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It’s commonly known that the inhalation of loose asbestos fibers can increase the risk of a number of deadly lung illnesses, including mesothelioma. Sadly, the recent death of a teacher at the University of Calgary is yet another example of this.

Mesothelioma Causes: According to the CBC, Ameila Labbe ran the Spanish center inside Craigie Hall at the university during renovations to the building in 2003 as well as an asbestos management project that was undertaken in 2006. During the renovations, many teachers in the building complained of poor air quality due to dust that drifted from the work sites.

“Ceiling tiles and accumulated dust from the ceiling space had spilled into the work area and had basically resulted in air quality in which those of us who were within the entire wing could not breathe,” said Rachel Schmidt, the head of the French, Italian, and Spanish departments at the time.

She added that the department eventually shut down until debris was cleaned up. Unfortunately for Labbe, she was eventually diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and succumbed to the lung disease last November. Her husband told the CBC that he believes the loose dust from the 2003 renovation that may have contained asbestos led to the illness that killed her.

Mesothelioma Attorneys: If you or a loved one has been exposed to loose asbestos fibers and now suffer from mesothelioma, there may be legal options at your disposal. Contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about pursuing a mesothelioma settlement.

Asbestos

Yaz Class Action: Two major studies have now addressed the validity and clinical importance of these observations. The first, the Pravastatin Inflammation/CRP Evaluation (PRINCE) trial, was explicitly designed to address three questions. First, can the effects of pravastatin on CRP observed in the CARE trial be confirmed in a direct hypothesis-testing setting? Second, how quickly does any effect of pravastatin on CRP occur and are the effects of pravastatin on CRP truly inde­pendent of changes in LDLC? And third, are the effects of pravastatin on CRP observed in CARE (a secondary-prevention study) equally present in primary- prevention populations? In total, the PRINCE trial evaluated 2884 patients: 1182 in a secondary- prevention cohort who received pravastatin 40 mg daily, and 1702 in a primary- prevention cohort randomly allocated to either pravastatin 40 mg daily or placebo. Prior use of lipid-lowering therapy within the previous 6 months was not allowed, and those in the primary-prevention arm had to have LDL choles­terol levels greater than 130 mg/dL. Blood samples were collected at baseline.

As ensured by the randomization process, baseline levels of CRP (median 0.20 mg/dL), total cholesterol (231 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (143 mg/dL), and HDL cholesterol (40 mg/dL) were virtually identical in the two primary- prevention arms of the PRINCE trial. In contrast, compared with those in the primary-prevention cohort, those with a prior history of cardiovascular disease who were enrolled in the secondary-prevention cohort of PRINCE had signifi­cantly increased CRP levels (median 0.26 mg/dL). As would be expected, those in the secondary-prevention cohort were also older and more likely to smoke or have diabetes, and the group had a higher proportion of aspirin users than the primary-prevention cohort. During the course of the study, highly significant re­ductions in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were observed in the pravastatin groups, as was a clinically important increase in HDL choles­terol (all p values <0.001). No change was observed in any of these parameters among those allocated to placebo.

The PRINCE study thus prospectively confirmed in a large community- based population that statin therapy lowers CRP, and that this effect cannot be predicted by the magnitude of LDL reduction. In addition to pravastatin, similar data in smaller studies have also been presented for cerivastatin, simva­statin, and atorvastatin although one study failed to show such an effect for fluvastatin. Nonetheless, evidence that statins lower CRP does not by itself provide a rationale for broader use of this therapy in primary prevention. However, very recent data from the AFCAPS/TexCAPS CRP substudy suggest that measurement of CRP may provide a novel method to improve the targeting of statin therapy.

However, lovastatin therapy was also effective in reducing the risk of first-ever coronary events among study participants with low levels of LDL cholesterol who had above-average levels of CRP. Specifically, the magnitude of risk reduction asso­ciated with statin use for those with above-average CRP levels but normal lipid levels was almost identical to that observed among those with above-median cholesterol levels. Moreover, among such patients who had elevated levels of CRP but normal lipid levels, the event rate was just as high as that observed among those with overt hyperlipidemia. For these individuals, the number- needed-to-treat was also very low (NNT = 48). By contrast, lovastatin appeared to have no effect in participants in AFCAPS/TexCAPS who had below-average LDL levels and below-average CRP levels. As might be expected, the absolute event rate was very low in this group, who had normal to low lipid levels and no evidence of inflammation. In this low-risk population defined by both LDL and CRP, the NNT was exceptionally large and statin utility cost-ineffective. Finally, like the PRINCE study, the AFCAPS/TexCAPS CRP substudy showed that lovastatin reduced CRP levels in a lipid-independent manner, this time at 1- year follow-up.

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There is still so much concern surrounding asbestos exposure and the increased risk of developing diseases such as mesothelioma that it causes that the Department of Energy (DOE) has taking steps to prevent construction workers from ending up near the loose fibers.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits: According to the Mid-Columbia Tri-City Herald, the DOE and its regulators have agreed to restrict allowance of heavy equipment to be used during the demolishing of buildings that still have asbestos products in them. The primary reason for the restriction was to protect the health of the construction workers who have to man the equipment during the process and could be exposed to asbestos in the process.

The decision from the DOE comes months after an early-warning report issued by the inspector general of the Environmental Protection Agency regarding workers conducting asbestos removal projects in Hanford, WA that could be unsafe. Prior to the warning, many workers had been performing asbestos abatement projects either by hand or by using heavy equipment.

Since the warning, Hanford contractors have not demolished any buildings that contain asbestos.

Asbestos Settlement: If you or a loved one has developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos in the past, call Sokolove Law today to learn about your legal options regarding a mesothelioma lawsuit.

Asbestos

Mesothelioma and Asbestos: The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that a final Risk Assessment of the Libby Amphibole Asbestos will be completed in less than one year, hopefully providing some definitive answers on just how dangerous the mesothelioma-causing fibers are for those in the town of Libby, Montana.

According to The Western News, The EPA’s Libby Team Leader Victor Ketellapper recently told the Lincoln County Commissioners that a Risk Assessment on asbestos that was mined in Libby may be available sooner than expected.

“We do not have all the toxicity values (necessary), but when we do there will be a Risk Assessment, probably within a year,” he said. He added that the toxicity values should be made available by the Science Advisory Board in approximately six months, and the assessment would be released after they were properly analyzed.

Mesothelioma Law: Vermiculite ore contaminated with asbestos was mined in Libby for much of the 20th century. Out of approximately 2,600 residents of Libby, more than 200 people have died from diseases such as mesothelioma that can be linked to asbestos exposure.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos and now suffers from mesothelioma, contact Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation regarding a mesothelioma lawsuit.

Asbestos

Yaz Settlement: Another way to get estrogen to the vagina and bladder is to use an estrogen ring (Estring). The estrogen ring is a small silicone ring that is inserted in the vagina. The ring contains a very small amount of estrogen that is released slowly over ninety days. The ring can be left in place continuously and does not need to be removed for any activity, including exercise, bathing, or intercourse. Along the same lines, Vagifem is a small estrogen tablet that is easily inserted into the vagina with an applicator twice a week. The tablet sticks to tire vaginal wall and releases small amounts of estrogen over a few days. With either of diese methods, the dose of estrogen is low and virtually none is absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, virtually no estrogen makes its way to the heart, bones, uterus, or other cells of the body, and no progesterone is needed to protect the uterine lining. The downside is that because the dose of estrogen is low, it may take longer to work. However, once the cells are healthy again, these methods are more convenient to use than the cream.

Urgency incontinence can often be treated with just a small dose of one of several medications. Some of the oral medications that are used for urgency incontinence are oxybutynin (Ditropan), imipramine (Tofranil), hyoscya- mine (Levsin), and tolterodine (Detrol). As with most medications, there are some possible side effects. All may cause dry mouth, dry skin, constipation, or blurry vision. If these side effects occur, the dose of medication can be lowered. Tolterodine, a newer medication, is very effective and may produce fewer side effects. Both tolterodine and oxybutynin are now available in once-a-day doses, which makes taking the medication easier.

There are other medications—imipramine and doxepin are examples-—-that not only reduce bladder spasms but also help keep the muscles in the urethra closed. They were initially prescribed in high doses to combat depression, but by chance researchers discovered that low doses of the same medication often helped with urgency incontinence. There is no connection between depression and urgency incontinence; the medications simply seem to help both. These medications can be used alone or in combination, depending on individual circumstances. All require a prescription and medical supervision, so you should discuss their use with your doctor. Newer medications are being developed all the time, and it is a good idea to ask your doctor about what might be newly available to help you.

In rare cases, these decongestants may also cause increased blood pressure or rapid heartbeat. Avoid them if you have high blood pressure. Other similar and frequently used drugs for stress incontinence are phenylpropanolamine (Omade, Dimetapp), which are prescription drugs and must be supervised by your doctor. If you are postmenopausal, using estrogen in combination with these medications may help improve their effectiveness. Mixed incontinence is a combination of urgency incontinence and stress incontinence. The bladder wall has spasms, and the sphincter muscles are weak and cannot prevent leaking. Thus, this type of incontinence requires a dual solution in the form of a combination of the types of medications described above. A drug that relaxes the bladder wall muscle is used in conjunction with a drug that keeps the bladder sphincter closed. Estrogen is also usually added in postmenopausal women to keep the tissues more elastic and healthier.

Yaz Settlement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given the Oklahoma Department of Labor (ODL) more than $230,000 to help facilitate the process of removing asbestos from state schools that may be putting students and teachers at an increased mesothelioma risk.

The ODL will receive the $234,713 in the grant, which was formally awarded by EPA this week, that it will use to fund inspections encourage compliance with the state’s Asbestos in Schools Program.

Asbestos Settlements: The EPA details the Asbestos in Schools program as a “designed to protect the health of school children and other occupants as well as the community.” Asbestos was used in the construction products that schools built in the 20th century contain. Even with asbestos abatement strategies in place for decades now, students and teachers are still exposed to dangers levels of asbestos at schools, and therefore have a higher risk of eventually developing mesothelioma.

If you or a loved one wish to file for mesothelioma compensation following a diagnosis, contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about how to properly pursue a mesothelioma claim by speaking with an attorney today.

Asbestos

Asbestos, the deadly mineral which can cause several diseases such as mesothelioma, was used widely in construction projects throughout most of the 20th century all over the world. The material was prized for its ability to reduce the risk of fires and act as effective insulation in large buildings.

Many of our nation’s greatest landmarks were built with asbestos products. While some of them have had the asbestos materials removed over time, many still contain some products that still may pose a health risk to the people who work in and visit these structures.

1. The United States Capitol

The United States Capitol complex is connected by a series of underground tunnels, many of which are lined with asbestos. In 2006, during maintenance operations in these tunnels, workers were exposed to the asbestos materials.

2. Walt Disney World

“The Happiest Place on Earth” used asbestos as part of its numerous indoor building projects before the park opened in 1971. Much of this material was removed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is rumored that asbestos still in the Polynesian Hotel.

3. Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, built in the early 1960s, was found to contain asbestos materials in the early 1990s. Those materials have since been removed.

4. Statue of Libery

When Lady Liberty was under construction in France, Gustav Eiffel used asbestos to try to limit the long-term wear on the world-famous statue.

5. The Pentagon

It should come as no surprise that the headquarters of the American military would contain asbestos as the shipbuilding industry supporting the U.S. Navy in the middle of the 20th century was one of the largest single causes of asbestos exposure domestically.

6. Old Faithful Inn

In the boiler room of the iconic Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, employees were subjected to deplorable conditions including loose asbestos insulation.

7. National Air and Space Museum

One of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation’s capital, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has asbestos materials built into its walls.

8. Lincoln Memorial

Little known to most visitors, the Lincoln Memorial has a large basement where pipes are insulated with asbestos materials.

9. Independence Hall

The site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was forced to close temporarily in 1997 to remove asbestos.

10. Kennedy Space Center

Asbestos was used in several construction projects at the launching point for the American space program, which was largely developed in the 1950s and 1960s. These monuments, complexes and buildings represent only a small sampling of the buildings across this country that used asbestos as a construction material for one reason or another.

Asbestos Exposure: Individuals whose lives have been touched by mesothelioma may have various questions and concerns. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer and need help, call our convenient toll-free number 888-360-4215 to speak with a mesothelioma consultant.

Mesothelioma

Yaz Side Effect: The muscles that He directly below the vagina and encircle the rec­tum are the muscles that control bowel movements. During the final phases of labor, when the baby is pushed through the vagina, these muscles are subjected to enormous forces and pressures. As a result, injury may occur. Just as for urinary incontinence, there is a higher likelihood of anal incontinence in a woman following a vaginal delivery than following a cesarean section. Studies show that more than a third of women who deliver vaginaHy have some damage to die anal muscles. In women who have undergone a for­ceps delivery, about 80 percent have damage to the anal muscles. Injured nerves can also be found in these women. Most recover their prelabor function, but for some the damaging effects can per­sist for years. The result of severe injury to the anal muscles and nerves can be the inability of the anal muscle to close entirely, with resultant involuntary loss of gas or stool.

Just before the delivery of the baby’s head, an incision may be made by the doctor in the skin, and sometimes also in the muscle, in the bottom portion of the vagina to allow more room for the baby to deliver. This incision, called (midline) episiotomy, is sup­posed to avoid incidental tearing of the vagina or rectum as the baby delivers. Episiotomy is a recent practice, devised in order to substitute a straight, clean, easy-to-repair surgical incision for the jagged tear that might otherwise occur. This incision is also in­tended to shorten labor by giving the baby’s head more room so de­livery can be easier and faster. It was previously thought that faster delivery would decrease the risk of injury to the mother’s bladder and would be gender on the baby’s head. However, studies have shown no evidence tiiat these assumptions are true.

Recent studies, performed by ultrasound to measure these muscles right after deliver)’’, have shown that much more damage occurs than was previously assumed. Since this is an area of con­centrated research, new techniques to both recognize and repair any muscle damage should be forthcoming. We imagine that in the future obstetricians might use an ultrasound machine in the delivery room to show any postdelivery injuries to the rectum and vagina and make necessary repairs immediately. We hope this will make prolapse and incontinence less likely in the future. Cur­rently, there are no easily available means to determine if any nerves have been damaged by a delivery, and unfortunately, there is still no way of repairing damaged nerves.

However, most women who deliver vaginally remain con­tinent, so no one is proposing that all women have cesarean sec­tions in order to avoid the possibility of later incontinence. We dearly do not understand all the factors that determine who will develop incontinence, so cesarean section is not necessary in many women with long or difficult labors. With our present understand­ing, many women would have to have cesareans in order to prevent one woman from developing incontinence. In addition, cesarean section has its own risks, including bleeding and the possible need for transfusion, the possibility of infection, and the risks of anes­thesia and surgical injury to the bladder or intestines. The pro­longed discomfort and recovery from a cesarean section at a time when the mother wants to be focused on caring for her baby are also not in anyone’s best interest.

Yaz Side Effect

Landus Anderson is one of the top high school basketball players in Florida and has aspirations to one day play basketball in college and beyond. All the more impressive is that he accomplishes everything he does on the court with only one hand due to the fact that he has Erb’s Palsy.

According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, the 6-4 junior who has averaged more than 19 points and eight rebounds a game for the Florida High Seminoles has no control of his fingers on his right hand. Similarly, his right arm can hardly be used in competition either. While some children diagnosed with Erb’s Palsy can recover range of motion in their arm by their first birthday, such was not the case with Anderson.

Cerebral Palsy: “They can’t fix the damaged nerves, but at birth I had a muscle transfer in my bicep area,” said Anderson, who is almost a straight-A student as well. “They could’ve done one down low, but my mother didn’t want them to experiment on me.”

Despite his birth injury, Anderson has learned through the years to accomplish everything from the most simple skills (tying a shoe) to more complicated ones (playing basketball) with the help of his family.

“He has a determination that’s so unique,” his mother Pamela Anderson told the Journal Gazette. “He’s not a complainer. He’s not a whiner. It wasn’t easy, but Landus made it easier.”

While a birth injury such as Erb’s Palsy can be very difficult with, it is possible for people with the condition to live regular lives. If you have a child who was born with a birth injury that may have been cause by medical negligence, contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about possibly pursuing a birth injury lawsuit.

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Erbs Palsy

Yaz Class Action: Alternatively, the possibility of direct contributions from CRP in athero- genesis and acute arterial thrombosis should be considered. CRP has been found within atherosclerotic lesions and is known to stimulate the expression of tissue factor, influence leukocytes , and activate complement. Notably, the lack of association between hs-CRP elevation and the burden of coronary atherosclerosis assessed either angiographically or with electron- beam computed tomography (180) support the notion that hs-CRP levels instead reflect pathobiological properties of the atheroma and vascular endothelium (i.e., plaque vulnerability rather than severity). Recent studies demonstrating an associ­ation between elevated hs-CRP and endothelial dysfunction determined in stud­ies of human forearm blood flow lend additional credence to this argument. Further investigation directed at elucidating the precise relationships between the elevation of acute-phase reactants, cytokines, and intercellular adhe­sion molecules and adverse cardiovascular prognosis will continue to advance.

If inflammatory markers such as hs-CRP are to become useful in clinical practice, there must be evidence that they add to the prognostic information offered by traditional cardiovascular risk factors. In the case of hs-CRP, baseline ele­vation of the inflammatory marker remains highly predictive of future events after adjustment for traditional risk factors including age, hypertension, diabetes, body mass, index, and smoking status. When used in conjunction with lipid measurements in the Women’s Health Study and Physicians Health Study, hs-CRP added to the predictive information offered by the total to high-density cholesterol ratio (TC:HDL). Moreover, in a prospective evaluation in healthy women that compared traditional (TC and TC : HDL) as well as several ‘‘novel’’ (lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, hs-CRP) markers of cardiovascular risk, the combination of hs-CRP and the TC : HDL ratio was found to be the strongest predictor of first myocardial infarction.

Although the epidemiological data supporting the prognostic utility of hs-CRP are strong and consistent, the inflammatory marker is unlikely to carry significant impact on clinical strategies for management of atherosclerotic vascular disease if the associated risk cannot be modified by available therapies. Thus, data sug­gesting important interactions between hs-CRP and specific pharmacological therapies are of particular clinical as well as experimental interest.

Aspirin, an agent with both antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory effects, was the first specific pharmacological therapy tested for CRP interaction. In the Physi­cians Health Study, participants were randomly assigned to low-dose aspirin (325 mg p.o. q.o.d.) or placebo with a 44% reduction in the risk of first MI associated with aspirin use (p < 0.001). However, in a nested case control analysis, stratification by quartiles of baseline hs-CRP revealed an increasing gradient of benefit with aspirin, such that those in the highest quartile of hs-CRP realized a 55.7% (p = 0.002) reduction in the risk of first MI compared with 13.9% (p = 0.77) among those in the lowest quartile of hs-CRP concentration. Similar differential effects of aspirin on clinical outcomes in the presence or absence of elevated CRP levels has recently been reported in the setting of unstable angina. Indeed, in this setting, the prognostic value of CRP was found to be quite limited once patients had been treated with aspirin. These data suggest that at least part of the benefit of aspirin may result from an interaction with underlying low-grade vascular inflammation. To date, however, data have been conflicting as to whether aspirin use reduces CRP levels. Whether other COX-1 and/or COX-2 inhibitors impact upon CRP levels is currently under investigation.

Yaz Class Action