Health, Fitness and Style

The US Food and Drug Administration ordered the manufacturers of all remaining surgical mesh products indicated for the transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) to stop selling and distributing their products in the US immediately. The order is the latest in a series of escalating safety actions related to protecting the health of the thousands of women each year who undergo surgery transvaginally to repair POP. The FDA has determined that the manufacturers, Boston Scientific and Coloplast, have not demonstrated a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these devices, which is the premarket review standard that now applies to them since the agency reclassified them in class III (high risk) in 2016. more »

Researchers suggest programs that help people find and keep jobs might help boost employment among people with substance use disorder. One such model is Individual Placement and Support (IPS), which was designed for people with serious mental illnesses. A 2017 pilot study of IPS among 45 people enrolled in an opioid treatment program found that 50 percent of those who were assisted in finding work through IPS attained competitive employment within six months, compared with 5 percent of the participants who were waitlisted for IPS. “The Opioid Project” exhibition demonstrates: “Behind every person who has lived with the complicated and fraught life of drug addiction and its many cofactors, there is a human being with lots of hopes and dreams.”   more »

On Wednesday, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act; A bill to make it a criminal offense for individuals to engage in sexual acts while acting under color of law or with individuals in their custody, to encourage states to adopt similar laws; House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel is scheduled to hold a hearing, “Examining the Role of the Commander in Sexual Assault Prosecutions”; Addressing Campus Sexual Assault and Ensuring Student Safety Rights; A bill to require training and education to teachers and other school employees, students, and the community about how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and report child sexual abuse in primary and secondary education.   more »

Editor's Note: I began listening to baseball when I was five years old on the radio ... there was no television at that time. Being an only child, I went to New York Giants baseball games at the Polo Grounds in the borough of The Bronx with my father regularly. We continued to listen to games if we didn't have a seat in the stands. When I moved to San Francisco in the '60s friends said they knew why I was going there ... to follow my team. Now after many years back East, I am again in the Bay Area and watching Opening Day for the SF Giants on television; we'll be attending some games at the newly named Oracle Park this season. Morris “Moe” Berg (1902-1972) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball from 1926-1939. He later became a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. more »