Month: June 2013

(Reuters) – The contamination of beef at a Canadian processing plant last year that sickened 18 people was caused by a lax attitude toward food safety by government and plant staff, an independent report on the incident said. Canada’s largest-ever beef recall at 4,000 tonnes spread across the country and most U.S. states, after the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alberta produced beef tainted with E. coli bacteria. It came just four years after an outbreak of listeria bacteria killed 23 Canadians who ate tainted meat produced by Maple Leaf Foods . …

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People age 75 and older are more likely than younger patients to wait longer than they should in emergency rooms, according to a new study from France. The study’s lead author cautioned, however, that the finding doesn’t mean older patients receive worse care or that they should avoid going to the ER. Instead, “we want to highlight the fact that physicians may be reluctant to see difficult patients, old patients and sick patients,” said Dr. Yonathan Freund, an emergency physician at the Hospital Pitié-Salpetriere in Paris. …

(Reuters) – Celgene Corp said on Wednesday that its flagship blood cancer drug, Revlimid, was approved by U.S. health regulators to treat mantle cell lymphoma, adding another revenue source for the $4 billion-a-year medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Revlimid to treat mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) – a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – that has relapsed or progressed following two prior treatment regimens, one of which must include Takeda Pharmaceutical Co’s Velcade. …

By Stephen Brown BERLIN (Reuters) – "Happiness experts" from all over the world offered Germany's Angela Merkel tips on Wednesday on how to cheer up her citizens, often stereotyped as prosperous worriers who view their glasses as half empty rather than half full. A forum on "What Matters to People – Wellbeing and Progress" heard from speakers whose common theme was that economic success alone does not bring happiness. …

Behavioral Telescope Shows How Cooperation Works