Merck has claimed that increased risks of heart attack and stroke with the use of Vioxx only occur if the drug has been taken for at least 18 months.? A new study casts doubt on this claim.? The study known as Victor was conducted by researchers at Oxford University in England.? The study revealed that cardiovascular events took place within 12 months of taking the drug.? The study has been accepted by the New England Journal of Medicine for publication.
The designs of seats and head restraints in 21 current SUV, pickup, and minivan models are rated good for protecting people in rear impacts, but those in 54 other models are rated marginal or poor. Another 12 are rated acceptable. The latest evaluations of occupant protection in rear-end collisions by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the seat/head restraints in more than half of light truck and minivan models fall short of state-of-the-art protection from neck injury or whiplash. The ratings of good, acceptable, marginal, or poor for 87 current models are based on geometric measurements of head restraints and simulated crashes that together assess how well people of different sizes would be protected in a typical rear crash.? Read more about which cars performed the best and worst.
Over a week ago, a 13-year old, Louisville female suffered severe and life-altering injuries when a cable snapped while she was on a ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection is investigating why the cable snapped and severely injured this poor girl.? The cable sliced off the girl’s feet.
For the first time, manufacturers of vitamins, herbal pills and other dietary supplements will have to test all of their products’ ingredients, the Food and Drug Administration ordered yesterday. The FDA said the new mandate is needed to ensure that products are free of contamination and impurities. Last year, the FDA found that some supplements contained undeclared active ingredients that are used in prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction.
As we approach July 4, many of us start thinking about fireworks. Under Connecticut law, only a limited type of fireworks are legal. Specifically, only sparklers are legal. All other fireworks are illegal.
Sparklers, as determined by the state, include sparkling devices of not more than one hundred grams of pyrotechnic mixture per item, which are non-explosive and non-aerial. These include the common stick sparklers and cone, base, spike and handle fountains. Possessing, selling or transporting all other fireworks in Connecticut is illegal subject to criminal penalties including fines and imprisonment. Read more about Connecticut’s law on fireworks.