Infections diseases are a living nightmare for all, including workers, employers and their insurance carriers. An 18% change of Ebola entering the US, quickly changed to 100% last week. Is the US doing ALL it can to prevent this contagious disease?
The White House announced this afternoon that precautions were being taken. Is that enough?
Is the White House press statement issued this afternoon.
Monday, October 6, 2014
GM recalls 117,000 vehicles
Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from www.clickondetroit.com
 Reuters NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - General Motors is recalling 117,000 vehicles for an issue that could cause the vehicle to stall or not start. GM said that it is aware of no crashes, injuries or fatalities connected to the problem. The issue affects a small number -- about 1% -- of the 117,000 cars and trucks, GM said. The chassis control module -- a part of the vehicle's electronics system linked to the braking, steering, and suspension -- could be short-circuited by small metal fragments. If this happens, drivers may see a warning, such as the check engine light, turn on. Also the vehicle may stall. This year, GM has recalled an unprecedented number of vehicles. After disclosing a fatal ignition switch flaw that went unreported for a decade, GM scrutinized its older vehicles for possible issues and issued over 60 recalls. Not counting Thursday's announcement, the automaker has recalled 29.4 million vehicles in 2014. Thursday's recalled models are: -- 2013-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. --2013-2014 Cadillac CTS. --2013-2014 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL. --2013-2014 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV. --2014 Chevrolet Traverse. --2014 GMC Acadia. --2014 Buick Enclave --2014 Chevrolet Express. --2014 GMC Savana. --2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD. -- 2014 GMC Sierra HD. |
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Cellphone Boom Spurs Antenna-Safety Worries
 Radio-frequency engineer Marvin Wessel has taken readings at more than 3,000 cellphone antenna sites across the country. Ryan Knutson The antennas fueling the nation’s cellphone boom are challenging federal safety rules that were put in place when signals largely radiated from remote towers off-limits to the public. Now, antennas are in more than 300,000 locations—rooftops, parks, stadiums—nearly double the number of 10 years ago, according to the industry trade group CTIA. Federal rules require carriers to use barricades, signs and training to protect people from excessive radio-frequency radiation, the waves of electric and magnetic power that carry signals. The power isn’t considered harmful by the time it reaches the street, but it can be a risk for workers and residents standing directly in front of an antenna. One in 10 sites violates the rules, according to six engineers who examined more than 5,000 sites during safety audits for carriers and local municipalities, underscoring a safety lapse in the network that makes cellphones hum, at a time when the health effects of antennas are being debated world-wide. The FCC has issued just two citations to cell carriers since adopting the rules in 1996. The FCC says it lacks resources to monitor each antenna. “It’s like having a speed limit and no police,” said Marvin Wessel, an engineer who has audited more than 3,000 sites and found one in 10 out of compliance. On a sweltering June day in... |
U.S. Military Hospitals Are Ordered to Improve Care, Access and Safety
 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the military on Wednesday to improve access to treatment, quality of care and patient safety at its hospitals and clinics, giving underperforming hospitals four to six weeks to show how they will address shortcomings. At a Pentagon news conference, Mr. Hagel said that the military’s 54 hospitals and hundreds of clinics in the United States and abroad deliver care that is comparable to that of an average civilian system. “But we cannot accept average,” he said. In three pages of directives to the heads of the armed services, he ordered efforts to improve a system that outside experts described as awash in mediocrity, with pockets of excellence and trouble spots. By the end of the year, he said, the department will have a concrete plan for “the top performing system we all want and expect it to be.” Mr. Hagel’s directives hew to the findings of a 645-page report that a panel of military and civilian experts produced after the secretary ordered a comprehensive review of a system that serves 1.35 million active-duty service members, as well as millions of family members and others. The study, released Wednesday, was motivated by a scandal over access to treatment in a separate hospital system managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and by months of inquiries by The New York Times into the quality and safety of military medical care. Senior Defense officials stressed that the examination did not... |
Google to Make Security Guards Employees, Rather Than Contractors
In a move that could reverberate around Silicon Valley, Google plans to hire more than 200 security guards as its own employees, rather than through an outside contractor.
The guards will be eligible for the same benefits as other Googlers, including health insurance, retirement benefits, on-site medical services, leave for new parents and more.
The move comes amid rising concerns about income disparities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A think tank with ties to organized labor issued a report in August highlighting the differences in pay, benefits and working conditions between tech-company employees and service workers such as security guards, janitors and landscapers who primarily work for outside contractors.
Google’s moves on social issues can be influential. Several other Silicon Valley heavyweights, including Facebook and Apple , released details on the gender and racial composition of their workforces after Google did so in June.
“Building an in-house security team is something we are excited to do,” said a Google spokeswoman in a statement. “A year ago we in-sourced the Google security operations center and we are looking forward to making these valued positions both full- and part-time Google employees.”
Google said its contractor providing security guards, Security Industry Specialists, Inc., will continue to work with the search giant...
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The guards will be eligible for the same benefits as other Googlers, including health insurance, retirement benefits, on-site medical services, leave for new parents and more.
The move comes amid rising concerns about income disparities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A think tank with ties to organized labor issued a report in August highlighting the differences in pay, benefits and working conditions between tech-company employees and service workers such as security guards, janitors and landscapers who primarily work for outside contractors.
Google’s moves on social issues can be influential. Several other Silicon Valley heavyweights, including Facebook and Apple , released details on the gender and racial composition of their workforces after Google did so in June.
“Building an in-house security team is something we are excited to do,” said a Google spokeswoman in a statement. “A year ago we in-sourced the Google security operations center and we are looking forward to making these valued positions both full- and part-time Google employees.”
Google said its contractor providing security guards, Security Industry Specialists, Inc., will continue to work with the search giant...
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As U.S. Ebola Fears Widen, Reports of Possible Cases Grow
 Infections are a major issue in workers' compensation claims. As health workers continue to become exposed to Ebola virus the question remain what action the Federal government will take to ease the burden upon the nation's insurance industry. Today's post is shared from the njytimes.com/ DALLAS — In Washington, a patient who had traveled to Nigeria and who was suspected of having Ebola was placed in isolation at Howard University Hospital on Thursday. In New Haven, two Yale University graduate students plan to sequester themselves when they return this weekend from Liberia, where they have helped the government develop a system to track the Ebola epidemic. And at Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday, a sick man who had just arrived from Brussels was rushed to a hospital amid concerns that he was showing Ebola-like symptoms, a fear later dismissed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With fears about Ebola widening across the United States, federal health officials said Saturday that they were receiving an escalating number of reports of possible Ebola infection, particularly after a Liberian man tested positive for the deadly disease in Dallas last week, the first Ebola case diagnosed in this country. Since the disease began spreading rapidly across West Africa this summer, the C.D.C. said, it has assessed more than 100 possible cases, but only the Dallas case has been confirmed. But increased attention about the virus has jangled nerves around the country, particularly among West African immigrant communities and recent travelers to that region, and placed health care workers on a kind of high alert. “We expect that we will see more rumors, or concerns, or possibilities of cases,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of... |
Taking Action on Workplace Stress
Product Description
Is work stressing your employees out? If so, they’re not alone. In Canada, over a quarter of working adults report feeling highly stressed at work. Factors such as excessive demands, lack of control, insecure job arrangements, inadequate resources and support, and workplace bullying and harassment can all took their toll on the well-being of workers.
This free webinar takes a closer look at ways to identify and measure these psychosocial hazards, and outlines mental injury prevention tools and resources to help your organization take action on workplace stress.
Who should attend
Health and safety professionals and committee members, managers, supervisors, employers, and anyone interested in a better understanding of workplace stress.About the presenter
As an Occupational Hygienist for the last 25 years with the Hamilton Clinic of the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, John has measured all kinds of hazards in workplaces ranging from offices to foundries. In the 1990’s he began to measure psychosocial hazards in office settings and among firefighters. In 2009 he started working with the Mental Injuries Tool group to devise a questionnaire to help workplace parties assess psychosocial hazards at work. John has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and Masters in Health Research Methods from the McMaster University. He has an appointment as an Assistant Professor (part-time) in the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department.
System Requirements
After registering you will receive a confirmation email from GoTo Webinar containing instructions on how to join the webinar.
You do not need a microphone or a telephone to listen to this webinar - just listen to the presentation through your computer's speakers or headphones.
PC-based attendees
- Internet Explorer 7.0, Mozilla Firefox 4.0, Google Chrome 5.0 (JavaScript enabled) or the latest version of each web browser
- Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
- Cable modem, DSL or better Internet connection
- Dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with 2GB of RAM (recommended)
Macintosh-based attendees
- Safari 3.0, Firefox 4.0, Google Chrome 5.0 (JavaScript enabled) or the latest version of each web browser
- Mac OS X 10.6 – Snow Leopard or newer
- Intel processor (1GB of RAM or better recommended)
- Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
Friday, October 3, 2014
NIH: Is The Government Funding the Right Researchers?
The US National Institutes of Health control vast amount of funding dollars in the US. Selecting who and what to fund is a major task and leads to innovative thinking and approaches to challenging health problems. As the recent Ebola epidemic has highlighted, the NIH hasn't stayed ahead of the game. The post highlights that the NIH should be compelled to revaluate its funding deternination. Today's post is share from the nytimes.com/
WASHINGTON — Every year the National Institutes of Health receives almost $30 billion in federal funds to invest in biomedical research. The bulk of that money goes to researchers who are in many cases esteemed in their fields — but also, in many cases, beyond the age when most scientists make their most important contributions to their fields.
A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research from 2005 examined the age at which over 2,000 Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists in the 20th century came up with the idea that led to their breakthrough. Most were between 35 and 39. Yet the median age of first-time recipients of R01 grants, the most common and sought-after form of N.I.H. funding, is 42, while the median age of all recipients is 52. More people over 65 are funded with research grants than those under age 35.
As a physician who conducted N.I.H.-funded research before entering politics, I saw firsthand how the most innovative thinking frequently came from younger scientists. The N.I.H. is likewise aware of the disparity; its director, Francis S. Collins, has spoken out about the folly of not investing in young scientists, and his organization has taken some small steps to target younger researchers. As a result, the average age of first-time grant recipients has stopped rising.
However, the problem still exists, and the N.I.H. does not have a serious plan to fix it.
WASHINGTON — Every year the National Institutes of Health receives almost $30 billion in federal funds to invest in biomedical research. The bulk of that money goes to researchers who are in many cases esteemed in their fields — but also, in many cases, beyond the age when most scientists make their most important contributions to their fields.
A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research from 2005 examined the age at which over 2,000 Nobel Prize winners and other notable scientists in the 20th century came up with the idea that led to their breakthrough. Most were between 35 and 39. Yet the median age of first-time recipients of R01 grants, the most common and sought-after form of N.I.H. funding, is 42, while the median age of all recipients is 52. More people over 65 are funded with research grants than those under age 35.
As a physician who conducted N.I.H.-funded research before entering politics, I saw firsthand how the most innovative thinking frequently came from younger scientists. The N.I.H. is likewise aware of the disparity; its director, Francis S. Collins, has spoken out about the folly of not investing in young scientists, and his organization has taken some small steps to target younger researchers. As a result, the average age of first-time grant recipients has stopped rising.
However, the problem still exists, and the N.I.H. does not have a serious plan to fix it.
NTSB: Truck showed no signs of trying to avoid North Texas softball team's bus
| Investigators in the Oklahoma crash that killed four women’s softball players from North Central Texas College said Sunday that the truck showed no signs of braking or maneuvering out of the way before it slammed into the team’s bus. National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sunday that the truck drove through the median for 820 feet on a shallow angle before colliding with the bus. It did not brake or appear to take any action to avoid the crash. They found no apparent problems with the truck’s brakes. The 18-wheeler veered across the Interstate 35 median near Davis and crashed into the team’s bus late Friday. The team’s head coach Van Hedrick was driving 15 players back from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., when they were hit by about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said. Three women died at the scene, and one died at an area hospital. All were from Texas. The NTSB is assisting Oklahoma Highway Patrol in the investigation. They obtained search warrants for the truck and bus. The investigation will include toxicology reports of both drivers and could take months. Investigators will turn over the results to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges. The Highway Patrol identified those who died as Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; Brooke Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge in Collin County; Jaiden Pelton, 20, of Telephone in Fannin County; and Katelynn... |
Ford Recalls 850,000 Vehicles Over Air-Bag Issue
 Ford Fusion sedans were recalled. Associated Press Ford Motor Co. recalled about 850,000 vehicles, including two of its most popular models, on Friday amid concerns that an electrical glitch could cause the vehicles' air bags to malfunction during an accident. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker recalled 2013 and 2014 model year Fusion sedans, Escape crossovers, C-Max hybrids and Lincoln MKZ luxury cars sold in North America, Canada and Mexico. A short circuit in the vehicles' restraint control module could disable front and side curtain air bags in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury, Ford said. The short will illuminate a vehicle's air bag warning light. Ford said it is unaware of any accidents or injuries resulting from the defect. This is the second time in the past two days a U.S. auto maker has issued an air-bag related recall. On Thursday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV recalled about 350,000 vehicles around the world to repair a faulty ignition switch that in some cases could cut power to the vehicle's air bags, steering and engine. For Ford, the latest recall throws a harsh spotlight on its Ford Escape crossover. The vehicle has been recalled 12 times over the past two years for a variety of issues ranging from carpet padding that may depress the accelerator pedal to coolant system leaks that may cause the engine to overheat. "Vehicle launches are complex and each one has its own issues," a Ford spokeswoman said. "We work through them and while... |
Huntington Beach Schools Suspend Asbestos Removal Effort In Response To Complaints
 HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — School officials in Huntington Beach have halted an asbestos abatement project after hearing complaints from parents and a vocal school board member. KNX 1070’s Mike Landa reports the modernization program at 11 schools in the Ocean View School District (OVSD) includes a district-wide effort to remove asbestos from the campuseSchool board member John Briscoe filed an official complaint with CAL/OSHA for possible asbestos handling violations citing what he calls evidence of ceiling tiles being “disturbed, moved, removed and even missing” during the modernization effort, which includes restroom renovations, fire alarm upgrades, and roofing work. According to the school district’s website, OVSD began the multi-million-dollar project in July on all of its campuses: Circle View, College View, Golden View, Hope View, Lake View, Mesa View, Oak View, Spring View, Star View, Sun View, and Vista View. A notice posted on the OVSD website states the following: “As of September 17, 2014 Asbestos Abatement has been put on hold at ALL sites until further notice.” The notice also states the district has inspected each... [Click here to see the rest of this post] |
Workers Balk at Task Of Ebola Cleanup in Dallas
 Adequate safety is a major concern for health care workers treating infectious diseases. Today's post is shared from nytimes.com/ DALLAS — More than six months after an outbreak of Ebola began its rampage through West Africa, local and federal health officials have displayed an uneven and flawed response to the first case diagnosed in the United States. In the latest indication, state and local authorities confirmed Thursday that a week after a Liberian man fell ill with Ebola in Dallas, and four days after he was placed in isolation at a hospital here, the apartment where he was staying with four other people had not been sanitized and the sheets and dirty towels he used while sick remained in the home. County officials visited the apartment without protection Wednesday night. The officials said it had been difficult to find a contractor willing to enter the apartment to clean it and remove bedding and clothes, which they said had been bagged in plastic. They said they now had hired a firm that would do the work soon. The Texas health commissioner, Dr. David Lakey, told reporters during an afternoon news conference that officials had encountered “a little bit of hesitancy” in seeking a firm to clean the apartment. The delay came amid reports that as many as 100 people could have had contact with the victim, Thomas E. Duncan. And it came a day after the hospital acknowledged it had misdiagnosed him when he first visited. When Mr. Duncan, 42, was first... |
Trenton NJ council approves sleeping employee’s $19K workers’ comp claim
 Still frame from a video showing a Trenton city employee asleep in a running backhoe.Still frame from a video showing a Trenton city employee asleep in a running backhoe. Today's post is shared from http://washingtonexaminer.com/ TRENTON......City officials did not even question publicly the workers’ comp claim of an employee caught sleeping on camera while on the job. Charles Nottingham, a Trenton Water Works employee caught earlier this year snoozing in a video posted to YouTube while operating a backhoe, received the unanimous blessing of council to receive a workers’ comp settlement of $19,000. “The complaint arose from allegations made by the plaintiff of work related injuries as it purportedly relates to his employment,” the resolution states, adding it is in the best interest of the city to settle the 2012 case. Advertisement The video posted in March, which has since been removed, showed Nottingham sound asleep in a running backhoe with his hands clasped over his stomach at a work site. After the video surfaced, city officials stated they were investigating the matter. Citing it is a personnel matter, Michael Walker, a spokesman for the mayor’s office, declined comment this week about the workers’ comp claim. Nottingham is still an employee with Trenton Water Works. He earned a salary of $57,213 last year, according to online records. His claim is not the first from that department to garner attention. In January,... |
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Maine Rolls Back Health Coverage Even As Many States Expand It
Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from www.kaiserhealthnews.org
NORTHPORT, Maine – By the time Laura Tasheiko discovered the lump in her left breast, it was larger than a grape. Tasheiko, 61, an artist who makes a living selling oil paintings of Maine’s snowy woods, lighthouses and rocky coastline, was terrified: She had no health insurance and little cash to spare. Laura Tasheiko, 61, sits in her home in Northport, Maine (Photo by Joel Page for USA TODAY). But that was nearly six years ago, and the state Medicaid program was generous then. Tasheiko was eligible because of her modest income, and MaineCare, as it is called, paid for all of her treatment, including the surgery, an $18,000 drug to treat nerve damage that made it impossible to hold a paintbrush, physical therapy and continuing checkups. But while much of America saw an expansion of coverage this year, low-income Maine residents like Tasheiko lost benefits. On Jan. 1, just as the Affordable Care Act was being rolled out nationwide, MaineCare terminated her coverage, leaving her and thousands of others without insurance. Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to shrink Medicaid instead of expanding it was a radical departure from a decade-long effort to cover more people in this small rural state of farmers, lobstermen, craftsmen and other seasonal workers, which at least until recently, boasted one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the nation. Maine was the only state in New England, and... |
US CDC Alerts Employees of Transportation Route Used by US Ebola Patient
| The US CDC has announced the public transportation route used by the nation's first infected Ebola patient. Employee's have been alerted. Sunsequent to the announcement the US stock market reacted with a downward course of airline stock sales. Today's post is shared from thehill.com/ The first person to be diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in the U.S. flew on a pair of United Airlines' flights last month, the company confirmed on Wednesday. The company said the Ebola-stricken passenger traveled on its Flight 951 from Brussels to Washington's Dulles International Airport and then connected to its Flight 822 to Dallas. The man was diagnosed with Ebola after traveling from Liberia to the U.S. U.S. officials had previously declined to unveil which airline the Ebola patient had traveled on, but United officials said Wednesday that he took two flights on one of their airplanes on Sept. 20. "The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has informed us that the patient said he flew part of his trip on United. However, without consent, we cannot divulge a traveler’s identity," the company said in a statement. CDC officials have said that there is no risk of catching the Ebola virus from passengers who shared commercial airline flights with the first confirmed U.S. patient. United said Wednesday it agreed with the agency's declaration. "The director of the CDC has stated there is 'zero risk of transmission' on any flight on which the patient... |
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Merck immunotherapy drug shows promise in bladder cancer
| MADRID (Reuters) - Merck & Co's new immune system drug Keytruda has produced encouraging results in early tests against bladder cancer, according to a company-sponsored study, prompting the firm to prepare a clinical trial later this year. Keytruda is the first in a new wave of immune-boosting medicines to be approved for treating melanomas in the United States, but it also has potential in a range of other cancers. Bladder cancer is seen as a disease that is likely to be amenable to such drugs, which are designed to help the body's own immune system fend off cancer by blocking a protein known as Programmed Death receptor (PD-1), or a related target PD-L1. Roche has a similar experimental drug that is currently in the lead in addressing the specific indication of bladder cancer. In Merck's study involving 29 people with PD-L1 positive, advanced bladder cancer, seven patients -- or 24 percent -- saw their tumors shrink after being given Keytruda, Elizabeth Plimack of Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center told the European Society of Medical Oncology on Monday. Based on this data, Merck said it would initiate a pivotal Phase III study this year to further explore the use of Keytruda in advanced bladder cancer. Promising results using Keytruda in stomach cancer were also reported on Sunday. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Crispian Balmer) |
Detailing Financial Links of Doctors and Drug Makers
| Yoday's post is shared from nytimes.com Pharmaceutical and device makers paid doctors roughly $380 million in speaking and consulting fees, with some doctors reaping over half a million dollars each, during a five-month period last year, according to an analysis of federal data released Tuesday. Other doctors made millions of dollars in royalties from products they helped develop. The data sheds new light on the often murky financial ties between physicians and the health care industry. From August to December 2013, drug and device companies made 4.4 million payments to more than half a million health care professionals and teaching hospitals — adding up to about $3.5 billion. The lucrative arrangements are just some of the findings of the online database, which provides one of the most detailed looks at the payments health care professionals receive from drug and medical device companies. The website also allows consumers to find information about their own doctors to determine whether they might have conflicts of interest. The site, required by the recent health care law, is part of a broader push for transparency. Proponents say such disclosures are an important tool to help limit drug and device makers’ influence on doctors. But the website is being questioned by the industry, which says that technical problems and data inaccuracies limit its value. For example, about 40 percent of the records do not tie back to a specific professional or teaching hospital, accounting for 64 percent of the overall... |
Germs at the Office Are Often Found on Keyboards and at Coffee Stations
| Shared from the http://online.wsj.com/ As cold and flu season nears, is it possible to avoid the germ-filled spots in the office? WSJ's Sumathi Reddy joins Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero to discuss. Photo: iStock/Thomas_EyeDesign It's almost that time of year when you ever-so-slowly inch away from the person with the hacking cough and infectious sneeze. Turns out it's pretty hard to avoid the germs of your co-workers, even the ones you don't know personally. Just one door contaminated with a virus spreads the germ to about half the surfaces and hands of about half the employees in the office within four hours, according to a study at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. Germs traveled through the office just as quickly when the researchers infected a single person with the artificial virus. "The hand is quicker than the sneeze," said Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona who presented the research at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington D.C. earlier this month. The University of Arizona researchers conducted their study at an office building with 80 employees. They contaminated a push-plate door at the building entrance with a virus called bacteriophage MS-2. It doesn't infect people yet is similar in shape, size and survivability to common cold and stomach flu viruses. Within two hours, the virus had contaminated the break room—coffee pot, microwave button, fridge door handle—and then spread to restrooms,... |
Anti-Wellness: Boca Raton FL firefighters union fights to light up, change anti-smoking policy
I was shocked to read this headline. Seriously, First Responders should set an example of a healthy life style. Not only shouldn't they smoke, but they should exercise and eat a healthy diet. A recent conference at The Harvard School of Public Health presented overwhelming evidence of this. Perhaps the Boca Raton Fire Department needs a major wellness program. It's working for other firefighters!
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 Proposal to snuff out policy. The Boca Raton firefighters' union wants the city to butt out of firefighters' smoking habits. After 24 years of contract prohibitions against firefighters using tobacco — on or off the job — Boca Raton's fire union wants to change the contract so they can light up without consequences. Currently,firefighters who use tobacco can be fired. Union officials say they want to bring the firefighters' contract more in line with the requirements for firefighter certification under Florida law. State law requires that new firefighter hires be tobacco-free for at least a year before hiring, but the law is silent on what happens after they're hired. The Boca union's proposed change that would affect 186 unionized firefighters is among the outstanding issues that led the city last week to declare an impasse in its negotiations with Boca Raton's public safety unions. John Luca, Boca's current fire union president and one of the contract negotiators, referred questions about the current... |
Mesothelioma: New findings on treatment options
| Today's post is shared from sciencedaily.com/ Treating patients with high-dose radiotherapy after chemotherapy and surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma does not achieve improvements in local relapse and overall survival, according to data from a prospective randomized phase II trial presented at ESMO 2014 Congress in Madrid. "Mesothelioma remains a difficult disease to find better treatment options for, so we asked whether high-dose hemithoracic radiotherapy would decrease the rate or delay the time of local recurrence after chemotherapy and radical surgery," says lead author Prof Rolf A. Stahel, from the Clinic and Policlinic for Oncology, at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, and current President of the European Society for Medical Oncology. The multicentre trial included 153 patients with surgically-treatable malignant pleural mesothelioma, who were first treated with three chemotherapy cycles of cisplatin and pemetrexed, followed by surgical removal of affected lung tissue, with the goal of complete removal of the cancerous areas of lung. In a second part of the study, researchers randomly assigned 54 patients to receive either radiotherapy or no further treatment, with the primary endpoint being the duration of relapse-free survival. While there had been preliminary evidence suggesting that the addition of radiotherapy might improve outcomes, the study failed to find any differences in relapse-free survival between patients treated with the additional radiotherapy, and those who were not. ... |
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