Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Bio-terrorism / Terrorism News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/bioterrorism/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. Immune System / Vaccines Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169881.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169881.php Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, announced today that it is expanding its product catalogue to include a consumer-ready kit for the detection of black mold. The lethal toxin can make homes in areas of high humidity or flood-damaged homes inhabitable and cause serious health complications. Public Health Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169768.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169768.php Responders to the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks, who were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the 9/11 disaster, suffer from asthma at a rate more than twice that of the general US population, according to new research presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169677.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169677.php A drug currently under development by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine may help bone fractures heal more quickly after radiation exposure, according to a study by Pitt researchers. The study's results were presented during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Chicago. The drug, JP4-039, is a free-radical scavenger targeted to the mitochondria, the energy generator of all cells. Bones / Orthopaedics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169328.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169328.php Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, announced that it will showcase the latest developments in bio-weapons detection technology, including the TS-10-5-agent biodetection kit, at Milipol Paris 2009. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166381.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166381.php Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are developing new sensors to detect chemical agents and illegal drugs which will help in the fight against the threat of terrorist attacks. The devices will use special gel pads to 'swipe' an individual or crime scene to gather a sample which is then analysed by a scanning instrument that can detect the presence of chemicals within seconds. This will allow better, faster decisions to be made in response to terrorist threats. IT / Internet / E-mail Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166356.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166356.php Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB:UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, announced today that the company has entered an agreement with U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service to become a Featured U.S. Exporter (FUSE) of bioterrorism monitoring equipment in France. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165915.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165915.php Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that it was awarded a cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to further the development of one of Emergent's advanced anthrax vaccine candidates known as dmPA7909. The novel vaccine candidate is designed to have characteristics that will make it ideal to meet the U.S. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165880.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165880.php The most effective way to prevent the deliberate misuse of biological select agents and toxins (BSATs) - agents housed in laboratories across the U.S. considered to potentially pose a threat to human health - is to instill a culture of trust and responsibility in the laboratory, says a new report from the National Research Council. Focusing on the laboratory environment will be critical for identifying and reducing concerns about facilities or personnel. Biology / Biochemistry Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165614.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165614.php A new report from the National Research Council, RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH WITH BIOLOGICAL SELECT AGENTS AND TOXINS, assesses the efficacy of regulations, procedures, and oversight that have been instituted to safeguard against the deliberate misuse of biological select agents and toxins (BSAT) used in research. The report looks at security programs designed to protect against external threats, as well as internal threats from laboratory personnel. Biology / Biochemistry Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164486.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164486.php Universal Detection Technology (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies and counter-terrorism training programs to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats, announced today that it will be showcasing its TS-10-5-agent biodetection kit at Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164435.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164435.php This workshop will focus on effectively communicating information during a terrorism attack. Journalists, government officials, emergency managers, science/engineering/health experts, and others will participate in a tabletop terrorism scenario exercise designed specifically for Baltimore. This will be the 17th such workshop in a nationwide series and the first during the Obama administration. The project is a joint effort of the National Academy of Engineering, the U.S. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164047.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164047.php Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS) announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Restanza(TM) (cethromycin), its novel, once daily oral antibiotic, for the prophylactic treatment of plague and tularemia. Both tularemia and plague are classified by the Centers for Disease Control as Category A Bioterrorism Agents, which is the highest priority classification. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163721.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163721.php People who live through an extreme traumatic experience such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks or an airplane crash often have the capacity to bounce back or even grow to a higher level of functioning and personal strength, according to a University at Buffalo researcher and expert in the effects of horrifying trauma. Psychology / Psychiatry Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163723.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163723.php When a terrorist bomb explodes, a tornado rips through a town, a hurricane devastates a region, or wildfires ravage homes and businesses, plastic surgeons are not typically atop the list of emergency responders. But they should be, UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons and disaster experts recommend in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Aid / Disasters Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163570.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163570.php Security personnel need to be able to find explosive materials and persons who have been in contact with them. To aid such searches, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the Department of Homeland Security, has developed a new certified reference material, Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2905, Trace Particulate Explosives. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163572.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163572.php A chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has demonstrated a relatively simple, inexpensive method for detecting and measuring elusive hazards such as concealed explosives and toxins, invisible spoilage in food or pesticides distributed in soil by wind and rain. IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163380.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163380.php Scientists discover a gene in anthrax-causing bacteria may help defend against this form of bio-warfare. Spread of the deadly disease anthrax by spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis is a known terrorism risk and protection includes finding ways to treat the disease, according to an academic paper reviewed by Faculty of 1000. Scientists from the University of California (San Diego) have identified a gene in B. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163078.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163078.php Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. The research is significant because anthrax is considered a major bioterrorism threat. The current anthrax vaccine is intended mainly for members of the armed forces serving in areas considered high risk and for individuals involved in homeland biosecurity. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162388.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162388.php Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS), announced positive results from an animal study involving its novel, once-a-day, oral antibiotic Restanza(TM) (cethromycin) that was conducted to measure Restanza's therapeutic efficacy in treating inhalation anthrax after symptoms of infection had developed. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162354.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162354.php A method to detect contaminants in municipal water supplies has undergone further refinements by two Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers whose findings are published on line in Water Environment Research. The new work demonstrates that the technology that uses algae as sentinels has broader applications than previously reported, according to authors Miguel Rodriguez Jr. and Elias Greenbaum of the Department of Energy's ORNL. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162347.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162347.php Floods, forest fires, bombings, swine flu: In less than a decade, Europe has witnessed a series of large-scale natural disasters, widespread illness and two major terrorist attacks. Catastrophes do not recognize national borders, and policy makers have increasingly realized that cooperation within the Union is a necessary prerequisite for efficient crisis management. Consequently, the EU Member States are seeking more multilateral cooperation. Aid / Disasters Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161759.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161759.php The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) have awarded $664,019 to the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) for collaborative research to develop Bayesian methods for syndromic surveillance. IT / Internet / E-mail Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159862.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159862.php Large number of individuals, such as recovery and rescue workers, nearby residents and office workers, who experienced intense or prolonged exposure to the World Trade Center attack have reported new diagnoses of asthma or posttraumatic stress 5-6 years after the attack, according to a study in the August 5 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159819.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159819.php An article published Online First exposes the facts of the poisoning of Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko in 2004. It is the work of Professor Jean Saurat, from the Swiss Centre for Human Applied Toxicology, and the University Hospital, in Geneva, Switzerland, and his collaborators. It establishes that there is a need for routine analytical techniques to test for metabolites of TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) which is a type of dioxin and the poison that was used. Bio-terrorism / Terrorism