Biological substances, poisoning

Specific poisonings cyanide, methanol, ethylene glycol, hydrocarbons, volatile solvents, heavy metals, herbicides and pesticides, biological substances (overdose of medicinal drugs is dealt with under individual agents)... 

Effects of Sesquiterpene Lactones on Seed Germination. Sesquiterpene lactones are common constituents of the Asteraceae but are also found in other angiosperm families and in certain liverworts (31,32). These highly bitter substances exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities (J 3) which include cytotoxicity, anti-tumor, anti-microbial, insecticidal (34) and molluscicidal (35) properties. Furthermore, they are known causes for livestock poisoning and contact dermatitis in humans (33). Structure-activity relationship studies on sesquiterpene lactones have demonstrated that biological activity frequently depend on the presence of the cr... 

A Poison. New method for measuring diffusion constants of biologically active substances. Nature 154 823, 1944. 

Shulga V., Delayed neuro-endocrine toxicity indused by organophosphorus compounds-natural consequence of poisonous substances application for terrorist purpose , In Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Terrorism -Chemical Terrorism and Tramautism, Alexander Monov and Christophor Dishovsky, eds, Publishing House of the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, 2005 ( in press). 

Hazard Class A series of nine descriptive terms that have been established by the UN Committee of Experts to categorize the hazardous nature of chemical, physical, and biological materials. These categories are flammable liquids, flammable solids, explosives, gases, oxidizers, radioactive materials, corrosives, poisonous and infectious substances, and dangerous substances. 

De Heves/s work launched the use of isotopes in biology and medicine, and it won him the 1943 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Our normal instincts are to put as much distance as possible between ourselves and radioactive substances, for indeed radiation can be lethal. But the poison is in the dose, as Paracelsus was fond... 

What is most remarkable is that cells can produce proteins with strikingly different properties and activities by joining the same 20 amino acids in many different combinations and sequences. From these building blocks different organisms can make such widely diverse products as enzymes, hormones, antibodies, transporters, muscle fibers, the lens protein of the eye, feathers, spider webs, rhinoceros horn, milk proteins, antibiotics, mushroom poisons, and myriad other substances having distinct biological activities (Fig. 3-1). Among these protein products, the enzymes are the most varied and specialized. Virtually all cellular reactions are catalyzed by enzymes. 

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