Clark, Perdue, Arnold & Scott's Blog
The blog for Columbus Ohio Personal Injury Lawyers and Litigation Attorneys, Clark, Perdue, Arnold & Scott.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Flammable Halloween Costumes
The Good Housekeeping Research Institute, the consumer product testing wing of Good Housekeeping Magazine, recently tested three children's Halloween costumes for flammability.
As a result of the testing, Good Housekeeping recommends that parents avoid these costumes.
To read the article and find out which costumes the Institute recommends that you avoid, click on the following link: http://magazines.ivillage.com/goodhousekeeping/consumer/safety/articles/0,,284526_290160-3,00.html.
posted by Brandi Seskes at 7:40 AM
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Ketek--Facts & Problems
 What is Ketek? Ketek is an antibiotic used for respiratory tract infections, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis for those 18 years and older, acute bacterial sinusitis, and some forms of pneumonia. It is the only drug in a new class of antibiotics known as Ketolides. Who is the manufacturer? Keted is made by Sanofi-aventis, with global headquarters in Paris, France, and U.S. headquarters in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Sanofi-aventis is the world's third largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number 1 in Europe. What is the problem with this drug? Ketek has been linked to hepatitis and liver damage resulting in liver transplants and death. What is hepatitis? Hepatitis is liver disease, and it is characterized by fatigue, malaise, joint aches, abdominal pain, vomiting two or three times a day for the first five days, loss of appetite, dark urine, fever, jaundice, and an enlarged liver. However, some forms of hepatitis show very few of these signs. Certain liver function tests can detect hepatitis. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis include: *jaundice (yellowing of the skin and/or eyes)*redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth*severe or watery diarrhea or persistent diarrhea*skin rash, itching* swelling of tongue or throat* difficult breathing*fainting spells* eye problems such as blurred vision, difficulty focusing, and objects doubled*vomiting Is Ketek still on the market?Yes. However, Dr. David Graham of the FDA believes that the FDA's 2004 approval drug Ketek was a mistake. In May 2006, Dr. Graham wrote in an e-mail to another official, "It's as if every principle governing the review and approval of new drugs was abandoned or suspended where telithromycin [Ketek] is concerned." He went on, "We don't really know if the drug works; no one is claiming it works better than other, safer drugs; and we're flying blind as far as safety goes, except for our own A.D.R. data that suggests telithromycin is uniquely more toxic than most other drugs."
posted by Andy List at 7:44 AM
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Afraid of Halloween?
While trick-or-treating is fun for kids, the thought of their little goblins walking the neighborhood spooks most parents. Reviewing safety tips, selecting a safe costume, and establishing ground rules with your children will make Beggar's Night a little less scary.
The Consumer News section of our website contains helpful tips for parents. To read them, visit http://www.clarkperdue.com/for_consumers.html and click on "Halloween Safety."
The American Red Cross has safety advice for children. It is available on the web at: http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/october/octtips.html.
Pet parents can visit http://www.halloween-safety.com/halloween_safety_pets.html for tips on keeping pets safe on Halloween.
posted by Brandi Seskes at 12:56 PM
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Paxil, Suicide & Children
"There is nothing worse that you can do to a [child] in America today than give them a mental illness kind of label and tell them they need drugs." Peter R. Breggin, M.D.
Since 1990, the number of children in the United States taking antidepressants has more than doubled. At the same time, the class of antidepressant drugs known as selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors ("SSRI's") began to dominate the market.
Although the FDA has never approved most of the SSRI drugs (including Celexa, Effexor, Paxil or Zoloft) for patients under the age 18, "off label" prescriptions of these drugs to minors continue to increase. Indeed, in 2002, more than two million pediatric prescriptions were written for Paxil (paroxetine) alone.
Unfortunately, pediatric clinical trials of Paxil have demonstrated an increased risk of suicidal behaviors among children and teenagers.
Generally, an SSRI medicine, such as Paxil, acts upon the chemicals that allow nerves in the brain to communicate with each other. These chemical messengers are called "neurotransmitters." Neurotransmitters are released by one nerve and taken up by other nerves. When neurotransmitters are released, but not taken up by other nerves, they return to the nerves that released them ("reuptake").
Many experts believe that an imbalance caused by reuptake causes depression. Accordingly, Paxil and other SSRI drugs seek to stop the reuptake process. Although experts differ as to how this process contributes to suicidal behaviors, one theory suggests that SSRI drugs quickly reverse the lethargy associated with depression, but then take several weeks to ease the depression itself. During the time before the underlying depression is resolved, young patients have increased energy to contemplate or carry through suicide attempts.
As a result, parents should be especially attentive to behavioral changes when a child or teenager first begins taking Paxil, or when a change in dosage occurs.
posted by Andy List at 5:41 AM
Monday, October 02, 2006
Where to Find Product Recalls, Alerts and Warnings
We should all be concerned about the safety of the food that we eat and the products that we use. Eating contaminated food or using a defective product could be fatal. Those with food allergies should be especially vigilant, because occasionally allergens are not disclosed on a product's packaging.
The federal government issues countless product recalls, allergy alerts, and safety warnings every year. Unfortunately, not all of the recall notices and warnings are publicized in the news, and the ones that are may not reach all of the necessary consumers.
So, how do you know about the warnings that effect the health and safety of you and your family?
There is one website that publishes product recalls, alerts, and warnings from all six of the federal agencies that issue them. It is http://www.recalls.gov/.
From this site, you can search or scroll through the latest news from the Food and Drug Administration (food, medicine and cosmetics), U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (meat, poultry and egg), Consumer Product Safety Commission (consumer products), National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration (motor vehicles), U.S. Coast Guard (boats), and Environmental Protection Agency (pesticides).
If you do not have time to search for the latest recalls, you can have them sent to you via email. Just visit http://www.recalls.gov/list.html to subscribe to this free service.
posted by Brandi Seskes at 12:17 PM
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Identity Theft--How You Can Protect Yourself
Identify theft is a growing problem, and no one is immune from the threat. It can ruin your credit, affect your employment, tarnish your reputation, and make you the unwitting subject of a criminal investigation.
There are several things you can do to protect your private information and data from identify thieves.
First, purchase a paper shredder and shred all trash that contains any personal information. This would include billing statements from any vendor and especially banking and financial statements.
When you have your driver's license renewed, ask that you social security number not be printed on it. Also, when anentityt--such as a hospita--has a legitimate need for you social security number, ask that it not be printed on documents that may become public, or that only the last four digits be printed.
Additionally, Consumer Reports magazine offers the following sensible suggestions:
Opt out of:
**Telemarketing. Put your name on the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call registry by going to http://www.donotcall.gov/ or by calling 888-382-1222. **Unwanted solicitations. Ask financial institutions, retailers, and websites not to share your information with other nonaffiliated companies. Contact the Direct Marketing Association at www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html. For unsolicited email, go to www.dmaconsumers.org/consumers/optoutform-emps.shtml.
** Sales of your information to others. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse lists data brokers and offers limited opt-out policies at www.privacyrights.org/ar/infobrokers.htm.
Check what's on file about you:
**Order your free annual report from each of the major nationwide credit-reporting companies once every 12 months at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.
** Request your files from the major data brokers: ChoicePoint at http://www.choicetrust.com/ and LexisNexis at www.lexisnexis.com/terms/privacy/data/obtain.asap.
**Get medical information. If you've applied for individual health or life insurance policies within the past seven years, the MIB Group keeps data that insurers use to help determine your rates. Get a report by calling MIB toll free at 866-692-6901.
Consumer Reports, October 2007, p. 44.
Finally, don't provide personal information to a caller claiming to be with a business that you deal with unless the caller can offer sound verification that the call is legitimate. The same precaution pertains to emails claiming to be from a bank or business you deal with and requesting personal information for a seemingly legitimate reason. Call the company to see if the request is legitimate. In most cases, these requests are a fraud.
If you use common sense and take some of the precautions listed above, you can at least minimize the risk of identify theft.
posted by daleperdue at 3:35 PM
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