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Environmental Toxins
Published in Gia Merlo, Kathy Berra, Lifestyle Nursing, 2023
Human health is influenced by the air we breathe, the water and food we ingest, and our built environment. The built environment encompasses man-made structures that provide spaces where people live, work, go to school, or take part in recreational activities (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2020). Toxins and toxicants are present in each of these environments. Toxins are poisonous substances produced by animals, plants, or microorganisms such as bacteria. An example of a toxin is botulinum toxin, the bacteria that causes botulism. Toxicants are man-made toxic chemicals such as pesticides. The phrase “environmental toxins” typically encompasses both toxins and toxicants and will be used throughout this chapter.
Infertility
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
For men, mayoclinic.org states that although most types of infertility are not preventable, these strategies may help: Avoid drug and tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption.Avoid high temperatures (e.g., avoid hot tubs and steam baths).Avoid exposure to industrial or environmental toxins.Limit medications that may impact fertility, to include both prescription and non-prescription drugs.Exercise moderately. Regular exercise may improve sperm quality and increase the chances for achieving a pregnancy.1
Postmenopause
Published in Carolyn Torkelson, Catherine Marienau, Beyond Menopause, 2023
Carolyn Torkelson, Catherine Marienau
This is a good time to talk about the benefits of eating organic food. The main reason is to minimize your exposure to environmental toxins. Although the integrative and naturopathic community has recommended organically and locally grown food for the past few decades, conventional medicine has never done so. However, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a higher frequency of organic food consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cancer.12
Snakebite-associated thrombotic microangiopathy: a spotlight on pharmaceutical interventions
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, 2023
Tina Noutsos, Geoffrey K Isbister
Snake venoms cause death and disability via multiple different and potentially fatal clinical toxin syndromes, one of which is venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC). There are a broad range of different clinical toxin syndromes, including neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and hemotoxicity [4]. Particular syndromes are associated with specific snake genera and species, dependent on the composition of the respective snake’s venom. Hemotoxins cause coagulopathy, and there are a diverse variety of these hemotoxins from multiple snake groups. Circulating blood clotting factors are the most common targets of snake venom hemotoxins [5–8]. Hemotoxic venoms are broadly categorized by their mechanism of action as either procoagulant (with an activating effect on clotting factor/s leading to activation of the clotting cascade) or anticoagulant (inhibitory effect on clotting factor/s) [9]. Procoagulant toxins lead to activation of the clotting cascade and VICC [8]. VICC is the most common form of coagulopathy in snakebite [10,11]. The major complication of VICC is bleeding, which can be fatal [6].
Himalayan poisonous plants for traditional healings and protection from viral attack: a comprehensive review
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Shriya Pathania, Diksha Pathania, Priyanka Chauhan, Mamta Sharma
There are numerous plants that are poisonous but contain various medicinal values. A plant when contacted or ingested inadequate amount can be hurtful or deadly to an organic entity or any plant skilled inspiring a poisonous and lethal response. Verifiably, we have discovered that everything is harmful; it is just the portion that isolates the poisonous from the nonpoisonous. Indeed, even water is poisonous if a huge sum (4–5 liters) is burned-through in a generally brief timeframe (2–3 h). In the Siddha medicinal system use of poisonous plants helps to cure some diseases. It is significant to have mindfulness regarding the poisonous plants which when used in the proper, prescribed dose, acts as potent therapeutic agents (Tamilselvan et al. 2014). Toxins are molecules that are harmful to every living organism. It is a fact that virtually any substance can be harmful at high enough concentrations-as Paracelsus (1493–1541) said in the sixteenth century, “the dose makes the poison”. Poisons include both naturally produced compounds and chemicals manufactured by humans.
Advances and required improvements in methods to diagnosing Clostridioides difficile infections in the healthcare setting
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2021
Masako Mizusawa, Karen C Carroll
Ultrasensitive toxin assays have much lower limits of detection compared to conventional toxin EIAs. The sensitivity of toxin detection may improve in the future when those assays become available for clinical use. For the institutions that use NAAT testing alone with pre-agreed institutional testing criteria, PCR CT values may be helpful for gauging the likelihood of positive toxin assays and severity of clinical disease. There is currently no reliable method to differentiate between C. difficile colonization and CDI. Quantification of toxins by ultrasensitive toxin assays failed to distinguish asymptomatic carriers from patients with CDI and toxin concentrations cannot be used for differentiation between colonization and infection. Evaluating patients from the host response perspective is another approach for diagnosis of CDI. C. difficile toxins are known to be potent activators of the innate immune response and biomarkers have potential for differentiating patients with CDI from asymptomatic carriers who have diarrhea due to other causes. This promising area requires additional exploration. Future diagnostic tests may use metabolomics to characterize gut dysbiosis as a method to detect C. difficile specific volatile and nonvolatile compounds. Currently, the technology to accomplish this in clinical laboratories needs to be further developed.