Copyright 2008 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 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114009.php Bacteria that cause pneumonic plague can evade our first-line defences, making it difficult for the body to fight infection. In fact, a signature of the plague is the lack of an inflammatory response. Now, scientists have discovered a way to protect against death following infection with plague bacteria, by using molecules that can mimic the pathogens. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113487.php Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) have identified a cell type believed to play a role in controlling the early infectious process against Francisella tularensis, a respiratory pathogen and bioterrorism agent that is the cause of tularemia. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113082.php Terrorist organisations are using the internet increasingly to recruit and radicalise potential supporters. This is the finding of Dr Lorraine Grieve from Leeds Trinity and All Saint's University College who presented her findings on Thursday 26 June 2008 at the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology's Annual Conference which was held at the Edinburgh Conference Centre, Heriot-Watt University. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112926.php Researchers have shown that a new class of ultraviolet photodiode could help meet the U.S. military's pressing requirement for compact, reliable and cost-effective sensors to detect anthrax and other bioterrorism agents in the air. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112535.php The Health Protection Agency and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are to collaborate on a major £3.5million research programme to combat the threat of chemical terrorism. Agency and Dstl scientists will join forces to develop new and improved ways of protecting the public from the accidental or deliberate release of toxic substances. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111100.php Security and law enforcement officials may some day have a new ally - a universal detection system that can monitor the air for virtually all of the major threat agents that could be used by terrorists. This type of system is under development by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers, and has already been tested in laboratory and field experiments. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110924.php The 97h Annual Meeting of the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) will be held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta from Wednesday, June 18 through Sunday, June 22, 2008. Approximately 750 psychoanalysts, students, and other mental health professionals are expected to attend. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111051.php BioNeutral announced the results of tests utilizing its Ygiene(TM) formulation to kill anthrax spores on contact. This chemical technology is designed to be used by the military and first responders in conjunction with any suspected anthrax exposure. "The Ygiene(TM) formulation killed all anthrax spores exposed to the formulation in as little as 15 seconds," said Dr. Philip Tierno, the Principal Investigator on the project. Dr. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110383.php The inspirational night dream, or ruya, is a fundamental, inspirational and even strategic part of the militant jihadist movement in the Middle East and elsewhere. This is the conclusion of a study of the reported dreams of many of the best-known al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders carried out by Dr Iain Edgar a social anthropologist at Durham University. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109178.php In civil war, rebel groups often target civilians despite the fact that their actual target is the government and that they are often dependent on the support of the civilian groups they attack. This may seem illogical, but there are rational reasons for this type of violence. Swedish peace and conflict researcher Lisa Hultman describes these reasons. Thu, 29 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109006.php A two-year UN study of internationally funded training programmes in biotechnology and biosafety warns that as many as 100 developing countries are unprepared to effectively manage and monitor the use of modern biotechnologies, leaving the world community open to serious biosafety threats. Wed, 28 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108988.php People everywhere have to be free of large-scale catastrophes to pursue their dreams and enjoy life. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal agency charged with protecting our nation from terrorist attacks and making it a more secure place to live, work and visit. Mon, 26 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/108732.php New spray-on films developed by UC San Diego chemists will be the basis of portable devices that can quickly reveal trace amounts of nitrogen-based explosives. Contaminated fingerprints leave dark shadows on the films, which glow blue under ultraviolet light. One of the films can distinguish between different classes of explosive chemicals, a property that could provide evidence to help solve a crime, or prevent one. Tue, 13 May 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107173.php The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation's first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107029.php The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation's first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. Thu, 08 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106694.php A survey of US hospitals and emergency rooms suggests they would not be able to cope with the surge of casualties that might follow a terror attack. The one day survey of 34 major hospitals was carried out by a House of Representatives oversight committee that is investigating the potential impact of plans by the Bush administration to cut Medicaid funding. Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106423.php If you use one of America's top Internet service providers, you may share server space with an organization that enables worldwide terrorism, says a new study by Tel Aviv University. A workshop on terrorist organizations and the Internet was organized for the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) by the Netvision Institute for Internet Studies (NIIS) and the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis & Forecasting, both of Tel Aviv University. Tue, 06 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106393.php Highlighting North Carolina State University's leadership in hazard and disaster studies, NC State's Dr. Thomas Birkland was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to recruit and mentor young researchers to study disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 terrorist attacks. The effort will focus on pairing newly minted Ph.D. Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106340.php Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced that it has completed the acquisition of all assets and rights related to a recombinant protective antigen (rPA) anthrax vaccine product candidate and related technology from VaxGen, Inc. Recent improvements to the rPA vaccine, specifically related to stability, suggests that it is well positioned to be a leading candidate for an award under a request for proposal (RFP) recently issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106344.php Two American companies are teaming up for second-round test-phase production of a FDA-designated "fast track" drug candidate to treat smallpox, a deadly virus that is feared to be able to reach people through acts of bio-warfare or bio-terrorism. Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106135.php If you have a nagging feeling that life is getting increasingly hazardous, you may be interested in the new book, "Operational Risk Management," by Mark D. Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University. The book contains 15 case studies of major disasters, including September 11, Hurricane Katrina and the losses of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/104389.php There's safety (and security) in numbers... especially when those numbers are random. That's the lesson learned from a DHS-sponsored research project out of the University of Southern California (USC). The research is already helping to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles, and it could soon be used across the country to predict and minimize risk. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103557.php Biological Psychiatry, in its upcoming April 15th issue, is publishing a critically important commentary written by its Editors, members of its Editorial Committee, and its Editorial Board. This commentary is an urgent public statement, highlighting the increasing problem of terrorist acts, by individuals affiliated with groups such as the Animal Liberation Front, against investigators conducting research in non-human primates in the United States. Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103367.php Everybody knows microwaves - but what are terahertz waves? These higher-frequency waves are a real jack-of-all-trades. They can help to detect explosives or drugs without having to open a suitcase or search through items of clothing. They can reveal which substances are flowing through plastic tubes. Doctors even hope that these waves will enable them to identify skin cancer without having to perform a biopsy. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103067.php In the event of an outbreak or a bioterrorist attack, rapid identification of the genetic changes responsible for virulence or drug resistance is essential to mounting an effective response. Standard DNA sequencing and analysis of a pathogen genome is time-intensive and likely impractical during an emergency. Researchers have now developed a comparative genomics strategy to drastically reduce the time needed to accurately identify unique genetic properties of a potential outbreak strain.