Poisoning News and Research

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Tips from ADT to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

As Americans in many parts of the country gear up for colder weather, others brace for the peak of hurricane season. This means more families will begin using fuel-burning space heaters and portable generators that may release harmful carbon monoxide (CO) gas.

14 Sep 2009

Increasing coverage without raising the costs not possible: Gary Bauer

Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer on the eve of President Obama's health care address said Tuesday that he would be listening for specifics from the President about "compromises and concessions he is willing to make to show that his promises of bipartisan policy development were real."

11 Sep 2009

Health care reform should tackle food safety

Linda Rivera’s excruciating case of food poisoning (Severe Case Gives Context to Issue of Food Safety Washington Post 9/1/09) should shine some light on a crucial reality that is missing from most health care reform plans: you can’t fix America’s health care unless you provide Americans with a safe food supply.

10 Sep 2009

Phenotype microarrays compare growth characteristics of pathogenic and non-pathogenic E. coli

Dr Karin Heurlier and colleagues at the Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham in conjunction with Biolog Inc of California USA, used powerful high throughput analytical tools (phenotype microarrays) that enabled them to compare about 2000 growth characteristics of several pathogenic (disease-causing) E. coli with a non-pathogenic laboratory E. coli strain.

9 Sep 2009

Inactivation of ClpX gene may help treat anthrax poisoning

Scientists from the University of California (San Diego) have identified a gene in B. anthracis that not only contributes to the severity of the anthrax disease but also makes it more difficult for a patient's immune system to fight the infection.

8 Sep 2009

Largest first responder purchase of Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters made by the Fire Department of NY

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) has purchased 86 Masimo Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters as part of their strategic initiative to "improve the survivability of firefighters and victims suffering from carbon monoxide (CO) toxicity."

8 Sep 2009

U.S. Army awards AWR certification for the Masimo Radical-7 and Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, today announced that its Radical-7 and Rad-57 Pulse CO-Oximeters have achieved Airworthiness Release (AWR) Certification from the United States Army.

4 Sep 2009

National Pasteurized Eggs opens new state-of-the-art egg pasteurizing plant

In tandem with the Food and Drug Administration's quest to dramatically reduce Salmonella-related food poisoning, National Pasteurized Eggs (NPE) www.SafeEggs.com, the country's largest shell egg pasteurizer, opened a new state-of-the-art plant that more than doubles its production and expands Americans' access to eggs free from dangerous egg-related Salmonella-enteritidis.

3 Sep 2009

Death rate from unintentional poisoning triples in middle-aged white women

While the total mortality rate from unintentional injury increased in the U.S. by 11 percent between 1999 and 2005, far larger increases were seen in some subgroups analyzed by age, race, ethnicity and type of injury by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy.

2 Sep 2009

FDA: Earlier methods likely underestimated lead levels in lipsticks

A study by the Food and Drug Administration found lead in lipstick at levels much higher than those detected by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) in a 2007 study that received international attention.

2 Sep 2009

GS Gmbh to integrate Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry into corpuls patient monitoring modules

Masimo (Nasdaq: MASI), the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry(TM) and Measure-Through Motion and Low-Perfusion pulse oximetry, and GS Elektromedizinische Gerate G. Stemple GmbH, a German developer and manufacturer of innovative medical equipment for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), today jointly announced a worldwide technology licensing agreement to integrate Masimo Rainbow SET Pulse CO-Oximetry into corpuls(R) patient monitoring modules. The agreement enables GS GmbH to expand the vital signs and noninvasive measurement capabilities of its defibrillators and patient monitoring systems to help EMS professionals detect and treat life-threatening conditions earlier.

20 Aug 2009

Cyanide toxicity in smoke inhalation victims

"If commercial flying had as many civilian fatalities as those relating to smoke and fire, there would be a public revolt," said Rob Schnepp, CPTC president and assistant chief of special operations for the Alameda County Fire Department in California. "The numbers aren't going down, and this tells me that we aren't addressing the problem adequately.

18 Aug 2009

Researchers investigate dioxin decomposition in the Viktor Yushchenko poisoning

In 2004 the current Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko, suffered a severe case of dioxin poisoning. In order to understand how the human body reacts to remove the poison, Empa researchers have analyzed over a hundred samples taken from the politician.

6 Aug 2009

Many countries still selling consumer paints with dangerous levels of lead

Although lead content in paint has been restricted in the United States since 1978, University of Cincinnati (UC) environmental health researchers say in major countries from three continents there is still widespread failure to acknowledge its danger and companies continue to sell consumer paints that contain dangerous levels of lead.

4 Aug 2009

Accidental childhood poisonings mostly due to medicines

More than two-thirds of all emergency department visits for childhood poisoning involve prescription and over-the-counter medications, more than twice the rate of poisonings from consumer products, reports a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

4 Aug 2009

Potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s

Indeed, these carriers tend to develop the disease later than others, but when that happens, it progresses more rapidly and does not respond to medication. Therefore, the bottom line is that carriers of the mutated gene have a greater risk than others for disease progression.

20 Jul 2009

Breakthrough in combating adverse side-effects associated with quinine

Discovered back in the 1600s quinine was the first effective treatment in the fight against malaria - and it continues to be a commonly used treatment against this devastating disease. But the drug is associated with a long list of side effects which can range from sickness and headaches to blindness, deafness and in rare cases death - and until now no one knew why.

29 Jun 2009

Intervention strategies to curb spread of pandemic flu

Mathematicians, biostaticians and public health officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States will gather at Arizona State University this week to focus on understanding, possibly mitigating the spread of the H1N1 flu virus. They are planning to take up the challenge of proposing science-based strategies that can slow the spread of pandemic flu.

24 Jun 2009

New discovery on how botulism paralyzes nerve cells

New structures of a botulism toxin interacting with a mimic of the nerve-cell protein it destroys suggest new ways to block this often-fatal interaction. Indeed, the mimic molecules have such high affinity for the toxin and bind to it so tightly that they themselves could possibly serve as anti-toxin drugs with further modification, the researchers said.

21 Jun 2009

Tamed virus wipes out cancer safely

Cancer Research UK scientists have tamed a virus so that it attacks and destroys cancer cells but does not harm healthy cells, according to a paper published in PLoS Pathogens, today.

22 May 2009