SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Sept. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — You’ve heard how important it is to wash your hands and to handle food safely, but do you know why it’s important? And do you know what other steps to take for food safety? September is National Food Safety Education Month and a great time to learn the basics.

Handling food safely is important for you and your family. No matter your age, food safety helps keep food at its freshest and most nutritious, reduces food waste, and prevents food poisoning. To help keep your food safe, use FDA’s new Food Safety in Your Kitchen materials to plan your next meal! You’ll find delicious recipes (with steps for food safety already built in), fact sheets, and tips on safe meal prep, storage, and shopping. If you’re under 30, check out FDA’s new Everyday Food Safety materials to learn the essentials of food safety. You’ll find a helpful video and tip sheets on each of the four steps below.

Step 1: Clean

• Rinse fruits or vegetables off under cold water.
• Don’t forget to rinse off produce that has a skin before you cut it. If there are disease-causing germs (bacteria, viruses) on the skin and you cut it with a knife, the knife can carry the germs into the produce.

Step 2: Separate

• Step 2 actually starts in your shopping cart! Bag your produce and raw meat, seafood, and poultry in separate plastic bags to keep their juices away from other groceries while you’re shopping. Keep them separate when you get home to prevent cross-contamination.

Step 3: Cook

• Check the temperature! Make sure food is cooked to a safe internal temperature before you eat it. Not sure what the correct temperature is? Here’s a quick reminder:
• Poultry should be cooked to 165° F.
• Ground meat, meat mixtures, and egg dishes should be cooked to 160° F.
• Beef, pork, ham, should be cooked to 145° F and allowed to rest for three minutes.
• Fish and seafood should be cooked to 145° F.

Step 4: Chill

• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and other perishables within 2 hours of purchasing or cooking (or 1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F).
• Never thaw food on your countertop! For defrosting, stick to using the fridge, cold water, or the microwave.

Watch FDA’s new true-story videos about severe cases of foodborne illness. If you’re looking for more information on food safety, visit FDA’s Education Resource Library to download or order materials.

Contact: Media: 1-301-796-4540; Consumers: 1-888-SAFEFOOD (toll free)

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SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration

PHOENIX, Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Barrow Neurological Institute has initiated a $50 million effort, supported by the single largest research grant in the history of brain tumor research, to seek a cure for the deadliest form of brain cancer. Funding from The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation will be used to dramatically accelerate drug discovery and clinical testing for glioblastoma in the newly-formed Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute.

The Ivy Center will become a cornerstone at Barrow, which conducts more brain tumor operations than any hospital in the nation, and is part of Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.  Already screening malignant brain tumor patients from around the world, the new Center will ultimately mean that every patient, regardless of diagnosis or state of the tumor, will have the individualized option for an experimental therapy.

“This grant will fast track discovery and offer support and hope to those battling glioblastoma and other malignant brain tumors,” says Nader Sanai, MD, director of neurosurgical oncology.  Dr. Sanai is an internationally renowned pioneer in glioblastoma research and will head the new Center. “The formation of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center will propel our singular research strategy to a new level of personalized medicine as we put a laser focus on discovering a cure,” he said. “The Ivy Foundation’s commitment is a true gift of hope.”

Catherine Ivy, president of The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, said the Center’s ultimate goal is to cure brain cancer. “The more we discover, the more we can do to help patients and their families.  Our Foundation has partnered with renowned medical and research programs throughout the United States and even internationally,” she said.  “After years of assessment, we have decided to invest in the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow. We think Barrow and the new Ivy Brain Tumor Center are our best bet. “

More than 138,000 Americans currently are living with a malignant brain tumor and more than nine out of 10 diagnosed with glioblastoma die within five years.  Market forces and a string of high-profile clinical trial failures have led pharmaceutical firms to de-prioritize malignant brain tumor patients.  Between 1998 and 2014, 78 investigational brain tumor drugs entered advanced clinical trial evaluation and 75 failed. 

This lack of new drugs led Dr. Sanai in 2016 to launch a bold approach to treat glioblastoma with Barrow’s ‘Phase 0’ trials. In a Phase 0 trial, a patient receives a small dose of an experimental drug the day before surgery. During the operation, surgeons collect the patient’s samples and a team of scientists immediately test for the effectiveness of the drug. Results are available in days and, if the trial drug proves to be active, the patient goes on to receive aggressive treatment with higher doses. This approach is a unique form of personalized medicine and the first of its kind for brain tumor patients.

Prior to Barrow’s daring expansion into Phase 0 trialing, complex studies like this were only attempted at the National Institutes of Health. Now, Barrow is leading a national movement to rapidly identify new drugs that will save lives. “Phase 0 trials are the quickest route to identify individualized strategies for treating glioblastoma and our approach demands only a fraction of the time and costs associated with traditional drug research and development,” says Dr. Sanai.  “With the Ivy Foundation’s grant and the Barrow’s expertise in Phase 0 trialing, we believe glioblastoma will meet its match.”

The Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the largest non-governmental funding mechanism of brain tumor research in the world, having committed more than $123 million to patient-focused research on gliomas, a type of tumor that occurs in the brain and spinal cord. Ivy became involved in brain tumor research when her husband, Ben, lost his battle with glioblastoma in 2005.

“Thanks to the Ivy Foundation’s inspiring commitment, the Barrow Neurological Institute has established the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, a 20,000 square foot state-of-the art facility that provides Dr. Sanai and his team of scientists and clinician specialists with state-of-the-art resources to focus on accelerated patient trials and save lives,” said Katie Cobb, President of the Barrow Neurological Foundation.

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SOURCE Barrow Neurological Institute