The New England Journal of Medicine today released a report that detailed how persons who were given a five day course of the drug known as azithromycin, such as what’s contained in Zithromax, had a slightly greater risk of death from a variety of causes, including cardiovascular issues, than did persons who either didn’t receive treatments or were treated with ciprofloxacin or amoxicillin.

In responding to this study, the FDA is saying that they are reviewing the results and will release more information about their findings or any potential risks when they complete said review.  In the meantime, the agency is warning consumers not to refrain from taking the drug unless they have discussed the matter with their doctors.

In March of this year, the drug label on Zmax was altered to include new information about a small heightened risk of what’s known as QT interval prolongation.  This decision was made following a review by the FDA of drug labeling information on macrolides.  Azithromycin is a part of this drug class.

The FDA is advising patients and doctors alike to contact them through the MedWatch program should any issues arise in conjunction with azithromycin.

The products in question are Safety 1st Toilet and Cabinet Locks imported from China by the Columbus, Indiana-based Dorel Juvenile Group.  The recall encompasses a staggering 685,000 cabinet locks and 183,000 toilet locks.  The toilet lock, which keeps children out of the toilet by way of an attachment behind the lid, has a model number of either 48003 or 48103.  The cabinet lock has 12013 or 12014 as its model numbers and was designed to go around cabinet handles so as to prevent young kids from opening the cabinet.

In the case of either product, the recall was prompted because it’s possible for children to disengage the locks and gain access to the toilet (and potentially drown) or to a cabinet’s contents (which might be unsafe or dangerous).  Eight children have reportedly been able to disengage the toilet lock, with 102 more reports coming in of the lock simply being inadequate.  An additional 278 cabinet locks failed to do their duty.  One child even swallowed a toxic item and required hospital admittance, though he was released the next day.

The items were sold at a variety of retailers.  The cabinet locks costs anywhere from $2 to $11 and were on sale from January 2000 to March 2009, while the toilet locks, which were priced from $8 to $20, could be bought between January 2005 and April 2010.

Consumers are being advised to contact Dorel about a replacement product, and in the mean time, to remove the locks and store dangerous items in a safe place and not to allow young children to enter the bathroom without being monitored.

The recall of the First Fitness Trampoline with Handlebars was announced by the Avon, Massachusetts-based Aqua-Leisure Industries.  Around 40,000 units are encompassed by the recall, which was initiated when it was discovered that the handlebar positioned atop the trampoline can break while in use.  This occurs due to metal fatigue, and when it happens, the child can fall and or cut themselves on a metal surface that suddenly becomes exposed.

The firm has obtained four reports of the metal connection joint wearing away and the handlebars breaking apart.  None of these instances resulted in an injury to the user, thankfully.  However, parents and guardians are being urged to take the trampoline out of a child’s reach and obtain a refund from Aqua-Leisure.

The item, which was manufactured in China, is blue with a black trampoline and a red and blue handlebar.  It says “First Fitness” on the jumping deck, which is also where consumers can identify the factory date code.  A sewn-on tag will have the letters GLTX as the last four digits.  The packaging lists the SKN as 491463 and the model number as FF-6902TR.

The trampolines were only available for purchase at Toys R Us.  They were sold across the country between September 2010 and last month, and they retailed from $45 to $70.

The Vallejo, California-based Meyer Corporation U.S. announced the recall of their Circulon Cookware Set.  This set contains 13 pieces of Premier Professional cookware, all of it made of rubber, stainless steel, and aluminum.  However, only one of the products contained within this set poses a threat to safety, and that would be the 11 inch diameter lid that goes atop the five quart saute pan.  Consumers should be able to identify this item by the code IMCP1108 along the lid’s metal rim.

This lid puts consumers at risk of laceration because it is susceptible to breaking, cracking, or shattering outright.  Consumers have already made known 65 instances of the product breaking, although thankfully, none of those occurrences led to reported injuries.

Around 4,600 cookware sets are affected by the recall.  Produced in Thailand and China, the items could only be bought in a Costco store or online at Costco’s website.  It cost around $200 for the entire set, which was sold between October of last year and this past March.

The company is advising that anyone with the item in their possession stop using the 11 inch lid.  Circulon’s customer service lines are reportedly open and representatives can help consumers in gaining a replacement item.

Porter Athletic, which is owned and operated by the Champaign, Illinois-based Litania Sports Group, announced the recall, which concerns their Porter Athletic Climbing Ropes.  At issue is the fact that these climbing ropes, which have a clamp near the top that connects the rope to a surface, pose a fall hazard.  The rope can itself fall through the aforementioned clamp, leaving a climber without any kind of anchor to the wall or other surface.

Only 44 units are said to be affected by the recall.  However, there have already been three instances reported to the firm in which the item broke.  In one of those cases, a climber sustained injuries to their wrist and back.

There are two models of ropes affected by the recall:  00118 and 00119.  These white dacron ropes come in 12, 16, 20, and 24 foot lengths.  They were available through the Porter Athletic website as well as via telephone and authorized distributors.  The ropes sold from $387 to $877 across the country between September 2009 and September of last year.

All persons with the rope in their possession are being advised to cease use.  They can expected to be contacted by Porter directly.  Once this happens, the company has said they will repair the ropes for free.

27 motor coaches in total lack the proper amount of exit windows.  This goes against the protocols laid forth in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 217, “Bus Emergency Exit and Window Retention and Release.”  Because the number of windows isn’t high enough to meet the minimum set by that standard, anyone on the motor coach is at risk of being injured or killed in the event of an emergency.  This is because they might not be able to get out of the bus in a timely manner.

Prevost will contact owners about how they can get installed an extra emergency exit window at no charge.  Dealers will conduct this installation and the notice will not go out until July.  However, the necessary parts won’t be dispersed anytime soon.  Therefore, motor coach owners might not be able to get their vehicles fixed until September, the month in which the parts should become available.

If anyone has a concern about this issue, they can get in touch with either Prevost directly or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  If the latter is chosen, it should be noted that the campaign number is SR12-57.

The packaged cake, which was sold  in three counties in the state of New York (Suffolk, Nassau, and New York counties), is likely to contain eggs that are not listed on the list of ingredients. People with allergies to eggs who consume the rainbow cake can have a severe reaction that might turn out to be life threatening.  The issue was discovered by personnel at the Food Laboratory following a routine sample test by food inspectors with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

It’s unclear exactly how wide this recall extends, but no matter how many people have bought the item, all such customers are being advised that they can return the cake to the store where it was bought for a full refund. They can also call the bakery directly with any additional questions they might have.  There have yet to be any allergic reactions reported to the firm in conjunction with the consumption of the item.

The new transportation bill that was just approved by the United States Senate has a clause that makes these event recorders mandatory on all vehicles of the 2015 model year and later.  A similar measure is now being considered in the House of Representatives as well, and if reports are to believed, that legislative body will likely be approving the mandate too.

The event recorder, or black box, if you will, will adhere to standards set by the Department of Transportation.  The DOT has advised that such boxes gather data under a variety of different metrics.  These 15 categories include such things as what time the firing of the airbags occurred in a crash, what the position of the throttle was, and in which direction the vehicle was accelerating.  These are just to name a few.

Some worry, though, that this is an invasion of privacy.  To that end, though the Senate version of the bill stipulates that the owner of the vehicle is also the owner of the data in the box.  Therefore, any law enforcement officers who want to see the information must first obtain a warrant.  It should be noted, though, that in the event of an emergency, rescue personnel can access the data if it’s critical to helping them do their jobs.

The organization recently received a report about a person dying after being administered the first dose of fingolimid, a multiple sclerosis drug.  After evaluating the circumstances behind that case, the FDA has now said that persons currently on certain medications that help to prevent arrhythmia or who have had a recent stroke or heart attack should probably not take fingolimid, which is used in Novartis and Gilenya.

It could not be proven that in the case studied or other post market and clinical trial data that the fingolimid contributed to any deaths looked into.  However, the FDA has expressed concerns that the drug might lead to bradycardia, and recommends that, after the first dose, the person taking the drug be monitored carefully.  This monitoring should be even longer, they say, in people who are more at risk of suffering bradycardia.

The FDA says that monitoring should include measurements of blood pressure and pulse rate every hour once the first dose is given.  They also think that an electrocardiogram test should be administered both before and after the period of testing is over.

The FDA went through the Diamond Pet Foods plant on April 12, and they found four main failures that compromised the safety of the dog food products and led to 15 people getting sick throughout Canada and the United States.

First, the company failed to include hand sanitizing areas at appropriate coordinates within the plant, namely in those places where employees could expect to make direct contact with finished food.

There was also a failure of plant personnel to conduct proper microbiological analysis on animal fat.  This is done to ensure that pathogens aren’t introduced into the final product, which is exactly what could happen when an employee touches the food or equipment, as the FDA witnessed happening.

The plant also did not adequately maintain such things as containers, utensils, or equipment.  Because of this, certain pieces of equipment had feed residue trapped in hard-to-sanitize gouges.  The fourth failure, which ties into what was just mentioned, has to do with the fact that duct tape and cardboard were used on equipment.  Such things are nearly impossible to properly clean properly, and not unexpectedly, such items maintained food residue, further compromising safety.

Tots in Mind, Inc., who was responsible for manufacturing a number of defective crib tents and play yard tents, has gone out of business.  Those tents were determined to have a safety hazard, and now, to make sure that the items can still get returned properly, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Amazon, Walmart, and the Burlington Coat Factory have all agreed to give any consumers who purchased the items from one of the aforementioned stores either store credit or a full refund, depending on the store.

The products in question pose an entrapment and a strangulation hazard.  It was because of these hazards that a recall had to be initiated on July 15, 2010.  There have been 27 reported instances of the item malfunctioning and endangering the child inside.  In one of those instances, a boy of just two years old died because he became trapped between rails.  And in another case, another two year old suffered a brain injury due to the crib tent inverting and harming the child.

330,000 units have the potential defect, and various models are encompassed by the recall.  The best way for customers to identity the product is to look for a two inch wide Tots in Mind logo near the top of the tent.