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The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting today that woman with diabetes are more likely to experience depression during pregnancy or in the months after childbirth than non-diabetics.

Monifa Thomas, the Sun-Times health reporter, cites a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in support of the proposition that 15% of woman with diagnosed diabetes experienced depression during or after pregnancy compared with 8% of women without diabetes.

Diabetes is a major complicating factor in pregnancy.  Women with diabetes are usually characterized as having high rish preganancies.  Diabetic women often have larger babies which can lead to complications at the time of delivery.  Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes has been linked to birth injuries.

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The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has ruled that the subsequent remedial measure of putting suicide-related warnings on the packaging of the anti-depressant drug Effexor is not admissible in a case where a suicide victim has sued the manufactuer of the drug.

Jeff Giles, a southern Illinois coal miner, was diagnosed with major depressive disorder in 2002.  His physician prescribed Effexor which is manufactured by Wyeth, Inc.  Two days after starting on Effexor Giles committed suicide.  His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wyeth.

In 2003 the FDA announced that it was concerned about reports that the drug Paxil was linked to suicide attempts in children and young adults.  In August of 2003 Wyeth changed the warning included in Effexor’s packaging to state that pediatric clinical trials showed an increased risk of suicidal ideation in children using the drug.

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A court has ordered the inspection of an Itasca nursing home where a resident wandered out into the cold and died in January, according to ABC News7 Chicago.

The inspection comes on the heels of a wrongful death lawsuit the family of 89-year-old Sarah Wentworth filed alleging neglect and abuse of the part of the nursing home where the woman had been a resident.

While prosecutors continue their investigation into the Itasca nursing home, the woman’s family conducted its own investigation into how the 89-year-old ended up freezing to death when she was supposed to be in a safe and protected environment.

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In 2005 the Illinois legislature enacted the Medical Malpractice Reform Act.  The law is nothing new to the State of Illinois. Twice before this type of law was enacted and subsequently struck down as a violation of the state constitution. The Supreme Court has twice decided in favor of patients and against the insurance companies seeking to protect their own profits.

The current case before the Illinois Supreme Court is really a case about a little girl who placed her life in the hands of physicians that she and her family trusted.  This little girl has a name and it is Abigaile LeBron.

Abigaile is a three-year-old whose life has been catastrophically altered by the severe and disabling brain injury that she suffered as a result of medical malpractice. Due to this negligence Abigaile will never live a normal life, will have to forever be feed through a feeding tube and will require constant care and attention from round the clock caregivers.

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What is a lien?

A physician is allowed to put a lien against any future settlement that comes out of that lawsuit. Or, a physician might be able to enter into a contract with a patient allowing the doctor to put a lien on whoever is responsible for his payment after the case is settled or decided. The lien, which can be sent to the defendant, the defendant’s attorney and the plaintiff’s attorney, would include the amount of reasonable charges for services rendered. The lien ensures that the physician’s name is on the settlement check, or that a check is cut once a settlement is made. A physician’s lien is a collection remedy employed by doctors to collect outstanding bills.

How is a lien created?

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