Poisoning News and Research

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Study: 700,000 drug-related ED visits cost nearly $1.4 billion in 2007

Over the past decade, drug-related poisonings have been on the rise in the United States. In fact, in many states drug-related poisoning deaths have now surpassed motor vehicle crash fatalities to become the leading cause of injury death. While the fatalities from this epidemic have been well reported, they are only the tip of the iceberg.

2 Mar 2011

Scientists discover lead contamination in ceramic cookware sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown

Recently, a research team from the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University discovered an alarming amount of lead contamination in ceramic cooking and eating utensils sold in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

1 Mar 2011

Cummings School granted U.S. Patent for antibody-based treatment against Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine have received U.S. patent approval for an antibody-based treatment for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a potentially fatal outcome of E. coli poisoning and the leading cause of kidney failure in children.

1 Mar 2011

Researchers discover new mechanism of beta cell destruction not previously known

The death of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas is a core defect in diabetes. Scientists in Italy and Texas now have discovered a new way that these cells die - by toxic imbalance of a molecule secreted by other pancreatic cells.

28 Feb 2011

Silver nanoparticle coated 'killer paper' for food packaging

Scientists are reporting development and successful lab tests of "killer paper," a material intended for use as a new food packaging material that helps preserve foods by fighting the bacteria that cause spoilage. The paper, described in ACS's journal, Langmuir, contains a coating of silver nanoparticles, which are powerful anti-bacterial agents.

17 Feb 2011

Majority of parents continue to give OTC cough and cold medicines to children under 2

Research has linked over-the-counter cough and cold products to poisoning or death in hundreds of children, ages 2 and younger. Studies have also shown that these medicines do little to control symptoms. As a result, in 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration formally recommended that OTC cough and cold products not be given to children under age 2.

16 Feb 2011

Americans willing to pay more, but up to a limit, for safer food

Government regulators could more realistically assess the value of improving food safety if they considered the fact that consumers typically want to avoid getting sick - even if it means they have to pay a little extra for safer food, researchers say.

10 Feb 2011

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost thrombin production

In our not-so-distant evolutionary past, stress often meant imminent danger, and the risk of blood loss, so part of our body's stress response is to stock-pile blood-clotting factors. Scientists in the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit, a collaboration between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and the University of Heidelberg Medical Centre, have discovered how stressed cells boost the production of the key blood-clotting factor, thrombin.

4 Feb 2011

Scientists discover how stressed cells boost production of key blood-clotting factor, thrombin

Scientists in a collaboration between EMBL Heidelberg and the University of Heidelberg Medical Centre have discovered how stressed cells boost the production of the key blood-clotting factor, thrombin. Their work, published today in Molecular Cell, shows how cancer cells may be taking advantage of this process, and opens new possibilities for fighting back against cancer and septicaemia.

4 Feb 2011

Sodium Thiosulfate Injections recalled

American Regent is conducting a nationwide voluntary recall.

4 Feb 2011

USPTO issues Notice of Allowances to Lakewood's three patent applications for treatment of HUS

Lakewood-Amedex, a leading developer of novel anti-infective pharmaceuticals, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued Notice of Allowances on three patent applications relating to the use of novel monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by shiga toxin II secreting E.coli O157: H7 strain.

28 Jan 2011

Scientists to develop enzyme that protects against nerve agents

Protection against nerve gas attack is a significant component of the defense system of many countries around the world. Nerve gases are used by armies and terrorist organizations, and constitute a threat to both the military and civilian populations, but existing drug solutions against them have limited efficiency.

25 Jan 2011

Jayex launches online healthcare media library

Jayex, the healthcare digital display system specialist, today announces the launch of Med-Extranet; its online healthcare media library. Med-Extranet offers hospitals, clinics, and GP surgeries online access to educational videos, digital posters and public service announcements that can be displayed on patient waiting room screens.

19 Jan 2011

FDA approves Cumberland's Acetadote Injection

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new formulation of Acetadote Injection, the Company's product used to treat acetaminophen poisoning.

13 Jan 2011

SDIX receives FDA method equivalency and AOAC-RI certification for Salmonella Enteritidis test system

SDIX, a leading supplier of rapid detection solutions to the $1 billion food pathogen testing market, today announced that its RapidChek® SELECT™ Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) test system has been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and determined to be equivalent in accuracy, precision and sensitivity to their current standard methods for poultry house environmental drag swabs and pooled egg testing.

13 Jan 2011

Obama to sign food safety law today

The Food and Drug Administration is preparing to enact provisions of the new food-safety bill that was passed by Congress in the waning days of 2010 and is expected to be signed into law Tuesday (Tomson, 1/4).

5 Jan 2011

Tips to prevent a hangover

Dr. Andrew Yacht, director of the division of general medicine and vice chair of medicine for education at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City said, “Alcohol clearly causes hangovers, but why it causes hangovers isn’t very well understood…Part of the suspected cause is dehydration and an electrolyte and hormonal imbalance. Some of the symptoms may be caused by low blood sugar. Or, it may be that the direct toxic effects of alcohol are causing the symptoms.”

2 Jan 2011

New food safety standards for manufacturers, processors

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, expected to be signed into law shortly by President Barack Obama, will set the bar higher for food manufacturers, processors and importers, as well as retailers of private label products, according to attorney Janice Lai, a partner in LeClairRyan's Hartford office.

30 Dec 2010

Alcohol worries

Festival season usually means excessive and binge drinking leading to accidents and other health concerns say experts. With the outrage of anti-alcohol groups laws may be tightened but many experts feel that it is not the alcohol that needs to be focused on but the people who over-indulge.

28 Dec 2010

22% of hospital admissions in 2008 were for patients over 75 years old: AHRQ

Twenty-two percent of all admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2008 were for patients born the year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was first inaugurated President of the United States or earlier, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

24 Dec 2010