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DMX removed from Tent City, placed on lockdown and a diet

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:46:05 +0000

Officials removed DMX, or Earl Simmons, from Tent City Jail in Phoenix on Sunday for allegedly threatening officers.
lockdown status for threatening to assault Sheriff’s Detention Officers.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio ordered that Simmons be placed on a special diet that is a form of bread and water, according to authorities.
Simmons allegedly refused to report for work when called upon by detention officers and became verbally abusive stating, “I already have a job and don’t need this (expletive).”
Later on Sunday, Simmons reportedly failed to report for his medication and then told detention officers that he might assault somebody to get some respect.
Officials said the when a detention officer supervisor spoke to Simmons, he continued to use vulgar language and stated that the officers should expect to be spoken to in that manner.
“DMX will be treated like any other prisoner in my jail and I will not tolerate him threatening my staff,” says Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

J&J’s “NaviStar ThermoCool” Gets a Nod from FDA

admin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:22:13 +0000

Washington, February 9:
Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) has finally got a green signal from The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to market a device that could be a potential cure for the common heart-rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation. This is the first ever approval given by the FDA for a device of this kind.
The news is welcomed by the already booming device market. As per the estimations made by JPMorgan analyst, Michael Weinstein the atrial-fibrillation market reached $1.6 billion in 2008 after growing by about 16 percent.
Daniel J. Starks, St. Jude’s chairman and chief executive, said at an investor conference on Friday, “Atrial fibrillation represents the best growth opportunity in medical devices here in the near term.”
As an instant reaction to the approval, the shares of J&J, which is a Dow Jones Industrial Average component, recorded a rise of 40 cents to reach $58.51 on Friday.
The device will be marketed by J&J’s Biosense Webster by the name “NaviStar ThermoCool” catheter and is expected to bring much relief for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, who did not show a favorable response to treatment through drugs. Atrial fibrillation is a common rhythm disorder that presently affects about two million people in America.
People might suffer from an atrial fibrillation that occurs occasionally or the one that is persistent. Atrial fibrillation is a rhythm disorder that results into abnormally fast and disorderly beating in the heart’s upper chambers. This ailment is known to enhance the risk of strokes, heart failure and may lead to other complications if not addressed in time.
The device developed by Biosense Webster is capable of treating “paroxysmal” atrial fibrillation, a variation of atrial fibrillation where symptoms occur occasionally. This requires a treatment which involves making tiny burns that result into circular scars that can block the signals from the pulmonary veins.
FDA’s approval is based on the results of a clinical study of 167 patients. The study revealed that the device is effective in eliminating recurrence of atrial fibrillation episodes for one year in approximately 63 percent of treated patients in comparison to 17 percent of the patients who received drug treatment.
Biosense Webster happens to be the first device of its kind to get the official approval where competitors include big names like St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ), Medtronic Inc. ( MDT) and Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX).
Until date patients suffering from the malady were subjected to drug treatment which usually failed to produce the desired results. Biosense Webster’s “NaviStar ThermoCool”catheter uses catheters inserted through a blood vessel and guided to the heart, to carry a radio-frequency current to burn, or ablate heart tissues associated with the ailment.
Even though this device is the first ever catheter for atrial fibrillation to be approved by the FDA, there are already plenty of devices already being used for the purpose. These devices had earlier been approved for some other purpose. Doctors have been using them in spite of a threat of scrutiny from federal authorities.

Google, IBM team to take health records from PDA to e-health database

admin — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:03:30 +0000

February 6, 2009 (Computerworld)
and the Continua Health Alliance this week unveiled jointly developed software designed to stream patient information from a doctor’s mobile device to online data stores.
The two tech giants worked with the Beaverton, Ore.-based health care provider to extend the value of
offerings, and to ensure that stored patient health records are up to date, according to an
press release.
“Our partnership with IBM will help both providers and users gain access to their device data in a highly simplified and automated fashion,” said Sameer Samat, director for Google Health, in a statement. “IBM has taken an important step in providing software that enables device manufacturers and hospitals to easily upload recorded data into a
such as Google Health.”
Google Health is designed to enable users to store, manage and share their medical records and personal health information with health care providers online. It is available without charge to individuals.
Last May, Google opened its hosted online patient medical records service to the public, seven months after the online giant announced plans to
. Right off the bat, the
about privacy and security.
Both IBM and Google, however, contend that e-health technology will give patients, doctors and family members access to better information.
Using the new software to connect personal medical devices to Google Health will, for instance, enable people to more easily exchange information about their health with their doctors and caregivers in real time. IBM noted that the system could make it possible for an adult child to receive updates on the status of an aging parent who is living alone and dealing with a chronic condition.
Maria DeGiglio, an analyst at Experture Group, a business consultancy in Westport, Conn., said the new software could prove beneficial to people dealing with a chronic illnesses.
analytical capabilities, eventually a patient could see health trends and begin to learn what lifestyle or other behaviors are affecting his or her glucose levels or blood pressure,” said DeGiglio. “This kind of information would be useful to a physician to determine if the patient should be on a certain medication, if dosage should be adjusted, if the medication is having minimal or no affect, etc. In addition, the adult child of a parent with a chronic health condition could also monitor his or her parent’s glucose or blood pressure remotely — should the parent grant access to that adult child.”
She added that the tool could prevent costly and frightening visits to the emergency room.
Using guidelines from Continua Health Alliance, the new tool integrates the capabilities of IBM’s information management and business intelligence systems and its
Premises Server sensor event platform with Google Health, the companies said.

Halifax pharmacy tech charged with stealing drugs from Pembroke CVS

admin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:52:05 +0000

State Police have charged a CVS pharmacy technician with stealing more than $9,000 worth of drugs from the Pembroke store during a three-year period.
Cheryl L. Pascarelli, 45, of 10 Lydon Lane, Halifax, pleaded innocent to larceny of drugs on Wednesday in Plymouth District Court.
Police said Pascarelli stole Vicodin, Valium, Suboxone, antibiotics and antiviral medications and sold them to help pay her bills. A CVS loss-control agent discovered discrepancies when drug orders were matched against sales, police reports state.
Surveillance cameras show Pascarelli opening bottles and pocketing pills, the report states.
In a statement on file in court, Pascarelli says she was struggling financially and had been stealing drugs for about three years. She states that she was selling them to one client. Investigators say the drugs were worth about $9,300.
Pascarelli is due back in court March 9.
.

Food companies work to ensure safety from salmonella

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:30:21 +0000

“They put about $50 million into completely reconstructing the place – new roof, new separation area between the roaster and production lines,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who specializes in litigating food poisonings and was invited to ConAgra’s headquarters to discuss the outbreak last summer. He settled more than 1,200 salmonella poisoning cases with ConAgra for an undisclosed sum last year.
The redesigned facility is seen as state of the art, a model for others in the industry to follow, though not everyone has, Marler said.
The company’s actions went far beyond Food and Drug Administration guidelines established after the 2007 outbreak, guidelines critics say do little to assure protection of the food supply or ease the ability to trace the source of contamination. What’s more, the FDA has too few inspectors to visit the nation’s 65,520 domestic food production facilities more than once a decade on average, critics say.
“Guidelines don’t work,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. “Many companies may choose not to implement them.”
With the last outbreak only 23 months ago, “You would think the industry would have learned a lesson,” said Jean Halloran, director of food safety for Consumer’s Union in Yonkers.
site, the Peanut Corporation of America’s plant in Blakely. Its peanut butter and paste are purchased in bulk containers ranging from 5 to 1,700 pounds, by at least 70 companies nationwide that manufacture hundreds of different products.
Almost 200 products, running a wide gamut from cookies, crackers, ice cream and pet food, have been voluntarily recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. PCA also sells bulk peanut butter to institutions, such as schools, nursing homes and prisons.
Next week, Marler said he will travel to Georgia to photograph PCA’s facility, a trip that could clarify whether conditions were like those that led to salmonella contamination at ConAgra two years ago.
On Friday, George Clarke, spokesman for PCA, said the company would not comment on the current outbreak.
“PCA is focusing on the ongoing investigation with the FDA and working with its customers,” he said of companies that purchased its peanut butter. “That’s the top priority right now.”
estimated 25 people in 47 states were sickened two years ago in the salmonella outbreak. No deaths were attributed to the illness. In the current scare, more than 490 people in 43 states have gotten sick and at least seven deaths have been linked to peanut products tainted with Salmonella typhimurium.
ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs emphasized none of its products is involved in the current scare. The company’s peanut butter products, she said, are safe.
“We reached out to our suppliers and through that work we were able to quickly determine that PCA is not a supplier to ConAgra nor is it a supplier to any of our suppliers,” she said.
As with the makers of other major grocery brands – Jif and Skippy – several manufacturers have posted prominent notices on their Web sites stating they do not purchase from PCA.

Seeking relief from medical device makers

admin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:51:44 +0000

The Supreme Court decision “left consumers without any ability to get compensation for injuries caused by certain defective medical devices,” said Rep. Henry Waxman, D- Calif., in a statement to the Star Tribune. “The Supreme Court assumed that FDA approval ensures medical devices are safe, but the many recent stories of patients harmed by faulty devices have proven that assumption false.”
Waxman and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., plan to introduce legislation that would circumvent the Supreme Court ruling and “protect Americans from dangerous medical devices.”
Interestingly, one of the cosponsors of the Senate bill introduced last year was then-Illinois senator, now president, Barack Obama.
Part of a $4.2 billion industry, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have a deep connection to Minnesota. Medtronic is the market leader, followed by Boston Scientific Corp., which employs 3,000 in Arden Hills, and St. Jude Medical Inc. in Little Canada.
ICDs are tiny machines implanted in the chest that shock an errantly beating heart back into rhythm. The device typically is connected to the heart with several insulated wires, or leads. Since the first implant in 1980, the blockbuster devices have saved countless lives.
In October 2007, however, Medtronic stopped selling its popular lead, Sprint Fidelis, because it had fractured in a small number of cases, causing unnecessary shocks or, conversely, failing to work when needed. Medtronic attributed five deaths to the problem, and the FDA issued a recall.
Medtronic advised the approximately 268,000 patients implanted with the lead to contact their doctors. The company said that surgery to remove the leads from the body — an often-difficult procedure because scar tissue forms around the wire — may be riskier than leaving them in the body.
The recall left many patients weighing the odds: Leave intact a device that has fractured in less than 1 percent of patients, or remove it in a surgical procedure that has a 2 percent to 7 percent failure rate.
Thirty-year-old Katie Meyer of Zimmerman, Minn., decided to have her Sprint Fidelis lead removed after three inappropriate shocks left her prostrate on the floor of her apartment. Her doctor had recommended the procedure. “I had a bad feeling about [the surgery], but she was so scared of being shocked again,” said her mother, Michele Meyer.

Nev. may not benefit from health insurance aid

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:53:05 +0000

LAS VEGAS—Health officials and advocates say a federal bill to increase funding for children’s health insurance would have little effect in Nevada under the budget proposed by Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons.
The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a bill that would spend $32 billion over the next four years on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
But advocates note that Gibbons’ proposed budget does not include matching funds needed to access the federal money. Gibbons’ budget caps the number of children who can enroll in the Nevada version of the program at 25,000.
Roughly 23,000 children are currently enrolled. An estimated 55,000 uninsured children are eligible for the health insurance assistance.

Swayze released from LA hospital

admin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:46:29 +0000

Actor Patrick Swayze has been released from hospital one week after checking himself in with pneumonia, his publicist has confirmed.
Annett Wolf would not elaborate on the Dirty Dancing star’s condition, but said he was “well enough to have been released”, and was resting at home.
The 56-year-old has been battling pancreatic cancer for the last year.
Last week, he told TV interviewer Barbara Walters that he may only survive two years.
Swayze’s latest TV show, The Beast, premiered this week on the US cable network A&E.
In the drama series, Swayze plays an FBI veteran who trains a rookie partner, played by Travis Fimmel.
According to producers, he was diagnosed with cancer “just four hours” after the show was commissioned.
The Ghost star decided to press ahead with filming while undergoing a rigorous and experimental treatment without painkillers.
He checked himself into hospital for observation last week shortly before he was due to meet the press to discuss the series.
“Chemotherapy can take its toll on the immune system and illnesses are a part of that,” A&E executive Robert DeBitetto told reporters.
“Patrick wishes me to tell you that he’s very sorry he cannot attend but plans to get back to promoting The Beast soon.”
Producers have said filming is completed on all episodes of the first season and they hope Swayze will continue in the role for a second series.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most virulent forms of cancer which medical experts say has a 5% five-year survival rate.

Medical Malpractice Attorney from New York City Explains …

admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:42:35 +0000

Medical Malpractice Attorney from New York City Explains Importance, Early Detection – Treatment of Lung Cancer
In this informative piece,
. explains why the timely detection and treatment of lung cancer is so important to patients. Mr. Sullivan also describes the catastrophic consequences of a failure to diagnose the disease, an omission that may be the basis for a medical malpractice action.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Approximately 350,000 people in the United States are living with lung cancer at any given time. In 2007, lung cancer accounted for approximately 15% of all cancer diagnoses and 29% of all cancer deaths. Lung cancer does not only affect smokers. A 2006 article in the
reported that lung cancer death rates among non-smoking men and women were 17.1 and 14.7, respectively, per
100,000 people per year.
,
,
, Thun, Michael,
..
Despite these grim statistics, demonstrating that lung cancer is a threat to most adults, the illness is treatable if diagnosed early enough.
Unfortunately, mistakes may be made by health care professionals in the best position to make a timely diagnosis. They often fail to recognize and diagnose the presence of lung cancer in its earliest stages. These mistakes can occur in many ways. All too often, individuals seek out physicians because they have symptoms consistent with lung cancer; however, due to the physicians’ failure to properly work up these symptoms, their cause is left undetermined.
The use of X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, cytology and tissue examination may be necessary for the proper diagnosis. Lung cancer should always be suspected when an individual has an abnormal chest radiograph or has symptoms of lung cancer, such as a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and production of blood upon coughing. Failure of a physician to suspect or consider cancer as the reason for a patient’s symptoms, when those symptoms are consistent with the disease, can be the basis for a medical malpractice action.
Radiology is an especially critical area. Frequently, lung cancer is overlooked or underinterpreted in radiographic procedures. Many times, when patients are admitted to the hospital for a surgical procedure and undergo routine pre-operative chest film, lung cancers are either overlooked or not brought to the attention of the patient or his physician when seen. Lung cancers may appear as an area of discoloration on x-ray films.
If you think your lung cancer was not timely diagnosed, immediately seek out the proper medical care. You may also consider contacting an attorney experienced in handling medical malpractice suits in New York State. A medical malpractice lawyer will be able to answer questions concerning the rights an injured patient has, the time limitations to initiate legal proceedings, and the type of remedies and compensation available to victims of medical negligence.
- Robert G. Sullivan, Esq.
– JusticeNewsFlash.com

Moving From Team Sport to Lifelong Fitness

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:17:34 +0000

MOVING to the beat of the music blasting from a CD player, the 25 students, lined up in three rows, followed the steps of their dance teacher.
“Five, six, seven and…back, front, step,” directed Danielle Brandman as she demonstrated.
“Up on your toes and twist,” she coached her students. “Remember, it’s an attitude walk.”
The students, laughing as they tried to imitate their teacher’s moves, were in a hip-hop class, a new elective in the physical education program at West Babylon High School.
On any given day, students might be seen dancing, running on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike or lifting weights in the school’s updated fitness center, climbing a giant rock wall or learning how to use stretch bands for muscle strength — all part of the district’s physical education program.
West Babylon is one of a growing number of school districts across Long Island that have revised their physical education curriculums, moving away from team sports and skills mastery toward activities that school officials say can generate enthusiasm for lifelong fitness.
To that end, physical education programs are incorporating many kinds of activities into gym classes — like a bicycling program on the road in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District and lifeguarding in Syosset — at the expense of instruction in team sports. Many schools are incorporating
and even Dance Dance Revolution, a blood-pumping video game.
New York State requires 120 minutes of physical education every week for students in all grades, but the curriculum is left up to local districts. Since 2006, every district must also have a wellness policy as part of its curriculum.
Stephen J. Virgilio, chairman of the department of health and physical education at
and a member of the board of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, said a new way of thinking has led to the changes in the way physical education is taught.
, but now the question has become, ‘What are we going to do about it?’ ” he said. “Particularly by the time they get to high school, kids need more lifetime activities to keep fit and active, and we have to find ways to make
more exciting for them.”
The students in Ms. Brandman’s hip-hop class seemed to have found that enthusiasm. This school year, when the district introduced the movement course, which also includes kickboxing and dance fitness, 400 of the school’s 1,500 students signed up.
Ms. Brandman explained why: “They love it because it’s fun and they’re learning something new,” she said. “Some kids don’t like sports, and this is a great way for them to stay active.”
, 16 percent of children 6 to 19 are overweight or obese — triple the number in 1980. During the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for children ages 2 to 5 and 12 to 19 and more than tripled for children 6 to 11, the report said.
In West Babylon, the physical education program is based on a three-pronged approach: fitness and wellness; adventure-based learning; and lifetime skills.
Lou Howard, the director of health, physical education and athletics for the school district, said: “Only 15 to 18 percent of the kids in school are athletes. That leaves out the rest. We are trying to target the nonathletes and move away from the sports model.”
He said that starting in elementary school, classes include lifetime activities like ice skating, bowling and golf.
Many gym teachers across Long Island are also personal trainers and already have the skills to teach the new activities, but staff development is required for some of the skills, Dr. Virgilio said. There has been resistance in some districts to changing what is taught, he said, “but if a director says, ‘Let’s do something different to make the curriculum more exciting and address childhood obesity,’ the teachers are more likely to follow suit.”
The West Babylon Wellness Organization, a nonprofit group of educators, parents and other members of the community, was created in 2003. Since then, Mr. Howard said, the group has been part of an effort that included federal and state grants, donations and fund-raisers to bring in $1.3 million to open the fitness center in the high school and help pay for equipment and staff training.
Other Long Island districts are taking steps to motivate students toward long-term fitness, not all at such expense.
The Bellmore-Merrick district has introduced yoga, Pilates, aerobics classes with body bars and a cycling program that puts students on the road to teach
; the classes are offered at three high schools and a middle school. The district’s newest pilot program, skateboarding, was introduced last year.
“Any school can do these things at a minimal cost and can make real changes,” said Saul Lerner, the director of physical education, athletics, health, driver education and adult education for the district. “What we’re doing is fun and translatable to the real world.”
Syosset’s physical education program is also under continuous change, with recent additions that include wave boarding, fitness walking, lifeguarding, cardio kickboxing and street games like Red Rover and Kick the Can.
Jennifer DeSena, the coordinator of health and physical education in Syosset, said the district was trying to offer students “a healthy mix of competitive sports and noncompetitive activities.”
“The best way to empower kids to make their own choices for lifetime fitness is if they enjoy it,” she said. “So we give them choices and hope that they can find four or five things that they enjoy and can do after high school.”
In Locust Valley, Fitness Friday has transformed gym classes every week in the high school and middle school into a fitness center, with 14 or 15 agility stations that include jumping rope, elliptical machines and medicine balls — all done to music. Dance Dance Revolution, in which participants have to keep up with lighted spots on a mat, has also been incorporated into the program.
“It’s a changing culture,” said Mark J. Dantuono, the district’s director of health, physical education and athletics.