Researchers have reported seeing cases of the respiratory condition bronchiolitis obliterans in populations all over the country. Unfortunately, many people still believe the illness is unique to the microwave popcorn and flavoring industries.

Bronchiolitis obliterans has quickly become a widespread disease in many industries across the world, law360.com reported. While researchers lengthen the list of industries impacted by the illness, many in the science community are attempting to loosen the diagnostic requirements for this serious disease. To have a full understanding of how to prevent it, businesses need to have basic knowledge of the chemicals in their products that could pose a risk to employees and consumers, according to law360.com

More Bronchiolitis Obliterans Spreading Well Beyond the Popcorn and Flavoring Industries

Celgene Inc., in cooperation with Health Canada, has announced important new safety information concerning Thalomid that has been added to the drug’s product monograph. Health Canada, in a press release, describes Thalomid as an immunomodulatory agent indicated for the treatment of patients 65 years of age or older with previously untreated multiple myeloma, in combination with melphalan and prednisone (MPT).

The updated safety information informs patients that “second primary malignancies, in particular acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), have been observed in an ongoing clinical trial in patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma receiving the combination” and that “the risk of AML and MDS must be taken into account before initiating treatment with Thalomid in combination with melphalan and prednisone (MPT). Physicians should carefully evaluate patients before and during treatment using standard cancer screening for occurrence of second primary malignancies.” More Important Safety Information Added to Thalomid Label

Intuitive Surgical Inc. is about to receive the first indication of how it will likely fare against a host of lawsuits.

Jury deliberations are slated to begin today in the first of at least 26 lawsuits against Intuitive alleging injuries connected to its da Vinci robotic system, Bloomberg.com reported. Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jay Roof handed the case to the jury Tuesday after a trial that lasted five weeks. The family of Fred Taylor seeks $8.45 million in damages against Intuitive based on claims that the company is responsible for the injuries suffered during and after a 2008 robot-assisted removal of his prostate gland. The family claims that Taylor suffered injuries as a result of Intuitive’s inadequate training, which was rushed and compromised by the company’s push to sell robots, Bloomberg.com reported.

More First Intuitive da Vinci Surgical Robot Trial Goes to Jury for Deliberation

The level of abuse an elderly woman was suffering at the hands of her nurses at an Ontario nursing home was shocking, and probably would not have stopped if not for the hidden camcorder.

The graphic video captured how nurses at St. Joseph’s at Fleming fought with Hellen MacDonald, 85, who suffers from dementia. Nurses were shown shoving a feces-stained rag in her face and blowing their noses on her sheets, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.

More Video Captures Elderly Woman’s Abuse by her Caregivers at Ontario Nursing Home

The debate over whether cellphone usage can lead to an increased risk of cancer has been going on for years, with scientists and researchers chiming in on both sides. However, in recent years, more and more experts and organizations have begun to accept the fact that cellular devices may actually pose a danger to one’s health.

Recently, the World Health Organization re-classified cellphone radiation as a “possible carcinogen similar to car exhaust,” Cbs58.com reported. ?The organization cited a study that looked at 10 years of research and dozens of people, which concluded that cellphone radiation can lead to brain tumors. Then this spring, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it is reviewing additional outside studies to decide if it should alter the current limits it set regarding how much radiation cellphones are allowed to emit, Cbs58.com reported.

More Possible Link Between Cancer and Cellphones Gets Another Look

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Mississippi woman who alleges she was injured after being implanted with two transvaginal mesh devices. The suit was filed on April 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Charleston Division, where it has joined dozens of other pending cases in a multidistrict litigation (MDL). Ethicon Inc., Ethicon LLC and Johnson & Johnson have been named as defendants.

The Plaintiff, who is represented by the national law firm Parker Waichman LLP, is suing for negligence on three counts of strict liability (design defect, manufacturing defect and failure to warn), breach of express and implied warranty, fraudulent concealment and punitive damages. She alleges that she was implanted with the Prolift and TVT sling on November 20, 2008. According to the complaint, the device is defective and caused a number of injuries. The Defendant is accused of knowing about the risks associated with the mesh products but failing to warn the Plaintiff, her doctor, or consumers. More Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Mississippi Woman Allegedly Injured by Transvaginal Mesh Devices

A federal judge approved on Monday a $40 million class action settlement between Skechers USA Inc. and consumers who purchased its toning shoes.

The settlement was made after lawsuits poured in claiming that Sketcher advertisements were making unfounded statements that the company’s footwear would help people lose weight and strengthen muscles, ABC News said. U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell approved the deal, which covers more than 520,000 lawsuits.

More Federal Judge Approves $40 Million Class Action Settlement for Skechers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to pregnant women who suffer from migraines that the use of the drug Depakote can lower a child’s IQ by up to 11 points.

The announcement comes as Depakote is changing from a Category D classification (meaning the drug is acceptable despite potential risks) to a Category X (meaning that the risks outweigh the possible benefits), Fox News reported. The FDA is recommending that women who take Depakote should also take birth control, or cease taking Depakote if they are attempting to become pregnant.

More FDA Warns Pregnant Women: Depakote can Lower a Child’s IQ

The latest report out of Las Vegas is that over 200 people who dined at the restaurant Firefly were sickened with food poisoning in late April.

To date, the exact cause of the outbreak has not been identified, but previous salmonella lawsuits in which a person endures sickness for multiple days but then fully recovers have fetched between $5,000 and $10,000, the Washington Post reported. That number can increase if the person is admitted into a hospital, misses work, or has lasting complications connected to the illness. A key component in any salmonella case is determining whether the restaurant’s actions caused the outbreak, a lawyer told the Post.

More About 200 Catch Food Poisoning after Dining at Vegas Hot Spot

A Chicago jury ruled that a man whose wife allegedly suffered a life-threatening fungal infection after using the arthritis drug Humira will receive $2.2 million in compensation in the first Humira lawsuit to go to trial.

The Plaintiff, Milton Tietz, alleged that Humira caused a widespread histoplasmosis fungal infection that took the life of his wife, Delores Tietz, in 2010, after doctors struggled to diagnose the illness. According to the complaint, the Plaintiff accused Abbott Laboratories of failing to adequately warn about Humira’s risk, and alleged that doctors could have identified his wife’s illness more quickly and possibly saved her life had they known about the dangers of the drug, Law 360.com reported. More First Humira Trial Ends in $2.2 Million Verdict