A product sold by pharmaceutical and medical devices company Johnson and Johnson allegedly has been causing chronic pain, inflammation and infection in thousands of woman —and the company was misleading in letting patients know the risks. This is according to a consumer protection lawsuit Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is filing against Johnson and Johnson, KIRO 7 reports. The lawsuit concerns a mesh that is permanently inserted through surgery, meant to treat pelvic floor problems in women. Thousands of patients have experienced painful effects as the body tries to rid itself of the mesh, or the mesh moves around or erodes, according to the lawsuit. Johnson & Johnson told the Associated Press that the marketing of the mesh was appropriate and responsible.
SeaTac’s former interim City Manager James Payne wanted to create a map of the location of every Muslim house and even person in the city, a city investigation found. Payne’s fears of Muslim terrorism were the motivation for his asking the city’s GIS coordinator to create such a map, according to the investigation, but Payne told the Seattle Times that this was untrue. The purpose? Just to better serve the diverse population of SeaTac. The project ultimately never got off the ground, because the census does not record information on people’s religion. Payne, who had no previous city management experience, resigned on April 6 this year.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s and global health organization PATH designed a new feeding cup for babies that they hope will curb malnutrition in the developing world, the Seattle Times reports. Babies born prematurely or with a cleft palate often have problems nursing, and mothers have a hard time feeding them the amount of milk they need using other means. The cups, made of soft silicon, are designed to be easy for babies to use. Their official name is Neonatal Intuitive Feeding Technology, with an acronym of NIFTY, and they'll sell for $1 each. The cup’s inventors plan to distribute them in Africa this year.
