Monday 11-28-11

Small overdoses of Tylenol can be dangerous

If you take Tylenol, you need to know that taking even a little bit more than you're supposed to can have serious consequences.

British researchers say staggered overdoses of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can be even more dangerous than overdoses taken all at once. That's because it's not always as obvious to doctors what happened, and people might wait longer to go to the hospital.

Acetaminophen can damage the liver when taken too often or in high doses, and the researchers say it's the leading cause of acute liver failure in North America and Europe.

The researchers defined an overdose as taking more than 4,000 milligrams a day in the week before a patient came into the hospital. That would be more than eight Extra Strength Tylenol pills in 24 hours.

If a patient took the dose all at once, he was more likely to get the prompt treatment needed, avoiding a liver transplant or death.

The limit -- 4,000 mg -- is the same one the National Institutes of Health recommends for adults in the U.S. It's also what Tylenol recommends in its directions.

Children should take even less, but the exact amount depends on the child's age, so check the medicine's label for directions or talk to your child's doctor.

The NIH recommendations also suggest talking to your doctor about taking the drug if you drink three or more alcoholic beverages in a day.

http://wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2648051

Ohio puts 200-pound third-grader in foster care

An Ohio third-grader who weighs more than 200 pounds has been taken from his family and placed into foster care after county social workers said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight.

The Plain Dealer reports (http://bit.ly/t68M7D ) that the Cleveland 8-year-old is considered severely obese and at risk for such diseases as diabetes and hypertension.

The case is the first state officials can recall of a child being put in foster care strictly for a weight-related issue.

Lawyers for the mother say the county overreached when authorities took the boy last week. They say the medical problems he is at risk for do not yet pose an imminent danger.

A spokeswoman says the county removed the child because caseworkers saw his mother's inability to reduce his weight as medical neglect.

http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-puts-200-pound-third-grader-foster-care-191032515.html

The leader of a State has the responsibility to follow the laws of that State, he should follow the laws of the State he heads or not have run for office.

Death row inmate Gary Haugen now criticizes governor for giving him a reprieve

A condemned inmate who was scheduled to be executed next month is now slamming Gov. John Kitzhaber for giving him a reprieve, saying the governor didn't have the guts to carry out the execution.

Two-time murderer Gary Haugen had voluntarily given up his legal challenges, saying he wants to be executed in protest of a criminal justice system he views as broken. But Kitzhaber on Tuesday said he won't allow anyone to be executed while he is in office, calling Oregon's death penalty scheme "compromised and inequitable."

But in a telephone interview with the Statesman Journal on Friday, Haugen mocked Kitzhaber.

"I feel he's a paper cowboy," he said. "He couldn't pull the trigger."

Haugen's criticism reverses his earlier praise of Kitzhaber's decision during an interview with The Oregonian. He told the Portland newspaper that Kitzhaber cited some of the same criticism of the death penalty that Haugen has raised.

After further reflection, Haugen said he came to the conclusion that the governor "basically pulled a coward's move" by acting on his personal beliefs instead of carrying out the will of Oregon voters, who reinstated the death penalty in 1984.

The Oregonian’s continuing coverage of Gary Haugen, an Oregon death row prisoner, who wants to initiate the execution process.Haugen said he learned of the reprieve when he was summoned from an outdoor exercise break at the state penitentiary and allowed to read the governor's statement.

Kitzhaber called Oregon's death penalty system "a perversion of justice," saying the state only executes people who volunteer. Since capital punishment was legalized 27 years ago, only two people have been executed. Both of them, like Haugen, waived their legal challenges.

Kitzhaber encouraged "all Oregonians to engage in the long overdue debate that this important issue deserves" and said he would ask lawmakers to consider potential reforms during the 2013 legislative session.

The 49-year-old inmate said he plans to ask lawyers about possible legal action to fight Kitzhaber's temporary reprieve, which lasts until the governor leaves office. A Marion County judge had twice signed a death warrant ordering Haugen's execution. The first was reversed when the state Supreme Court intervened; the second was overruled by Kitzhaber two weeks before the Dec. 6 execution.

"I'm going to have to get with some serious legal experts and figure out really if he can do this," Haugen said. "I think there's got to be some constitutional violations. Man, this is definitely cruel and unusual punishment. You don't bring a guy to the table twice and then just stop it."

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/11/death_row_inmate_haugen_now_cr.html