Environmental Medicine News

The News Review:

- Acetaminophen Poisoning Now the Leading Cause of Acute Liver Failure…
- Online NewsHour: Experts Discuss Stem Cell Scandal — December 27,…
- Genome Discovery Will Help Combat Disease And Lead To New Drugs
- DUTCH DRUGGING NOT FOR FREEDOM
- The History Of Glivec
- CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

Acetaminophen Poisoning Now the Leading Cause of Acute Liver Failure…
Newsinferno.com – Dec 27, 2005
Tim Davern, a gastroenterologist with the liver transplant program of the University of California at San Francisco and one of the authors, observed: "I see some young women who have been suffering flu-like symptoms for the better part of a week, and not eating much. They start with Tylenol, and maybe add an over-the-counter flu medicine on top of that, and pretty soon they’ve been taking maybe six grams of acetaminophen a day for a number of days. In rare cases that can be enough to throw them into liver failure. "Each Extra Strength Tylenol tablet contains half a gram, or 500 milligrams, of acetaminophen, and arthritis-strength versions of the pain reliever contain 650 milligrams. One tablet of Midol Teen formula contains 500 milligrams of acetaminophen, as does one adult dose of NyQuil Cold and Flu. One dose of Tylenol Cold and Flu Severe contains 1,000 milligrams… One dose of Tylenol Cold and Flu Severe contains 1,000 milligrams. The recommended maximum daily dose for adults is 4 grams, or 4,000 milligrams. The diverse nature of the compounds containing acetaminophen and the difficulty consumers have in interpreting label information usually prevents consumers from keeping track of the cumulative amount of the drug they are taking on a daily basis. Because of this, many experts have urged the FDA to require large warnings to be placed on any product containing acetaminophen. In proper doses, acetaminophen remains a very safe drug. The problem is that the safe dosage level can be easily exceeded by consumers who either take a little extra of one product to get the pain relief they need or take a number of remedies containing the drug without monitoring the cumulative dose of acetaminophen the products contain.

Online NewsHour: Experts Discuss Stem Cell Scandal — December 27,…
NewsHour – Dec 27, 2005
WOO SUK HWANG (Translated): I sincerely apologize
for creating shock and disappointment. SUSAN DENTZER: The question now
is what impact the revelations could have on science in general, and in particular,
on the controversial fields of cloning and stem cell research. Much of
the reason Hwang’s work gained so much attention was that it seemed to herald
a new future of regenerative medicine when stem cells genetically matched to individual
humans could be used to repair their damaged tissues and organs. , Hwang’s work was also seen as politically charged. SPOKESPERSON:
The President of the United States… BUSH: Research on stem cells derived from human embryos may offer great
promise, but the way those cells are derived today destroys the embryo. SUSAN
DENTZER: The publications Science and Nature are now conducting their own investigations
into Hwang’s work. Those inquiries could shed light on how such a flagrant scientific
fraud could have gone undetected in the first place. GWEN IFILL: Ray Suarez
has more on this story. RAY SUAREZ: How does fraud of this scale happen,
and what does it mean for the scientific community? For that we are joined by:
Donald Kennedy, editor of the journal Science, where Dr. Hwang’s work was published
last summer — for the record, Mr.

Genome Discovery Will Help Combat Disease And Lead To New Drugs
Science Daily – Science Daily (press release) – Dec 27, 2005
They also differ considerably in genome size, with Aspergillus oryzae being 31% bigger than Aspergillus fumigatus and 24% bigger than Aspergillus nidulans. Intriguingly, over 30% of the 9,500-14,000 genes identified are new to science and of unknown function and structure. These results are being reported in three different papers in Nature, and reflect the efforts of an international collaboration of scientists and sequencing centres. The University’s Professor David Denning, who coordinated the project, said: "Fungi (including Aspergillus) play a critical role in the earth’s ecosystem, being responsible for almost all degradation of plant material as well as recycling nitrogen. Aspergillus fumigatus is a major constituent of compost, and mould fungi have been important sources of drugs including penicillin and ciclosporin (for transplantation). "However, they are something of a Jekyll and Hyde and also produce toxins known as mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin which can cause liver cancer. Aspergillus causes a life-threatening infection for transplant and leukaemic patients, as well as being a major allergen for asthmatics… "Identifying these genome sequences will transform scientific understanding of why this group of fungi is so lethal and allergenic. The importance of the project in helping develop new drugs and diagnostic tests, and understand and prevent allergies and diseases like pneumonia and sinusitis, cannot be overestimated. The information revealed will also develop our understanding of the biology of composting and mycotoxin production, and provide benefits for many other areas of science and medicine. "

Adapted from materials provided by.

DUTCH DRUGGING NOT FOR FREEDOM
Free Market News Network – Dec 27, 2005
United States Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, used products made from hemp, and praised the hemp plant in some of their writings. Under the laws written by today's politicians, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be considered a threat to society–they would be arrested and thrown in prison for the felony crime of growing plants. No other natural resource offers the potential of hemp. Cannabis Hemp is capable of producing significant quantities of paer, textiles, building materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, oil, ink, and fuel. Unlike other crops, hemp can grow in most climates and on most farmland throughout the world with moderate water and fertilizer requirements, no pesticides, and no herbicides. Cannabis Hemp (also known as Indian Hemp) has enormous potential to become a major natural resource that can benefit both the economy and the environment. Something I found on www… Under the laws written by today's politicians, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would be considered a threat to society–they would be arrested and thrown in prison for the felony crime of growing plants. No other natural resource offers the potential of hemp. Cannabis Hemp is capable of producing significant quantities of paer, textiles, building materials, food, medicine, paint, detergent, varnish, oil, ink, and fuel. Unlike other crops, hemp can grow in most climates and on most farmland throughout the world with moderate water and fertilizer requirements, no pesticides, and no herbicides. Cannabis Hemp (also known as Indian Hemp) has enormous potential to become a major natural resource that can benefit both the economy and the environment. Something I found on www.

The History Of Glivec
Medical News Today – Dec 27, 2005
Deininger MW, Goldman JM, Lydon N, et al. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor CGP57148B selectively inhibits the growth of BCR-ABL-positive cells.

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL
CNN International – Dec 27, 2005
The areas lighting up so brightly are the two sides of the hippocampus, but on a PTSD patient, the hippocampus isn’t lighting up at all. There’s no focus of activity. A study in the “New England Journal of Medicine” found that one in eight troops home from Iraq met the criteria for PTSD. Some leading psychiatrists think that estimate is too high, but with more than 160,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, there’s no doubt thousands are at risk. Now the military is playing a bigger role in research, hoping to help soldiers like Esteban Lora. Fort Drum in upstate New York is home to the Army’s tenth mountain division, 14,000 soldiers, including some of the first units on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. This spring, Fort Drum’s chief psychiatrist starts a groundbreaking study with scientists from the National Center for PTSD, the same researchers who examined my brain… FILLHOWER: I’m starting to remember more things than I used to, but I’m focusing more on what I’m doing. GUPTA: But Linda is still having trouble finding words. JENKINS: Especially for you know, like fruits and vegetables and things of that nature. GUPTA: Neither one has stuck to the plan 100 percent but Dr. Small says even one lifestyle change could mean not only a better memory, but possibly delaying Alzheimer’s disease. SMALL: For example, eating fish once a week or just walking 10 minutes a day. If everybody did that and if all our assumptions were true, we would reduce the number of cases in the United States by a million in just five years.