10-year-old girl's death in fight with student ruled homicide

Joanna Ramos, 10, died after getting into a fight with another schoolgirl.

The death of a 10-year-old Southern California schoolgirl after a fight with another student has been ruled a homicide, the coroner said today.

Investigators said Joanna Ramos, a fifth-grader at Willard Elementary School in Long Beach, died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

"They did surgery on her brain because she had a blood clot, and after surgery the doctor said she was still alive, and then a few minutes later he comes back and tells us that her heart stopped and they couldn't bring her back," Joanna's sister, Vanessa Urbina, told the Associated Press.

Joanna died at 9 p.m. Friday. Earlier that afternoon, she and another fifth-grade girl had planned to fight in an alley near the school.

"They were fighting over a boy, just for a boy," classmate Stephanie Soltero told ABC News affiliate KABC, crying. "It's just stupid."

Police said there were seven witnesses to the fight, which lasted less than a minute and didn't involve any weapons. No arrests have been made, the AP reported.

After the fight, Joanna returned to her after-school program with blood on her knuckles from wiping a bloody nose. She also complained of a headache, prompting the school to call her parents. Joanna was unconscious and not breathing when family members took her to the hospital at about 5:50 p.m., according to police.

"There are times when words do not convey a sense of sadness and loss that we feel. This was one of those times," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said Saturday. "It's hard to understand how this can happen. If you're like me, you're also thinking of your own children, perhaps your daughter or your granddaughter, and you get a sense of how precious life really is."

Outside Willard Elementary School, friends left balloons, candles, stuffed animals, flowers and letters to Joanna.

Olivia Katrandjian, the Associated Press and  ABC News affiliate KABC contributed to this report.

Also Read

View the original article here

Sleeping pills linked to almost fourfold increase in death risk

Sleeping pills prescribed by your physician are supposed to ward off the myriad health problems that come with lack of sleep.

But adults who take sleeping pills in even small numbers over their lifetimes may be nearly four times more likely to die earlier compared to those who are not prescribed sleeping pills, according to new findings published Monday in the British Medical Journal. And those prescribed sleeping pills may also be more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, the study found.

Researchers looked at electronic medical records of nearly 35,000 patients, fewer than half of whom took such FDA-approved sleep medications as Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta, and Sonata. They found that even those who look fewer than 18 sleeping pills a year were at greater risk of death, compared to those who were not prescribed sleeping aids.

An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders, which can keep them from functioning normally during the day. Untreated sleep disorders can lead to conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

For more information on sleep,visit the ABC News OnCall+ Sleep Center, where top experts answer your questions on sleep.

Such consequences from sleep disorders leave many doctors asking whether the findings from this study really suggest that sleeping pills are to blame, or whether those who take sleeping pills are at higher risk because of health conditions that potentially brought on the sleeping problems.

The study did not say why the patients were prescribed the sleeping medications, whether the patients were evaluated by a sleep specialist, or whether they were also undergoing other types of treatment for any underlying health conditions -- all important factors when weighing an increased risk of death, said Dr. Steven Scharf, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

"Most chronic conditions, including cancer, are associated with insomnia and mortality," said Scharf. "Who knows what the cause here was?"

Six to 10 percent of Americans were prescribed sleeping pills in 2010, according to the study.

Sleep disorders can also be considered symptoms of underlying mental and physical conditions.

In fact, those in the study who were prescribed sleeping medications had higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and other conditions which may contribute to sleeplessness.

"I think the underlying conditions which may require sedative-hypnotics are the culprits, not the medicines themselves," said Dr. Scott Nelson, a family practice physician at Cleveland Family Medicine.

Many experts said these findings should not prompt patients to stop taking their medications.

"I think sleeping pills are helpful when there are short term stressors," said Dr. Richard Colgan, associate professor in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Sleeping pills can be helpful for those who work unusual shifts, and for those who travel across time zones, said Colgan.

But the medications are not without side effects -- including drowsiness, impaired judgment, depression and heart problems. Misuse can be fatal. And, according to Dr. Lee Green, a professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Michigan, the risks outweigh the benefits.

Medication to treat sleeplessness is not as important as treating the underlying condition, he said.

"Sedation worsens sleep apnea, for example, and we know sleep apnea is associated with risk of death," said Green. "We tend to think that a sleeping pill once in a while is harmless, but there's no such thing as a medication free of risk."

Also Read

View the original article here

10-year-old girl's death in fight with student ruled homicide

Joanna Ramos, 10, died after getting into a fight with another schoolgirl.

The death of a 10-year-old Southern California schoolgirl after a fight with another student has been ruled a homicide, the coroner said today.

Investigators said Joanna Ramos, a fifth-grader at Willard Elementary School in Long Beach, died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

"They did surgery on her brain because she had a blood clot, and after surgery the doctor said she was still alive, and then a few minutes later he comes back and tells us that her heart stopped and they couldn't bring her back," Joanna's sister, Vanessa Urbina, told the Associated Press.

Joanna died at 9 p.m. Friday. Earlier that afternoon, she and another fifth-grade girl had planned to fight in an alley near the school.

"They were fighting over a boy, just for a boy," classmate Stephanie Soltero told ABC News affiliate KABC, crying. "It's just stupid."

Police said there were seven witnesses to the fight, which lasted less than a minute and didn't involve any weapons. No arrests have been made, the AP reported.

After the fight, Joanna returned to her after-school program with blood on her knuckles from wiping a bloody nose. She also complained of a headache, prompting the school to call her parents. Joanna was unconscious and not breathing when family members took her to the hospital at about 5:50 p.m., according to police.

"There are times when words do not convey a sense of sadness and loss that we feel. This was one of those times," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said Saturday. "It's hard to understand how this can happen. If you're like me, you're also thinking of your own children, perhaps your daughter or your granddaughter, and you get a sense of how precious life really is."

Outside Willard Elementary School, friends left balloons, candles, stuffed animals, flowers and letters to Joanna.

Olivia Katrandjian, the Associated Press and  ABC News affiliate KABC contributed to this report.

Also Read

View the original article here

Sleeping pills linked to almost fourfold increase in death risk

Sleeping pills prescribed by your physician are supposed to ward off the myriad health problems that come with lack of sleep.

But adults who take sleeping pills in even small numbers over their lifetimes may be nearly four times more likely to die earlier compared to those who are not prescribed sleeping pills, according to new findings published Monday in the British Medical Journal. And those prescribed sleeping pills may also be more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, the study found.

Researchers looked at electronic medical records of nearly 35,000 patients, fewer than half of whom took such FDA-approved sleep medications as Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta, and Sonata. They found that even those who look fewer than 18 sleeping pills a year were at greater risk of death, compared to those who were not prescribed sleeping aids.

An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders, which can keep them from functioning normally during the day. Untreated sleep disorders can lead to conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

For more information on sleep,visit the ABC News OnCall+ Sleep Center, where top experts answer your questions on sleep.

Such consequences from sleep disorders leave many doctors asking whether the findings from this study really suggest that sleeping pills are to blame, or whether those who take sleeping pills are at higher risk because of health conditions that potentially brought on the sleeping problems.

The study did not say why the patients were prescribed the sleeping medications, whether the patients were evaluated by a sleep specialist, or whether they were also undergoing other types of treatment for any underlying health conditions -- all important factors when weighing an increased risk of death, said Dr. Steven Scharf, professor of medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

"Most chronic conditions, including cancer, are associated with insomnia and mortality," said Scharf. "Who knows what the cause here was?"

Six to 10 percent of Americans were prescribed sleeping pills in 2010, according to the study.

Sleep disorders can also be considered symptoms of underlying mental and physical conditions.

In fact, those in the study who were prescribed sleeping medications had higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and other conditions which may contribute to sleeplessness.

"I think the underlying conditions which may require sedative-hypnotics are the culprits, not the medicines themselves," said Dr. Scott Nelson, a family practice physician at Cleveland Family Medicine.

Many experts said these findings should not prompt patients to stop taking their medications.

"I think sleeping pills are helpful when there are short term stressors," said Dr. Richard Colgan, associate professor in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Sleeping pills can be helpful for those who work unusual shifts, and for those who travel across time zones, said Colgan.

But the medications are not without side effects -- including drowsiness, impaired judgment, depression and heart problems. Misuse can be fatal. And, according to Dr. Lee Green, a professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Michigan, the risks outweigh the benefits.

Medication to treat sleeplessness is not as important as treating the underlying condition, he said.

"Sedation worsens sleep apnea, for example, and we know sleep apnea is associated with risk of death," said Green. "We tend to think that a sleeping pill once in a while is harmless, but there's no such thing as a medication free of risk."

Also Read

View the original article here