Toxicology News and Research

Latest Toxicology News and Research

High glucose impairs circadian clock function, may increase cardiovascular risk

High glucose in obesity appears to gum up the works of the circadian clocks inside our cells that help regulate the timing of many body functions across the 24-hour day and drive the risk of cardiovascular disease, scientists say.

22 Oct 2019

Training social workers to address and respond to the opioid epidemic

Nancy Ochoa was 15 years old the first time she used heroin with a group of friends. At 16, four months after the birth of her first child, her occasional drug use had turned into a "necessity."

17 Oct 2019

Substance use disorder can complicate postoperative valvular heart disease, shows study

Patients who suffer from infective endocarditis (IE) and struggle with substance use disorder (SUD) have a 240% increased risk of dying within 6 months to 5 years after valve surgery compared to other IE patients, according to a study published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

17 Oct 2019

Spectrum Health, MSU researchers aim to find new or better treatments for "orphan diseases"

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a Michigan State University researcher a $2.1 million, five-year grant to search vast databases of existing drugs.

16 Oct 2019

Coffee beans show promise in fighting inflammation, insulin resistance

Coffee has long been proven to provide many health benefits. Aside from its ability to keep us awake throughout the day, it is packed with antioxidants that ward off free radicals.

14 Oct 2019

Extracts from coffee bean skins reduce fat-induced inflammation, insulin resistance in mouse cells

When coffee beans are processed and roasted the husk and silverskin of the bean are removed and unused, and often are left behind in fields by coffee producers.

11 Oct 2019

Environmental estrogen burdens babies in mothers' wombs

Xenoestrogens are absorbed through the environment, especially through food. As oestrogen-like substances, they can have a profound effect on the body's hormonal balance.

10 Oct 2019

Researchers show how food estrogen migrates through the placenta

The human fetus is considered to be particularly sensitive to environmental contaminants. A team led by Benedikt Warth from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna and Tina Bürki from the Swiss Materials Science and Technology Institute, Empa, has now been able to demonstrate for the first time how the widespread food estrogen zearalenone behaves in the womb.

10 Oct 2019

Rice bran supplement for infants provides more nutrients, reduces diarrhea

Malnutrition is prevalent on a global scale and has numerous negative consequences for children during the first five years of life. For some children, it can mean struggling with health issues for life or a higher risk of death among those under five years of age.

8 Oct 2019

Overexposure to pesticides is a likely cause for neurological symptoms in Cuba-based diplomats

A new interdisciplinary study on the "Havana Syndrome" led by Dr. Alon Friedman M.D. of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel and Dalhousie University Brain Repair Center in Nova Scotia, Canada, points to overexposure to pesticides as a likely cause for neurological symptoms among Canadian diplomats residing in Havana, Cuba in 2016.

4 Oct 2019

Prescription-only changes reduce codeine misuse in Australia

The move to prescription-only codeine in Australia has seen a 50 percent reduction in the monthly rate of codeine-related poisoning calls and halved codeine sales, finds new research led by the University of Sydney.

3 Oct 2019

NIAID initiates new Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers program

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has initiated the Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers program, a new network of research centers that will work together in a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort to develop more durable, broadly protective and longer-lasting influenza vaccines.

30 Sep 2019

French ban on food additive may be premature, MSU research suggests

Michigan State University and University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers are refuting an earlier French government-funded study that claims titanium dioxide, a common food additive used worldwide, causes digestive inflammation and lesions in rats.

26 Sep 2019

Pesticide exposure on the job related to more strokes, heart attacks

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, September 25, 2019, reports that the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased by 42% in Japanese-American men exposed to high levels of pesticide. This is the first time this outcome has been explored in this group, and indicates that the role played by occupational pesticide exposure in the pathogenesis of CVD needs to be examined.

25 Sep 2019

Turmeric adulteration: eating your brain?

Turmeric is a brightly colored yellow spice with numerous health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic. However, a recent study shows that the turmeric grown in Bangladesh can contain up to 500 times the level found at the national average.

25 Sep 2019

Researchers join new project to eliminate animal testing

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, are part of an ambitious plan at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to eliminate animal testing by 2035.

19 Sep 2019

Nano-sized bubbles in our body could effectively fight cancer

Healthy cells in our body release nano-sized bubbles that transfer genetic material such as DNA and RNA to other cells. It's your DNA that stores the important information necessary for RNA to produce proteins and make sure they act accordingly.

15 Sep 2019

Scientists identify a potentially novel avenue to treat non-small cell lung cancers

Researchers at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center have made a breakthrough discovery that solves a mystery long forgotten by science and have identified a potentially novel avenue in pre-clinical models to treat non-small cell lung cancers.

13 Sep 2019

Study highlights the need for systematic improvements in care for intoxicated minors

Alcohol and other drug intoxication in minors is a public health challenge. European surveys reveal that schoolchildren start drinking alcohol at an average age of 12, and a third of Spanish 14 to 18 year-olds admit to binge drinking ─ consuming five or more drinks per occasion ─ within the last month.

28 Aug 2019

Exposure to pesticides in the womb linked to changes in brain activity in adolescents

Pesticide exposure has been linked to many conditions, especially after long-term exposure. These chemicals can cause short-term adverse effects and in some cases, chronic adverse health effects that can emerge months or even years after exposure.

28 Aug 2019