Toxins News and Research

RSS

New under-skin sensor that monitors blood sugar levels for diabetics

People with diabetes could soon be waving goodbye to the pain and hassle of needles, thanks to a new under-skin sensor that monitors blood sugar levels with a simple wave of the arm.

29 Jun 2004

Lawsuit against 3 largest U.S. canned tuna companies for failing to warn about exposure to mercury

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer today filed a lawsuit against the nation's three largest canned tuna companies for failing to warn consumers that albacore and light tuna contain mercury, known by the state to cause reproductive harm and cancer.

22 Jun 2004

Cutting down on cigarettes may actually increase consumption of smoke, carbon monoxide and nicotine

Smokers who pride themselves on successfully cutting back as a step toward quitting tobacco altogether may be caught in a haze of self-deception.

21 Jun 2004

Xenobiotic gets patent approval for toxin detection

XDS consultant (and former XDS laboratory director) Michael Chu and President George Clark combined their research skills to develop a rapid and relatively inexpensive methodology to quantify TEQs (Toxic Equivalence -- measures of toxicity adopted by the World Health Organization) for individual toxic chemical groups.

17 Jun 2004

Survey finds aflatoxins in nuts and nut-based products below legal levels

A survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency has shown that aflatoxins in nuts and nut-based products were either absent or below legal levels in 95% of the samples tested. Overall, fewer samples were found to exceed the legal limits than the previous survey.

11 Jun 2004

Postnatal exposure to a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines can lead to the development of autism-like damage

A new study published online June 8 in the Nature publication, Molecular Psychiatry, indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible mice

11 Jun 2004

Project aimed at eliminating anthrax as a potential weapon for terrorists

La Trobe University scientists are using their own unique peptide 'library' containing a thousand million molecular sequences in a project aimed at eliminating anthrax as a potential weapon for terrorists.

10 Jun 2004

Genetic signature associated with the aging human brain

Unraveling the mysteries of the aging brain is a major goal for brain science, especially given the exploding population of senior citizens and the obvious desire to preserve brain function as long as possible.

9 Jun 2004

Cigarette smoke transforms healthy saliva into a deadly cocktail

Cigarette smoke transforms healthy saliva into a deadly cocktail that can accelerate mouth cancer, according to new research in the British Journal of Cancer.

2 Jun 2004

Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body.

27 May 2004

Scientific evidence links mold in homes and buildings to people with chronic asthma symptoms

Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

25 May 2004

People in Michigan with low incomes may be more likely to develop brain cancer

The study, which looked at more than 1,000 cases of people with brain cancer during a two-year period (1996-1997), was published in the recent edition of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2004

People with low incomes are more likely to develop brain cancer

People with low incomes are more likely to develop brain cancer, according to a study published in the May 25 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 May 2004

Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights files complaints against air filtration companies

Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights (ANR), a national public health advocacy organization, filed complaints on May 20th with the New York Consumer Protection Board and the New York Attorney General's Office, claiming that two air filtration companies, FailSafe Air Safety Systems (http://www.fasscorp.com) and Airistar Technologies, LLC (http://www.airistar.net) are engaging in false advertising by misrepresenting the ability of their products to reduce health risks caused by secondhand tobacco smoke.

24 May 2004

Sensing device that when implanted in the mouth can detect hydration levels in soldiers

Working with a $729,000 grant from the U.S. Army, Porter and a team of undergraduate and graduate students have developed a sensing device that when implanted in the mouth can detect hydration levels in soldiers. It can also monitor toxins and, used in a hand-held device, could be used to detect nerve agents.

18 May 2004

Scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax

University of Chicago scientists have identified a compound that halts the activity of a deadly toxin called anthrax lethal factor in laboratory tests. Nature Biotechnology will publish the findings online on May 16 and in the June issue of the journal's print edition.

17 May 2004

New device lab-on-a-chip sensor to detect milk contamination

Whitaker investigator David Beebe, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed a process to make on-demand, miniature sensors for a wide variety of poisons, including naturally occurring contaminants and intentionally introduced toxins.

15 May 2004

Scientists closer to a potential vaccine or treatment for botulism

By deciphering the near atomic-level structure of the catalytic domain of botulinum toxin type E — one of seven neurotoxins that cause botulism, a disease that paralyzes victims by blocking nerve cells’ ability to communicate — scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory are one step closer to a potential vaccine or treatment.

10 May 2004

Researchers investigate ways to detect intentional contamination of the nation's food supply

UW-Madison will use its share of a three-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HS) to investigate ways to detect intentional contamination of the nation's food supply.

5 May 2004

Australian Schizophrenia study dispels myths

Male migrants living in cities are most likely to develop schizophrenia – a disorder which no longer affects equal numbers of men and women.

3 May 2004