After his findings were publicized, rates of MMR vaccine in the UK promptly
fell; Dr. Wakefield was fired from his position and later was charged with
professional misconduct by the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC). The paper was
also removed from The Lancet amidst all the controversy.
It has
now become clear that the allegations were totally false and amounted to nothing
more than a smear campaign. …
What he and colleagues identified was a previously unknown combination of bowel
disease and autism in 12 children. Bowel symptoms are common in autistic
children but had until then been regarded as simply a manifestation of their
behavioral problems.
…
The parasite infects the brain by forming a cyst within its cells and produces
an enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase, which is needed to make dopamine.
Dopamine’s role in mood, sociability, attention, motivation and sleep patterns
are well documented and schizophrenia has long been associated with dopamine,
which is the target of all schizophrenia drugs on the market. …
The skirmish over document disclosure in Orlando is part of a hornet’s nest of
litigation against AstraZeneca, a British company with U.S. headquarters in
Wilmington, Del. More than 15,000 patients have filed over 9,000 personal injury
lawsuits. About 40 percent of these claims have been consolidated for pretrial
motions in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. …
The children died after taking a medicine called My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture,
a syrup for teething pain, according to Nigeria’s Health Ministry. Health
officials said that a batch of the medicine that went on sale in November
contained diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent and an ingredient in
antifreeze and brake fluid. …
methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is commonly prescribed to treat
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can cause physical changes in
neurons in reward regions of mouse brains-in some cases, these effects
overlapped with those of cocaine. …
“The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food
contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with
mercury,” said Dr. Wallinga. “The good news is that mercury-free HFCS
ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those
ingredients.” …
People with mental illness deserve much better treatment than
they have received to date. Although lobotomies and straitjackets are no longer
used, modern medications leave a lot to be desired. …
Vioxx plaintiff lawyers are asking a judge to nullify a cap on their contingency
fees …
The issue at stake is whether insurance companies can claim even though they
were not the targets of Lilly’s fraud: …