Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

Study raises important questions about the use of drugs that promote or prevent angiogenesis

Dartmouth Medical School cardiology researchers have discovered a new mechanism for what drives the growth of muscle tissue in the lining of injured heart vessels that can eventually lead to blockage.

11 Oct 2004

Researchers identify three new chemical risk factors for bladder cancer

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers and colleagues have identified three new chemical risk factors for bladder cancer in a study involving some 600 people in the Los Angeles area. The work was reported in the Oct. 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

8 Oct 2004

Scientists embark on a five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues

A multidisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is embarking on a comprehensive five-year study of the effects of soy isoflavones found in dietary supplements on various body tissues.

29 Sep 2004

Scientists develop rapid-fire tests for botulinum toxin

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a pair of rapid-fire tests for botulinum toxin, a feat that could underpin new technologies to thwart bioterrorism and spur the development of agents to blunt the toxic action of the world's most poisonous substance.

29 Sep 2004

Arsenic could be toxic at much lower levels than previously thought

Arsenic could be toxic at much lower levels than previously thought, suggesting that the new EPA drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion might still be too high, according to a team of researchers at Dartmouth Medical School.

26 Sep 2004

Toxicology is far from robust and based on flawed evidence

The science of measuring drug levels in the blood after death is far from robust and based on flawed evidence - leading to likely miscarraiges of justice and conspiracy theories, say forensic scientists in this week's BMJ.

17 Sep 2004

Beer possesses the same antioxidant benefits as red wine

Beer drinkers can toast the news that their favourite beverage possesses the same benefits as red wine, the alcohol long celebrated for its antioxidant properties.

16 Sep 2004

Zinc plays a crucial role in blindness

Dartmouth Medical School researchers in their quest to find cures for inherited diseases have found that zinc plays a crucial role in blindness in over one million people worldwide.

18 Aug 2004

Device to warn astronauts about the presence of harmful compounds inside spacecraft

U.S. Rep. John Duncan presented a check for $1.48 million to the University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology Wednesday.

13 Aug 2004

Scientists identify compounds that mimic calorie restriction

Investigators from an international consortium of research institutes, including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, have identified compounds that mimic the effects of a low calorie diet without changing the amount of essential nutrients.

11 Aug 2004

Trauma patients who test positive for methamphetamine are more likely to be admitted to the hospital

Methamphetamine use is a major health care problem in the United States, and rates of use appear highest in Hawaii, with 40 percent of people arrested in Honolulu testing positive for methamphetamine, according to the article. Methamphetamine can cause aggressive and erratic behavior, and severe exhaustion can result after a "high", which can last 6 to 12 hours or more.

10 Aug 2004

Clinical trial of lipase inhibitor for the treatment of obesity

Peptimmune, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company, announced that physicians have treated the first participant in a clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of GT389-255, a lipase inhibitor conjugated to a fat binding polymer for the treatment of obesity.

9 Aug 2004

Effects of oxidative stress on atherosclerosis

Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death among men and women in the United States and account for 40 percent of all mortalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

9 Aug 2004

$1.6 million to develop gene therapy strategies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal, childhood-onset disease

The Muscular Dystrophy Association has announced it has awarded $1.6 million to Asklepios, a biotechnology company closely allied with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to develop gene therapy strategies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal, childhood-onset disease.

23 Jul 2004

Research into hay fever and temperature of the nose rises helps determine how reliable and effective anti-allergic agents are

In an attack of hay fever, the temperature of the nose rises. Effective medication prevents this too. An infrared camera provides non-contact images of the changes. Researchers can use these images to determine how reliable and effective anti-allergic agents are.

8 Jul 2004

Survey finds over 60% of clinically obese women began dieting before 14

A University of California, Berkeley-led survey of women defined as clinically obese shows that nearly two-thirds of them went on their first diet before age 14 and, as adults, were more likely to be heavier than women who started dieting after age 14.

10 Jun 2004

FDA to determine health significance of low furan levels in foods

The Food and Drug Administration today announced that it will embark on a thorough scientific assessment of the health significance of very low levels of furan -- a chemical that is produced through the heating process - in certain foods. FDA has initiated this process through a notice on display today at the Office of the Federal Register.

17 May 2004

Managing large numbers of patients from mass casualty incidents

Today’s hospitals are challenged to become better prepared to manage large numbers of patients from mass casualty incidents (MCI), hazardous material incidents (HAZMAT), or in extreme cases, attacks using weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

17 May 2004

Expert panel to review toxicity associated with exposure to acrylamide

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will hold an expert panel meeting May 17-19, in Alexandria, Virginia, to review the scientific evidence regarding the potential reproductive and/or developmental toxicity associated with exposure to acrylamide.

10 May 2004