[Magnesium homeostasis: mechanisms and inherited disorders]

Biomed Khim. 2007 Nov-Dec;53(6):683-704.

 

[Magnesium homeostasis: mechanisms and inherited disorders]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18323153?dopt=AbstractPlus

 

[Article in Russian]

[No authors listed]

Magnesium is one of the major cations of biological systems. It plays an essential role in many cell processes. The importance of magnesium underlines its maintenance under the steady conditions according to the metabolic state of the cell. In the present review mechanisms of magnesium homeostasis, that have been intensively investigated during last decades using both pathophysiological and molecular genetic approaches, are considered. Disorders of magnesium homeostasis resulted in development of magnesium-deficient conditions, which are commonly found in various diseases (diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue, alcoholism, psychiatric and neurologic diseases, etc.), stress condition and therapy with some kind of drugs. Special attention is paid to familial hypomagnesemias caused by genetic defects of magnesium transport systems. Overview of clinical and biochemical characteristics of twelve familial disorders is given and mechanisms of inherited magnesium homeostasis disorders as well as nine identified and mapped genes responsible for their development are considered. These genes encode subunits of ionic channels, co-transporters, modulators of transport systems and receptors controlling either intestinal absorption or renal reabsorption of magnesium. Recent advances in mechanisms of magnesium homeostasis will lead to insights in diagnostics, preventive medicine and treatment of magnesium-deficient conditions.

PMID: 18323153 [PubMed - in process]

Cracked mercury dental amalgam as a possible cause of fever of unknown origin: a case report.

J Med Case Reports. 2008 Mar 6;2(1):72 [Epub ahead of print]

Cracked mercury dental amalgam as a possible cause of fever of unknown origin: a case report.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18325096&itool=iconabstr&itool=pubmed_DocSum

Bamonti F, Guzzi G, Ferrero ME.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Sudden fever of unknown origin is quite a common emergency and may lead to hospitalization. A rise in body temperature can be caused by infectious diseases and by other types of medical condition. This case report is of a woman who had fever at night for several days and other clinical signs which were likely related to cracked dental mercury amalgam. CASE PRESENTATION: A healthy women developed fever many days after had cracked a mercury dental amalgam filling. Blood tests evidenced increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anemia and elevated white cell count; symptoms were headache and palpitations. Blood tests and symptoms normalized within three weeks of removal of the dental amalgam. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the possible link between mercury vapor exposure from cracked dental amalgam and early activation of the immune system leading to fever of unknown origin.

PMID: 18325096 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Genotoxicity of thimerosal in cultured human lymphocytes

Toxicol In Vitro. 2008 Feb 1 [Epub ahead of print] Links

Genotoxicity of thimerosal in cultured human lymphocytes with and without metabolic activation sister chromatid exchange analysis proliferation index and mitotic index.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18321677?dopt=AbstractPlus

Eke D, Celik A.

Mersin University, Faculty of Science and Letters, Department of Biology, 33343 Mersin, Turkey.

Thimerosal is an antiseptic containing 49.5% of ethyl mercury that has been used for years as a preservative in many infant vaccines and in flu vaccines. Thimerosal is an organic mercurial compound used as a preservative in biomedical preparations. In this study, we evaluated the genotoxic effect of thimerosal in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes using sister chromatid exchange analysis in culture conditions with and without S9 metabolic activation. This study is the first report investigating the genotoxic effects of thimerosal in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocyte cells using sister chromatid exchange analysis. An analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was performed to evaluate the results. Significant induction of sister chromatid exchanges was seen at concentrations between 0.2 and 0.6mug/ml of thimerosal compared with negative control. A significant decrease (p<0.001) in mitotic index (MI) and proliferation index (PRI) as well as an increase in SCE frequency (p<0.001) was observed compared with control cultures. Our results indicate the genotoxic and cytotoxic effect of TH in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes at tested doses in cultures with/without S9 fraction.

PMID: 18321677 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

EI News, Science, & Links Summary for the W/E 3/7/2008

March 7, 2008

State 'toxic toys' bill hits opposition
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/government/story/302701.html

Turf Toxicity Bill Advances in (CT) State Legislature
http://www.westport-news.com/ci_8491002

Mercury declared a major health concern
http://www.southasianpost.com/portal2/c1ee8c441886655f01188ae383aa00e4_Mercury_declared_a_major_health_concern.do.html4

March 6, 2008

New Device for Germophobes Runs Into Old Law
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/business/smallbusiness/06sbiz.html?_r=1&ei=5087&em=&en=2d26da9be22cce03&ex=1204952400&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

Gov't: Girl's Autism-Like Symptoms Linked to Vaccines
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20080306/vaccine-autism-debate-heats-up?page=2

MOTHERS Act Seeks to Drug Expectant Mothers with Antidepressants to "Treat"
Postpartum Depression
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022789.html

Vaccine Contributed to Girl's Autism Symptoms
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Vaccine_Contributed_to_Girls_Autism_Symptoms_14866.html

New diesel pollution rules will save lives
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/763613.html

Toxicity Testing Takes Stock
http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/M_edicare_54/030601262008_Toxicity_Testing_Takes_Stock.shtml

Scent allergy limits lives
http://www.themuse.ca/view.php?aid=40997

Groups demand action against pollutants
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080306.POLLUTIONS06//TPStory/National

Major health groups want more info on toxic chemicals
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/03/06/health-enviro-health-canada.html

U.S. government concedes vaccines may have injured Georgia girl
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/080306/x030604A.html

Parents worry about post-vaccination deaths
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2008/03/772057/

US to award vaccine damage payment
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2086683.0.us_to_award_vaccine_damage_payment.php

Ga. girl helps link autism to childhood vaccines
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/health/stories/2008/03/06/autism_0306.html

March 5, 2008

Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine Hires Huana Williams as
Medical Assistant
http://healthcare.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?type_news=latest&newsid=153037

Out of place; City should have power to keep towers out of neighbourhoods
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=929350

Study: Death rate up for 3M workers exposed to PFOA
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/16321036.html

Chemicals and quarantines
http://www.sfbg.com/printable_entry.php?entry_id=5827

Ottawa lacks will to ban toxic chemicals: Senate
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080305/toxic_chemicals_080305/20080305?hub=Health

Chemicals in Baby Products Linked to Reproductive Problems in Children
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022777.html

Environmental Attorney: Duke Energy's Air Permit Illegal
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/2528437/

Government Concedes Vaccine Injury Case
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPIMulfcbi1seZqbdrRmkoVP20IgD8V7I5FO0

March 4, 2008

Neuroprotective Agents: Eighth International Neuroprotection Society Meeting
http://www.centredaily.com/business/technology/story/442860.html

Art display shows woman's disturbing allergy nightmare
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/story/4136291p-4728324c.html

Mercury warnings posted
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/mar/04/mercury_warnings_posted32565/

Environmental Speaker Sheds Light On Toxins
http://www.ewg.org/node/26094

Bill Would Ban 'Teflon Chemicals' In Food Packaging
http://www.ewg.org/node/26100

Online Safety Guide to Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
http://www.ewg.org/node/26104

Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030303200_pf.html

Carbon Dioxide Tied To Air Pollution Mortality
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226135421.htm

Aromatherapy May Make You Feel Good, But It Won't Make You Well, Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303093553.htm

March 3, 2008

CDC: Toxic Katrina trailers made in Indiana
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/LOCAL/80303053/0/ARCHIVE

That cute new toy Fido plays with might have lead, tests show
http://www.sptimes.com/2008/03/03/Business/That_cute_new_toy_Fid.shtml

Blood lead levels in Alaska raise concern
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/333066.html

We love our mobiles... but are we being told all the facts about how safe
they are?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=525268&in_page_id=1774

$74.5 Million Set for the Spraying of Toxic Chemicals Over San Francisco
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022763.html

Bad Apple slammed over toxic components - again
http://www.vnunet.com/business-green/news/2210928/bad-apple-slammed-toxic

Toxic Vegetables for Sale
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200803030876.html

Colorado Governor Declares May 2008 as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and
Toxic Injury Awareness Month
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/54046

Florida Governor Declares May 2008 as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Awareness Month
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/54044

Washington Governor Declares May 2008 as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Awareness and Education Month
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/54039

Israeli Study Finds Heavy Cell Phone Use Linked to Cancer
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125433

March 2, 2008

Organic food getting popular as toxic chemicals pose danger
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=25655

Some want personal vaccine exemption restored
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/6B1F6136D15D8F1F862573FF00201C8D?OpenDocument

Big bucks on baby? Yes, to be toxic-free
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080302/NEWS15/803020365/1026/NEWS15

More Families Are Shunning Inoculations
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/02Rvaccine.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

March 1, 2008

"Killer Couches" Report Assists Those Opposing Chemical Fire Retardant
Use In Furniture
http://www.furninfo.com/absolutenm/templates/NewsFeed.asp?articleid=8638

Non-Toxic Tots: Parents Pay Dearly for Safety
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903658_pf.html

March 2008

Chemical Reaction: The U.S. Response to REACH
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-3/spheres.html

Synthetic Turf: Health Debate Takes Root
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-3/focus.html

Clean up That Moldy Mess
http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2008/03/406a.html

February 29, 2008

From pollution to food, US hopes for best, plans for anything at Beijing
Olympics
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=10559845

February 27, 2008

Colloidal Silver Has Mainstream Medicine Singing the Blues
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022728.html

February 25, 2008

Negative Antidepressant Studies Routinely Buried, Research Shows
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022710.html

Links

Slow and Steady Wins the Race - A Kid's Guide to Surviving and Succeeding in
School With CFS & FMS
http://www.offerutah.org/media/YOUTH%20BIG%20GUIDE%202.pdf

Vaccination - The Hidden Truth
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6696666502913965744&q=vaccination+the+hidden+truth&total=7&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Videos

Whistle blowers on Monsanto and Fox News Misrepresenting rBGH.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWcqxrQgcc&feature=related

Announcements

ACT NOW! Write the Presidential Candidates about MCS!
http://mcs-america.org/index_files/presidentialhopefulscampaign.htm

Daily News Feeds and Research Studies Delivered via Email:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mcsafeeds

MCS Safer Salvage and Share (a "safer" freecycle type group)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSA-safer-salvage-and-share

MCS Public - Support, Information, and Resources
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSA-Public /

Scientific Studies

McKeown, D. Environmental Threats to Children: Understanding the Risks,
Enableing Prevention. Toronto Public Health. 2005.
http://www.toronto.ca/health/hphe/pdf/tr_environmental_threats_all.pdf

Delayed-onset encephalopathy and coma in acute organophosphate poisoning in
humans.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18304642?dopt=AbstractPlus

Unexplained and underpowered: the relationship between psychosomatic
disorders and interpersonal abuse - a critical review.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/18306098

Antigen Sensitization Influences Organophosphorus Pesticide-Induced Airway
Hyperreactivity
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/10694/10694.html

Methods for the prediction of low-molecular-weight occupational respiratory
sensitizers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317016?dopt=AbstractPlus

The role of CYP2D6*4 variant in bladder cancer susceptibility in
Tunisian patients
http://www.john-libbey-eurotext.fr/fr/revues/medecine/bdc/e-docs/00/04/3A/06/article.md?type=text.html

Mechanisms of increased airway sensitivity to occupational chemicals and
odors.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317021?dopt=AbstractPlus

The treatment of pulmonary diseases and respiratory-related conditions with
inhaled (nebulized or aerosolized) glutathione.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317545?dopt=AbstractPlus

A subset of fibromyalgia patients have findings suggestive of chronic
inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and appear to respond to IVIg.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18208823?dopt=AbstractPlus

Thermoregulatory responses to environmental toxicants: The interaction of
thermal stress and toxicant exposure.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313713?dopt=AbstractPlus

Health economic consequences related to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia
syndrome.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311794?dopt=AbstractPlus

Dynamic levels of glutamate within the insula are associated with
improvements in multiple pain domains in fibromyalgia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311814?dopt=AbstractPlus

Lourdes "Sal" Salvador
www.mcs-america.org

Disclaimer:
Articles and links are not necessarily the opinion of MCSA or Lourdes
Salvador and neither will be responsible for misuse of this information.
Posting does not constitute endorsement. We have no financial interest in
anything posted . This post is provided free of charge via volunteer effort.

Nanoparticles and Nanotechnology

Comment:  Nanoparticles showing up in more and more products, including clothing and washing machines which contain silver nanoparticles.  Little is known about the health effects, so it was nice to see these two stories today.  I was particularly interested in the second one and the potential for silver nanoparticles to be classified as pesticides.

Nanoparticles affect pollutant toxicity
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=4854.php

(Nanowerk News) Other organic (carbon-based) chemicals are known to have an effect on the toxicity of pollutants to plant and animal life. But nanoparticles like C60 have unique and altered properties compared to larger particles, and so they may have a very different effect on the toxicity and availability of pollutant molecules. The nanoparticles themselves may also be inherently toxic.

New Device for Germophobes Runs Into Old Law
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/business/smallbusiness/06sbiz.html?_r=1&ei=5087&em=&en=2d26da9be22cce03&ex=1204952400&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

 

With so many people worried about getting sick — whether from the common cold and flu or exotic new strains of

antibiotic-resistant bacteria — Paul and Jeffrey Metzger had every reason to hope that the germ-fighting key fob they invented would be a runaway hit.

Their device, known as the Handler, began selling last year online and in stores like Duane Reade pharmacies for about $11. It features a pop-out hook so germophobes can avoid touching A.T.M. keypads, door handles and other public surfaces where undesirable microbes may lurk. As added protection, the Handler's rubber and plastic surfaces are impregnated with tiny particles of silver to kill germs that land on the device itself.

But those little silver particles have run Maker Enterprises, the Metzger brothers' partnership in Los Angeles, into a big regulatory thicket. The Metzgers belatedly realized that the Environmental Protection Agency might decide that a 1947-era law that regulates pesticides would apply to antimicrobial products like theirs. <snip>

WebMD: Girl's "Autism-Like" Symptoms Linked to Vaccines

Comment:  Here's more from WebMD about the GA girl's case.  Seems they are now saying she did not have autism, but "autism like" symptoms.  The denial is amazing and laid out so convincingly. 

Gov't: Girl's Autism-Like Symptoms Linked to Vaccines

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20080306/vaccine-autism-debate-heats-up?page=2

 

March 6, 2008 -- Federal officials say a Georgia girl is entitled to compensation from a federal vaccine injury fund because she developed autism-like symptoms after receiving childhood vaccines in 2000.

***

The government has not said that childhood vaccines cause autism; rather, officials conclude that the vaccines given to the girl in 2000 aggravated a pre-existing condition -- a mitochondrial disorder -- that then manifested as a regressive neurological disease with some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

***

"Nothing of this situation should be generalized to the risk of vaccines for normal children," CDC Director Julie Gerberding, MD, said at a news conference. "None of this is going to change any of our recommendations stating the importance of vaccination for every child."

MOTHERS Act Seeks to Drug Expectant Mothers with Antidepressants to "Treat" Postpartum Depression

Sal's Comment:  There is a petition to stop the Mothers Act here if you are interested: 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-t...
I find this quite disturbing, much like Teen Screen.  More and more the pharmacuetical companies are seeking out new buyers for their drugs, teens, then babies at the hospital being diagnosed as "depressed", now mothers and their fetus... any target that is vulnerable.  I think these targets are unconscionable.  The use of antidepressants for "prevention" constitute altering brain chemistry from what is normal.  Then I'm sure there will be a drug to treat the mania that results from improper use of antidepressant drugs.  Slowly we lost touch with what is normal.  What disturbs me most about this is the difficulty people have getting back off some of these drugs... the addictive potential and/or semi-permanent and permanent brian chemistry changes.

MOTHERS Act Seeks to Drug Expectant Mothers with Antidepressants to "Treat" Postpartum Depression
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022789.html

by Mike Adams

(NaturalNews) A new law being considered in the U.S. Congress would attempt to prevent postpartum depression in new moms by drugging them with SSRI antidepressant drugs while they're still pregnant. This legislation is being aggressively pushed by pro-pharma front groups in an effort to expand the customer base for SSRI drugs by targeting pregnant women as new "customers" for the chemicals. It's an example of the latest insanity from Big Pharma, whose drugs are already killing over 100,000 Americans each year while inciting violence and suicides in teens. Every single shooting massacre we've seen in the last ten years has been carried out by a person taking SSRI antidepressant drugs. The mainstream media pays no attention to this link, and the FDA ignores the reports in order to keep these drugs on the market.

SSRI drugs have never been approved for use on newborns, yet this new MOTHERS Act will effectively drug unborn babies and newborns with drugs like Prozac. This will certainly have an impact on their developing brains, and the bulk of the research available today shows that the impact will be negative. Will these children be more prone to violent thoughts and behavior? Will they contemplate suicide at younger ages? And what will be the impact of the drugs on the mother?

For one mother who was drugged with antidepressants -- Amy Philo -- the drugs caused her to experience thoughts of violence against her own newborn babies. After taking antidepressants prescribed by her doctor, she had visions of killing them (and herself). Upon returning to her doctor, Amy was told to increase the dosage! Eventually, Amy realized the drugs were wrecking her own brain chemistry, and she stopped taking the pills entirely, causing the thoughts of violence and suicide to subside.<snip>

The hygiene hypothesis and psychiatric disorders

Opinion

The hygiene hypothesis and psychiatric disorders

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W7H-4S0HC1V-1&_user=10&_coverDate=03%2F06%2F2008&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1a621f55ec1a46d03d37a0beef75d76c

Graham A.W. Rook^1, and Christopher A. Lowry^2
1Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, 46 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JF, UK
²Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0354, USA

Available online 6 March 2008.

The hygiene hypothesis proposes that several chronic inflammatory disorders (allergies, autoimmunity, inflammatory bowel disease) are increasing in prevalence in developed countries because a changing microbial environment has perturbed immunoregulatory circuits which normally terminate inflammatory responses. Some stress-related psychiatric disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, are associated with markers of ongoing inflammation, even without any accompanying inflammatory disorder. Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokines can induce depression, which is commonly seen in patients treated with interleukin-2 or interferon-α. Therefore, some psychiatric disorders in developed countries might be attributable to failure of immunoregulatory circuits to terminate ongoing inflammatory responses. This is discussed in relation to the effects of the immune system on a specific group of brain serotonergic neurons involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders.

Trends in Immunology
Article in Press, Corrected Proof

Comment on: "Can some of the detrimental neurodevelopmental effects attributed to lead be due to pesticides?

Sci Total Environ. 2008 Mar 1 [Epub ahead of print] Links

The conundrum of unmeasured confounding: Comment on: "Can some of the detrimental neurodevelopmental effects attributed to lead be due to pesticides? by Brian Gulson"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18316114?dopt=AbstractPlus

Lanphear BP, Hornung RW, Khoury J, Dietrich KN, Cory-Slechta DA, Canfield RL.

Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center, Department of Pediatrics and of Environmental Health, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

The problem described by Dr. Brian Gulson - confounding by unmeasured exposures to pesticides - is only the most recent in a series of potential confounders cited to explain the observed effect of lead on children's intellectual abilities or behavioral problems. Despite the persistent problem of unmeasured confounders, there are several lines of evidence implicating lead as a toxicant at blood lead levels <10 mug/dL. First, in striking contrast with pesticides, there is considerable evidence from numerous studies linking low-level lead exposure with cognitive deficits and behavioral problems, even after controlling for a variety of potential confounders. Second, the consistency of evidence from diverse cohorts and distinct, if not always directly measured potential confounders - enhances our confidence that the lead effect observed at blood lead levels <10 mug/dL is not attributable to unmeasured confounders. Third, in our reanalysis of the Rochester Lead Study, the inclusion of parent-reported mouthing behaviors and breastfeeding status did not attenuate the effect of lead exposure on children's intellectual function. Finally, although we can never entirely dismiss unmeasured confounding in observational studies, we can rely on experimental studies of lead-exposed animals to confirm that lead is a toxicant. Thus, while we must remain vigilant for unmeasured or poorly measured confounders, it is crucial to balance the endless search for confounders with the evidence of toxicity and the need to take action to protect public health. The alternative, to perpetually permit children to be exposed to lead and other emerging toxicants, is both absurd and unacceptable.

PMID: 18316114 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Thermoregulatory responses to environmental toxicants: The interaction of thermal stress and toxicant exposure.

Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2008 Jan 31 [Epub ahead of print] Links

Thermoregulatory responses to environmental toxicants: The interaction of thermal stress and toxicant exposure.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313713?dopt=AbstractPlus

Leon LR.

US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, Kansas Street, Building 42, Natick, Massachusetts 00760-5007, USA.

Thermal stress can have a profound impact on the physiological responses that are elicited following environmental toxicant exposure. The efficacy by which toxicants enter the body is directly influenced by thermoregulatory effector responses that are evoked in response to high ambient temperatures. In mammals, the thermoregulatory response to heat stress consists of an increase in skin blood flow and moistening of the skin surface to dissipate core heat to the environment. These physiological responses may exacerbate chemical toxicity due to increased permeability of the skin, which facilitates the cutaneous absorption of many environmental toxicants. The core temperature responses that are elicited in response to high ambient temperatures, toxicant exposure or both can also have a profound impact on the ability of an organism to survive the insult. In small rodents, the thermoregulatory response to thermal stress and many environmental toxicants (such as organophosphate compounds) is often biphasic in nature, consisting initially of a regulated reduction in core temperature (i.e., hypothermia) followed by fever. Hypothermia is an important thermoregulatory survival strategy that is used by small rodents to diminish the effect of severe environmental insults on tissue homeostasis. The protective effect of hypothermia is realized by its effects on chemical toxicity as molecular and cellular processes, such as lipid peroxidation and the formation of reactive oxygen species, are minimized at reduced core temperatures. The beneficial effects of fever are unknown under these conditions. Perspective is provided on the applicability of data obtained in rodent models to the human condition.

PMID: 18313713 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Health economic consequences related to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome.

Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Feb 29;58(3):895-902 [Epub ahead of print] Links

 

Health economic consequences related to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311794?dopt=AbstractPlus

 

Annemans L, Wessely S, Spaepen E, Caekelbergh K, Caubère JP, Lay KL, Taïeb C.

IMS Health, Brussels, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use and costs of medical resources before and after a diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in a large primary care population in the UK. METHODS: We applied an existing data set for medical resource use among patients with a coded diagnosis of FMS. The observed quantities of 157 types of medical resource use before and after the diagnosis of FMS were multiplied by unit costs in order to calculate the cost of care (general practitioner [GP] visits, drugs, referrals, and diagnostics) within the National Health Service, excluding hospital costs. Costs before diagnosis were used in a trend analysis to predict later costs, assuming the diagnosis had never been made, and these predicted costs were compared with the observed costs after diagnosis. RESULTS: Following a diagnosis of FMS, a decrease in costs as compared with the predicted trend was observed. In the 4 years after diagnosis, the average difference between the predicted and observed cost was pound66.21 per 6 months per patient. This suggests that making the diagnosis leads to savings and a decrease in resource use. The main effect was observed for tests and imaging ( pound24.02 per 6 months), followed by pharmaceuticals ( pound22.27), referrals ( pound15.56), and GP visits ( pound4.36). CONCLUSION: Failure to diagnose a true case of FMS has its own costs, largely in excess GP visits, investigations, and prescriptions.

PMID: 18311794 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Dynamic levels of glutamate within the insula are associated with improvements in multiple pain domains in fibromyalgia.

Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Feb 29;58(3):903-907 [Epub ahead of print] Links

Dynamic levels of glutamate within the insula are associated with improvements in multiple pain domains in fibromyalgia.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311814?dopt=AbstractPlus

Harris RE, Sundgren PC, Pang Y, Hsu M, Petrou M, Kim SH, McLean SA, Gracely RH, Clauw DJ.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic widespread pain condition that is thought to arise from augmentation of central neural activity. Glutamate (Glu) is an excitatory neurotransmitter that functions in pain-processing pathways. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between changing levels of Glu within the insula and changes in multiple pain domains in patients with FM. METHODS: Ten patients with FM underwent 2 sessions of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) and 2 sessions of functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), each conducted before and after a nonpharmacologic intervention to reduce pain. During H-MRS, the anterior and posterior insular regions were examined separately using single-voxel spectroscopy. The levels of Glu and other metabolites were estimated relative to levels of creatine (Cr) (e.g., the Glu/Cr ratio). During FMRI, painful pressures were applied to the thumbnail to elicit neuronal activation. Experimental pressure-evoked pain thresholds and clinical pain ratings (on the Short Form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire [SF-MPQ]) were also assessed prior to each imaging session RESULTS: Both experimental pain (P = 0.047 versus pretreatment) and SF-MPQ-rated clinical pain (P = 0.043 versus pretreatment) were reduced following treatment. Changes from pre- to posttreatment in Glu/Cr were negatively correlated with changes in experimental pain thresholds (r = -0.95, P < 0.001) and positively correlated with changes in clinical pain (r = 0.85, P = 0.002). Changes in the FMRI-determined blood oxygenation level-dependent effect (a measure of neural activation) were positively correlated with changes in Glu/Cr within the contralateral insula (r = 0.81, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Changes in Glu levels within the insula are associated with changes in multiple pain domains in patients with FM. Thus, H-MRS data may serve as a useful biomarker and surrogate end point for clinical trials of FM.

PMID: 18311814 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A subset of fibromyalgia patients have findings suggestive of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and appear to respond to IVIg.

Rheumatology (Oxford). 2008 Feb;47(2):208-11. Links

A subset of fibromyalgia patients have findings suggestive of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and appear to respond to IVIg.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18208823?dopt=AbstractPlus

Caro XJ, Winter EF, Dumas AJ.

Division of Rheumatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. xjcaro@earthlink.net

OBJECTIVES: The aetiopathogenesis of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) remains unknown. Recent reports, however, suggest that a subgroup of FMS subjects has an immune-mediated disease. Therefore, our primary objective was to study FMS subjects for evidence of an immune-mediated demyelinating polyneuropathy. Our secondary objective was to determine the effects of treating these FMS subjects with the immune modulator, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). METHODS: Fifty-eight FMS subjects, 26 rheumatic non-FMS subjects and 52 non-rheumatic non-FMS subjects were studied. Subjective measures of paraesthesias, weakness, stocking hypaesthesia, pain, fatigue and stiffness were made. Objective measures of tenderness, proximal muscle strength and electrodiagnostic (EDX) evidence of polyneuropathy and demyelination were also made. Eleven other FMS subjects underwent sural nerve biopsy. RESULTS: Paraesthesias, subjective weakness and stocking hypaesthesia were more common in FMS than in rheumatic non-FMS (P < or = 0.0001). Proximal muscle strength was less in FMS than in rheumatic non-FMS (P < or = 0.0001). EDX demonstrated a distal demyelinating polyneuropathy, suggestive of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), in 33% of FMS subjects. No rheumatic non-FMS subject had polyneuropathy (P = 0.005), or demyelination (P = 0.05). Fifteen FMS/CIDP subjects were subsequently treated with IVIg (400 mg/kg each day for 5 days). Pain (P = 0.01), tenderness (P = 0.001) and strength (P = 0.04) improved significantly. Fatigue and stiffness trended towards improvement. CONCLUSIONS: A significant subset of FMS subjects have clinical and EDX findings suggestive of CIDP. IVIg treatment shows promise in treating this subset. These observations have implications for better understanding and treating some FMS patients.

PMID: 18208823 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Brain Atrophy in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Beneficial Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41).

Neurochem Res. 2008 Mar 4 [Epub ahead of print] Links

Brain Atrophy in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Beneficial Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317925?dopt=AbstractPlus

Chen R, Moriya J, Yamakawa JI, Takahashi T, Li Q, Morimoto S, Iwai K, Sumino H, Yamaguchi N, Kanda T.

Department of General Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, 1-1 Daigaku, Uchinada-machi, Kahoku-gun, Ishikawa, 920-0293, Japan.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with the main symptoms of chronic fatigue sydrome (CFS) and neuron apoptosis. Nevertheless, no study has been performed directly to explore the relationship between CFS, BDNF and neuron apoptosis. We induced a CFS model by six injections of killed Brucella abortus antigen in BALB/c mice and treated them with Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41). Daily running activity, body weight (BW), ratio of cerebral weight to BW (CW/BW) and expression levels of BDNF and Bcl-2 mRNA in the hippocampus were determined. The daily activity and CW/BW decreased significantly in the CFS model. BDNF and Bcl-2 mRNA expression levels in the hippocampus were suppressed in the CFS model and TJ-41 treated mice, while no significant difference was found between them. We improved a murine model to investigate the relationship between CFS and brain dysfunction. In this model, reduced daily activity might have been associated with decreased hippocampal BDNF mRNA expression, hippocampal apoptosis and brain atrophy. TJ-41 increased the daily running activity of the model, which was independent of brain recovery.

PMID: 18317925 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317925?dopt=AbstractPlus

This is so important and I'm glad to see California move forward on this and publicize it.  It amazes me why truckers will leave their rigs running for hours on the road, even if empty.  Today I had just such an incidence occur.  The trucker parked on the side of the road and just left his truck running unattended and the fumes filled a 1 block radius.  When he finally returned an hour later and drove off, a thick cloud of black smoke followed.  Sal

 

New diesel pollution rules will save lives

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/763613.html

The California Air Resources Board took a decisive step last week that will soon save lives throughout the state. It adopted a fair plan to begin distributing $1 billion in bond money to truckers and other freight haulers who are willing to help cut their toxic diesel air pollution.

This action couldn't come at a better time. In October, the Air Resources Board plans to adopt regulations that will require owners of older polluting trucks operating in the state to clean up their pollution. A similar rule already has been adopted for trucks that work at the ports.

As a group, trucks are the largest source of toxic diesel pollution in the state, and about three-quarters of the $1 billion is earmarked for truck cleanup. Air pollution experts agree that if the state's most polluted regions are ever going to achieve clean air, diesel trucks have to get cleaner faster than they would through natural turnover. The reason: Diesel engines are tough and last a long time. <snip>

Mechanisms of increased airway sensitivity to occupational chemicals and odors.

Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008 Apr;8(2):135-9. Links

Mechanisms of increased airway sensitivity to occupational chemicals and odors.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18317021?dopt=AbstractPlus

Millqvist E.

Asthma and Allergy Research Group, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Airway symptoms induced by chemicals and odors are common problems that are also reported after contact with substances normally regarded as nontoxic. This article reviews current findings and opinions regarding mechanisms of increased airway sensitivity to occupational chemicals and odors. RECENT FINDINGS: Individuals exposed to organic solvents during work had more nasal irritation and lower threshold to pyridine odor compared with a nonexposed control group. Six percentage of a general population in Sweden had pronounced airway chemical sensitivity and augmented capsaicin cough sensitivity, known to reflect the sensory nerve reactivity of the airways. The cough sensitivity was associated with changed levels of nerve growth factor in nasal lavage and such patients had longstanding symptoms influencing their working capacity. Positron emission tomography activation studies with several different odorants showed in patients with odor-associated symptoms an odorant-related increase in activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and cuneus-precuneus in comparison with a control group. SUMMARY: In subgroups of individuals with airway symptoms induced by chemicals and odors, there seems to be a sustainable physiological mechanism behind the reactions. An increased vulnerability to stress cannot be neglected as a confounding factor in some sensitive individuals.

PMID: 18317021 [PubMed - in process]

The First Immunization - Hiking for Fibromyalgia - Art/MCS - Vacciens Cause Autism - Healing Epsom Salts

Topics in this post:
Breastfeeding: The First Immunization
Arizona News: Arizona Woman to Hike 800 Miles to Raise Awareness
Art display shows woman's disturbing allergy nightmare
U.S. government concedes vaccines may have injured Georgia girl

---

Poster's Comment:  With all the talk of the dangers of immunization and autism, it's refreshing to see a nice article like this talking about nature's way of building immunity without endangering the child.  It's not often we see the power of the human body to take care of itself without our interference.

Breastfeeding: The First Immunization
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/LIFESTYLE/803040321/1024/LIFESTYLE
Colostrum, the first milk, is the newborn infant's first immunization. An infant's immune system is very immature at birth and doesn't reach maturity until around 5 years old. When a mother is exposed to disease, her body makes antibodies to fight the disease. The antibodies in both colostrum and in mature breastmilk protect the breastfeeding infant/child from infections. More than 50 known immunological factors are found in human breastmilk. These immune factors combat a wide variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic infections. <snip>

---

Poster's Comment:  I think this woman is doing something amazing!  It's a wonderful idea for those able to particpate and is such great exercise.  It reminds me of my hard core training days in the gym... feels so good.  I'm wondering wht it would take to do a similar fundraiser for MCS.

Arizona News: Arizona Woman to Hike 800 Miles to Raise Awareness
http://www.azreporter.com/news/index.php?itemid=411
(TUCSON, ARIZ.) - Sirena Dufault, who 10 years ago spent most of her days in bed because of pain and fatigue, has chosen an extreme way to get her message out. This month, the Tucson, Arizona resident, who suffers from a chronic pain disorder called fibromyalgia, will begin an 800-mile hike along the Arizona Trail.   "One of my goals with this hike is to educate people about fibromyalgia, and give people an idea of what it is like to deal with a chronic pain condition," says Dufault. "Even though I am well enough to do a hike of this length, fibromyalgia affects everyone who has it in a different way." <snip>

---

Poster's Comment:  Another "way to go" for this woman.  It's quite an achievement to continue to practice chalenging hobbies with MCS.  It's nice to see the condition get some publicity without discussion of "the controversy" as well.

Art display shows woman's disturbing allergy nightmare 
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/story/4136291p-4728324c.html
MARGARET Tatlock is so allergic to the chemicals and toxins that surround us that she couldn't even produce her own artwork currently on display.  Tatlock said she had to enlist somebody else to produce the 44 images and text about extreme environmental sensitivity on a computer -- she is sensitive to the electricity running through the machine -- before it was hung in the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery at the Canadian Mennonite University.  Tatlock is so allergic she couldn't even pose for a photograph to go with this story. She hasn't even been back to her exhibit since it opened on Jan. 25.  <snip>

---

Poster's Comment:  This one is quite interesting... a victory, yes... but I agree it's not a precedent.... YET.  I just can't imagine the government ever admiting vaccines cause autism.  However, this case gives something for other cases to build on and hopefully that will mena more and more victories until it becomes commonplace knowledge that vaccines are not 100% safe. 

U.S. government concedes vaccines may have injured Georgia girl
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/080306/x030604A.html
Government health officials in the United States have conceded that childhood vaccines worsened a rare, underlying disorder that ultimately led to autism-like symptoms in a Georgia girl, and that she should be paid from a federal vaccine-injury fund.  Medical and legal experts say the narrow wording and circumstances probably make the case an exception - not a precedent for thousands of other pending claims.  The government "has not conceded that vaccines cause autism," said Linda Renzi, the lawyer representing federal officials, who have consistently maintained that childhood shots are safe.  However, parents and advocates for autistic children see the case as a victory that may help certain others. Although the science on this is very limited, the girl's disorder may be more common in autistic children than in healthy ones.  <snip>

---

Poster's Comment:  I personally get very good results with oral magnesium citrate.  I tried epsom salts once before.  Has anyone had good resuls with epsom salts?

Amazing Health Benefits of Epsom Salt Baths
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/health-benefits-of-epsom-salt-baths.html
Many of us are deficient in magnesium, and by simply soaking in a relaxing bath with magnesium-rich Epsom salt we can boost our levels of this important element. "Magnesium," you might wonder, "what's the big deal?" Find out the importance of magnesium and discover the many surprising health benefits of using Epsom salt in your bath.
SIMPLE SOLUTION:  We all know about the importance of iron and calcium, but what about magnesium? It is the second-most abundant element in human cells and the fourth-most important positively charged ion in the body. Surprisingly, it helps the body regulate over 325 enzymes and plays an important role in organizing many bodily functions

---

Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

Immune Systems Increasingly On Attack

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030303200_pf.html

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 4, 2008; A01

First, asthma cases shot up, along with hay fever and other common allergic reactions, such as eczema. Then, pediatricians started seeing more children with food allergies. Now, experts are increasingly convinced that a suspected jump in lupus, multiple sclerosis and other afflictions caused by misfiring immune systems is real.

Though the data are stronger for some diseases than others, and part of the increase may reflect better diagnoses, experts estimate that many allergies and immune-system diseases have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in the last few decades, depending on the ailment and country. Some studies now indicate that more than half of the U.S. population has at least one allergy.

The cause remains the focus of intense debate and study, but some researchers suspect the concurrent trends all may have a common explanation rooted in aspects of modern living -- including the "hygiene hypothesis" that blames growing up in increasingly sterile homes, changes in diet, air pollution, and possibly even obesity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

"We have dramatically changed our lives in the last 50 years," said Fernando Martinez, who studies allergies at the University of Arizona. "We are exposed to more products. We have people with different backgrounds being exposed to different environments. We have made our lives more antiseptic, especially early in life. Our immune systems may grow differently as a result. And we may be paying a price for that."

Along with a flurry of research to confirm and explain the trends, scientists have also begun testing possible remedies. Some are feeding high-risk children gradually larger amounts of allergy-inducing foods, hoping to train the immune system not to overreact. Others are testing benign bacteria or parts of bacteria. Still others have patients with MS, colitis and related ailments swallow harmless parasitic worms to try to calm their bodies' misdirected defenses.

<snip>

Online Safety Guide to Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

http://www.ewg.org/node/26104

Published March 4, 2008

"Due to gaping loopholes in federal law, companies can put virtually any ingredient into personal care products. Even worse, the government does not require pre-market safety tests for any of them…. Mercury, lead, and placenta extract – all of these and many other hazardous materials are in products that millions of people, including children, use every day," according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit research organization dedicated to consumer safety.

The EWG's Cosmetic Safety Database

That's why the EWG created its Skin Deep cosmetic safety database. This free searchable database is an elegant, lightning fast, highly detailed safety guide you can use to find out what's in your cosmetics and personal care products.

The database offers "Hazard Concern" safety ratings for more than 27,000 products, under 1,675 brand names, including more than 17,000 unique chemicals (listed under some 65,000 names). Products are organized into eight major categories and more than 90 subcategories. The safety ratings draw on information from more than 50 toxicity and regulatory databases, and the service has attracted 47 million searches since it went live in 2004.

<snip>

Chemical Reaction: The U.S. Response to REACH

Chemical Reaction: The U.S. Response to REACH

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-3/spheres.html

Last summer ushered in a new era in the regulation of chemicals. On 1 June 2007, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), the expansive scheme by the European Union (EU) to regulate chemicals used in commerce and consumer products, took effect.REACH applies to chemicals manufactured or marketed in Europe, and its regulations affect companies exporting chemicals to Europe as well as those located there. REACH puts the burden on chemical companies to provide information on how the chemicals they make affect human health and the environment. REACH has two parts: the collection and sharing of data throughout supply chains, and the authorization of chemicals of higher concern to human and environmental health.

In an initiative that is set to be phased in over the next 11 years, REACH will require the registration of chemicals produced or marketed in the EU in quantities of 1 metric ton or greater per year. Chemicals imported or produced in amounts of 1,000 metric tons or more are to be registered by November 2010, whereas those at amounts of 1 metric ton or more are to be registered by May 2018.

"The basic philosophy of REACH is that the [chemical] industry is managing the risk, and what REACH does is require the industry to put on paper the knowledge about the chemicals they put on the market, and describe how they are dealing with any possible risk which might be in them," says Joachim Kreysa, director for cooperation at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which administers REACH.

Chemical companies have from 1 June 2008 until 30 November 2008 to pre-register so-called phase-in substances—ones that are already marketed in the EU, or that have been imported or made in the EU in the past 15 years even if not sold there—by providing ECHA with such basic information as the name of the chemical and the importer. "It is important that companies [outside Europe] begin to consider the possible impact of REACH on their business now," says Malachy Hargadon, environmental counselor with the European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation EU. These companies should be examining their stock of chemicals and the requirements of REACH, he adds. Such chemicals are in a database called EINECS, or European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances.

<snip>

Antigen Sensitization Influences Organophosphorus Pesticide-Induced Airway Hyperreactivity

Antigen Sensitization Influences Organophosphorus Pesticide–Induced Airway Hyperreactivity
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/10694/10694.html

Becky J. Proskocil,1 Donald A. Bruun,2 Jesse K. Lorton,1 Kirsten C. Blensly,1 David B. Jacoby,1,3 Pamela J. Lein,2 and Allison D. Fryer1

1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, and 3Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

Abstract
Background: Recent epidemiologic studies have identified organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) as environmental factors potentially contributing to the increase in asthma prevalence over the last 25 years. In support of this hypothesis, we have demonstrated that environmentally relevant concentrations of OPs induce airway hyperreactivity in guinea pigs.

Objectives: Sensitization to allergen is a significant contributing factor in asthma, and we have shown that sensitization changes virus-induced airway hyperreactivity from an eosinophil-independent mechanism to one mediated by eosinophils. Here, we determine whether sensitization similarly influences OP-induced airway hyperreactivity.

Methods: Nonsensitized and ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs were injected subcutaneously with the OP parathion (0.001–1.0 mg/kg) . Twenty-four hours later, animals were anesthetized and ventilated, and bronchoconstriction was measured in response to either vagal stimulation or intravenous acetylcholine. Inflammatory cells and acetylcholinesterase activity were assessed in tissues collected immediately after physiologic measurements.

Results: Ovalbumin sensitization decreased the threshold dose for parathion-induced airway hyperreactivity and exacerbated parathion effects on vagally induced bronchoconstriction. Pretreatment with antibody to interleukin (IL) -5 prevented parathion-induced hyperreactivity in sensitized but not in nonsensitized guinea pigs. Parathion did not increase the number of eosinophils in airways or the number of eosinophils associated with airway nerves nor did it alter eosinophil activation as assessed by major basic protein deposition.

Conclusions: Antigen sensitization increases vulnerability to parathion-induced airway hyperreactivity and changes the mechanism to one that is dependent on IL-5. Because sensitization to allergens is characteristic of 50% of the general population and 80% of asthmatics (including children) , these findings have significant implications for OP risk assessment, intervention, and treatment strategies.

Key words: airway hyperreactivity, asthma, atopy, eosinophils, organophosphorus pesticides, parathion, sensitization. Environ Health Perspect 116:381–388 (2008) . doi:10.1289/ehp.10694 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 2 January 2008]

Whistle blowers on Monsanto and Fox News Misrepresenting rBGH.

This is a must see.  It well explains how industry is controlling the media and what happens to honest people who try to tell the truth. The ending is truly shocking.  Law, truth, and honor mean nothing these days. 

 

10 minute VIDEO: 

FOX News Whistle blowers on Monsanto and Fox News Misrepresenting rBGH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWcqxrQgcc&feature=related

"Killer Couches" Report Assists Those Opposing Chemical Fire Retardant Use In Furniture

Sal's Comment:  It would be nice if these fire retardants could be banned, or even a "choice" when purchasing new furniture.  Nice to see this getting some publicity, even if only in a furniture magazine.

"Killer Couches" Report Assists Those Opposing Chemical Fire Retardant Use In Furniture http://www.furninfo.com/absolutenm/templates/NewsFeed.asp?articleid=8638

Saturday, March 01, 2008

By: Furniture World Magazine

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that, ""Killer Couches," a new report by Friends of the Earth, has provided ammunition to Assemblyman Mark Leno's efforts to pass legislation banning the use of toxic halogenated fire retardants in furniture, mattresses and bedding." The report which follows, was posted to www.foe.org and is certain to the growing movement that seeks to ban the use of fire retardant chemicals in furniture and bedding. The chemicals which are used to meet new mandatory flammability regulations are opposed by many environmental groups as well as producers of natural and organic home furnishings. Some large bedding companies have voiced support for the use of chemical fire retardants, saying that they don't pose a threat to consumers of their manufacturing employees. <snip>

MYSTERY SOLVED: Rachel Carson's Ecological Critique

Mystery solved.  I was thinking of Rachel Hertz, so Rachel Carson did not denounce fragrance sensitivity as "fear based".  Rachel Herz did.  Thanks Linda for finding the article I was thinking of and clarifying my "muddy brain" recall.  :)

 

LJ Talks to Rachel Herz, Library Journal, 9/25/2007
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6481140.html?industryid=47175
 

----- Original Message -----

From: Lourdes Salvador

Sal's Comment:  Isn't this the same woman who denounced fragrance sensitivity as "fear based"? 

 

Rachel Carson's Ecological Critique
http://www.monthlyreview.org/080201foster-clark.php

 

The principal causes of ecological degradation, Carson insisted, were "the gods of profit and production." The chief obstacle to a sustainable relation to the environment lay in the fact that we live "in an era dominated by industry, in which the right to make a dollar at any cost is seldom challenged."

<snip>

Delayed-onset encephalopathy and coma in acute organophosphate poisoning in humans.

Neurotoxicology. 2008 Jan 21 [Epub ahead of print]

 

Delayed-onset encephalopathy and coma in acute organophosphate poisoning in humans.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18304642?dopt=AbstractPlus

 

Peter JV, Prabhakar AT, Pichamuthu K.

Department of Medical Intensive Care, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ida Scudder Road, Vellore 632 004, Tamil Nadu, India.

The objective of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics and course of delayed-onset organophosphate (OP) poisoning. In our clinical experience, we have noticed patients with onset of deep coma 4-7 days after hospital admission, clinical features that have not been previously described. We set up a prospective observational study over 1 year to formally characterize this observation. Thirty-five patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe OP poisoning and treated with atropine and supportive therapy were followed up. Oximes were not administered. Three patients developed delayed-onset coma after presenting with normal or near normal Glasgow coma score (GCS). They developed altered conscious state rapidly progressing to deep coma, 5.0+/-1.0 (mean+/-S.D.) days after OP ingestion. The GCS persisted at 2T for 4.3+/-2.1 days despite the cessation of sedative drugs at the onset of coma. During this period, the patients had miosed non-reacting pupils and no clinically detectable cortical or brainstem activity. Computed tomography of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were normal. Electroencephalogram showed bihemispheric slow wave disturbances. Two patients required atropine during this period to maintain heart rate and reduce secretions. In all three patients, no metabolic, infective or non-infective cause of altered conscious state was identified. With supportive therapy the GCS improved to 10T in 8.0+/-2.0 days. All patients survived to hospital discharge. Three other patients who developed a reduction in GCS (3T-7T) by 4.7+/-1.2 days but not progressing to coma and recovering (GCS 10T) in 3.3+/-0.6 days may have manifested delayed-onset encephalopathy. Delayed-onset coma appears to have a distinct clinical profile and course with complete resolution of symptoms with supportive therapy. Although persistent cholinesterase inhibition is likely to have contributed to the manifestations, the mechanism of coma and encephalopathy need to be explored in further trials. The good outcomes in these patients suggest that therapy should not be limited in OP-poisoned patients developing profound coma or encephalopathy during hospitalization.

PMID: 18304642 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Unexplained and underpowered: the relationship between psychosomatic disorders and interpersonal abuse - a critical review.

Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2008 Jan-Feb;16(1):35-54. Links

 

Unexplained and underpowered: the relationship between psychosomatic disorders and interpersonal abuse - a critical review.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/18306098

 

Romans S, Cohen M.

 

Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Canada.

 

Although it is commonly accepted that interpersonal violence (IntPV) leads to adverse health consequences, the available data are far from decisive. To test the hypothesized link, the authors devised an evidence-based strategy to determine the data quality in studies purporting to link IntPV and some medically unexplained disorders in women (irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, and other chronic pain syndromes). English language studies with control groups of unaffected women were assessed for the quality of their methodologies. The number of studies, together with the consistency of their findings in each domain, was collated to determine the overall weight of evidence regarding the link for each condition. The quantity and quality of research in each clinical area proved to be sparse. In general, most research was limited to small, convenience samples, with insufficient attention to the design of control groups and to sample size. The evidence currently available regarding irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, chronic pelvic pain, and other chronic pain syndromes does not allow for any firm conclusion regarding their link to IntPV. More research - paying particular regard to the methodological concerns identified here - is required in order to generate any definitive conclusions.

 

PMID: 18306098 [PubMed - in process]