Latest news with #kidney stones
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Erik Menendez hospitalised as lawyer calls for release
Erik Menendez has been hospitalised with kidney stones and now the famed parent killer's lawyer is calling for his client's release ahead of an August parole hearing, according to a report. 'It's a serious condition,' lawyer Mark Geragos told TMZ of Menendez's diagnosis. 'I just think he should be parole furloughed, I think is the proper term, and he could be medically furloughed in advance of the hearing so that he can work with the parole lawyer and get up to speed and be ready and do it and give it his best shot. 'I think that it's the only fair and equitable thing to do,' the lawyer told the outlet. Menendez is undergoing treatment for kidney stones, a relatively common urinary condition, TMZ confirmed. He and his brother, Lyle Menendez, were originally sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The siblings were resentenced in May to 50 years to life in prison and they have a parole hearing on August 21 following a months-long delay. Having already served 35 years behind bars, the two were automatically eligible to pursue parole under California's youthful offender law. At the time of the murders, Erik was just 18 years old and Lyle was 21. The brothers insisted that intruders had broken into their family's Beverly Hills home and killed their parents. They later confessed to the killings, but insisted that they'd done it to stop their father's cycle of sexual abuse. During the trial, prosecutors argued that the brothers' claims were false and purported that they were motivated by financial gain. In the years since their imprisonment, Erik and Lyle both expressed remorse even as they garnered support from more than 20 family members who have ceaselessly advocated for their release. The brothers' case was put back in the limelight after Netflix released a season about them in its hit true crime series 'Monsters' in 2024. Fans quickly rallied around the brothers, calling for their release. They have a parole hearing on Aug. 21 following a months-long delay. The Menendez brothers were resentenced in May to 50 years to life in prison.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Erik Menendez In Hospital For Kidney Stones, May Not Return To Prison
Erik Menendez is not in prison right now ... he is in a nearby hospital being treated for kidney stones, and it's possible he will not return ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ. We broke the story ... Erik is being treated with what his lawyer Mark Geragos called a "serious medical condition." We have confirmed that the condition is kidney stones. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirms Erik was transported to an outside medical facility Friday ... and we're told he is currently in fair condition. Our sources say California Governor Gavin Newsom is currently reviewing Erik's change in medical condition to determine if a "prison furlough" is appropriate. It's unclear how long such a furlough would last ... it could be only until the kidney stones pass, but because Erik's upcoming parole hearing is only a month away, Newsom could cut Erik a major break where he would not have to return to prison pending parole board review. Erik and Lyle Menendez are scheduled for a parole board hearing August 22 ... and Newsom has indicated he's sympathetic to granting both Erik and Lyle clemency. Stay tuned ...
Free Malaysia Today
12 hours ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
2,293 patients on wait list for cardiothoracic surgery, some up to 7 months
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said patients at government hospitals faced long wait times to undergo procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft or surgery to remove kidney stones. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A total of 2,293 patients are on a waiting list to undergo cardiothoracic surgeries in government hospitals, with some of them facing an average wait time of seven months, says health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad. In a written parliamentary reply, Dzulkefly said patients waiting to undergo procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft must wait about seven months on average. Meanwhile, there were 603 elective cases of paediatric cardiothoracic surgery, with the patients needing to wait an average of 21 months. 'This service is available in seven government hospitals that provide cardiothoracic surgeries. 'Paediatric cardiothoracic surgeries are in the meantime conducted by adult cardiothoracic specialists or referred to the National Heart Institute (IJN) because paediatric cardiothoracic surgeons are still being trained,' he said. Dzulkefly said 2,661 patients were waiting to undergo procedures to remove kidney stones, with each one expected to wait 11 months. He said the procedure was only provided by 13 public hospitals with resident urology surgeons. Another 9,233 patients are waiting to undergo cataract surgeries, with a waiting period of about three months. He said 56 government hospitals provided this operation. To reduce the wait time for surgical procedures, Dzulkefly said the ministry had placed more surgical specialists in more hospitals without a resident specialist. It is also working to reduce wait times through public-private partnerships.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Erik Menendez is rushed to hospital with 'serious medical condition' ahead of parole hearing
Erik Menendez was rushed to hospital after being diagnosed with a serious medical condition. The 54-year-old was hospitalized after being diagnosed with kidney stones, according to TMZ. His family wouldn't confirm the condition to ABC News. Erik and his older brother Lyle, 57, were imprisoned for life after murdering their parents Kitty and Jose inside their swanky Beverly Hills home in 1989. Following a years-long campaign for their case to be reviewed, a judge decided to reduce their sentences to 50 years to life, meaning they are now eligible for parole. The brothers are set to face a parole hearing in late August, with attorney Mark Geragos telling TMZ 'it's a serious condition'. Geragos told the outlet that he is being treated behind bars at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Geragos said: 'I just think he should be parole furloughed, I think is the proper term, and he could be medically furloughed in advance of the hearing so that he can work with the parole attorney and get up to speed and be ready and do it and give it his best shot. I think that it's the only fair and equitable thing to do.'
ABC News
6 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Genetically modified bacteria tested in humans stayed in guts of some people
A study in the US trialling genetically modified gut bacteria in humans has had a potential escapee, after the microbe mutated. The team of researchers at Stanford University undertook early clinical trials of a strain of a common gut bacterium, which they genetically engineered to help prevent kidney stones. But the results of the trial, published today in Science, were mixed. While the therapy was mostly successful in healthy volunteers, it didn't treat the underlying cause of kidney stones in people who suffered from the condition. The bacterium also overstayed its welcome in two healthy volunteers, despite the scientists' best efforts to remove it. Weston Whitaker, a Stanford University microbiologist who led the study, said all the protocols were followed, and "there were no specific reasons to worry about the health of individuals where the bacterium persisted". "Many aspects of the technology worked surprisingly well, and we've clearly identified parts needing further development," Dr Whitaker said. "I think we showed that there is promise in continuing this approach." Sam Forster, a microbiologist at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research who was not involved with the research, said the findings showed both the hazards and potential of the technology. "There are risks associated with these approaches but it's also an amazingly powerful technology and these types of studies provide a key fundamental understanding," Dr Forster said. The researchers genetically modified a strain of bacterium called Phocaeicola vulgatus to carry the genes they were looking for. "We chose Phocaeicola vulgatus because it is one of the most prevalent and abundant bacteria in the gut," Dr Whitaker said. The team engineered the bacterium to have two new abilities: breaking up a compound called oxalate, which can cause kidney stones, and eating a compound called porphyran, which is found in seaweed. Humans and most other gut bacteria can't process porphyran, so this gave the modified microbe a reliable source of food — as long as the trial participants consumed a porphyran supplement. It also provided a handy way to get rid of bacteria once the experiment was over: trial participants could just stop taking porphyran. Or at least that was the theory. After testing the modified microbe on mice and rats, the researchers ran two human trials — one with 39 healthy volunteers, and another with 20 volunteers who had a condition called enteric hyperoxaluria, where the body absorbs too much oxalate, causing frequent kidney stones. The trial participants were either given a pill full of the bacterium or a placebo to swallow. The researchers found the modified microbe could safely colonise healthy participants' guts, and reduce their oxalate levels. And for most participants, the bacteria vanished after they stopped taking their porphyran doses. But it lingered in four healthy people even when they'd dropped the seaweed supplements. These study participants were treated with antibiotics, which successfully removed the modified microbe in two people — but it stayed put in the other two. While this is a novel situation, Dr Whitaker said there was no reason to be concerned. "The genes, bacteria, and activities we introduced are commonly found in a healthy gut, so we considered this a relatively safe initial application," he said. Engineered bacteria that stuck around in the gut in the healthy participants were successful because they mutated to eat foods other than porphyran. So when the porphyran was removed, the gut bug just began eating something else. The microbe also mutated to become less effective at degrading oxalate in some participants in the kidney stone group. Bacteria are able to swap genes with each other, which gives them an extremely quick way to evolve new characteristics. According to Dr Whitaker, the team knew it was possible the modified microbe could mutate but were "surprised it occurred" in the way it did, because it had been much less of an issue with lab studies or healthy volunteers. Dr Forster said this was a known issue of working with bacteria. "These bacteria exchange DNA all the time. And most of those exchanges are just as likely to be beneficial for us as detrimental to us." "[DNA exchange] is not a characteristic of this strain or this technology, it's a characteristic of bacteria." While this clinical trial was terminated by the team, both Dr Whitaker and Dr Forster were excited by the prospects this could provide in the future. The Stanford team has now designed a new bacterial strain that has three essential genes, which he said would provide a "triple safeguard" against mutation. The team is yet to test this new strain in patients, but when the researchers tested the bacteria in the lab, it was unable to bypass the protection provided by the addition of the genes. Dr Forster said the paper highlighted how bacteria could be used to treat inflammatory gut disorders, and even gut cancers. "In some cases there will already be species that can [be used as a therapy], and so there would be advantages to putting those natural species back in," he said. "But in some cases … genetically modifying them provides a much more efficient way of providing that therapy." "This paper is is a key step in that process."
