Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/bioterrorism/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241418.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241418.phpFingerprints, ballistics, DNA analysis and other mainstays of the forensic science toolkit may get a powerful new crime-solving companion as scientists strive to develop technology for "fingerprinting" and tracing the origins of chemical substances that could be used in terrorist attacks and other criminal acts...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241258.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241258.phpSusceptibility to anthrax toxin is a heritable genetic trait that may vary tremendously among individuals, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Among 234 people studied, the cells of three people were virtually insensitive to the toxin, while the cells of some people were hundreds of times more sensitive than those of others...Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241080.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241080.phpMeticulous forward planning, effective casualty assessment by a senior surgeon and efficient teamwork by medical and administrative staff are essential when handling injuries sustained in major terrorist incidents...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241001.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241001.phpIn response to recent actions of the U.S...Bird Flu / Avian Flu Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240840.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240840.phpScientists have engineered a new strain of H5N1 (commonly known as bird flu) to be readily transmitted between humans. Two perspectives being published early online in Annals of Internal Medicine, the flagship journal of the American College of Physicians, raise concerns about if and how this research should be continued, and how the data should be shared for the benefit of public health...Bird Flu / Avian Flu Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240690.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240690.phpA Georgetown University Medical Center professor says the voluntary action taken by two research teams to temporarily halt work involving the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 is "laudable...Bird Flu / Avian Flu Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240311.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240311.phpResearchers at the University of Oviedo (Spain) have come up with a way of tagging gunpowder which allows its illegal use to be detected even after it has been detonated. Based on the addition of isotopes, the technique can also be used to track and differentiate between wild fish and those from a fish farm, such as trout and salmon...Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239985.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239985.phpMore than a decade after 9/11, the "FirstView" section online in Psychological Medicine published results of a study in which the association between two signature health problems amongst WTC first responders was examined, namely respiratory illness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was led by Benjamin J. Luft, M.D., an Edmund D...Anxiety / Stress Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239976.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239976.phpResults of an investigation analyzing the association between the two signature health problems - post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and respiratory illness - among recovery workers who responded first at the World Trade Center (WTC), have been revealed after more than a decade following the terrorist attacks on the WTC. The study was led by Benjamin J. Luft, M.D., the Edmund D...Anxiety / Stress Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239777.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239777.phpResearch on the H5N1 influenza (bird flu) virus' human transmissibility is seriously starting to worry WHO (World Health Organization) experts - in a written statement, the authors express concern about the potential risks linked to this research. The possible negative consequences of some experiments are serious and potentially dangerous...Bird Flu / Avian Flu Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239233.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239233.phpScientists are reporting development of a first-of-its-kind technology that could help law enforcement officials trace the residues from terrorist attacks involving nerve gas and other chemical agents back to the companies or other sources where the perpetrators obtained ingredients for the agent...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239510.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239510.phpImagine this, our worst nightmare becomes our reality: as anticipated, the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus that kills most people it infects has acquired the ability to transmit easily from bird to human and then from human to human and has reached pandemic proportions...Bird Flu / Avian Flu Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239105.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239105.phpThe World Trade Center disaster exposed nearly half a million people to hazardous chemicals, environmental toxins, and traumatic events. According to research published in the December 2011 issue of Elsevier-published journal Preventive Medicine, this has resulted in increased risk of developing physical and mental health conditions after 9/11...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239012.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239012.phpTerrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility, according to a study that appears in the online open access Journal of Pharmacy Practice, published by SAGE. Thanks to their extensive knowledge of toxic agents, and how to treat those who have been exposed, pharmacists are an invaluable resource in the event of an actual or potential chemical weapons attack...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238397.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238397.phpThe family of Florida photo editor, Robert Stevens, who died following an anthrax attack, is to receive a payout of $2.5 million from the US government. According to court filings, Maureen Stevens will no longer pursue other claims. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2003, claimed government negligence because it did not stop somebody at U.S...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238214.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238214.phpHow will the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July change the country? That question has been put to three social scientists at the University of Stavanger (UiS). "Norwegians are still in a state of shock," says professor Odd Einar Olsen. "These incidents were so extensive and gruesome that people need time to come to terms with them...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Fri, 25 Nov 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238245.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238245.phpProQares a leading provider of testing, evaluation and certification services for protective equipment against chemical hazards announced a partnership with U.S.-based Rapid Pathogen Screening, Inc. (RPS®) a leading developer of point-of-care diagnostic tests, to deploy ChemTox™ in numerous countries throughout the European and Asia Pacific regions...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237983.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/237983.phpMetabolic syndrome biomarkers predict subsequent decline in lung function after particulate exposure, according to new research involving rescue personnel exposed to World Trade Center (WTC) dust...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236735.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236735.phpOne of the things that makes inhalational anthrax so worrisome for biodefense experts is how quickly a relatively small number of inhaled anthrax spores can turn into a lethal infection...Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236745.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236745.phpExposure to television coverage of terrorism causes women to lose psychological resources much more than men, which leads to negative feelings and moodiness. This has been shown in a new study, conducted at the University of Haifa and soon to be published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping, that examined the differences between men and women in a controlled experiment environment...Anxiety / Stress Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236779.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236779.php Terrorists could use the potentially deadly Anthrax bacteria on an attack against the United States, and there is plenty of vaccine stockpiled for use against this and other possible biological agents of warfare. However they have never been tested on children so the effectiveness and possible side effects of the vaccines are unknown in children...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236244.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/236244.phpWhy did the approval ratings of President George W. Bush - who was perceived as indecisive before September 11, 2001 - soar over 90 percent after the terrorist attacks? Because Americans were acutely aware of their own deaths. That is one lesson from the psychological literature on "mortality salience" reviewed in a new article called "The Politics of Mortal Terror...Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235474.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235474.phpThe Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report last Friday that provides guidance to U.S. public health officials to develop plans to pre-position antibiotics that can be distributed to the general public in the case of a large-scale anthrax attack. Tia Powell, M.D...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235411.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235411.php 1. Key to Thwarting Bioterrorism Threat Lies in Clinicians' Ability To Recognize Signs Ten Years Later, Doctor Who Identified Anthrax Case Reflects on Lessons Learned October 2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the anthrax attacks that led to one of the largest epidemiologic and criminal investigations in U.S. history...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235344.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/235344.phpAs part of preparations for a possible large-scale anthrax attack, public health officials on the state and local levels should determine where and how anthrax-preventing antibiotics should be stored in their communities, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine...Bio-terrorism / Terrorism