Feeding can be defined as the behavioral response necessary for replenishing energy substrates to maintain energy balance and, ultimately, the survival of all organisms. Predictably, a shortage of food sources is associated with increased motivational states that promote food seeking, as well as metabolic changes that allow for energy stores to be amassed in the form of adipose tissue. In gener...

In Cook v. FDA,1 the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously affirmed a March 2012 decision by the DC District Court permanently enjoining the Food andDrug Administration (FDA) from permitting the entry of foreign manufactured sodium thiopental (thiopental) into interstate commerce. The decision is a serious setback for the FDA’s use of its enforcement discretion.Co...

BACKGROUND Pharmaceutical drug shortages (DSs) are a global problem which presents challenges to countries around the world. Shortages of pharmaceutical products may have a direct detrimental impact on public health and patients' wellbeing by causing delayed, or even lack of, treatment. Moreover, DSs may force both patients and caregivers to use unfamiliar drugs, which could lead to medication ...

One of the worst-affected hospitals is the southern hemisphere’s largest, the sprawling 2 800-bed Chris Hani Baragwanath in Soweto, where nonpayment shortages range from clean bed linen and food to life-saving surgical equipment. Surgeons reached the end of their tether in March when they were unable to order life-saving CT scans and were also forced to risk potentially life-threatening surgica...

The year 2012 was perceived by many stakeholders as the worst ever with respect to drug shortages in Canada. Following receipt of a warning letter 1 from the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2011, Novartis International AG, on behalf of its Canadian operations at Sandoz Canada, issued a customer letter 2 in mid-February 2012 indicating that the company's production capacity would be ...

Objectives: Medicine shortages are a global phenomenon. A growing number of reports indicate the problem is increasingly affecting the European pharmaceutical market. The present study aims to investigate the characteristics, determinants, legal aspects and management of medicine shortages in Belgium, France and from the perspective of the European Union. MethOds: A review of scientific and gre...

Plants regularly face dry conditions. Not having enough water poses a serious threat to a plant’s ability to grow and develop or even just survive! If plants die, we will not have enough food to eat! How do plants manage to survive during water shortages? They must somehow be able to sense, respond, and adapt to changes in water availability. They do this through a range of techniques that allo...