Australian Plaintiffs Settle with Johnson & Johnson Over Knee Implant Lawsuit

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After several court hearings and investigations, Australian plaintiffs decided to accept the settlement offer of Johnson & Johnson over the failed implants they had received, leading reports say. The LCS Duofix Femoral knee implants that was sold and manufactured by DePuy, a company part of Johnson & Johnson, was recalled in 2009 after several complaints were filed by its users. The complaints added one by one and then it was brought into court. The first lawsuits filed against DePuy, according to media reports, was filed by Pamela Casey. She received the first settlement awarded by court.  Those who have had a single revision after the failure of the knee implant will receive $30,000 (AUD) while for those who have had a second and third revision it may reach up to $65,000. Individual appraisal may be done for those who have a lot more complicated surgeries for the correction of the failed device.

 

 

Read more at:

Johnson & Johnson Settles With Australian Knee Replacement Plaintiffs in the Midst of Mounting Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuits

Osteoporosis Prevention Guide

The goal of the treatment of osteoporosis is the prevention of bone fractures by reducing bone loss or, preferably, by increasing bone density and strength, MedicineNet website says. This ailment may cause unbearable pain which triggers a patient of undergoing surgical procedure similar to the reported defective artificial hip implantation which in 2009, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed approving DePuy hip replacement over safety data.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become weak and are more likely to break. People with osteoporosis most often break bones in the hip, spine, and wrist, the National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center website reported.

If diagnosed early with the disease and with the help of sensible treatment, this may greatly lower the threat of future fractures, although none of the available treatments for osteoporosis are complete anecdote. In other words, it is hard to fully reconstruct bone that has been damaged by osteoporosis. Therefore, prevention of osteoporosis is as important as treatment, MedicineNet website says.

Lifestyle change is considered as a way to prevent one from developing osteoporosis, this includes quitting cigarette smoking, restraining excessive alcohol intake, exercising regularly, and consuming a balanced diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D.

Exercise has a huge selection of beneficial health effects. However, exercise does not bring about substantial increases in bone density. The benefit of exercise for osteoporosis has mostly to do with decreasing the risk of falls, probably because balance is improved and muscle strength is increased, MedicineNet website says.

The Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center website recommended exercise which may help bones grow stronger and to increase bone strength. These are walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, lifting weights, playing tennis and dancing.

However, people with osteoporosis must see their doctors before engaging into physical activities that may injure already weakened bones. Among patients over 40 and those with heart disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure, exercise should be prescribed and monitored by physicians. Extreme levels of exercise such as marathons and ultra-marathon may not be healthy for the bones. Marathon running in young women that leads to weight loss and loss of menstrual periods may actually promote osteoporosis, MedcineNet website says.

Furthermore, smoking cigarettes is being considered as one of the factors which may lessen the  estrogen levels and may lead to bone loss in women before menopause or  also can lead to earlier menopause. In postmenopausal women, smoking is linked with increased risk of osteoporosis which usually ends up of undergoing surgery like of that artificial hip replacement which is the subject of several DePuy pinnacle lawsuit.

URL REFERENCES:

1.www.nof.org/aboutosteoporosis/bonebasics/whatisosteoporosis
2.www.medicinenet.com/osteoporosis/page5.htm
3.www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/bone/osteoporosis/osteoporosis_ff.pdf

High Risk of Inflammation with Imbalance Omega Fatty-Acids

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Usually when people hear or read about Omega-3 fatty acids, they automatically think that it’s fish oil that can only be found in salmon or tuna. Actually, omega-3 fats are not just found in fishes and neither do they comprise of just one kind of fatty acid, it may also be found in plants, according to the conscious life website. However, there is an internal email in 2009 "describing the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ‘non-approval’ letter for DePuy Hip".

Omega-3 fatty-acid is considered as a remedy for arthritis which causes inflammation of one or more joints. However, what goes wrong depends on what kind of arthritis a person is suffering. Arthritis may come in several types but Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, according to the Medical News Today website. Not only does omega-3 help reduce inflammation as in all forms of arthritis but it may help lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It is highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function, the University of Maryland Medical Center website says.

This mineral may be found in fish such as salmon, tuna and halibut, other seafoods including algae and krill, some plants, and nut oils. It also plays a crucial role in brain function, as well as normal growth and development. It is important to have the proper ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 which is another essential fatty acid in the diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation while omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. Omega 3 fatty-acid belongs to a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids composed of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). On the other hand, Omega-6 fatty acids also consist of a group of polyunsaturated fats such as linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA), the Conscious Life website says.

According to Professor Philip Calder and his team at the University of Southampton that aside from fish oil, prevention of inflammation can also be found in fruit and vegetables, legumes and spices, dailymail.co.uk says. Furthermore the study shows that it is important to strike a balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats because if left unchecked, the imbalance between the two omega fats can wreak havoc on our health and pave the way for life-destroying illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other inflammatory diseases which may lead to excruciating pain on the hip that triggers patients to undergo a hip replacement which is the subject of several DePuy pinnacle lawsuit.

URL REFERENCES:

umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm
medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7621.php
dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1215116/The-simple-diet-fight-arthritis-Alzheimers-disease.html
theconsciouslife.com/anti-inflammatory-diet-how-to-balance-omega-3-omega-6-fats.htm

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