Toxins News and Research

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When the smoke clears even secondhand smoke is found to be a killer

Dr. Richard Carmona the American Surgeon-General has stated in a new report that secondhand smoke is a killer and smoking should be banned in all work places.

28 Jun 2006

Genetically-engineered antivenom to improve the treatment of snake bite

Important breakthrough in using DNA sequencing rather than actual snake venom as the means to generate antivenom.

27 Jun 2006

Researchers identify new keys to regulation of bacterial gene expression

The cellular process of transcription, in which the enzyme RNA polymerase constructs chains of RNA from information contained in DNA, depends upon previously underappreciated sections of both the DNA promoter region and RNA polymerase

18 Jun 2006

Discovery of gene behind iron accumulation in brain has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have identified the gene behind a group of rare, progressive childhood disorders caused by an abnormal buildup of iron in the brain.

18 Jun 2006

Scientists describe elaborate system of gene control triggered by chemical damage to DNA

Scientists describe for the first time a web of inter-related responses that cells use to avoid becoming diseased or cancerous after being exposed to a powerful mutagen.

7 Jun 2006

HHS awards BioShield contract heptavalent botulism antitoxin

HHS has awarded a contract to the Cangene Corporation in the amount of $362,641,105 for 200,000 doses of Heptavalent Botulism Antitoxin.

5 Jun 2006

Oxygen free radicals associated with Parkinson's Disease

Research by neuroscientists at the University of Virginia Health System shows that oxygen free radicals are damaging proteins in mitochondria, the tiny cellular 'batteries' of brain cells.

17 May 2006

Researchers have made important progress in regenerating hearing cells

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have made important progress in their ongoing effort to regenerate the inner ear's hair cells, which convert sound vibrations to nerve impulses.

3 May 2006

Short-course postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis combined with vaccination protects against experimental inhalational anthrax

Anthrax vaccine administered in combination with a short course of antibiotics completely protected nonhuman primates from inhalational anthrax, the most lethal form of the disease, according to scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

3 May 2006

Possible target for future therapies aimed at delaying or stopping Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's Neurological Sciences Institute (NSI) have located a possible target for future therapies aimed at delaying or stopping Alzheimer's disease.

2 May 2006

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Researchers believe they have found a way to change the action of 60 percent of currently available medications, in some cases making them many times more effective, according to an article published in the April 21 edition of the journal Science. The discovery has the potential to improve treatments for diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and arthritis. The study describes a new way to manipulate perhaps the most important signaling mechanism in human cells: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).

28 Apr 2006

Medical adhesive may be produced from the strongest glue found in nature

A bacterium that lives in rivers, streams and human aqueducts uses nature's strongest glue to stay in one place. The bacterium could be mass produced and used to coat surfaces for medical and engineering purposes.

26 Apr 2006

Poor health related to inadequate housing for immigrant farmworkers in the USA

Many Hispanic farmworker families in North Carolina live in inadequate housing that puts them at higher risk of exposure to disease, toxins and overcrowding that can affect their psychological well-being, according to new research by Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

23 Apr 2006

Research into toxins points to development of better medicines

Researchers have combined magnetic resonance spectroscopy with special protein synthesis procedures to uncover how potassium channels and toxins combine and change in structure. This work could make it possible to develop medications for high blood pressure and many other diseases connected to potassium channel failure .

23 Apr 2006

Novel approach used to neutralize anthrax toxin

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Toronto have designed a nanoscale assembly of molecules that successfully counteracts and inhibits anthrax toxin in animal and laboratory experiments.

23 Apr 2006

Researchers identify novel agent that protects neurons involved in Parkinson's disease from being destroyed by rotenone

Researchers at the University at Buffalo affiliated with the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences have identified a novel agent that can protect neurons involved in Parkinson's disease from being destroyed by the pesticide rotenone.

18 Apr 2006

British hospital fined over patient's death after routine knee surgery

A British hospital has been fined £100,000 for failing to supervise doctors after a man died following routine knee surgery.

12 Apr 2006

Passive smoking increases diabetes risk

A study published on the British Medical Journal website shows for the first time that breathing other people's smoke raises the risk of developing glucose intolerance, the precursor to diabetes.

11 Apr 2006

Minimal nutritional requirements for growing and maintaining human embryonic stem cells

Researchers at Yale have established the minimal nutritional requirements for growing and maintaining human embryonic stem cells, a recipe that is critical for clinical application and for developmental studies, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Apr 2006

Exposure to secondhand smoke raises the risk of diabetes

According to a new study, exposure to secondhand smoke can raise the risk of developing diabetes.

10 Apr 2006

Toxins News and Research

When the smoke clears even secondhand smoke is found to be a killer

Genetically-engineered antivenom to improve the treatment of snake bite

Researchers identify new keys to regulation of bacterial gene expression

Discovery of gene behind iron accumulation in brain has implications for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's

Scientists describe elaborate system of gene control triggered by chemical damage to DNA

HHS awards BioShield contract heptavalent botulism antitoxin

Oxygen free radicals associated with Parkinson's Disease

Researchers have made important progress in regenerating hearing cells

Short-course postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis combined with vaccination protects against experimental inhalational anthrax

Possible target for future therapies aimed at delaying or stopping Alzheimer's disease

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Medical adhesive may be produced from the strongest glue found in nature

Poor health related to inadequate housing for immigrant farmworkers in the USA

Research into toxins points to development of better medicines

Novel approach used to neutralize anthrax toxin

Researchers identify novel agent that protects neurons involved in Parkinson's disease from being destroyed by rotenone

British hospital fined over patient's death after routine knee surgery

Passive smoking increases diabetes risk

Minimal nutritional requirements for growing and maintaining human embryonic stem cells

Exposure to secondhand smoke raises the risk of diabetes

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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