updated 3:23 PM EST, Mon January 9, 2012 Novartis issues massive pill recall STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) — Machinery problems at a drug manufacturing plant prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to warn patients of a possible mix-up affecting various prescription pain medications and over-the-counter drugs.

The FDA is advising patients who use certain prescription medications produced by Endo Pharmaceuticals to visually inspect their pills.

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University of Missouri engineers and their research collaborators at Nanova, Inc. are one step closer to a painless way to replace fillings. After favorable results in the lab, human clinical trials are underway on the “plasma brush.”

In less than 30 seconds, the plasma brush uses chemical reactions to disinfect and clean out cavities for fillings. In addition to the bacteria-killing properties, the “cool flame” from the plasma brush forms a better bond for cavity fillings.

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Planning a 2012 getaway? Now is the perfect time: more and more eco-friendly destinations are popping up left and right on the radar.

Whether youre looking for adventure or relaxation, there are so many choices for travelling sustainably. Luckily, organizations like ResponsibleTourism.com are there to help. They believe that responsible tourism is a better way to travel, where you get a more authentic experience, and your holiday benefits local people and the environment. As they say, Responsible tourism simply means holidays that care about local communities and culture, as well as wildlife conservation and the environment.

Here are some of our favorites:

If you like adventure

The site features over 1268 adventure holidays, from sea or river kayaking and surfing, to cycling and horseback riding.

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• Researchers have discovered a promising new treatment for a rare childhood metabolic disorder known as Fabry disease.The discovery led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a key interaction at the heart which not only will help to find new cure for Fabry disease but also help to understand of other protein-folding disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, as well.People born with Fabry disease have a faulty copy of a single gene that codes for the alpha-galactosidase (α-GAL) enzyme, one of the cell’s “recycling” machines. When it performs normally, α-GAL breaks down an oily lipid known as GB3 in the cell’s recycling center, or lysosome. B

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