State gets grant to protect beef industry from mad cow disease (The State Journal-Register) Illinois farm regulators expect to conduct 400 inspections and 1,000 feed tests the next two years with the aid of a nearly $500,000 federal grant intended to protect the domestic beef industry from mad cow disease. [News Source]

Lee Myung Bak Urged to Step Down (Korean Central News Agency) Pyongyang, December 4 (KCNA) -- The Youth and Students Solidarity for Implementing the June 15 Joint Declaration of south Korea issued a statement on Dec. 1 in denunciation of the Lee Myung Bak group's treacherous and anti-reunification moves for confrontation with fellow countrymen. [News Source]

Fat cells also linked to prion infection (Science News) Disease-causing misfolded proteins at home in a growing list of tissues, organs [News Source]

Officials prepare for chronic wasting in deer. Chronic wasting disease could devastate local deer populations, and National Park Service officials want to be prepared if the disease makes its way inside the boundaries of Monocacy and Antietam national battlefields. [News Source]

Danger from chinese milk very real, says U.S. scientist. A food safety expert is warning that contaminated infant formula could be damaging American babies, and that the US Food and Drug Administration is not doing enough. [News Source]

Taiwan should adopt international food safety standards: AIT. The United States is urging Taiwan to adopt internationally consistent standards as quickly as possible in its development of food regulatory systems. [News Source]

Treasure Coast weekend events: Dec. 4-7 (TCPalm.com) Don’t let the parade pass you by on what looks to be a picture-perfect weekend, with highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s and very little chance for rain to dampen spirits. [News Source]

Boston Legal , Alzheimer’s, and Dimebon (Blogcritics.org) Boston Legal addresses an important issue. I am a fan of the show Boston Legal. For years the show has alluded to the mild cognitive impairment of Denny Crane (William Shatner) by referring to it as "mad cow." Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transition stage between the cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious problems caused by Alzheimer's disease. It now... [News Source]

One Variant of Mad Cow Disease More Virulent Than Classical Form (Kansas City InfoZine) Researcher Tells K-State Symposium [News Source]

Mad-cow-prevention rule poses its own dangers (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter) LITITZ, Pa. A federal regulation aimed at preventing mad cow disease from getting into the food supply could create health risks of its own: many thousands of cattle carcasses rotting on farms, spreading germs, attracting vermin and polluting the water. [News Source]