Current Events

MONDAY, May 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Removal of vaginal mesh -- a device implanted to help support a woman's pelvic organs -- won't necessarily improve side effects such as pain and incontinence related to the device, suggests the mixed results from a pair of new studies.

The findings, reported Monday at the American Urological Association's annual meeting, come at a time of growing safety concerns over vaginal mesh devices. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it will require stricter oversight of the products -- specifically, as they are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse. The FDA now classifies these devices as "high-risk."

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DETROIT (AP) -- Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling 137,500 Tucson SUVs because the air bags aren't correctly mounted to the steering wheel.

The recall involves 2011-2014 model years. The affected vehicles were built between Jan. 3, 2011, and Dec. 23, 2013.

Hyundai says the air bag assembly in the steering wheel may come loose from its mounting. That increases the risk of injury in a crash.

The company discovered the issue through warranty claims. It has no reports of injuries or accidents related to the issue.

Hyundai dealers will repair the air bag assembly for free starting next month. Hyundai will notify owners.

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Electrolux has agreed to pay a $750,000 civil penalty to settle federal regulators’ claim that it knowingly failed to immediately report defects that sent flames shooting out of wall ovens, causing singed hair and facial burns for customers.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement Wednesday in a press release. It said the Swedish appliance maker, which has its North American headquarters in Charlotte, knew of 22 reports of flames shooting out of Kenmore wall ovens when the broiler was on.

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WASHINGTON — In 2009 and early 2010, a telephone company raised questions about the legality of the then-secret National Security Agency program that is systematically collecting records of Americans’ calling habits, according to court documents declassified on Wednesday.

The disclosure reveals for the first time that a phone company pushed back against the bulk collection of its customers’ calling records, adding a new chapter in public understanding of the secret history of the program.

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The parents of a Georgia woman who died in a 2010 crash — and who settled a lawsuit with General Motors Co. last year — have filed a new lawsuit against GM. They claim the automaker fraudulently concealed evidence and says its corporate representative committed perjury in the original case.

An attorney said Monday he hopes to depose GM CEO Mary Barra in the new suit, plus Jim Federico, GM’s recently retired executive director of global vehicle integration who has taken a high-level job at Harley-Davidson. Attorney Lance Cooper of the Cooper Firm in Marietta, Ga., said he also wants to re-depose most of the dozen or so GM engineers who testified as part the lawsuit.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio-- The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that the weight loss supplement Asset Bee Pollen, sold as a natural "energy booster,"  actually contains a dangerous weight loss drug that was withdrawn from the market for safety reasons.

Asset Bee Pollen is sold online at various web sites, and in some retail stores. The FDA is advising consumers not to buy or use the product, after agency testing revealed the presence of the weight loss drug sibutramine.

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Three Long Island doctors selected to lead a committee that recommends the drugs two Suffolk hospitals stock for patients accepted tens of thousands of dollars from pharmaceutical companies while serving on the advisory panel.

The doctors -- affiliated with John T. Mather Memorial and St. Charles hospitals in Port Jefferson -- accepted about $125,000 from drugmakers between 2009 and 2013, company records show.

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May 9 (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Chrysler unit said on Friday it was recalling an estimated 780,477 minivans after reports of overheating, including some fires, in third-row power window vent switches.

The company said it would replace the window vent switches. It said there were no reports of accidents or injuries related to the issue, but 36 incidents of overheating and an undisclosed number of fires.

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In two actions, Ford is recalling nearly 1.4 million vehicles from the 2013-14 model years for an air bag malfunction and door handles that may not latch properly, the automaker said Friday. The air bag issue covers about 692,500 Escape and C-Max models, including 591,000 in the United States, about 78,000 in Canada and almost 19,700 in Mexico.

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Federal transportation officials won't order General Motors to insist that owners of 2.6 million recalled small cars park them and not drive them until their ignition switches have been replaced.

"Such an action is not necessary at this time," either by GM or federal safety officials, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in letters to Senators Edward Markey (D., Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.). The two had asked last month for that warning.

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Medtronic said it will pay $22 million to settle about 1,000 legal claims related to its spine surgery product known as Infuse, and it is setting aside up to $140 million for an even larger number of expected claims.

The payment announced Tuesday is the latest chapter in a medical saga played out over more than a decade that became a symbol of how conflicts of interest in medicine can adversely affect the health of patients.

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