Last week Vidyya informed its readers that the FDA was considering pulling products with phenylpropanolamine from store shelves. Yesterday, the FDA stopped considering the move and decided to make it a reality.

In this Vidyya we have everything you need to answer questions from the general public and to read the science that led to the decision.

Consumers and members of the general public with questions about the withdrawal of the popular cold and diet medication ingredient will find the information they need with this informative question and answer fact sheet from the FDA.

Vidyya present a summary to provide additional information to health care professionals in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) public health advisory concerning the risk of hemorrhagic stroke associated with phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride.

In research news, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, cause of the common skin infection bullous impetigo, produces a toxin that attacks a protein highly specific for cell-to-cell binding in the outermost layer of the skin, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Breakup of this protein gives the bacterium "an exquisitely specific mechanism to circumvent the skin's protective barrier and spread further."

And in infectious disease news, Laboratory tests today confirmed that two cases of illness in Gulf Coast residents under investigation by the Mississippi State Department of Health were due to E. coli O157:H7. Both cases were in children with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS); one of the children died, and the other is recovering. You might remember that earlier this week, Vidyya brought you news of the possible outbreak. The articles in today's Vidyya are:

• FDA Warns Public About Phenylpropanolamine

• Exquisite Molecular Mechanism Found For Impetigo Infection, Spread

• Questions And Answers Regarding The Safety Of Phenylpropanolamine

• Food and Drug Administration Science Background Safety of Phenylpropanolamine

• Mississippi Department of Health Confirms E. coli 0157:H7