vaginal-mesh maker C.R. Bard resulted in a $5.5. million award to a California woman.
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