Poisoning News and Research

RSS

New report documents trends before the legalization of cannabis in Michigan

Nearly twelve years ago, Michigan voters approved the use of medical cannabis by residents with certain health conditions. A year and a half ago, they voted to approve its use by all adults, for any reason.

5 Jun 2020

Assessing treatment for acute chloroquine poisoning

Research by Bangor University’s Professor Dyfrig Hughes has provided important evidence on the safety of treatments that are being tested for use in COVID-19.

30 May 2020

New biodegradable food packaging prolongs food shelf life

Plastic pollution and disposal of single use plastic packaging is a huge sustainability issue in need of innovative solutions: latest results from the EU-funded project YPACK show that an innovative formulation of active ingredients could allow this biodegradable food packaging to prolong the shelf life of foods and therefore reduce food waste.

19 May 2020

Study could help inform strategies for coming out of COVID-19 lockdown

Relaxing stay-at-home orders and allowing some types of non-essential businesses such as shops to reopen are the lowest risk measures to get the UK and other European countries out of lockdown – according to research from the University of East Anglia.

11 May 2020

Online searches for unproven therapies for COVID-19

A new observational study by a group of scientists explores the rise in the public's fear-driven interest in unproven therapies for COVID-19, particularly chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, by tracking the internet searches relating to the purchase of drugs in news reports or publicized by public figures. They conclude: "Stay grounded in evidence and fight misinformation." The research letter and accompanying editorial comment are published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

29 Apr 2020

New DNA test will improve tracking of Salmonella food-poisoning outbreaks

Researchers report an assay to detect serotypes of Salmonella, paving the way for rapid serotyping directly from specimens.

28 Apr 2020

Is the confidence in hydroxychloroquine for the management of COVID-19 justified?

A new review paper published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 reports that there is not enough evidence to justify the widespread use of the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment or prophylaxis of the current COVID-19 illness.

23 Apr 2020

Poison center calls spike amid coronavirus pandemic

While most of the United States is in lockdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, reports of accidental poisoning linked to cleaning products have increased by 20 percent, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

22 Apr 2020

The other COVID risks: How race, income, zip code influence who lives or dies

It started with a headache in late March. Then came the body aches.

22 Apr 2020

Research Suggests Widespread Opioid Overprescribing has Lead to Opioid Epidemic

Research indicates that widespread opioid overprescribing contributed to the opioid epidemic.

15 Apr 2020

Online coronavirus tests are just the latest iffy products marketed to anxious consumers

Companies with experience in the "at-home" testing market began announcing in mid-March that they would be offering direct-to-consumer test kits for COVID-19.

31 Mar 2020

Intravenous sodium nitrite does not help out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients

Among patients who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, intravenous sodium nitrite given by paramedics during resuscitation did not significantly improve their chances of being admitted to or discharged from the hospital alive, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology.

29 Mar 2020

Sushi parasites increased over 280-fold in 40 years

A new study published in the journal Global Change Biology in March 2020 on the occurrence of certain worms in raw or undercooked seafood, in the form of sushi, sashimi, nigiri, etc., reports an increase in the number of parasites by over 280 times over the last 40 years. This could have dramatic effects on the health of both humans and marine mammals, both of which may accidentally ingest the worm.

19 Mar 2020

Study reveals spatial patterns of alcohol‐related mortality in post-Soviet countries

In some former Soviet bloc countries, men often die early due to alcohol abuse. Alcoholism-related mortality varies considerably from one region to another, according to a study in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.

12 Mar 2020

Cases of poisoning attributed to manipulated cannabidiol liquids in e-cigarettes

The health risks of e-cigarettes have come into focus after the deaths of several “vapers” due to lung injury in the USA recently.

27 Feb 2020

Local med-tech company, Bedfont Scientific Ltd., named as a 2-time finalist in the KICC Awards 2020

The Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Awards brings the business community together to celebrate the achievements of local businesses and individuals.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 24 Feb 2020

Study finds higher risk of poisoning at the beginning and after end of methadone treatment

A new study, led by RCSI researchers, has found that patients receiving methadone treatment are most at risk of overdosing in the month following the end of methadone treatment and during the first four weeks of treatment.

20 Feb 2020

Simple, portable test can detect poisonous mushrooms in minutes

A simple, portable test that can detect the deadliest of the mushroom poisons in minutes has been developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists and their colleagues.

19 Feb 2020

Chronic kidney disease killing millions worldwide

A new study published in February 2020 in the journal The Lancet shows that over the last 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of people who have severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) requiring dialysis by over 40%. However, in many places around the world, the accessibility of dialysis is extremely limited, say the researchers.

13 Feb 2020

Research sheds light on potential cause of Minamata mercury poisoning

One of the world's most horrific environmental disasters--the 1950 and 60s mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan--may have been caused by a previously unstudied form of mercury discharged directly from a chemical factory, research by the University of Saskatchewan has found.

13 Feb 2020