Sen. Rand Paul puts holds on federal synthetic drug bans

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, left, has put a hold on several Senate bills aimed at banning chemicals used in synthetic drugs because he feels "enforcement of most drug laws can and should be local and state issues," said his spokeswoman Moira Bagley. The move has been criticized by other lawmakers, law enforcement and a woman from his home city whose daughter had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana. (Photo by Matt Goins)

"When Ashley Stillwell, 19, bowed to peer pressure last August and smoked a substance called 7H, it quickly immobilized her," reports Bill Estep for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Ashley's frightened friends poured water on her and shook her. When they couldn't rouse her, Ashley heard the others discuss dumping her body in the Barren River."

The teen recovered after she was taken to the hospital, but her mother Amy, of Bowling Green, is frustrated by Paul's move to block the legislation. Three Senate measures passed committee last summer, and the House voted 371-98 in December to approve a ban on synthetic drug chemicals. Senate rules allow one member to place a hold on a bill. "That doesn't mean it can't be voted on, but it slows the process and raises some hurdles," Estep reports.

Bagley said Paul is concerned about banning the substances before research can be done on them. Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowan Republican who sponsored one of the bills, said reclassifying the chemicals as controlled substances would not prevent research from being conducted. "We cannot let the will of just one senator obstruct the will of many," Grassley said.

One in nine high-school seniors had used a substance known as K2 or Spice in the past year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in December. That makes synthetic marijuana the second most-abused drug in that age group. Calls to poison-control centers about synthetic drugs have risen from 3,200 in 2010 to 13,000 last year, Estep reports.

White House drug chief Gil Kerlikowske said his office is "urging the Senate to pass that legislation." (Read more)

Jury tells nursing home: Pay $8 million to estate of man whose legs employees broke; homes seek legislative insulation from suits

A Louisville nursing home was ordered to pay $8 million in damages last week to the estate of a retired surgeon whose legs were broken while he was being transferred from a chair to his bed at Treyton Oak Towers. He died less than two months later.

The incident happened to Dr. David Griffin in September 2008. Griffin, who had suffered a stroke, was put back in bed "like it didn't happen," attorney Matt Minner said. Employees reportedly were told to change medical records and cover up the act. Because of his condition from the stroke, Griffin couldn't tell anyone "about the agony he was in," Minner told The Courier-Journal.

Treyton Oak Towers plans to appeal the ruling. Its attorney, Scott Whonsetler, told newspaper that "Griffin had severe osteoporosis and doctors failed to inform nursing home employees of the diagnosis," Andrew Wolfson and Jason Riley report . "We categorically deny that there was any coverup whatsoever" after the incident, Whonsetler said.

The verdict, returned after about two hours of deliberation, includes $2 million for pain and suffering, $1 million for violating the state nursing home statute and $5 million in punitive damages. (Read more)

The verdict comes after the introduction of House Bill 361, which would establish medical review panels. Under the proposal, panel members would consider whether civil litigation against a nursing home is warranted before it is sent to court. The purpose of the panel would be to prevent frivolous lawsuits, but "could deny nursing home residents access to the courts of law," reads a press release by Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, a nonprofit organization that advocates for nursing home residents. The bill was introduced Feb. 1 but has not been posted for consideration by the House Health and Welfare Committee.

Same Catholic health system considering University Hospital's request for proposals

Though Gov. Steve Beshear twice rejected a proposal that would have merged it with a Catholic health system, University Hospital's expected release of a request for proposals is drawing attention from the same Catholic health system, reports Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal. (C-J photo by John Rott)

"We still believe that a close working relationship with the University of Louisville School of Medicine and University Medical Center is important to our vision as an organization, to this community and citizens across the commonwealth," wrote Ruth Brinkley, chief executive officer of KentuckyOne Health, the company created after St. Joseph Health System, owned by Catholic Health Initiatives, and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare merged earlier this year.

If the deal had gone through as planned, University Hospital would also have been part of that merger. But since University Hospital would have been subject to Catholic health directives — which includes forbidding sterilization and in-vitro fertilization — under the merger, Beshear rejected the deal; University Hospital has been ruled a public entity. The New York Times notes the episode in a story today saying the expansion of Catholic hospitals could limit reproductive health care.

Last week, University Hospital's operator was given permission to make a request for proposals "aimed at attracting interest from other health care entities that could stabilize the finances of the area's main safety-net hospital," reports The Associated Press. Finding such a partner is "very" critical, said Dr. David Dunn, U of L's executive vice president for health affairs.(Read more)

But after The C-J reported permission for the RFP had been granted, Brinkley sent out a note to physicians and administrators of KentuckyOne Health. "As we more closely examine the RFP and begin our planning process, we will share additional information with you," she wrote.

Merger critics said pairing up with KentuckyOne Health would lead to the same problems as the first proposal. "It's still the same pig. They're still trying to make it into a silk purse," said Honi Goldman of Louisville. "It's a dangerous road to go down ... Why are they stuck on this one suitor?" (Read more)

2009 U.S. suicide rate highest in 15 years; 600 Ky. teens in 2010

The year 2009 had the highest number of suicides in 15 years, data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate.

Between 2008 and 2009, the suicide rate increased 2.4 percent, with 36,909 suicide deaths nationwide. In 2008, 13.4 percent of people who committed suicide had either job or money issues, reports research-reporting service Newswise. Numbers are expected to rise, with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline reporting a 14 percent increase in call volume between 2010 and 2011.

Between 2008 and 2009 about 8.3 million adults (nearly 4 percent of the U.S. adult population) said they had serious thoughts about suicide in the past year, CDC data show. More than 2.2 million adults reported making plans for suicide in the past year and more than 1 million adults said they attempted suicide in the past year. (Read more)

About 600 Kentucky teens died by suicide last year, reports Jennifer Hewlett for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Brains of autistic children develop differently, study finds

MRI image of young brain in study

Researchers have found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who develop autism compared to those who don't. The finding suggests the disorder develops over time and doesn't have a sudden onset, which is often believed to be the case.

"It's a preliminary, albeit great, first step towards thinking about developing a biomarker for risk in advance of our current ability to diagnose autism," said Jason J. Wolff, lead author of the study.

The study may be useful for journalists writing new stories about autistic children and their parents; April is National Autism Awareness Month. It raises the possibility "that we may be able to interrupt that process with targeted intervention," Wolff said.

Participants in the study, which was published online in the Advance section of the American Journal of Psychiatry, included 92 infants who have older siblings with autism and so were considered at high risk for developing the disorder. They were tested using a type of MRI at 6 months of age and had behavioral assessments done at 24 months. Most of the infants also had more brain-imaging scans at either or both 12 and 24 months of age, reports research-reporting service Newswise.

At 24 months, 28 infants — 30 percent — fell into the autism disorder spectrum, while 64 did not. "The two groups differed in white matter fiber tract development — pathways that connect brain regions — as measured by fractional anisotropy," Newswise reports.

Based on the way water molecules move through brain issue, fractional anisotrophy measures the way white matter is organized and develops. In 12 of the 15 tracts of children who did develop autism, there were significant FA trajectories. "This evidence, which implicates multiple fiber pathways, suggests that autism is a whole-brain phenomenon not isolated to any particular brain region," Wolff said. (Read more)

41 Kentucky high schools receive grants for nutrition, exercise, tobacco prevention to be planned by students

More than 40 Kentucky high schools will receive grants to improve student nutrition, increase physical activity or prevent tobacco use. The "Students Taking Charge" program will have students assessing their school environment and coming up with and implementing an action plan to create healthy changes.

"We have to create programs that get our young people involved in the process and on the path to lifelong health and wellness," said Victoria Greenwell, administrator for the state Department of Public Health's Coordinated School Health program and co-chair of Kentucky Action for Healthy Kids. "If we wait until children are grown to introduce them to healthy environments or sensible eating and exercise plans, it's often too late. We have to act now to instill the values of leading a healthy lifestyle."

Just 16.7 percent of Kentucky students reported eating five servings of fruit and vegetables every day and under 40 percent of students said they had been active for an hour on five days during a week, the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found. The survey also found nearly 1 in 3 students said they'd used a tobacco product in the past 30 days.

To see which schools received a grant and for more information, click here.