FOX News

Recalls this week: bicycles, children's rompers

The Associated Press — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 19:51:37 GMT

A line of children's rompers with snaps that pose a choking hazard to young children are among this week's recalled consumer products. Others include glass tables and hair dryers.

Here's a more detailed look:

CHILDREN'S ROMPERS

DETAILS: Two styles of children's rompers sold in sizes 0-3 months and 18-24 months. They are Vermillion Painted OPP Floral Romper with style number 7F32500, and the Shocking Fuchsia Rose Romper with style number 7F32504. The Vermillion rompers are red with white floral print, and the Shocking Fuchsia are maroon with a pink floral print. The style number is printed on a tag sewn on the inside of the garment located in the waist area. They were sold at Nordstrom, Von Maur and various boutique stores nationwide and at teacollection.com from July 2017 through December 2017.

WHY: The snaps near the collar can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

INCIDENTS: Five reports of the snaps detaching from the garments. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 3,800 in the U.S. and 140 in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call Tea Collection at 866-374-8747 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, send email to service@teacollection.com or visit www.teacollection.com and click on the recall tab at the bottom of the page for more information.

GLASS TABLES

DETAILS: West Elm Jensen rectangular glass tables. Only rectangular tables with SKU number 4737003 or 7912629 are included in the recall. The SKU number is printed on the table's packaging. They were sold at West Elm stores nationwide, West Elm's catalog and westelm.com from September 2014 through December 2016.

WHY: The tempered glass top can shatter unexpectedly, posing a laceration and injury hazard to the user or bystanders.

INCIDENTS: Nine reports of the glass table top shattering. No injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 5,400.

FOR MORE: Call West Elm toll-free at 833-216-6974 from 7 a.m. to midnight ET daily or online at www.westelm.com and click on "Safety Recalls" for more information.

HAIR DRYERS

DETAILS: The Ionic Pro 2000 and 2000W hand-held hair dryers sold under the ISO Beauty and Proliss brand names. The bottom rear of the dryers has "ISO" or "Proliss" printed and model number HD-1820. The dryers were sold in the following colors: black, white, white pearl, peacock, white zebra, pink leopard, blue, and giraffe.

WHY: The cord can become brittle near the base of the dryer, posing burn hazards.

INCIDENTS: Thirty-five reports of the dryers sparking or smoking, including two reports of flames coming from the dryers and three reported burn injuries to hands or fingers.

HOW MANY: About 73,000 in the U.S. and about 1,000 units were sold in Canada.

FOR MORE: Call ISO Beauty at 800-490-5919 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or visit isobeauty.com and click on "Product Recall" for more information.

ELECTRIC BLANKETS

DETAILS: Rural King's electric heated blankets and throws. Model numbers starting with BLV-OB and ending in 200, 201A, 201B, 201C, 202, 202BN, 202CM, 203, 204A1, 204A2, 204A3, 204A2BR, 204A2CM, 205B1, 205B2, 205B3 or 206C1 can be found on a corner tag. Matton Rural King Supply Inc. is printed on the back of the tag. They were sold at Rural King stores nationwide and at www.ruralking.com from October 2017 through December 2017.

WHY: The blankets' and throws' electric cord can overheat and catch on fire, posing fire and burn hazards.

INCIDENTS: Four reports of the blankets and throws overheating. Two incidents resulted in fires and one burn injury to a consumer's foot.

HOW MANY: About 9,600.

FOR MORE: Call Rural King at 800-561-1752 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit www.ruralking.com and click on the "Safety Recall Information" link at the bottom of the page for more information.

BICYCLES

DETAILS: All model year 2018 Specialized Allez (Base), Allez Sport, and Allez Elite road racing bicycles. The recalled bicycles have an alloy frame and composite fork. "Specialized" is printed on the downtube, "Allez" is printed on the bottom of each fork leg and "FACT" is printed on the inside of the left fork leg. They were sold at Specialized retailers nationwide from July 2017 through December 2017.

WHY: The fork on the bicycle can break and cause the rider to lose control, posing a crash hazard.

INCIDENTS: One report of cracking in the fork. No crashes or injuries have been reported.

HOW MANY: About 5,550 in the U.S., about 390 in Canada, and 260 in Mexico.

FOR MORE: Call An Authorized Specialized Retailer directly or Specialized Bicycle Components Inc. at 877-808-8154 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, send email to ridercare@specialized.com or visit www.specialized.com and click on "Safety Notices" for more information.

Ram trucks recalled to fix problem with gear shifters

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 13:39:42 GMT

Fiat Chrysler is recalling about 229,000 Ram trucks, mostly in North America, because they can be shifted out of park without a key in the ignition or a foot on the brake.

The recall covers certain 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups. Also included are 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cab trucks. All are from 2017 and 2018 and have steering column shifters.

U.S. government documents say if the brake pedal is pushed for a long time when the trucks are running and in park, the brake-shift interlock pin can become lodged in an open position, increasing the risk of an unintended rollaway.

Fiat Chrysler says it's not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this recall. The company recommends that drivers always use the parking brake as a safety precaution.

Dealers will update software and replace a switch if needed in a recall that starts March 30.

The recall is in addition to one announced in December involving 1.8 million Ram trucks for the same issue. Fiat Chrysler says it discovered that additional trucks could have the problem.

Shares keep gaining as tech, industrial companies rise

ELAINE KURTENBACH — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 03:43:58 GMT

Shares were higher in Japan and Australia, with all other Asian markets closed Friday for the lunar new year holiday.

KEEPING SCORE: Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index climbed 1.1 percent to 21,699.71 and the S&P ASX 200 in Australia added 0.1 percent to 5,914.60.

JAPAN CENTRAL BANK: As expected, the government proposed reappointing Haruhiko Kuroda as governor of the Bank of Japan. The decision underscores the government's commitment to its strategy of using huge monetary stimulus to support growth and fend off deflation. The appointment requires approval by parliament, which is certain since the ruling Liberal Democrats hold control of the legislature.

WALL STREET ADVANCE: Technology companies climbed Thursday as stocks rose for the fifth day in a row. After a brief dip late in the morning, the Standard & Poor's 500 index rallied to gain 1.2 percent to 2,731.20. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.2 percent, to 25,200.37. The Nasdaq composite was up 1.6 percent, to 7,256.43 and the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1 percent to 1,537.20.

U.S. INFLATION: The Labor Department said U.S. wholesale prices rose 0.4 percent in January, mainly due to a jump in energy prices. It was the biggest increase since November.

ENERGY: U.S. crude oil turned higher in afternoon trading after a slump in the morning. It rose 74 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $61.34 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 3 cents to $64.33 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar was flat at 106.12 yen while the euro rose to $1.2540 from $1.2506.

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AP Markets Writer Marley Jay contributed. He can be reached at http://twitter.com/MarleyJayAP . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/marley%20jayt .

Cisco Systems and Teva jump while NetApp slumps

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:39:09 GMT

Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday:

Cisco Systems Inc., up $1.99 to $44.08

The technology company had a solid second quarter and said it will buy back $25 billion in stock.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., up $1.48 to $20.81

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed an investment in the struggling Israeli drugmaker.

TripAdvisor Inc., up $1.68 to $42.40

The travel website continued its strong run in 2018 after it made its fourth-quarter report.

Zoetis Inc., up $4.04 to $78.50

The animal health company reported a larger profit and greater sales than analysts expected.

NetApp Inc., down $2.97 to $57.67

The data storage company beat expectations in the third quarter, but its guidance concerned investors.

TreeHouse Foods Inc., down $5.43 to $37.48

The food company said its snacks business struggled and forecast a smaller-than-expected profit.

AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc., up $4.05 to $17.95

The drugmaker said regulators approved Makena, a shot intended to reduce the risk of preterm birth in certain at-risk women.

A. Schulman Inc., up $4.10 to $42.75

The supplier of plastic compounds and resins agreed to be bought by LyondellBassell in a deal they valued at $2.25 billion.

Fareway chicken salad public health alert issued in 5 states

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:10:26 GMT

Chicken salad sold at Fareway grocery stores in five Midwest states has been pulled from stores and consumers are advised to throw it away after it made people sick in Iowa.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service on Wednesday issued a public health alert about the Fareway Chicken Salad sold in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.

It was produced between Dec. 15 and Feb. 13 and was sold in plastic deli containers with a Fareway store deli label.

The Iowa Department of Public Health contacted federal officials on Feb. 9 after an illness was reported. A spokeswoman declined to release the number of people sickened.

Salmonella, a bacterial illness, can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever. Some people develop severe symptoms that require hospitalization.

Biotech breakthrough: Placenta said to make 100 the new 60

Julia Limitone — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 13:30:00 GMT

Celularity, a leading U.S. biotechnology company, is seizing on an opportunity to use cells to target diseases. The CEO, Dr. Robert Hariri, says placenta can be used to augment longevity and immunity.

“The vision here is how do we have a healthier longer life and how do we use these stem cells and immunological cells to help fight cancers,” Celularity Vice Chairman Dr. Peter Diamandis said to FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria.”

Hariri, previously the CEO of Celgene (NASDAQ:CELG), which develops and commercializes medicines for cancer and inflammatory disorders, said mapping the genome was a key educator for where we are with diseases today.

“We have greater insights into the greater things which are the molecular basis for disease and we’ll be able to decipher and decode that before and be able to intervene before a disease occurs,” he told Bartiromo.

Research found placenta is the richest source of stem cells and can be used as a way to turn living cells into medicines aimed to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and degenerative disease and eventually regrow organs.

“At the heart of the aging process is a loss, and exhaustion, of the engine that drives the natural repair processes — it keeps us young,” Hariri said.

The effort has raised $250 million in capital funding, including contributions from former Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO John Sculley, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Ventures founder Bill Maris and former FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach.

First blood test to help diagnose brain injuries gets US OK

LINDSEY TANNER — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 02:04:00 GMT

The first blood test to help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injuries has won U.S. government approval.

The move means Banyan Biomarkers can commercialize its test, giving the company an early lead in the biotech industry's race to find a way to diagnose concussions.

The test doesn't detect concussions and the approval won't immediately change how patients with suspected concussions or other brain trauma are treated. But Wednesday's green light by the Food and Drug Administration "is a big deal because then it opens the door and accelerates technology," said Michael McCrea, a brain injury expert at Medical College of Wisconsin.

The test detects two proteins present in brain cells that can leak into the bloodstream following a blow to the head. Banyan's research shows the test can detect them within 12 hours of injury. It's designed to help doctors quickly determine which patients with suspected concussions may have brain bleeding or other brain injury.

Patients with a positive test would need a CT scan to confirm the results and determine if surgery or other treatment is needed. The test will first be used in emergency rooms, possibly as soon as later this year, but Banyan's hope is that it will eventually be used on battlefields and football fields.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the test fits with the agency's goals for delivering new technologies to patients and reducing unnecessary radiation exposure.

The test "sets the stage for a more modernized standard of care for testing of suspected cases," Gottlieb said in a statement.

Traumatic brain injuries affect an estimated 10 million people globally each year; at least 2 million of them are treated in U.S. emergency rooms. They often get CT scans to detect bleeding or other abnormalities. The scans expose patients to radiation, but in many patients with mild brain injuries including concussions, abnormalities don't show up on these imaging tests.

With Department of Defense funding, Banyan's research shows its Brain Trauma Indicator can accurately pick up brain trauma later found on CT scans. It also shows that absence of the two proteins in the test is a good indication that CT scans will be normal. That means patients with negative blood tests can avoid CT scans and unnecessary radiation exposure, said Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian, a University of Rochester emergency medicine professor involved in Banyan's research.

Bazarian called the test "a huge step" toward devising a blood test that can detect brain injuries including concussions.

Dr. Walter Koroshetz, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and other brain injury experts say the test isn't sensitive enough to rule out concussions.

"This may be a beginning. It's not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," Koroshetz said.

That prize would be a test that could detect and guide treatment for concussions and traumatic brain injuries, similar to a blood test that hospitals commonly use to evaluate suspected heart attacks, Koroshetz said.

"That's what we'd like to have for the brain," he said.

San Diego-based Banyan has partnered with French firm bioMerieux SA to market the test to hospitals using bioMerieux's blood analyzing machines.

Other companies are developing similar blood tests to detect brain injuries. Abbott has licensed both protein biomarkers from Banyan and is developing its own blood tests. BioDirection is developing a test involving one of the proteins in Banyan's test plus another one and using a portable device that can yield results from a single drop of blood in less than two minutes.

Quanterix is also working to develop a blood test to diagnose concussions and other brain injuries. It has licensed the use of both proteins in Banyan's test to be used with its own technology.

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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner on Twitter at @LindseyTanner. Her work can be found here .

Buffett's firm invests in drugmaker Teva, trims Phillips 66

JOSH FUNK — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:25:31 GMT

Billionaire Warren Buffett's company on Wednesday revealed a new investment in struggling Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals and trimmed its holdings in oil refiner Phillips 66 by selling 35 million shares back to the company for $3.3 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. disclosed those moves and several other tweaks to its stock holdings in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Berkshire said it held 18.9 million shares of Teva at the end of the year, worth about $360 million.

Teva, the world's No. 1 generic drugmaker, this week detailed a two-year timeline for turning its business around after being hit competition in its core generic business, the loss of patent protection on its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone and a more than $30 billion debt load from its acquisition of Allergan's generics business. It said in December it planned to cut 14,000 jobs, over one quarter of its global workforce.

Berkshire Hathaway and Phillips 66 said the repurchase will let Buffett's company reduce its investment below the 10 percent level that triggers additional regulations. That transaction was expected to close Wednesday.

Buffett said Berkshire plans to continue holding Phillips 66 stock long term. After this, Berkshire will hold 45.7 million shares, or about 9.8 percent of the Houston-based refiner.

"Phillips 66 is a great company with a diversified downstream portfolio and a strong management team," Buffett said. "This transaction was solely motivated by our desire to eliminate the regulatory requirements that come with ownership levels above 10 percent."

Berkshire began building its Phillips 66 investment in 2012. Berkshire traded about $1.4 billion of its Phillips 66 stock for an additive business in 2013. Berkshire resumed buying shares later.

Aside from those moves, the biggest changes Berkshire made in its portfolio during the fourth quarter was adding to its Apple investment and continuing to sell off its IBM stake.

Berkshire held 165.3 million Apple shares at the end of 2017, up from 134 million at the end of September. Buffett found opportunities to continue buying the iPhone maker even though its shares were selling at premium prices in the fall.

With IBM, Berkshire reported holding a little over 2 million shares. Before last spring, Berkshire held more than 80 million IBM shares. Buffett has been steadily selling IBM shares over the past year because the company hasn't performed as expected since he first bought shares in 2011.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns more than 90 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads, and manufacturing.

Concussion, brain injury blood test gains FDA approval

Thomas Barrabi — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 21:43:00 GMT

A new blood test that could help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injuries such as concussions in adult patients gained approval on Wednesday from the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA’s ruling allows Banyan Biomarkers, a biotech company, to begin marketing for the blood test.

While the blood test cannot currently detect concussions conclusively, it does allow doctors to scan brain cells for proteins that indicate brain bleeding and other neurological injuries after a blow to the head, the Associated Press reported.

“A blood-testing option for the evaluation of [mild traumatic brain injury]/concussion not only provides health care professionals with a new tool, but also sets the stage for a more modernized standard of care for testing of suspected cases,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a press release.

Traumatic brain injuries contributed to about 2.8 million emergency room visits and nearly 50,000 deaths in 2013, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Separately, the increase of concussions is an ongoing issue in professional sports. The NFL and other sports leagues have earmarked millions of dollars to study the problem.

The blood test for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries will initially be used in emergency rooms and could eventually be used to treat possible head injury victims in sports and the military, the AP reported. Use of the blood tests could begin as soon as this year.

At present, medical professional use Cat scans, which expose patients to radiation, to test for concussions and other brain injuries.

Republicans 'dropped the ball' by failing to repeal ObamaCare mandate

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 18:28:00 GMT

Businesses are fighting the Internal Revenue Service’s decision to enforce ObamaCare’s employer mandate, which stipulates that companies with 50 or more employees must provide health care or pay a penalty.

But Judge Andrew Napolitano blames Republicans for failing to entirely repeal the mandate when passing their long-awaited tax overhaul plan -- which will roll back the ObamaCare individual mandate starting in 2019 -- at the end of 2017.

“The tax cut could have removed the IRS’s authority to fine for failure to comply with the employer mandate. It could have removed the employer mandate all together,” Napolitano told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. “But those courageous Republicans who are going to shrink the government simply dropped the ball.”

President Trump long promised that when the individual mandate was repealed, the overall repeal of ObamaCare would follow. Despite that, large portions of President Obama’s health care reform remain intact.

These corporations received a massive tax cut, thanks to the GOP, which slashed the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%. But those savings are likely to go back to the IRS, thanks to the ObamaCare mandate, Napolitano said.

“The president can stop this with a phone call. The president actually, before this happened, told the IRS ‘I really believe the individual mandates will be gone, don’t collect the fines on it.’ First time in modern American history that the President of the United States has said to the IRS ‘don’t collect a lawful tax.’ He could do the same thing with this corporate tax with a phone call this afternoon,” Napolitano said.