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Researchers shed new light on how to combat Shiga and ricin toxins

Min Dong, PhD, and his lab are world experts in toxins and how to combat them. They've figured out how Clostridium difficile's most potent toxin gets into cells and zeroed in on the first new botulinum toxin identified since 1969.

11 Dec 2018

Study quantifies links between alcohol, drug use and violent deaths

A group of researchers at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil recently published the results of a study on the links between alcohol and drug use and the occurrence of violent deaths.

7 Dec 2018

Study addresses continued challenges of lead poisoning prevention

Over the years, the Centers for Disease Control and its partners have made major progress towards reducing lead exposure in the United States. But more work remains in preventing lead poisoning in US children and adults, according to a special supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

5 Dec 2018

Study highlights potential risks of lead exposure from ‘non-traditional’ sources

The study by Paromita Hore, PhD, MPH, and colleagues at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene highlights the potential risks of lead exposure from "non-traditional" sources, even as US population blood levels continue to decline.

4 Dec 2018

Early gut bacterial colonization may reduce risk of developing eczema

Strains of a bacterium commonly found in skin infections may help to protect against eczema, according to new research in the British Journal of Dermatology.

4 Dec 2018

Increasing mental health problems related to drug use in over 55's

Reports have shown that individuals aged over 45 years are increasingly being admitted to hospitals with mental health problems related to drug use. The number of admissions due to mental health problems and behavioural problems associated with drug use, were 638 in 2007/8 and have now come to 1,182 says the report.

3 Dec 2018

Study reveals significant increase in hospitalization rates among homeless adults

Hospitalization rates among homeless adults have increased sharply in recent years, with a very different set of causes from those in non-homeless individuals, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

30 Nov 2018

New ointment for treating brown recluse spider bites is tested on humans

The bite from a brown recluse spider (Loxosceles) can cause skin necrosis, renal failure, and even death. A new ointment is being tested in Brazil, however. Its effects have already been proven in tests conducted in cell cultures and animal models.

29 Nov 2018

'Unknown' enzyme may be key to new treatment for inflammatory diseases

An enzyme that normally repairs damaged DNA, may be the key to a new treatment for inflammatory diseases.

20 Nov 2018

In throes of turkey salmonella outbreak, don’t invite illness to your table

As Americans prepare to cook and consume nearly 50 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day, an ongoing outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to the poultry means food safety at home is more critical than ever.

19 Nov 2018

Specific bacterial toxins reduce number of cells suppressing immune response

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria can cause numerous diseases, such as skin infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning.

16 Nov 2018

Suicidal patients with prescribed access to psychotropic drugs should be closely monitored

As prescriptions for psychotropic drugs increase, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that prescribed access to anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic medications may make it easier for some patients to use the drugs in attempted suicides.

13 Nov 2018

Air pollution kills 600,000 children with India being worst affected says WHO

A report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that air pollution is responsible for killing nearly 600,000 children every year. Among millions of other children affected with the effects of air pollution it leads to severe symptoms of various conditions such as asthma, respiratory diseases, loss of intelligence, excessive weight gain and ear infections.

31 Oct 2018

Consensus on housing policies can make affordable housing a possibility for Americans

A lack of affordable housing is linked with many health problems, including asthma, stress and alcoholism.

24 Oct 2018

New topical gel can prevent pesticide-induced toxicity and lethality

Farmers are exposed to toxic pesticides, through skin contact and inhalation, during the spraying of pesticides. This is a severe health hazard. In the last year, from the Vidharbha region in Maharashtra alone, spraying is thought to have led to over 40 deaths, 25 cases of lost vision, and over 1000 hospitalizations.

22 Oct 2018

Newly discovered toxin stands out from others in the battle for microbial domination

A newly discovered toxin that some bacteria deploy to fend off competing bacteria stands out from others in the battle for microbial domination. While many deadly substances have been identified among bacteria, this previously unknown toxin behaves in a familiar way.

19 Oct 2018

Notes and coins harbor life threatening bacteria, including MRSA and VRE

A new study has found that the cash and the coins that are in circulation are covered in over 19 types of bacteria that can be potentially deadly.

4 Oct 2018

Blocking stress-responsive protein reduces loss of tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer

Over half of all breast cancers carry genetic defects in the p53 gene, a powerful tumor suppressor. Loss of this gene increases the risk of getting breast cancer and the resultant cancers become highly resistant to treatment.

4 Oct 2018

Measures to predict and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning after storm

Severe weather events, such as summer hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter snow storms often result in widespread and prolonged power outages, interrupting essential household functions, including home heating.

27 Sep 2018

Study reveals how dangerous bacterium shares its genetic information

Bacteria are very sneaky in their efforts to develop resistance to antibiotics. Some strains of bacteria package up the genetic instructions for how they defend themselves and cause disease, and pass this information on to neighbouring, naïve, bacteria - essentially gifting their colleagues with the defences they need to survive against our medical armoury of antibiotics.

14 Sep 2018