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Doctor's wife arrested in slaying Pamela J. Johnson of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando Sentinel on January 29, 2000 . The widow of slain plastic surgeon Glauco Menna was arrested Friday night on suspicion of killing her husband with a single shot to the head while he spoke to his mistress on his cellular telephone. Clotilde Estela Menna, 57, was charged with first degree murder three days after several personal items and .357-caliber bullet casings were seized from the couple's Windermere home. In testimony to detectives the night Menna was killed, the doctor's wife, who goes by Estela, placed herself at the crime scene at the time of the shooting. But she said she went to Menna's Pine Hills office only to discuss family matters and she refused to submit to a gunshot residue test. Menna was shot and killed Jan. 21 while he stood near his car, which was running with the keys in the ignition. His cellular phone was found next to his body. "Based on accumulative evidence, we had probable cause to arrest Mrs. Menna for first-degree murder," said Cpl. Angelo Nieves. "She admitted she was at the crime scene. . . . And we recovered several items from her home." Detectives think Estela Menna drove to the medical center to check whether her husband was meeting another woman. When she arrived in the family's white Cadillac, she confronted Menna in the parking lot and an argument ensued. Glauco Menna then called his mistress, who was heading for the office, according to Estela Menna's affidavit. He told the woman, identified only as "Ms. Graham," that he was fighting with his wife and to return home, according to the affidavit. At that point, Estela Menna entered the doctor's car and retrieved a .357-caliber Magnum handgun from underneath the driver's seat. While Glauco Menna spoke to Graham, Estela Menna placed the handgun behind his left ear and fired one round, killing him instantly, the affidavit said. Detectives were able to trace the call and confirm the conversation with the mistress. The woman admitted to authorities that she was having an affair with Menna and was set to meet him at his office the night of the shooting. The Mennas' 28-year-old son, Max, told detectives that he had given his father a .357-caliber handgun as a gift a few years earlier. The gun, which was usually kept in the Mennas' bedroom nightstand, has not been located. Estela Menna has been a prime suspect since shortly after the shooting. After a witness described a tall, red-haired woman fleeing the crime scene in a white 1990s Cadillac, Estela Mena was stopped driving a similar vehicle eastbound on the East-West Expressway. She told authorities that she was on her way to see her husband at the Orlando Regional Medical Center, about seven miles in the opposite direction. Friends of the Mennas were devastated by Friday's arrest. They said the couple seemed to have a passionate relationship after more than 35 years of marriage. "We're just more than destroyed," said Ayde Gibson, past president of the local Argentine Association. Gibson last saw the Mennas at a New Year's Eve party for the Argentine community held at a local hotel. "One never thinks it would come to this," she said. "One even thinks that perhaps police erred. But the evidence kept on mounting." Carlos Ablanedo, 46, said the Mennas began having marital problems after several malpractice suits were filed against Menna last year. "His whole world started crashing down," said Ablanedo, who has known the couple for a decade. "He said they were having marital difficulties, but they were working on them." Ablanedo said he visited with Menna the day before he was killed. "He had a big smile on his face," Ablanedo said. "He was happy. He said he felt like a kid in a candy shop. He was talking about getting into holistic medicine. He had a pretty positive outlook on life." Pedro Ruz Gutierrez contributed to this report. Posted Jan 28 2000 10:40PM ~~~~~~~~~ Countries Reach Landmark GMO Food Agreement Saturday January 29 11:02 AM ET http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Science/Genetically_Modified_Food By Doug Palmer MONTREAL (Reuters) - More than 130 countries reached a landmark agreement early on Saturday to regulate trade in genetically modified organisms, a major part of the world's food supply that has raised environmental and health concerns and strained international trade relations. The U.N.-sponsored agreement strikes a delicate balance between the interests of major exporters of genetically modified crops, such as the United States and Canada, and importers in the European Union and developing countries, which have expressed concerns about the health and environmental impact of the new food varieties. The agreement, which still must be ratified by 50 countries before it goes into effect, establishes an international framework for countries to use when making decisions about genetically modified crops. It also requires, for the first time under an international agreement, labeling of commodity shipments that ``may contain'' genetically modified foods. But there is no specific requirement that farmers or the grain industry segregate conventional and modified crops, which the U.S. government said could cost billions of dollars. ``On balance, we think this is an agreement that protects the environment without disrupting world food trade,'' David Sandalow, assistant U.S. secretary of state for oceans, environment and science, told reporters. European Commission Environmental Minister Margot Wallstrom said the protocol, signed by more than 130 countries, was a victory for consumers and importers and an agreement of which all countries could be proud. The pact also won praise from both industry groups and environmentalists, who each feared the other would have more influence over the final outcome of a pact on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. GMOs SPARK CONCERN The term ``genetically modified organisms'' refers to plants and animals containing genes transferred from other species to produce certain characteristics, such as resistance to certain pests and herbicides. Although any genetically modified organism planted in the United States is subjected to U.S. government testing and approval, some groups feared the new varieties could have adverse environmental and health effects. Many EU consumers, suspicious of genetically engineered crops, favored blocking their importation. To reach an agreement, the United States and Canada had to accept stronger language than they wanted recognizing the right of countries to use precautions in making import decisions. With its language on the ``precautionary principle,'' the proposed Biosafety Protocol agreement could set the stage for countries to close their markets to genetically modified crops without conclusive scientific evidence of harm. At the same time, the agreement also contains a ``savings clause,'' which emphasizes the new pact does not override rights and obligations under other international agreements, including the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States, which negotiated along with Canada as part of the Miami Group bloc and therefore does not need congressional approval of the pact, insisted on that language to ensure science-based WTO rules would still apply to import decisions. If a dispute arises over a country's decision to close its market to a food product, the WTO will review the protocol before making a ruling, Wallstrom said. U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Frank Loy acknowledged the pact had some shortcomings from the U.S. point of view. ``Make no mistake. The agreement is not perfect,'' Loy said. Labeling Would Be Negotiated Once the protocol goes into effect, which could take two or three years, commodity shipments that may contain GMOs will have to be labeled ``may contain'' genetically modified organisms. At that point, a new round of negotiations on more specific labeling requirements will also have to begin, with the requirement of finishing in two years. Willy De Greef, director of regulatory and government affairs for Novartis, a Swiss-based company that produces genetically modified corn varieties, said the grain industry is already moving toward segregation. ``What we needed was a framework'' and the protocol provides that, De Greef said. Steven Daugherty, director of government and industry relations for Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a U.S. producer of genetically modified seed, also said the protocol's commodity provisions appeared to be workable. Greenpeace, which had staged protests against genetically modified crops throughout the week of negotiations, also gave its blessings to the pact. ``This is a historic step toward protecting the environment and consumers from the dangers of genetic engineering,'' the group said. A previous attempt to craft the Biosafety Protocol failed last year in Cartagena, Colombia, mainly because the Miami Group feared it would block trade. In contrast to the bitterness that pervaded that effort, participants praised the positive atmosphere of this week's negotiations in Montreal. They also credited Colombian Environmental Minister Juan Myar, who chaired the talks, for forcing negotiators to resolve their many issues to reach an agreement. ~~~~~~~~ RUPTURE* Rupture is a term used to describe the development of a split or hole in the shell of a breast implant. Ruptures can arise because of weakness in the implant shell material or as a result of damage to the implant caused by surgical instruments, injury or closed capsulotomy. Rupture may result in the escape of the filling material from the implant. It should not be confused with gel bleed, in which the implant shell remains intact. The mechanical properties of silicone elastomer influence rupture. Silicone elastomer has low tear resistance, allowing rapid expansion of holes in the shell under stress. This can complicate the estimation of rupture rates as it is easy to tear implants during explant surgery. There is no definitive method for detecting breast implant shell rupture in vivo. A number of imaging techniques (mammography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging) have been used to detect rupture in situ. The methods used to date have proven unsatisfactory, in that they may fail to detect ruptures or may identify intact implants as being ruptured. Breast implants have a finite life. There are only estimates of the length of life. There is no doubt that a percentage of breast implants rupture. There is little information on rupture or the relationship between rupture and time. A number of studies on selected explanted breast implants have estimated high rupture rates and have used survival curve calculations to predict 5% implant survivorship at 20 years. These data are however derived from a highly selected sample of implants and use differing criteria; in particular, some studies include both rupture and gel bleed. The use of non-selected data produces much lower estimates of rupture rates. There is no good estimation of the overall rupture rate in implanted patients. There have been three generations of breast implants from the point of view of manufacturing specifications (see Figure 1 in the report). It is vital in coming to conclusions about the durability of implants that the statistics clearly separate the three groups. Estimates of rupture derived from studies that do not break down the data in this way are of limited value. The study by Peters et al. (Ann.Plast.Surg. 1997 : 39 : 9-19) is one of the few that clearly differentiates the groups. Their paper shows a dramatic increase in failure rate of implants of the second generation. ~~~~~~~~~ Fate of Gel Bleed Silicone polymers contain a range of different sizes of silicone ranging from small amounts of the compounds used to make the polymer (low molecular weight silicones) to a variety of sizes of polymer chain (with molecular weights from 7000 upwards, average of 30000). The precise composition of a silicone varies with its intended physical properties. The typical levels for the individual low molecular weight silicones in breast implant gel are 800-1500 ppm (i.e. 80-150 mg/100 g). These low molecular weight silicones have a number of other uses including hair care products, skin care products, antiperspirants and deodorants. The absorption and distribution of these low molecular weight silicones, like all small molecules, is determined by their solubilities in water and fat. The water solubility is important for transport to and from cell membranes and the fat solubility determines the transport into cell membranes. As its weight increases the size and shape of the molecule become far more important influences in the ability to absorb and distribute compounds. For the largest molecules absorption and distribution rely on the specialised mechanisms evolved to handle small amounts of naturally occurring macromolecules. Transport of a molecule requires it to go into solution to reach the cell membrane, pass through the lipid cell membrane and to go into solution to leave the cell membrane. All of these processes are controlled by the physicochemical properties of the molecule and governed by fundamental laws such as FickÌs law. The cohesion of a membrane barrier is determined by the tightness of intercellular junctions. Three factors influence the distribution (movement) of molecules in the body solubility, lipophilicity and molecular size/shape. For small molecules (up to 500-600 Da) the last can be ignored, whereas for medium molecules (600-1500 Da) the interplay of all three properties is critical. The molecular size/shape is the most important factor for large synthetic molecules. These molecules are mainly transported by specialised mechanisms e.g. following engulfment by cells. In order to excrete small molecules it is desirable to increase their hydrophilicity and/or size. This is the main function of foreign compound metabolism. Phase 1 reactions increase the hydrophilicity e.g. by hydroxylation whilst phase 2 conjugation reactions increase molecular weight. These reactions are performed by enzymes within the cell.The distribution of silicone and its precursors is governed by the same processes. The silicone polymer (PDMS) is a large crosslinked molecule hydrophobic molecule that is essentially insoluble. The distribution of silicone polymer is essentially restricted to phagocytosis. The short chain linear and cyclic precursors have been demonstrated to absorb, distribute, metabolise and excrete in relation to their solubility, molecular weight and lipophilicity. As their molecular weight increases their solubility and oral absorption decrease, essentially reaching zero at more than 8 siloxy units. For those short chain molecules where half lives were measured these were in the order of hours to days. The metabolism of the short chain precursors has been studied demethylation reactions have been shown to occur. However in no case has the loss of more than two methyl substituents been shown, there is no metabolism to silicates. There is no evidence of demethylation of silicone polymer, this probably reflects its inability to cross cell membranes and fit into enzyme active sites. ~~~~~~~~~ ABSTRACT Granulomatous reaction to silicone in axillary lymph nodes. A case report with cytologic findings. AUTHORS: Santos-Briz A Jr; Lopez-Rios F; Santos-Briz A; De Agustin PP AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain. SOURCE: Acta Cytol 1999 Nov-Dec;43(6):1163-5 CITATION IDS: PMID: 10578998 UI: 20045960 ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Silicone lymphadenopathy is a rare complication in patients with breast implants and is often confused with metastases from breast carcinoma. CASE: A 36-year-old female who had undergone bilateral breast augmentation six years earlier was referred for a mass in the left axilla. Fine needle aspiration showed a granulomatous reaction to birefringent material with predominance of foreign body giant cells in a lymphoid background. CONCLUSION: This report illustrates the usefulness of fine needle aspiration in axillary nodes of patients with breast implants in ruling out malignancy and diagnosing implant disruption. ~~~~~~~~ FACT OF THE DAY* In the spirit of open communicatons, Chairman and CEO McKennon (Dow Corning) agreed to periodically provide employees with updates about the ongoing breast implant crisis. On November 4, 1992, in the basement cafeteria of the corporate center in DC-1, Swanson listened to McKennon discuss the recent completion of Griffin Bell's investigation. Bell's law firm of King and Spalding had been hired in January, before McKennon came to Dow Corning. On this day, McKennon told some 200 assembled employees that Bell's team had interviewed 250 people and collected 300,000 documents during their nine-month probe. "Employees should feel good about the Bell investigation results," he said. The recommendations by Bell, McKennon emphasized, did not raise any significant new public health issues. The recommendations from Bell's law firm, which reputedly had been billing Dow Corning as much as $1 million a month for its services, were fairly innocuous. They urged the company to make all nonprivileged documents reviewed by King and Spalding available to the FDA along with a list of all the witnesses interviewed by the law firm. The only negative finding--and the only one to make headlines--was the conclusion that Dow Corning employees had, over the years, falsified manufacturing records for several batches of silicone implants. Some employees doctored records of the oven temperatures at which liquid silicone had been heated before being placed in the implant envelopes. The heating process turned liquid silicone into thick gel, making it less likely to ooze from the implant. . . . From: "Informed Consent" by John A. Byrne, pg 204. . .a story about Colleen Swanson, the wife of Dow Corning employee John Swanson, of Dow Cornings much admired Ethics Department. Colleen fell victim to Dow Corning breast implants. ~~~~~~~~~ healing herbs CAYENNE: THE BURNING BALM It’s not just for chili anymore By Charles Dickson, PhD It may surprise you to know that the very ingredient that makes your Friday night chili an adventure (or a dare, if you’re anything like my friends) has been documented as a powerful medicine for over a thousand years. Few herbs, in fact, have the versatility for human use as does the common chili pepper, or Capsicum frutescens. The capsicum plant is a small spreading shrub that originated in tropical America but is now widely cultivated throughout the world, including in the United States. The small red fruit owes its stinging pungency to a chemical called capsaicin, which comprises about 12% of the pepper and was isolated by chemists more than a century ago. If the word capsaicin looks familiar, it’s likely because you’ve seen it advertised as an ingredient in many drugstore ointments used to relieve arthritis and muscle pains. Registered patent names such as Capsaizin P and Zostrix contain the chili pepper ingredient. The Indians of the American tropics cultivated the chili pepper for centuries for both its culinary and medicinal uses. The plant makes its first appearance in Western literature in 1494, when it captured the imagination and pen of a physician named Diego Alvarez Chanca, who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to the West Indies. Today many world pharmacopoeias (official drug lists) include cayenne or capsicum, and the American Physicians Desk Reference includes several prescription drugs that contain it. Here are some ways that you can use this powerful and very useful herb in your home. Relieve Muscle Pain Combine: 1 tablespoon cayenne powder (from your garden or grocery store) 1 tablespoon wormwood (from garden or herb store) 1 tablespoon tansy flower (from garden or herb store) 8 ounces vinegar Warm gently to dissolve the powders, then cool and strain through cheesecloth. Next, add a 1/2 ounce of spirits of camphor and 8 ounces of turpentine to the herbal/vinegar mixture. You now have a super liniment. Its secret is in its potency as a rubefacient, or substance that stimulates the blood flow to the surface of the skin. Ease Coughs and Congestion Cayenne is a good expectorant and can be used to relieve coughs and to break up congestion. Combine: 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon cayenne powder Sweeten to taste with a little honey. Take a tablespoon and you’ll soon be breathing easier. Lower Blood Pressure Research has shown capsaicin to be an effective antihypertensive (blood pressure reducing) agent. Combine: 1 teaspoon cayenne powder 1 cup hot water Mix and drink. If this cayenne cocktail is too pungent for you, try taking your capsicum in capsule form. Purchase some empty gelatin capsules at a pharmacy (size 00) and fill them with cayenne powder. Take two of these capsules daily. Lighten Menstrual Flow Cayenne is also an effective bleeding regulator and so has become a time-honored remedy for reducing excessive menstrual flow. Mix and drink: 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne 1 cup warm water Soothe Ulcers Millions of people suffer from ulcers. While modern medical research has shown that antibiotic therapy is effective for treating many cases, you can get some relief from the pain by mixing a teaspoon of cayenne in a cup of hot water and drinking. For those who were raised with the milk and cream approach to treating ulcers (which, incidentally, doesn’t work), the idea of hot chili peppers probably sounds horrendous. Yet both experience and research has shown this to be an effective pain reliever. Several studies conducted in Brazil and Thailand have found no higher incidence of stomach ulcers among their pepper-fond populations. Nor do hot peppers aggravate or cause hemorrhoids, as has often been claimed, since capsaicinoids are broken down before they reach the lower intestine. From Head to Toe But we’re not finished yet. If cayenne is effective against aching muscles, cold congestion, high blood pressure, excessive menstrual bleeding and ulcer pain, what else can it possibly help? Give up? Think feet. Standing for long stretches can leave your "dogs barking," as the saying goes. To relieve aching feet, try placing some cayenne powder inside your socks before putting them on. It’ll stimulate blood circulation, which will do wonders to relieve that tired feeling. ~~~~~~~~~ OTHER SILICONE RELATED RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SILICONE WEBRING http://www.homestead.com/siliconecity /webring ~~~~~~~~~ WHERE THERE’S SMOKE THERE’S FIRE ~ On The Net The following websites have the “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” documents: http://implants.clic.net/tony/Smoke/index.html http://www.homestead.com/siliconecity/index.html http://implants.clic.net/tony/Smoke/index.html ~~~~~~~~~ LOOKING FOR BACK ISSUES OF THE WOMEN’S IMPLANT SUPPORT NEWSLETTER? Back issues of our Newsletters are archived and available on the Tony and Micheline Lambert’s website, “Canadian Connection.” http://implants.clic.net/tony/Myrl/index.html ~~~~~~~~ HUMOR* This "prayer" has been sent to us by Angel. . .Thank you Angel! A Letter To God Dear Lord, So for today, God; I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or even indulgent. I'm very thankful for that - But in a very short time, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from that moment on I'm going to need a lot of help! Amen
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Women's Implant Support Website http://www.homestead.com/siliconecity	Women’s Implant Support Newsletter

Countries Reach Landmark GMO Food Agreement