US Blocks Publication of Research on Highly Contagious Bird Flu Strain

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ROTTERDAM, Netherlands) -- Researchers in the Netherlands have created a mutated, highly contagious form of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain that some fear could kill millions if it were unleashed on the general public. The U.S. government worries that publishing the methodology behind the strain's creation could heighten its potential for use as a weapon of biological warfare.

Virologist Ron Fouchier, who carried out his research at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, said in a statement that he hoped his research would assist in developing better vaccines and treatments for influenza in the future. Fouchier did his research on ferrets, whose immune response to influenza is similar to that of humans.

"We know which mutation to watch for in the case of an outbreak, and we can then stop the outbreak before it is too late," Fouchier said in a statement on the medical center's website. "Furthermore, the finding will help in the timely development of vaccinations and medication."

The study results were to be published in the U.S. journal Science, but the National Science Advisory Board, an independent committee that advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies, reviewed it Tuesday and warned that bioterrorists could potentially misuse the published research "for harmful purposes."

Fouchier declined to comment beyond his online statements, and the Erasmus Medical Center press office referred reporters to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity's statement until further decisions had been made regarding publication of the research.

The National Institutes of Health, which funded the research, said Fouchier and his team would make changes to the manuscript before it was published in scientific journals.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Woman’s Stomach Held Pen for 25 Years

(LONDON) -- The pen is mightier than the sword, so the saying goes. But in the case of an elderly British woman, a pen is also mightier than one’s stomach acid.

An unidentified 76-year-old woman had a pen stuck inside her stomach for the past 25 years, according to a report in the British Medical Journal. Doctors at a hospital in Exeter found the pen on a CT scan when the patient came to the hospital complaining of weight loss and diarrhea.

The patient told her doctors that 25 years ago, she was using the pen to inspect a spot on her tonsils when she slipped, fell and accidentally swallowed the pen. Her physician husband didn’t believe her story but took an X-ray of her stomach, which showed nothing inside of her.

So the pen remained in her stomach for over two decades, amazingly causing the woman no ill effects at all.

“The stomach does not have an extensive sensory innervation and the felt tip pen was blunt,” Dr. Oliver Waters, a gastroenterologist who treated the woman, told ABC News. “So if the pen was not damaging the stomach this would explain the patient’s lack of symptoms.”

When Waters and his colleagues fished the pen out of its gastrointestinal hiding place, they found that it still wrote clearly.

Doctors say the patient is probably lucky she chose a felt-tip pen to probe her tonsils. Something sharper, such as a ballpoint pen, could have cut into the lining of her stomach and allowed the gut’s bacteria to seep into the rest of her body.

“In all likelihood the pen didn’t show up on the first X-ray because there are no metal pieces in a felt-tip pen,” Dr. Michael West, a trauma surgeon at San Francisco General Hospital, told ABC News. “A ballpoint pen has several metal parts, like the springs and the tip, and would have been seen on an X-ray.”

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella in Meat Infects Two More People

Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Two more people have been infected with an antibiotic resistant strain of salmonella in an outbreak tied to ground beef from a regional grocery chain in the Northeast, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday. This brings the total to at least 16.

Last week, the grocery chain Hannaford recalled, “an undetermined amount of fresh ground beef products” from stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. The CDC has tracked illnesses in Hawaii (1), Kentucky (1), Maine (4), Massachusetts (1), New Hampshire (4), New York (4) and Vermont (1). Seven people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Click here to visit the CDC's website for more information.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Infomercial King Kevin Trudeau Loses On $38 Million Appeal

Hemera/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- Infomercial king Kevin Trudeau, who got rich promoting what he claims are natural cures for just about every medical condition, has finally met a malady no amount of echinacea is going to put right: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court's decision that Trudeau must pay a $37.6 million fine for fibbing.

Trudeau, in an interview with ABC News, says he intends to fight on to defend his First Amendment right to speak and write freely, taking his appeal, if necessary, to the Supreme Court. His only "crime," he says, is telling truths that challenge big pharma and other entrenched interests.

That $37 million is the amount courts and FTC say consumers were defrauded by what they term deceptive infomercials used by Trudeau to promote his book The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About.

Trudeau is also is author of Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About, Free Money 'They' Don't Want You to Know About, and other titles on things about which "They" would just as soon you remained ignorant. Some have been best-sellers.

The fine originally was levied on him in 2009 by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Gettleman, who found Trudeau to be in violation of a prohibition against his misrepresenting the content of his books in his infomercials. Trudeau's infomercials, wrote Gettleman, had "falsely and intentionally led thousands (probably hundreds of thousands) of consumers to believe that the Weight Loss Book would describe an 'easy,' 'simple' protocol that, once 'finished,' would allow the consumer to 'eat anything' he or she wants."

Contrary to the prohibition, said Gettleman, the infomercials contained "undeniably false" statements, including the claim that the diet could be done easily and at home. In fact, he found, the diet recommended in the book "required colonics, which must be done in the office of a licensed practitioner." It also required the injection of human growth hormone. The infomercial said the diet required no exercise; the book, said Gettlemen, stipulated an hour's walk daily, out of doors.

After listeners to Trudeau's radio show were given Gettleman's email address, his email system reportedly was frozen by an influx of 300 messages; his BlackBerry, likewise, was temporarily shut down. Gettleman held Trudeau in contempt of court (for the third time since 2003), and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. "I can count the number of people I've held in contempt on one hand," Gettleman told the Chicago Sun Times, "and three of those fingers have Kevin Trudeau's name on them."

In his interview Tuesday with ABC News, Trudeau rejected the argument that there are differences of any consequence between what's in his books and his infomercials promoting them. He is being prosecuted, he says, not for any differences, but for the content itself -- something protected absolutely under the First Amendment: "The government should not have the right to challenge what's in the book or to agree or disagree with content."

The 7th Circuit's decision leaves him unbowed. He says he will ask for his appeal to be heard next "en banc" by the court, meaning by all its judges at once. "If I don't get an appropriate outcome, then absolutely I'm taking it to the Supreme Court." A final legal resolution, he thinks, may not come for years.

In the meantime, he is writing another book -- "How to Fix America" -- that will address "the arrogance of the judicial system" and the "overburdening regulatory environment," as exemplified by the FTC's campaign against him.

He also is "strongly considering," he says, a run for Congress. From what state? "I haven't decided. I'm a perpetual traveler."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Why Your New Year’s Resolution Will Fail

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Every year, December 31 rolls around and many of us are forced to acknowledge that we’ve spent the entire month in a sugar cookie and candy cane-scented shame spiral.  After we acknowledge that our eating or other habits have gone awry, hope for change is placed in a New Year's resolution. But a month later, old habits seem to return as quickly as they left.

Dr. Martin Binks, clinical director & CEO of Binks Behavioral Health, offers these five reasons why resolutions fail, and help in finding the solution to making this year more successful.

1. Unrealistic goals.  Losing a significant percentage of your body mass, speaking fluent Cantonese, and learning how to play a violin concerto in one year isn’t going to happen.  A realistic and healthy goal for weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week, and the more effort you put in to learning a new skill over time, the better you will get.
2. Expecting something magical.  Do you think once the clock strikes midnight you will magically stop smoking?  “Most people try to quit smoking and fail six or seven times before they quit,” says Binks.  “Looking at your life magically on January 1st doesn’t make it all go away.  Find things that you’ll be able to do in the context of your life.”
3. You're surrounded by temptation.  Having a house full of chocolate isn’t going to help you stay on track if you plan on losing weight.  Give away most of your holiday sweets, but save the good stuff.  Indulging in sweets every so often will keep your healthful eating on track.
4. You have too many resolutions.  Focusing on one goal will guarantee greater success.  The simpler and more focused your goal, the easier it will be to attain.
5. Going in blind.  Would you get in your car and drive if you didn’t know where you were going?  If you’re trying to lose weight, think about exercise and diet.  Don’t go to extremes by eating lettuce and running 20 miles a week.  Set a plan that fits in with your schedule and goals that is realistic and achievable, such as going for a walk three times a week.  Schedule in a “buffer” week after New Year’s to adjust to eating better and getting on track.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

30,000 French Women Urged to Remove Rupturing Breast Implants

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(PARIS) -- French authorities are reportedly urging 30,000 women to remove potentially life-threatening, rupturing breast implants.

The concerns are that the implants, supplied by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), used an unauthorized silicone gel in their implants, making them prone to splitting.

Government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse, part of a special committee formed to investigate the issue, highly recommended that “All women who have PIP implants should return to see their surgeons urgently.”

Since the defects were discovered, 523 implants have been removed and eight cases of cancer had been reported in patients with PIP implant. Although there has not been concrete proof of a direct link between the silicone used in PIP implants and cancer, investigations by the French Society of Plastic Surgeons came to the conclusion that the silicone used was not suitable for medical use. One PIP implant patient died of cancer in 2010.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Plastic Surgery: This Year's Hot Christmas Gift?

Keith Brofsky/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Tina Franklin and Nicole Tuzzolino are each other's best friends and sisters, so each always knows what the other wants for Christmas.

"Clothes and accessories," Tuzzolino, of Ladera Ranch, Calif., said of what she usually gives her older sister, Franklin.

"Maybe some old pictures of us growing up," Franklin, from Costa Mesa, Calif., said of what she typically gives her younger sister.

But this year, even Tuzzolino, 33, was surprised by what was at the top of her 41-year-old sister's Christmas wish list: Botox.

"To be honest, I think she's a little crazy," Tuzzolino told ABC's Good Morning America. "I don't think she needs it, but I know that she's been wanting it, and it makes her happy."

Franklin, the owner of a Southern California bridal makeup company, says she needed a pick-me-up after recently breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, and Botox was the perfect answer.

"I'm getting Botox done around on the crow's feet around my eyes," she said. "That's what I notice the most, between the brows, and then on the forehead."

Franklin is putting her face in the hands of Newport Beach, Calif., plastic surgeon Dr. Tenley Lawton, who says she is staying increasingly busy this year as women in the Orange County area she serves ask for, and receive, plastic surgery as Christmas gifts.

"For a simple injectable, it could be as low as a few hundred dollars," Lawton told GMA of the price range for the types of plastic surgery requests she sees over the holidays.

"If we're talking about a full mommy makeover, which could include a tummy tuck and a breast lift or a breast augmentation, it could be anywhere between $7,000 and $15,000," she said.

There were 11.5 million cosmetic procedures performed on women in North America in 2010, up 81 percent from 10 years ago, according to figures compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for its 2010 Plastic Surgery Statistics report.

All told, Americans spent $10.1 billion on cosmetic procedures last year alone, according to the report

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Teens as Young as 14 Engaging in Group Sex, Study Finds

Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(BOSTON) -- A study of girls at Massachusetts health clinics found that one in 13 said they had participated in group sex -- and that the behavior was strongly associated with pornography and child abuse.

Although the study, published by the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of New York Academy of Medicine, is a small one, the researchers said it offers a window into a risky sex behavior that has so far been given little legitimacy.

More than half of the girls who reported experiencing group sex said they had been coerced into doing so, according to the study.  Many admitted they had been "liquored up" on alcohol and drugs, often against their will.

The average age of the first group-sex experience was 15.6, according to the study, and for most, it was a one-time experience.

"I am really incredulous that this has not had more study and attention," said Emily Rothman, lead author at Boston University School of Public Health.

"The take-home message is that both consensual and non-consensual group sex is happening among youth -- and pediatricians, health organizations and rape crisis centers need to be prepared to talk about and provide the education to address it," she said.

Rothman interviewed 328 females between the ages of 14 and 20 who had used a community or school-based health center to see if they had ever had sex with multiple partners.

These girls had sought help at the clinics for a variety of reasons from strep throats to sprained ankles, not just for reproductive care.

An estimated 7.3 percent of the teens said they had experienced what researchers called "multi-person sex" -- an experience that could have ranged from a gang rape to a sex party.

"I think one of the things going on here is that boyfriends or sex partners are forcing their female partners to watch porn and also then coercing them," Rothman said. "Whether that is through peer pressure or doing things they see in the porn, we don"t know."

Those girls were also five times more likely than those who did not have group sex to have watched pornography in the last month.

In those who said they had group sex, 45 percent reported having sex without a condom in a recent encounter.  They also were more likely to smoke cigarettes, have been a victim of dating violence or had a sexually transmitted disease diagnosis.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Researchers Tap Into 'Super Memory' by Isolating Gene

HANS-ULRICH OSTERWALDER/Getty Images(WACO, Texas) -- There's some hope for those with a failing memory: Scientists at Baylor University say they're now able to give mice "super memories" by isolating a gene that apparently blocks another gene called PKR, which is triggered at the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

And since humans and these rodents share similar brains, researchers now believe they can develop a pill that acts as an inhibitor of the PKR gene that we have similar with mice.

Baylor lead researcher Maura Costa-Mattioli adds that because they can now provide mice with "super memories," the same might be done to help humans in the not-too-distant future.

The goal of the pill would be to provide those with deteriorating memories a boost, not enhance those who are still pretty sharp.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Former Presidents Often Live Longer Than Expected, Says Researcher

Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- When President Obama celebrated his 50th birthday this year, there were the inevitable comments about how much he's aged only three years into his presidency.  The common assumption has always been that presidents age faster while in office -- and die younger as a result.
 
Now, a University of Illinois researcher has found that many U.S. presidents actually live longer than their peers.  In fact, 23 of 34 former presidents who died of natural causes lived several years longer than expected.  Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were both 93 when they died. Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush are both alive and well at 87.
 
There's no doubt that presidents appear to age faster while serving in office -- but graying hair and wrinkling of skin are normal for men their age.  And, as the researcher, Jay Olshansky, notes, "We don't die of gray hair and wrinkles."
 
There are some advantages most presidents have that contribute to a longer life:  They're usually college educated, wealthy and have the best medical care available.
 
So it should come as no surprise that of the last eight presidents, seven lived longer than expected.  The exception -- Lyndon Johnson who died of a heart attack at 64.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio