Boston (EON) - Fentora is being put under the radar as the powerful narcotic pain killer has been dubbed as having potentially fatal side effects by the FDA.
The FDA stated that their Public Health Advisory board has put out a warning in regards to Fentora. There have been many reports of deaths due to the serious side effects which have been linked directly to the medication.
The FDA warns that Fentora should only be given for approved conditions. Dosage guidelines must also be followed exactly as prescribed to avoid complications.
It was approved only to treat pain in cancer patients. It is for patients who have a tolderance for other opiate painkillers. It is 80 times more potent than morphine due to an additive opiate named fentanyl.
The FDA stated that Fentora should not be used for any other conditions such as migraines, pain, or injury.
Higher-than-recommended doses as well as taking it for the wrong things are to blame for the deaths from Fentora.
Boston (EON) - EchoStar Communications has announced that it is buying Sling Media for $380 million.
The move will give Sling Media, which is privately held, access to 13.6 million of DISH satellite TV network customers. It will also have access to the EchoStar line of digital video recorders.
Charles Ergen, the chief executive of EchoStar stated that “This combination paves the way for the development of a host of new innovative products and services for our subscribers, new digital media consumers and strategic partners.”
Sling Media sells devices which transmit television shows from a consumer’s TV to a remote computer in another location, or even a cell phone.
It is possible that EchoStar will put Sling Media under the DISH brand or turn it into a separate unit.
Ergen and EchoStar were actually early investors in Sling Media so it is possible that this was in the works for quite some time.
Boston (EON) - New studies have found that a combination of junk food as well as too much exposure to TV are causing U.S. children to become obese.
The studies which were looked at to make this conclusion were published in a supplement of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. It states that lifestyles are changing and the culture is changing more towards TV and junk food as normal tasks for kids.
Kids live in a world now where they can go to McDonald’s whenever they please and choose french fries over an apple.
Alexandra Salazar stated that “Schools have a big part to play, but kids aren’t offered the best choices at school or in the community. It’s up to the parents to lead by example.”
One in six American kids and teens are overweight. 70% of them will grow into overweight or obese adults as well.
These kids can end up having an elevated risk for developing low self-esteem, depression, as well as further health problems later in life.
Ideas to help cure this include having nutrition education in schools as well as more knowledge-based curriculums to teach exercise and such.
Washington (EON) - According to the American Cancer Society the number of breast cancer deaths in the United States continues to drop.
The American Cancer Society has put out their biannual report on breast cancer in the U.S. and talks about the successes we have had against fighting mortality from breast cancer.
The report stated that breast cancer deaths declines by 2.2% annually from 1990 to 2004. They stated that the reason for this decline is due to earlier detection as well as new advanced treatments.
The report stated though that the same cannot be said for certain ethnic groups.
Breast cancer death rates did not change at all for Asian-American/Pacific Islanders, American Indians, or Alaska natives. The reason is not known but according to the statistics those groups had no decline.
There was a 2.4% decline per year from 1990 to 2004 for white and Hispanic women. A 1.6% decrease was seen for African-American women.
Harmon Eyre of the ACS stated that “A woman today has a lower chance of dying from breast cancer than she’s had in decades. Unfortunately, not all women are benefitting at the same level.”
Boston (EON) - A new study has found that care programs to treat depressed workers allows them to be more productive and ends up making the company more money than they spent for the care.
The study is in the September 26th issue of Journal of the American Medical Association and is titled, “Enhanced Depression Treatment and Work Outcomes.”
It has found that programs which screen for depressed workers and then treat them with the proper medications and such can yield great results for the company as a whole. The study found that not only will morale be up, but productivity rises a lot as well.
8% of all adults will have major depression at some period in their lives according to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. The National Institute of Mental Health in Rockville, MD looked at 604 employees in a trial. 300 has the usual care when depressed while 304 had the enhanced care program.
They found that those who had the enhanced care were more likely to recover within 12 months at a ratio of 26.2% to 17.7% for the group with regular care.
The job retention rate was also far higher at 92.6% compared to 88%.
Boston (EON) - The Supreme Court has stated that they are considering lethal injections as a form of execution.
The Supreme Court is trying to agree on a constitutional challenge to lethal injections. They are trying to decide how far states must go to try and cut down on the risk of pain during an execution.
The decision made by the Supreme Court was to accept an appeal from two inmates who are on death row in Kentucky.
There are 27 states with the death penalty law in the United States. Lethal injection is the primary way to execute people in every state except one, Nebraska, which uses the electric chair.
The Supreme Court ruling on the matter is due by next June and it is pretty clear that judges and prison officials will likely delay all executions until a decision is made.
This is going to likely lead to one permanent and default way for lethal injections to occur on a nationwide level.
Finally lethal injections are put under the microscope so that these issues do not come up again in the future and that there can be a bit of closure on the subject.
Boston (EON) - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is going to be receiving an endorsement this week from a leading Republican in California as well as a former governor in Pete Wilson.
The candidate Giuliani is a former New York mayor and will announce the endorsement by Wilson at a news conference which is planned for Thursday in Santa Monica.
The endorsement from Wilson is going to be a big deal for Giuliani as both have been mayors in big cities in the United States in the past. Giuliani and Wilson are both known for being extremely popular with the public as well as with garnering votes.
Nothing has been confirmed nor will it be confirmed until the news conference which will be held on Thursday.
The campaign for Giuliani had no comment on the matter, nor did former Govenor Wilson.
Boston (EON) - A meeting was held in Louisiana with leaders of the Episcopal Church which is the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church which resulted in the idea and agreement that all openly homosexual bishops would no longer receive ordination.
This is not a permanent fix for the Anglican church in the U.S. as this is just a temporary solution to a much bigger problem.
Anglicans are threatening though to throw out churches who do not comply and still orain gay bishops who perform same-sex marriages. The Anglican Communion is the 3rd largest Christian group in the world with 77 million members around the world.
A six-day summit was held in New Orleans to come to this conclusion. Anglican leaders are calling on Americans to stop their support of same-sex marriage. The group in New Orleans though has refused this thus far.
We will have to wait and see what will happen if the Episcopals do not follow the orders of the Anglican church.
Baghdad (EON) - A suicide bomber blew himself up on Tuesday killing a group of policemen outside of a fuel station in Mosul.
A local police source stated that “A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up at about 3:00 p.m. among a group of policemen guarding the entrance of a fuel station in northern Mosul.”
Many civilian cars which were nearby and waiting to enter the fuel station were also damaged heavily from the blast. In other bad news in Iraq six gunmen were dead in clashes between Iraqi Army soldiers and insurgent gunmen in the town of Tal Afar.
Mosul is north of Baghdad and has been a breeding ground for the insurgents as many have come from there.
3 people were killed in the suicide car bombing which hit the police station in Basra as well. 6 were also killed in a motorcycle bombing in northern Iraq.
It has been a very violent week in Iraq to say the least.
Beirut (EON) - The presidential election in Lebanon has been delayed due to fears of violence.
The election in Lebanon extends way beyond the country and more to a global stand as whoever wins the election will either align themselves with the United States or with the Middle East and their influence.
The political parties are going head to head to try and garner support. The first attempt for the parliament of Lebanon to elect a new president ended when opposition legislators boycotted the vote.
The delay is expected to go on for about 2 months before the constitutional expiration of the current term of the president.
The legislators did so due to fears of violence as they carried the pictures of six legislators who were assassinated over the last 2 and a half years.
A two-thirds vote is required for the election to go ahead. The reasoning for the delay was due to a lack of a consensus as to which candidate will win. The session was adjourned until October 23rd when they will try again.