MRI Breast Cancer Study & MRI Health Risks

August 21st, 2009. By AbiK

The American Cancer Society’s CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians just published (8/13/09) the findings from a study done on the use of MRI with early stage breast cancer patients.

Given: MRI health risks have been in the news given contrast agent gadolinium’s association with the potential for NSF (Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis).

Given: It’s been in vogue (if breast cancer can ever be) to have an MRI as part of the diagnostic process for breast cancer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yasmin and Yaz: 2 New Studies Confirm the Worst

August 20th, 2009. By LucyC

The evidence is mounting—evidence that shows the risk for developing potentially lethal blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in women taking new generation hormonal contraception is much higher than in women taking older generation oral contraceptives. 

Two new studies published on the British Medical Journal’s website this month point to a higher incidence of DVT in women taking pills containing desogestrel (e.g., Cyclessa from Organon) and drospirenone (e.g., Yaz from Bayer Healthcare). 

In one of the studies, conducted in the Netherlands, the researchers found a 6.3 fold increased risk for venous thrombosis (VT) associated with drospirenone—one of the hormones in Yaz/Yasmin—compared with rates for VT in non-users. That means the risk for VT increases 6 times above that seen in women not taking drospirenone. 

Researchers involved in the second study, from Denmark, found a 1.64 increased risk for VT associated with drosperinone.   

The researchers from the Netherlands concluded: Read the rest of this entry »

What the heck is Qui Tam?

August 20th, 2009. By AbiK

We’ve been posting about whistleblowers and it’s hard to talk about whistleblowing without coming across the phrase “Qui Tam”. Looks like some Latin thing again that legal folks are famously in love with—and, alas, it is! But beyond the Latin, why does it always seem to show up with whistleblowing cases? Pleading Ignorance takes a look at…

What the heck is Qui Tam?

First off, let’s be clear. Qui tam itself is not the full Latin phrase that the phrase initially comes from (got that?). Qui tam comes from this:

“qui tam pro domino rege quam pro se ipso in hoc parte sequitur”

which, if we grab our handy dandy Cassell’s Latin dictionary, we’ll find means this:

“he who sues for the king as well as for himself”

Now, I don’t know. Maybe someone figured out at some point that we no longer have kings here on American soil. Who knows? But at some point, we got tired of tiring to remember the full Latin phrase, and gave it a nickname: Qui tam. Period. Read the rest of this entry »

Sex Harassment on the Job: Who’s Sexiest of All?

August 19th, 2009. By AbiK

It’s the quintessential and stereotypical office drama played out in a tabloid: bombshell secretary gets her butt pinched by male higher-up. Or worse. Think that sounds pretty accurate for most sexual harassment cases? Think again. The “sex magnet” isn’t quite who you probably think it is.

A new study just reported that it’s actually not lower level female employees who suffer the most on-the-job sexual harassment. An article at HealthDay.com (8/12/09) shares the findings of the study conducted by University of Minnesota sociologist Heather McLaughlin. Guess what? Turns out female supervisors are more likely to be the target of sexual harassment.

The study looked at 600 men and women aged 29 to 30. The findings indicated that 36% of men and women experienced some form of sexual harassment (in 2004). Sexual harassament, by the way, included offensive material, discussions of sex, staring or leering, invasion of personal space, questions about one’s private life or unwanted touching. Read the rest of this entry »

MRI GBCAs – They’re Bad News

August 19th, 2009. By LucyC

If you or someone you know has advanced kidney disease chances are you have undergone an MRI—very likely more than one. As you probably know, in order for physicians to see things on an MRI the person undergoing the imaging procedure may need to be administered what is called a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA). Problem is, the gadolinium-based agents that are used are linked to serious kidney disease—something called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), or Nephrogenic Fibrosing Dermopathy (NFD).

 The health problems resulting from GBCAs were not widely known until around 2006-2007—and even then the average person undergoing an MRI at the time would likely never have heard of NSF/NFD. But the medical community is more aware of the problems, and the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged that there were 200 reports worldwide of NSF/NFD due to patients exposed to various GBCAs  in 2006. 

Recently, a group of investigators based at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia reviewed a series of controlled clinical trials that examined the association between GBCAs and NSF. The study was published in the May 2009 Issue of Renal and Urology News. 

The results strongly indicate a ‘causal relationship’ between GBCAs and NSF. In fact, the researchers wrote in their paper:  Read the rest of this entry »