Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

Restricting pesticides could greatly reduce suicide rates worldwide

National and international policies restricting the pesticides that are most toxic to humans may have a major impact on world suicides, according to new research from the University of Bristol published this week in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE).

18 Sep 2007

Analysis of aspartame

A report published in the September issue of Critical Reviews in Toxicology (Volume 37, Issue 8, pp. 629-727) systematically evaluates virtually all available scientific information about aspartame and concludes that the low calorie sweetener is safe.

12 Sep 2007

Customized virus kills brain tumor stem cells that drive lethal cancer

A tailored virus destroys brain tumor stem cells that resist other therapies and cause lethal re-growth of cancer after surgery, a research team led by scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Sept. 18 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

12 Sep 2007

No evidence that Aspartame non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer

A sweeping review of research studies of aspartame says there is no evidence that the non-nutritive sweetener causes cancer, neurological damage or other health problems in humans.

12 Sep 2007

Link between nicotine and atherosclerosis

It's well known that smoking cigarettes increases risk for a host of serious health problems from cancer to heart disease. Now a new study from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City looks at how they do their dirty work by contributing to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The evidence points to nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes.

11 Sep 2007

Lavender oil and tea tree oil may make boy's breasts bigger

A study published in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that repeated topical use of products containing lavender oil and/or tea tree oil may cause prepubertal gynecomastia, a rare condition resulting in enlarged breast tissue in boys prior to puberty, and for which a cause is seldom identified.

5 Sep 2007

Red wine for prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have found that nutrients in red wine may help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. The study involved male mice that were fed a plant compound found in red wine called resveratrol, which has shown anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties.

3 Sep 2007

Tailor-made antidepressants

In spite that the causes of depression have not still been fully identified, scientists acknowledge that genetic and environmental factors play a common role in the onset of this disorder.

6 Aug 2007

ARIUS announces allowance of US patent for lead anti-cancer antibody

ARIUS Research Inc., has announced that the Company has received notice from the United States Patent and Trademark Office that a key patent for its lead anti-CD44 drug candidate will issue on August 7th, 2007, as US Patent Number 7,252,821.

2 Aug 2007

Arius begins toxicology program for lead anti-cancer antibody

ARIUS Research Inc has announced that the Company has initiated the first study in the formal pre-clinical toxicology program for its lead anti-CD44 drug candidate, which is under development for the treatment of breast, prostate and liver cancers.

23 Jul 2007

Protein IKKa protects checkpoint gene from chemical shutdown

A protein that is largely absent in one type of skin cancer protects an important gene in a cell's defense against harmful mutations from being silenced, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 20 edition of Molecular Cell.

20 Jul 2007

New genomics-based technology

Bruce S. Gillis, M.D., M.P.H., a medical toxicologist and CEO of the research group, The Cytokine Institute, will present a tutorial on a new genomics-based technology, msds1(TM).

16 Jul 2007

$2.5 million for study on how insecticides affect human health

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded Cornell insecticide toxicologist David Soderlund two grants, providing more than $2.5 million over five years, to study how insecticides affect human health.

4 Jul 2007

Alternative to blood test to detect drugs in the body

The presence of narcotic substances in a person’s body can usually be detected by a blood or urine test.

23 Jun 2007

Men who smoke risk genetic damage to their sperm which is passed on to their children

According to Canadian researchers children could inherit genetic damage from a father who smokes.

3 Jun 2007

Smoking can cause changes in the DNA sequence of sperm cells

The science has long been clear that smoking causes cancer, but new research shows that children could inherit genetic damage from a father who smokes.

3 Jun 2007

Apple peel shows anti-cancer potential

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, Or, what appears to be more accurate: An apple peel a day might help keep cancer at bay, according to a new Cornell study.

3 Jun 2007

Mercury's link to heart disease

Heavy metals and other toxins have been linked to many human diseases, but determining exactly how they damage the body remains a mystery in many cases.

1 Jun 2007

Natalizumab returns to market

Just months after receiving FDA approval, natalizumab, a medication for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory disorders, was voluntarily withdrawn by its manufacturers after three patients developed a brain infection known as Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML).

28 May 2007