•Anti-Cholesterol Drugs: A Background
It is estimated by the American Heart Association that nearly 1 in 5 Americans are candidates for increased chance of heart disease, liver failure, and other serious health complications due to high cholesterol levels. While this is one of the most dangerous and prevalent health concerns facing the US, it is also one that is moderately easy to manage. As Americans become more informed of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, they are increasingly exposed to advertisements touting...
•Composix Mesh Hernia Patches Can Cause Intestinal Fistulae
Patients who have had surgery within the last two to three years might be at risk for serious complications and even death due to recently-recalled Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Patches.
The patches, which are used in the repair of ventral (incisional) hernias, were first recalled by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005. However, the FDA has issued a new hernia mesh recall for additional sizes of the Composix patches. The culprit? Defective "memory recall rings" that lead to...
•Demographics Reveal The Truth About Traumatic Brain Injury
They may seem like mere numbers, but statistics and demographics information can give important information on who is affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) - and possibly shed light on how to prevent brain damage. This article takes a closer look at who is impacted by TBI in an attempt to show the true costs of brain damage to victims, their families, and society at large.
Traumatic Brain Injury: Who Is Affected?
Though studies vary slightly, it is generally accepted that at least 1.4...
•Details of Soil Contamination
Soil contamination is the diffusion of hazardous material throughout soil. The material can be either solid or liquid and usually bonds with the soil in which it is mixed. Contaminants do not have to be directly deposited in the soil to negatively affect it; for example, many airborne toxic molecules can settle in soil.
Soil contamination may also occur as a peripheral effect of ground water contamination, aggravated by flooding or improper waste water disposal. Plants, animals, and humans...
•Digitek Digoxin Recalled Due to Manufacturing Defect
Digoxin, also known as Digitalis, Lanoxin, Digitek, and Lanoxicaps, is a refined plant extract, a purified cardiac glycoside(drugs used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and arrythmia.
It is widely used in the treatment of various heart conditions, namely atrial fibrilation and atrial flutter, both abnormal heart rhythms It is sometimes prescribed for heart failure that cannot be controlled by other medication.
Digoxin is commonly marketed under the name Lanoxin, Digitek, and...
•DuPont's Benlate Fungicide
Benlate is a fungicide, which is used pre-harvest and post-harvest as a dip or dust to combat a wide range of fungal diseases in arable and vegetable crops. Benomyl is the active ingredient in the brand name product Benlate, produced exclusively by DuPont.
Before DuPont discontinued manufacturing Benlate in 2001, this fungicide had long been one of DuPont's most successful products and was registered worldwide for many crops. Benomyl was first synthesized by DuPont in 1959.
Production of...
•Failure to Diversify or Over Concentrate a Portfolio Could Be Fraud
Failure to diversify a client's portfolio can be a form of stock fraud. In order to protect a client's assets, the broker should vary the types of stock purchased. Stock fraud through over concentration strips the client of the protection diversification affords.
Diversification of investment holdings is the most important shield against risk. Since some investments rise in value while others fall, diversification smoothes out some of the volatility of the overall return from a portfolio....
•Given Silica Dangers, Employer Compliance is a Must
Given what we know about the toxic, even fatal, effects of silica exposure in the workplace, it is more vital than ever for employers to comply with local, state, and federal laws governing silica exposure. The crystalline toxin, which causes such fatal diseases as silicosis, pneumonia and even tuberculosis, is extremely dangerous - but with the proper safety measures, silicosis and other occupational diseases related to silica exposure are entirely preventable.
What Should Employers Do?...
•Levaquin Approved for Children Despite the Potential Link to Severe Tendon Ruptures Among Patients
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved an antibiotic known as Levaquin (levofloxacin), part of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic group of drugs used to fight infections, for use by children even though the drug's potential link to severe side effects remains uncertain.
Potential Serious Levaquin Side Effects
Levaquin, from makers Ortho-McNeil, was released to the market in 2004. The drug is used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections including pneumonia,...
•New Drug Study for Abdominal Mesothelioma
Researchers recently published the results of a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology detailing a potentially new treatment for patients of abdominal mesothelioma that will likely improve the condition for patients.
The study found that when patients suffering from abdominal mesothelioma were given a combination of two drugs, Alimta (pemetrexed) and Gemzar (gemcitabine), their condition improved. The following are the results of the study:
* Response rate among patients was 15 percent....
•Paxil Linked To Dangerous Withdrawal Symptoms
Popular serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant drug Paxil has been linked to SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome, a severe and sometimes life-threatening condition that occurs upon withdrawal from the drug.
This is just one of many recent Paxil side effects, such as complications in pregnancy, increased risk of suicide and serotonin syndrome, that have brought the drug and its manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, under fire.
What is SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome?
SSRI Discontinuation...
•Protect Yourself Against Tainted Body Tissue Transplants
The human body tissues industry is on the rise. Unfortunately, so are claims of negligence, malpractice, and the transplant of tainted and infected tissues into unknowing victims, who contracted infectious diseases such as syphilis and hepatitis from human body tissues. Unlike the organ donation industry, which has been carefully regulated and tracked for years, the human body tissue industry is notoriously unregulated.
In fact, the FDA recently shut down Biomedical Tissue Services, a tissue...
•Recent Research Suggests Chemotherapy Ineffective for Mesothelioma Victims
A UK medical journal, The Lancet, released disturbing results of a study finding no benefit of chemotherapy on patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).
The research, considered a setback for scientists seeking treatment for the condition, was conducted by Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, director of the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas, and was released in May 2008.
Chemotherapy Ineffective Mesothelioma Treatment
The study found that chemotherapy not only did not offer...
•Reports Surface Detailing Levaquin Risks
Levaquin, also know as levofloxacin, is an anti-bacterial treatment for adults, and was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for children.
Levaquin levofloxacin is part of the fluoroquinolone group of oral medications prescribed to treat acute bacterial sinusitis, acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, noscocomial pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia, complicated skin and skin structure infections, mild to moderate uncomplicated skin and skin...
•Retirement Plan Losses May Be Able To Be Recovered
Many pension funds throughout the country have been victimized by the unethical practices of corporations, stockbrokers and brokerage houses. Pension funds and their trustees have an important role in ensuring the securities that invested are appropriate for that plan.
The fiduciary obligations of trustees also make it vital that actions be taken to recover losses due to securities fraud. Additionally individuals who have lost their retirement benefits, or whose plan value has significantly...
•Silicosis May Cause Occupational Risks
Silicosis is a fibronodular lung disease caused by inhaling excessive amounts of silica dust. Silica is a common mineral found in sand and rock. In fact, it is the second most-often occurring mineral in the Earth's crust.
As dust, it can be inhaled, which scars and inflames lung tissue. When silica is first inhaled, the body creates macrophages to combat the particles. The silica dust destroys macrophages. This leaves scarring, known as fibrosis, in the lungs.
In turn, the fibrosis can...
•Tendon Rupture: Signs and Symptoms
An Achilles tendon is a tendon located at the back of the lower leg and is connected to the heel bone. Achilles tendon rupture occurs when an individual tears the tendon, either partially or completely. Tendon rupture can occur in many instances and is caused by an array of physical activities.
Most recently, however, one such activity that has been related to tendon rupture is occurring among patients who are consuming any one of the antibiotic drugs from the fluoroquinolone prescription...
•The Dangers of Prescription Pain Killers - Oxycontin
Millions of people suffer from untreated pain for a variety of illnesses and ailments. In fact, since 1986, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that inadequate treatment of cancer and non-cancer pain is a serious public health concern.
Therefore, in the face of this knowledge, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new, controlled release pain reliever in 1995 called Oxycontin.
Oxycontin (Oxycodone HCI controlled-release) is the brand name of a drug that contains the...
•Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Research and Methods Increase
Each year in America, there are millions of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that severely debilitate citizens from a number of common, everyday activities that often depend on the severity of their injury.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), common TBI disabilities include difficulties with cognition affecting memory and reasoning; communication through expression and understanding; sensory processing, affecting the five senses in various...
•Vinyl Chloride Considered A Carcinogen By EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the National Toxicology Program, classifies vinyl chloride as a documented carcinogen. In fact, vinyl chloride appears in all registered carcinogen indices, and there is no level of exposure at which the adverse health effects are negligible.
It is considered both a nephrotoxin (substance harmful to the kidneys) and a heptotoxin (substance harmful to the liver).
The following are some health risks and symptoms which may develop with...
•Welding Rods and Exposure to Welding Gases
Welding is the joining of metals by applying heat, sometimes with pressure and sometimes with an intermediate or filler metal having a high melting point. The intermediate or filler metal that is used to join metals together is commonly referred to as a welding rod. Many welders use welding rods containing a high percentage of the element manganese.
Maganese is used in welding rods because it strengthens a metal as it is being fused by the welding process. When metals are heated and melted...
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