Costa Concordia lawsuits are amassing following the January 13 crash that left at least 17 people dead and the luxury liner grounded off the Tuscan coast.
Rescue efforts have been halted over dangerous conditions inside the ship, while at least 16 people remain missing and are now presumed dead. Among them are a five-year-old girl from Italy and her father, said The Telegraph, and a couple from the United States. (more…)
Some Ohio fracking injection wells have been closed after earthquakes were linked to hydraulic fracturing activities. Ohio is the latest state in a growing number of locations that have seen potential links between increased seismic activity and fracking activities.
According to a number of news outlets, there have been 11 earthquakes near a Youngstown injection well used for the disposal of fracking wasterwater the since March; this weekend’s 4-point quake prompted an immediate shutdown the well, said The Wall Street Journal. Development of such injection wells is on the rise in Ohio, as they are needed to manage the increasing amounts of fracking wastewater being transported to the state from nearby Pennsylania. (Injection wells are different than drilling wells that involve actually fracking for natural gas). (more…)
JetBlue passengers have filed a class action lawsuit over an extensive tarmac delay this October in Connecticut. The national law firm, Parker Waichman Alonso LLP, just announced that it filed the lawsuit against JetBlue Airways Corporation on behalf of passengers stranded for seven hours on the tarmac at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 29, 2011.
As part of the “Airline Passengers Bill of Rights,” the Department of Transportation placed a limit on tarmac delays for domestic flights, said Syracuse.com, Airlines are subject to a $27,500 per-passenger fine for delays that are longer than three hours. (more…)
Following designation of its recall as a Class I by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CooperVision just expanded its contact lens recall. Class 1 recalls are the FDA’s most serious type and indicate that the agency has determined there is a reasonable probability the recalled product will cause serious injuries.
Now, some 5 million contact lenses, which were shipped to consumers, are being recalled by CooperVision Inc. and include a second Avaira brand, said MSNBC. The lenses may be contaminated with silicone oil residue that has been associated with blurred vision as well as serious as eye injuries and pain, MSNBC said. (more…)
New research suggests that Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) such as Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix are being overused. The information comes from series of studies reported at the American College of Gastroenterology’s recent, annual meeting.
According to the studies, said WebMD, doctors are over-prescribing PPIs both in and out of hospital settings. “I’m uncomfortable when people who have heartburn start the drugs on their own, or when a health care professional guesses and puts them on the drugs,” says Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Yvonne Romero, MD, reported WebMD. Romero was not involved in the research, but reviewed the findings for WebMD.
One study found that most patients studied—60 percent—were prescribed a PPI while hospitalized and, typically, because they were prescribed a PPI prior to admission; 26 percent were inappropriately prescribed a PPI, said WebMD. Research found that 44 percent were sent home with a PPI prescription and 9 percent of these people had no obvious reason for staying on the PPI after discharge, said WebMD.
A Canadian study revealed that 70 percent of patients studied were prescribed PPIs or H2RA drugs for ulcer prevention during intensive care stays but, in 97 percent of the cases, drug use was inappropriate, said WebMD; about 40 percent were released with an unnecessary prescription for the drugs with PPIs less likely to be discontinued versus H2RA drugs. “Prescription of a proton pump inhibitor in the ICU was associated with the inappropriate prescription of the proton pump inhibitor upon hospital discharge,” said study leader Jasjeet Rai, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, WebMD reported. Other studies revealed PPIs being taken without medical supervision and that drugs were taken for longer than needed or when not needed.
PPIs are considered the strongest class of antacid medications and are the third-greatest selling class of drugs in the United States, said WebMD. Doctors wrote 113.6 million PPI prescriptions; however, some are available without a prescription, such as Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC, and the combination medication Zegerid OTC that contains a PPI and sodium bicarbonate, WebMD explained.
Popular because they effectively reduce stomach acids in ways that other, simpler OTC medications—Tums, Rolaids, Maalox—can not, they are also more powerful that H2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) drugs such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac, said WebMD, pointing out that popping a PPI is a lot easier than giving up favorite foods.
Romero explained that “If you take them indiscriminately, you reduce the benefit-to-risk ratio.” Studies have linked PPIs to increased risks for Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a serious, sometimes deadly, diarrheal disorder, noted WebMD. NewsInferno just wrote about PPIs’ increased risks for fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist; increased risks for serious infections such as pneumonia and C. diff; and severe magnesium deficiency, which can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Although these, and other serious side effects, are indicated on the drug’s labels, none have received the prominent and significant black box warning, which could be contributing to the fact that many physicians are unaware of the serious risks associated with PPI therapy.
Most recently, consumer watchdog, Public Citizen, petitioned the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to mandate manufacturers list serious adverse reactions associated with PPIs in a black box warning, said NewsInferno. Public Citizen wrote that evidence indicates that after using PPIs for a month or more, patients who stop will make even more stomach acid than before PPI treatment, so-called rebound acid hypersecretion, in which acid reflux symptoms return even worse than before therapy, explained NewsInferno. Patients begin taking PPIs again, leading to long-term dependency.
New research suggests that Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) such as Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix are being overused. The information comes from series of studies reported at the American College of Gastroenterology’s recent, annual meeting.
According to the studies, said WebMD, doctors are over-prescribing PPIs both in and out of hospital settings. “I’m uncomfortable when people who have heartburn start the drugs on their own, or when a health care professional guesses and puts them on the drugs,” says Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Yvonne Romero, MD, reported WebMD. Romero was not involved in the research, but reviewed the findings for WebMD.
One study found that most patients studied—60 percent—were prescribed a PPI while hospitalized and, typically, because they were prescribed a PPI prior to admission; 26 percent were inappropriately prescribed a PPI, said WebMD. Research found that 44 percent were sent home with a PPI prescription and 9 percent of these people had no obvious reason for staying on the PPI after discharge, said WebMD.
A Canadian study revealed that 70 percent of patients studied were prescribed PPIs or H2RA drugs for ulcer prevention during intensive care stays but, in 97 percent of the cases, drug use was inappropriate, said WebMD; about 40 percent were released with an unnecessary prescription for the drugs with PPIs less likely to be discontinued versus H2RA drugs. “Prescription of a proton pump inhibitor in the ICU was associated with the inappropriate prescription of the proton pump inhibitor upon hospital discharge,” said study leader Jasjeet Rai, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, WebMD reported. Other studies revealed PPIs being taken without medical supervision and that drugs were taken for longer than needed or when not needed.
PPIs are considered the strongest class of antacid medications and are the third-greatest selling class of drugs in the United States, said WebMD. Doctors wrote 113.6 million PPI prescriptions; however, some are available without a prescription, such as Prevacid 24HR, Prilosec OTC, and the combination medication Zegerid OTC that contains a PPI and sodium bicarbonate, WebMD explained.
Popular because they effectively reduce stomach acids in ways that other, simpler OTC medications—Tums, Rolaids, Maalox—can not, they are also more powerful that H2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) drugs such as Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac, said WebMD, pointing out that popping a PPI is a lot easier than giving up favorite foods.
Romero explained that “If you take them indiscriminately, you reduce the benefit-to-risk ratio.” Studies have linked PPIs to increased risks for Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a serious, sometimes deadly, diarrheal disorder, noted WebMD. NewsInferno just wrote about PPIs’ increased risks for fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist; increased risks for serious infections such as pneumonia and C. diff; and severe magnesium deficiency, which can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Although these, and other serious side effects, are indicated on the drug’s labels, none have received the prominent and significant black box warning, which could be contributing to the fact that many physicians are unaware of the serious risks associated with PPI therapy.
Most recently, consumer watchdog, Public Citizen, petitioned the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to mandate manufacturers list serious adverse reactions associated with PPIs in a black box warning, said NewsInferno. Public Citizen wrote that evidence indicates that after using PPIs for a month or more, patients who stop will make even more stomach acid than before PPI treatment, so-called rebound acid hypersecretion, in which acid reflux symptoms return even worse than before therapy, explained NewsInferno. Patients begin taking PPIs again, leading to long-term dependency.
Researchers are urging federal regulators impose stronger Chantix warnings, citing suicidal behaviors and depression. Chantix (varenicline) is Pfizer’s highly controversial stop smoking medication.
Scientists say that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to strengthen Chantix label based on adverse psychological behaviors that appear in greater frequency than other quit smoking medications and methods, said ABC News. (more…)
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicated that it wants increased oversight of the hydraulic fracturing (fracturing) industry by setting national standards for fracking wastewater, the polluted wastewater that results from natural gas extraction.
Fracking activities are on the rise in recent years and involve a process by which a combination of water, chemicals, and sand are injected deep into shale formations to unlock gas. Environmental advocates and experts have criticized the process, arguing that fracking leads to earthquakes and increased seismic activity; devastates the environment and human, aquatic, and wildlife health; pollutes water supplies; and ravages infrastructures, to name just a few. (more…)
Another child sexual abuse scandal in the Orthodox Jewish Community is making headlines. This time, an Australian Yeshiva youth worker has been charged with sexual abuse in an alleged scandal that involves indecency charges.
The former Chabad Youth leader, Aron Ezriel “Ezzy” Kestecher, 26, was charged on four counts of indecent acts on a child who was under 16 years of age, said The Age. Kestecher was recently employed as a substitute teacher at Yeshivah College, the East St Kilda boys’ school. The school is the focus of a pedophilia investigation by police there, said The Age. Kestecher was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in the Moorabbin Magistrates Court on November 29. (more…)
Massive recalls of potentially contaminated alcohol prep products are presenting issues concerning hospitals’ use of non-sterile wipes and swabs.
We previously reported that U.S. Marshalls seized $6 million worth of medical products from H&P Industries Inc., which does business as Triad Group, at the behest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The raid was prompted by the failure of H&P Industries to comply with the FDA’s current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) regulations. Triad Group issued several massive recalls of tainted alcohol prep pads, alcohol swabs, alcohol swabsticks, and other products sold under various brands and because of potential Bacillus cereus contamination. (more…)
