Salt Lake City Personal Injury Lawyer

Couple Injured in Home Explosion

Amy Schauers — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:06:26 GMT

A couple in Sanpete Utah was seriously injured after their home exploded today. The cause of the explosion may have been snow or ice falling from the roof and hitting and damaging an exposed propane line. The leaking propane was ignited after potentially two days of leakage into the crawl space of the home.

Officials advise that once a propane tank is installed they should always be checked for cracks, holes or leaks. The tanks should also be located as far from the home as possible.

If those tips don't work and you smell something funny, you need to get out. "Even if you think you're not smelling something that you recognize, always wise to leave the house, call 911, have us come check it out. We have all kinds of equipment that detects," explained Capt. Karleen Montanez, of the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Human Embryos With DNA from Three People

Amy Schauers — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:07:13 GMT

Scientists in Britain have created human embryos with DNA from two women and one man. Patrick Chinnery, a professor of neurogenetics, said that the intent is not to alter genes but to exchange bad ones for good ones. They are trying to create healthy embryos in order to avoid passing on diseases such as muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, strokes and mental retardation.

The genes being replaced are the mitochondria, which is contained outside the nucleus of the egg. This is where problems in the genetic code generally are. Only small amounts of a person's genes are in the mitochondria and most of the genes that make a person who they are reside inside the nucleus.

So far, 10 such embryos have been created, though they have not been allowed to develop for more than five days. Chinnery hoped that after further experiments in the next few years the process might be available to parents undergoing in-vitro fertilization.

More testing is necessary to assess the safety of the process before it is available as a potential treatment option.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Baby Products May Contain Harmful Chemicals

Amy Schauers — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:59:14 GMT

A new study released proposes that baby products including lotion, baby powder, and baby shampoo may be exposing babies to harmful chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates are used to make plastics flexible and stabilize fragrances and are found in many consumer products.

The journal Pediatrics, Sathyanarayana, from the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues measured the levels of nine different phthalate products in urine from diapers of 163 infants aged 2 to 28 months. All of the urine samples contained at least one phthalate at measurable levels and 81 percent of the samples had measurable amounts of seven or more phthalates.

"At this time, we do not know what the potential long-term health effects might be, but there is a large body of animal studies to suggest developmental and reproductive toxicity (from phthalates) and a few human studies with changes in health outcomes as well," Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana told Reuters Health.

Currently U.S. manufacturers are not required to list phthalate contents on package labels.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

War Concussions and Post Traumatic Stress

Amy Schauers — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:48:55 GMT

A study by The New England Journal of Medicine shows that troops that have returned from Iraq who have suffered concussion are at a greater risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder. Experts are concerned that head injuries sustained in combat may cause neurological deficits.

Now that the prevalence is known, Dr. Levine said, the next step should be to assess troops' cognitive functioning early on and track it over time, before and after combat.
"These injuries should not be underestimated," he said. "You can't work, you can't do anything, at least initially, and the symptoms can linger for weeks to months."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Groundbreaking Cancer Specialist Dr. Judah Folkman Dies

Amy Schauers — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:41:42 GMT

On January 15, 2008 the groundbreaking cancer specialist Dr. Judah Folkman passed away. Dr. Folkman was responsible for the cancer treatment known as anti-angiogenesis.

Folkman had first theorized in the 1960s that blocking angiogenesis, the term given to blood vessel growth, would starve cancer tumors to death. The ideas were widely dismissed at the time, but came to the fore with the release of Genentech's (DNA) Avastin, the first anti-angiogenesis drug to reach the market.

Dr. Folkman suffered a heart attack in the Denver airport en route to Vancouver to give a speech at a meeting on angiogenesis.

Folkman was never one to rest on his laurels. "He was always so generous with his time, he mentored so many," says Dr. William Li, director of the nonprofit Angiogenesis Foundation in Boston. "He was one of the greatest scientific minds of our times."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Early Detection of Prostate Cancer

Amy Schauers — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:43:08 GMT

Researchers have found a new way to detect a man's risk of getting prostate cancer in the future.

Researchers have recently identified a series of gene markers that, when present with family history of the disease, increase a patient's risk of prostate cancer more than nine times. Those markers, say researchers, can be detected in a simple saliva or blood sample -- good news for a condition whose prognosis is improved by early detection.

Research shows that because the variants are common in the general population and their collective association with cancer is so strong, these findings may help doctors move more quickly into the next phase of prostate cancer research: "How to predict individual risk for prostate cancer and catch it early." Dr. Xu, one of the authors of a study revealing this new information, will offer a personal genetic test and will be the world's first genetic screen for a specific disease.

Xu says his new genetic test -- which would require patients to send in blood or saliva samples to be screened for the variants identified in the study -- would complement established methods. "We're devoted to improving the situation," says Xu, estimating that his test would cost a few hundred dollars, and could eventually be included in standard health care. "We want to make this very affordable."

Dr. Xu's test may help identify at-risk patients more accurately and earlier

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Over the Counter Drugs Bad for Children Under Age 2

Amy Schauers — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:24:33 GMT

The FDA is issuing a parental warning today. It warns parents to avoid over the counter cold medicine for children under the age of two. They say that these drugs may be harmful and cause serious and potentially life threatening side effects. The concern is that parents may purchase over the counter cold medications for their older children and then give them to their toddlers.

Ganley cited surveys that suggest many parents don't believe over-the-counter cold remedies pose a problem, especially if they've used them with an older child who seemed to get better.

In October the FDA announced that over the counter drugs specifically targeted to small children don't work and shouldn't be given to anyone under age 6. All medications for children under age 6 were pulled from store shelves.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Teacher Dies of Heart Attack While Getting Root Canal

Amy Schauers — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:10:02 GMT

Chicago elementary school Principal Georgette Watson died today while undergoing a root canal. It is reported that she died of a heart attack while under sedation. It is still unclear whether she was unconscious or was given anesthesia. Office staff tried to revive Watson before paramedics arrived but were unsuccessful.

Two of the dentists have been on probation since July "due to substandard dental work and failure to maintain records," according to documents on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Web site.

The documents do not specify the nature of the alleged violations, but according to the Web site, doctors "whose licenses are placed on probation are allowed to continue practicing subject to certain terms and conditions."

As of this morning the dentist office appeared to be closed and nobody was available for comment.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Nearly 8 Million Died of Cancer in 2007

Amy Schauers — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:20:21 GMT

The number of cancers and cancer deaths are on the rise. This may be due to an aging population. As life expectancy rises we are seeing an increase of cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society reported 12 million new cases of malignancy diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease.

The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.

Worldwide, nearly 15 percent of all cancers can be connected to infections, including liver cancer and cervical cancer. In 2000, 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 1.42 million died from cancer, 850,000 from lung cancer alone.

In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.

Experts believe that certain cancers may be avoided by lifestyle changes including quitting smoking and eating less fat.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers

Air Quality Tests In Louisiana

Amy Schauers — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:54:51 GMT

FEMA issued several thousand trailers to residents of Louisiana and Mississippi after hurricane Katrina. Now residents are concerned about health problems linked to high levels of formaldehyde.

Elevated levels of formaldehyde gas can cause headaches, burning in the eyes and throat, nausea and difficulty breathing.

Approximately 46,700 families who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina live in these government-issued trailers. Over the next five weeks The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will randomly test 500 trailers for formaldehyde levels. Residents should know the results of the testing by mid-February 2008. FEMA is helping residents who are concerned about the health risks move into alternate housing.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Amy Schauers