Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFRVrxt3j8/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Harbor Freight Tools are recalling Bauer 20V Battery-Powered 4-Gallon Backpack Sprayers.  These sprayers have pumps that leak chemicals to be sprayed into the battery compartment leading to shortcircuiting, overheating, fires, and burns. About 53,000 of these sprayers were sold by Harborfreight Tools at their stores and online. Stop using these sprayers and contact Harbor Freight Tools at 1-800-444-3353 or via email at recall@harborfreight.com for instructions regarding return to the sprayer and receipt of a Harbor Freight Tools gift card. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Harbor-Freight-Tools-Recalls-Bauer-4-Gallon-Battery-Powered-Backpack-Sprayers-Due-to-Fire-Hazard #harborfreighttools #sprayer #leakage #battery #overheating #fire #burns #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFQmH9PDM8/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Manhattan Comfort company are recalling Manhattan Comfort Floating Wall Theater Entertainment Centers and Panels.  These panels, if attached to drywall without toggle bolts, can fall off the wall and injure.  Affected are Cabrini, City, and Utopia models. About 46,750 of these units were sold online at Wayfair, Home Depot, Target, ShopHQ, Walmart, Overstock, Macys, Lowes, ATG Stores, Unbeatable Sales, JET, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dropship Central,123 Stores, OJ Commerce, Hayneedle, Cymax and Houz. If you installed these theater centers and panels without toggle bolts, clear the space beneath and do not allow anyone, particularly children, near the area.  Contact Manhattan Comfort at 1-888-230-2225 or via the email manhattanrecalls@gmail.com to receive instructions about reinstalling these units and the toggle bolts necessary to complete these installations. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Manhattan-Comfort-

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFPuTaNuDf/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Sanven Technology now recall Vevor Baby Gates.  These gates violate federal safety standards for expansion gates and expandable baby enclosures.  A child’s body can squeeze through the opening between the gate slat and side wall leading to dangerous entrapment. About 420 of these gates were sold on eBay.com, AliExpress.com, and Overstock.com. Stop using these dangerous baby gates.  Contact Sanven Technology at 1-888-559-1726, or email at csr@vevor.com to receive information regarding refunds and the proper disposal of these gates. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Sanven-Technology-Recalls-Vevor-Baby-Gates-Due-to-Entrapment-Hazard-Violation-of-Federal-Regulations-for-Gates-and-Enclosures #sanven #vevor #baby #gates #entrapment #injury #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFO9xqOyNK/ The latest iteration of Apple AirPod Pros can work in tandem with your iPhone to help overcome your mild to moderate hearing loss.  The FDA has authorized this first over-the-counter hearing aid feature for a smartphone. Once available, owners of an Apple iPhone and the Air Pod Pro 2 will use the iPhone Health app to help   quantitate their hearing losses and customize the frequency gain  characteristics of the iPods to amplify speech and other sounds and optimize the listening experience. This iPhone feature will bring needed hearing amplification to the masses.  Using the  fashionable and somewhat chic AirPods to transmit the amplified sounds to the ears may also destigmatize the use of a hearing aid. Disclosure:  I am an Apple stockholder. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-first-over-counter-hearing-aid-software #hearingaid #apple #iPhone #iPod #amplification

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFOK_BOU4r/ A headband named ENMod uses brainwave-synchronized audio to lull you to sleep faster.  Created by Cambridge MA’s Elemind Technologies, the device continually captures EEG brainwaves.  It uses this data to deliver sounds that are phase locked to slow-wave sleep brainwaves and in so doing trigger deep sleep. A preliminary study of 21 subjects demonstrated that the headband audio system delivering properly synchronized sounds did accelerate sleep onset.  It did so by only 10 minutes on average.  With refinement, this electronic sleeping pills may become a safer alternative to pharmaceuticals. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63385-1 https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-headband-people-fall-asleep-aligning.html #insomnia #EEG #phaselocked #audio #elemind #enmo

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFNOewtyA3/ Toxic flame retardant chemicals are present in black kitchen utensils and in black plastic take out containers.  A study from the organization Toxic Free Future, published in the journal Chemosphere, surveyed levels of flame retardants in 203 items found around the home and particularly in the kitchen. Data from black plastic products showed that 65% of these products contained toxic flame retardants.  The source of these toxic chemicals is plastic recycled from the housings of discarded electronic products including televisions and video monitors. Avoid buying and using black plastic kitchen utensils.  Regarding the black plastic take-out cartons, transfer food from them ASAP and never microwave food in these containers. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653524022173?via=ihub #flameretardants #plastic #black #utensils #takeout #recycled 

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFMTHUvUYt/ MIT bioengineers have developed a polymer capable of delivering lethal heat therapy and chemotherapy to cancer cells.  The injectable microparticles are fabricated by mixing light-sensitive molybdenum disulfide, a chemotherapeutic drug such as doxorubicin, and the polymer polycaprolactone and creating films that are pressed into various micro-sizes and shapes.  Using a mouse cancer model, the implanted combo particles were exposed to near infrared laser light that passes through surface tissues and excites the molybdenum to 122 degrees F while at the same time releasing chemotherapy into the tumor.  This therapy eradicated all tumor and led to longer life for treated animals compared with those who received phototherapy or chemotherapy alone. This clever delivery system is in the early stages of development.  With refinement, it should help prolong the lives of select cancer patients…..someday soon. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.4c07843 #mit

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFLhVnttuZ/ Given the epidemic of obesity in the US with 30 to 40% of each state’s population dangerously tipping the scales, the diabetes drug semaglutide has become wildly popular.  For those who can’t afford the diet pill or who want a more natural solution, look no further than edible grains like oats, barley, and other foods that contain the soluble fiber beta-glucan. Food scientists at the University of Arizona have studied the effect of various fiber types including beta-glucan in a mouse model.  Only those mice consuming a beta-glucan supplemented diet had an accelerated energy expenditure, reduction in fatty tissues, and weight loss. So if you want some help knocking off those pounds but don’t want or can’t afford the expensive shots, consider regular consumption of foods rich in beta-glucan. Beta-glucan consumption is also associated with a reduction in total and LDL cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease.  Excellent sources of beta-glucan, besides

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFKzDrMAFU/ It is ultra-important that your anesthesia team know as much as possible about your health status before they ask you to count down from 100.  Swiss anesthesiologists at the Lausanne (lows anne) University Hospital are testing the utility of a smartwatch to deliver this detailed information ahead of the surgery. Using a Masimo W1 smartwatch model to capture streams of data including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and levels of hydration for several weeks prior to surgery.  This information provides an excellent measure of a patient’s cardiopulmonary well-being and flags those who require additional testing and perhaps local or regional rather than a general anesthetic. Best of all, the data captured is real world information gathered as soon-to-be patients go about their daily lives. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241025-the-smartwatches-that-can-predict-parkinsons-disease #smartwatch #anesthesia #preoperative #evaluation

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFJ4M5Mthu/ The latest recommendation is that those heart attack victims who had a post-coronary revascularization procedures wait at least 3 months before undergoing any elective procedures.  University of Rochester anesthesiologists headed a multi center collaborative study reviewing data from more than 5 million operative procedures for those 67 years and older from 2015 to early 2024. The study data showed that the odds of a post-operative cardiac event or a stroke doubled for those having elective surgery within 30 days following a heart attack.  The odds of a fatal complication following such surgery was 2 to 3 fold higher compared with those who waited 3 months. The study also showed that those who did not undergo a revascularization procedure following their heart attack had a higher rate of complications even after 3 months. The bottom line: consider a coronary revascularization procedure following a heart attack and be prepared to wait 3 months for any ele

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DCFIV9RteNr/ The latest study indicates that those suffering from Long CoVid have virus-triggered circulating inflammatory agents that inflict the cardiac damage characteristic of this CoVid complication.  Australian researchers at the University of Queensland studied the blood of 50 subjects including those with Long CoVid, those recovered from CoVid, and those never infected.  Their results were just published in Nature Microbiology. Using nanotechnology to study blood, more than 1 in every 4 persons with Long CoVid were found to have circulating inflammation mediators that likely drive the cardiac symptoms of chest pain and heart palpitations. These inflammatory substances act on cardiac muscle producing characteristic myocarditis and a reduction in cardiac function. This long CoVid-associated toxicity is yet another reason to avoid contracting CoVid.  You do that with CoVid vaccination and boosting which the CDC is now recommending every 4-6 months for the most vu

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuKfpqsyxK/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Powerblock company now recall Powerblock Commercial Pro 100 Weight Sets sold with 5 lb grip handles.  The weight plates above 55 lbs dislodge from the defective 5 lb grip handles leading to user and bystander injuries.  About 1,845 of the weight sets were sold in the US and about 18 were sold in Canada at Advanced Exercise Equipment, Advantage Sport & Fitness, American Barbell, BeaverFit USA, BSN, Carolina Fitness Equipment, Gopher Sport, Sorinex, and US Fitness Holdings and online at powerblock.com, roguefitness.com, lifefitness.com. Stop using these weight sets and contact PowerBlock at 1-800-997-3999 to receive replacement 5 lb grip handles. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/PowerBlock-Recalls-Commercial-Pro-100-Weight-Sets-Sold-with-5-lb-Grip-Handles-Due-to-Impact-Injury-Hazard #powerblock #weights #griphandles #detachment #injury #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuOwMGJshi/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Con Yeager Spice Company are recalling Trail Bologna Meat Processing Kits.  This product contains undeclared soy and wheat. Those with an allergies to soy and/or wheat a well as those with celiac disease could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume this product.  Affected are kits with lot # B241851006 with a Best by Date of 2-08-27.  In addition, this bologna kit was mistakenly packed in Hickory Jerky Kit packaging. If you, family members, or household visitors have soy or wheat sensitivities, contact Con Yeager at 1-724-202-6513 to arrange a return and replacement. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/con-yeager-spice-company-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-soy-and-wheat-trail-bologna-meat-processing #trailbologna #meatprocessingkit #soy #wheat #celiac #allergy #recall

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuOCbFPeaw/ The Food and Drug Administration and Sprouts Farmers Market are recalling Sprouts Chicken Street Taco Meal Kits due to listeria contamination.  This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Listeria can also trigger miscarriages and stillbirths.  Affected are meal kits with Best by Dates between 9/2/2024-11/7/2024. Do not consume this item.  Return it to the place of purchase for a refund.  Since listeria can survive at refrigerator temperatures and spread to other foods, clean all surfaces touched by this product.  For additional information, contact the company online at sprouts.com/contact. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/sprouts-farmers-market-has-voluntarily-recalled-select-lots-our-chicken-street-taco-kits-supplied #sprouts #chicken #taco #kit #listeria #infection #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuNZ_4g8Tt/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Grand Central Bakery now recall Grand Central U-Bake Pie Crust, U-Bake Apple Pie, U-Bake Marionberry Pie, U-Bake Chicken Pot Pie.  These frozen pie products contain undeclared egg. Those with an allergy to eggs could develop a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction should they consume this product.  Affected is product with expiration dates between 02/01/2025 and 04/20/2025. These products were sold at Grand Central Bakery Cafés in Seattle WA and Portland OR. If you, family members, or household visitors have an egg allergy, do not consume these pie products.  Contact Grand Central Bakery at 1-503-232-0575 or via email at retailfeedback@grandcentralbakery.com to receive a refund. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/grand-central-bakery-issues-allergy-alert-undeclared-egg-u-bake-pie-crust-u-bake-apple-pie-u-bake #grandcentralbakery #ubake #pies #egg #allergy #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuMv3nP5y-/ The Food and Drug Administration and Fresh Express Incorporated is recalling Gourmet Café Chicken Caesar Salad Bowls.  This prepared food contains chicken from the BrucePac company that is contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.   This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Listeria can also trigger miscarriages and stillbirths.  Affected is product with package codes S281, S282, S285, and S288 with Use By dates 10/26-11/4/24. These salad bowls were sold in California, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington state. Do not consume these salad bowls.  Return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For more information, call the Fresh Express Consumer Response Center at 1-800-242-5472. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/fresh-express-voluntarily-recalling-limited-number-gourmet-cafe-chicken-caesar-salad-bowls

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuMF5WJ5b4/ The Food and Drug Administration and the Acme Smoked Fish Corporation are recalling Kirkland Signature Smoked Salmon in twin 12oz packages.   Affected is Lot# 8512801270, Best-by-Date 11/13/2024.  This salmon is contaminated with listeria monocytogenes.  This bacterium causes a severe and sometimes fatal systemic infection in the very young, older frail individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.  Listeria can also trigger miscarriages and stillbirths.  This salmon was sold at Costco Warehouse stores in Florida. Do not consume this salmon.  Return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.  For additional information, contact Acme at 1-718-383-8585 or via email at mkluger@acmesmokedfish.com or mkluger@acmesmokedfish.com. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/acme-smoked-fish-corporation-recalls-kirkland-signature-smoked-salmon-due-listeria-monocytogenes #kirkland #salmon #smoked #listeria #infection #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuLcqVuDyJ/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and CFMOTO Powersports are recalling 2024 CFORCE 800 Touring and 2024 CFORCE 1000 Touring All-Terrain Vehicles.  The throttle lever won’t return to the idle position when the driver releases it causing unexpected acceleration, crashes, and injuries to the driver and bystanders. About 2650 of these ATVs were sold. Stop riding these CFMOTO ATVs and contact an authorized CFMOTO dealer to schedule a free repair.  For more information, contact CFMOTO Powersports at 1-888-823-6686 or via email at info@cfmotousa.com. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/CFMOTO-Recalls-All-Terrain-Vehicles-Due-to-Crash-Hazards #cfmoto #atvs #allterrainvehicles #throttle #crashes #injuries #recall

Vidcast:  Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuKfpqsyxK/ The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Powerblock company now recall Powerblock Commercial Pro 100 Weight Sets sold with 5 lb grip handles.  The weight plates above 55 lbs dislodge from the defective 5 lb grip handles leading to user and bystander injuries.  About 1,845 of the weight sets were sold in the US and about 18 were sold in Canada at Advanced Exercise Equipment, Advantage Sport & Fitness, American Barbell, BeaverFit USA, BSN, Carolina Fitness Equipment, Gopher Sport, Sorinex, and US Fitness Holdings and online at powerblock.com, roguefitness.com, lifefitness.com. Stop using these weight sets and contact PowerBlock at 1-800-997-3999 to receive replacement 5 lb grip handles. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/PowerBlock-Recalls-Commercial-Pro-100-Weight-Sets-Sold-with-5-lb-Grip-Handles-Due-to-Impact-Injury-Hazard #powerblock #weights #griphandles #detachment #injury #recall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DBuJxmPtGth/ Standing desks have become popular as health experts have warned us about the dangers of sitting for prolonged periods of time.  An Australian study from the University of Sydney, just published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, now shows that standing at a desk during the workday does not reduce cardiovascular risks and triggers other dangers including deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins. Studying data from more than 83 thousand adults followed for nearly 7 years, the researchers found that standing did not reduce cardiovascular risk compared with sitting.  Standing compared with sitting triggers a higher so-called orthostatic circulatory risk due to blood pooling in the legs that leads to blood clots and vein dilatation. The takeaway point:  don’t sit or stand too long during the work day.  Get up and walk around to exercise your heart and to prevent blood pooling in your legs. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39412356/ #standingdesk #c