Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Personal Exposure Monitors Show Pharmacy Workers Inhale Drugs When Using Air Pressure-Activated Dispensing Machines
AlburtyLab released a report on its comprehensive evaluation of health risks for workers in pharmacies using air pressure-activated drug dispensing machines. The study tested pharmacy workers wearing personal exposure monitors (PEMs) while using the two leading types of air pressure-activated dispensing technologies - the McKesson/Parata Max and the McKesson/Parata RDS. This is the third major study conducted by AlburtyLab examining the issues relating to pharmacy worker exposure.
generic viagra online
Caffeic Acid Inhibits Colitis In A Mouse Model
Researchers at Iowa State University have found that increased expression of a form of cytochrome P-450 (CYP4B1) is a key marker of inhibition of colitis in mice by caffeic acid, an anti-inflammatory antioxidant compound widely distributed in foods. The results, which appear in the June 2009 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, implicate CYP4B1, a form of cytochrome P450 previously found to be associated with resolution of allergic inflammation in another model. The normalization of CYP4B1 by caffeic acid treatment was associated with significant lessening of colitic damage, assessed by examining colon histopathology. In comparison with rutin, an anti-inflammatory flavonoid and hypoxoside extract, a botanical known as African potato previously shown to protect against colitis, all three compounds had anti-inflammatory effects, suppressing myeloperoxidase, IL-17 and iNOS and increasing IL-4, known factors associated with inflammation responses. But only caffeic acid protected against the dextran sulfate sodium induced colitis. Its novel mechanism related to CYP4B1 is being studied further. The research team, Zhong Ye, a graduate student in Toxicology, along with Microbiology graduate students Zhiping Liu and Abigail Henderson, Visiting Scientist Kwangwon Lee, Korea University, Dr. Michael Wannemuehler, Veterinary Microbiology, Dr. Jesse Hostetter, a veterinary pathologist, and Dr. Suzanne Hendrich, Toxicologist and Nutritionist, performed studies in 8 week old mice fed the various dietary components and then exposed to dextran sulfate sodium in a mildly irritating dose to induce colitis. Dr. Hendrich noted that "this study of caffeic acid will help us to advance studies of botanicals and plant foods with respect to their ability and mechanisms of inhibiting colitis, and perhaps colon cancer, because colitis increases risk for this disease".
News of the day
Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Announces 59 Projects For Funding
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission (Commission) has completed its evaluation of the 147 applications in response to its three official Requests for Applications (RFAs). The board of directors of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) reviewed the Commission"s recommendations today and approved 59 projects totaling $18.9 million in funding through the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) under the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006.
Cardiovascular

Personal Exposure Monitors Show Pharmacy Workers Inhale Drugs When Using Air Pressure-Activated Dispensing Machines

AlburtyLab released a report on its comprehensive evaluation of health risks for workers in pharmacies using air pressure-activated drug dispensing machines. The study tested pharmacy workers wearing personal exposure monitors (PEMs) while using the two leading types of air pressure-activated dispensing technologies - the McKesson/Parata Max and the McKesson/Parata RDS. This is the third major study conducted by AlburtyLab examining the issues relating to pharmacy worker exposure. The study found that workers were exposed to particles in the size range subject to the most health concerns - 2.5 microns or smaller (characterized by EPA as PM-2.5), and that the particles contained active pharmaceutical agents. It finds that a wide range of pharmaceuticals are inhaled and reports the concentrations observed, again raising serious health concerns. "What"s most concerning is that these particle sizes are known to penetrate the lungs deeply and rapidly enter the bloodstream," said David Alburty, President of AlburtyLab and lead researcher. "We don"t know what the effects will be of inhaling the pharmaceuticals every workday over years of employment." In accordance with best research practices, the AlburtyLab study utilized PEMs, which are small, self-contained sampling systems worn in the breathing zone of staff while working. The PEMs collected samples of airborne particles for analysis. According to Alburty, "This is the third study we have done on this subject. The first two studies focused on air sampling and showed that airborne drug particles were being generated by these machines in significant concentrations. This latest study focused on what is actually being inhaled by a worker in the course of a day on the job. As an aerosol scientist-researcher, I became concerned about exposure for pharmacy workers to the pill dust that is very visible around these machines. Air pressure-activated dispensing causes a great deal of agitation to the pills, and pills are not engineered to absorb the impact. The studies prove that agitation of the pills by pressurized air causes pharmaceutical compounds to be released into the air, creating PM-2.5 pill dust which is then inhaled by pharmacy workers." The AlburtyLab studies are the first to unveil risks to workers and customers in pharmacies arising from pill dust. Previous extensive air quality studies have been performed with respect to personnel safety in coal mines, cotton mills, etc., and those studies have been useful in the development of workplace standards. Alburty recommends that further studies be conducted by federal regulatory agencies to assess human health risks, set guidelines for these types of machines, and establish procedures to monitor the health impact on pharmacy workers. The report also suggests that a federal review determine if it is necessary to conduct a human health risk assessment in pharmacies using PEMs on pharmacy workers (as were employed during this phase of testing) and conducting ongoing health and/or blood and urinalysis monitoring of exposed workers. AlburtyLab, Inc.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009