Incidents Chicago

In the more recent Chicago outbreak of Salmonellosis, which has been attributed to milk contaminated with a tetracycline-resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium. there were two deaths verified as resulting from infections with the resistant strain of Salmonel la in 16 284 confirmed cases. If one pools these cases with those cited in the NRDC petition then the incidence of mortality (0.09%) is similar or than that of persons affected by antibiotic-sensitive Salmone1 la (0.21%) also cited by NRDC. Thus the similarity of risks of human infections with resistant and sensitive strains of SaImone 11a agrees with research data obtained in controlled experiments (Smith 15). 

Over the past decade two forms of vibrational optical activity have become established. One is called vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), the extension of electronic circular dichroism into the infrared vibrational region of the spec-tram. The first measurements of VCD were reported by George Holzwarth and co-workers at the University of Chicago in 1973 for crystals (3) and 1974 for neat liquids (4). In VCD one measures the small difference in the absorption of a sample for left versus right circularly polarized incident infrared radiation. The early stages of the development of VCD have been reviewed from several perspectives (5-8). 

Bottles of Tylenol , a common pain reliever, were found to contain sodium cyanide that had purposely been placed there. Seven deaths occurred in Chicago. The murderer has never been found. This incident caused stricter packaging guidelines for the pharmaceutical industry. Most drugs now are sealed into their containers with a plastic or metal wrapping that cannot be removed without it being noticed. 

Locally the numbers are even more dramatic. In a similar eight-year period (between 1991 and 1998), the rate of heroin-related incidents at area hospitals increased by 413% in Miami, 288% in Chicago, and 238% in St. Louis. 

Fisher E, Brosgart C, Cohn D,Chaloner K, Pulling C, Semetter B, Alston B, El-SadrW, CPCRA 039Team. Safety of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) and incidence of proximal tubular disorders (PRTD) in a placebo-controlled trial in patients with advanced HIV disease. 6 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Chicago 1999 (abstract 678). 

Interest in vitamin A and its synthetic analogs as a potential factor in the prevention and treatment of certain types of cancer has been growing. In addition, there is evidence that vitamin A may be related to pollutant toxicity. Recent epidemiological studies in humans with a sample of 8000 men in Chicago showed a low lung cancer incidence in those with a high vitamin A level in the diet, while the incidence was higher in those people with a low dietary vitamin A. Experimental studies show that rats exposed to PCB, DDT, and dieldrin caused a 50% reduction in liver vitamin A store. In another study, rats deficient in retinol were shown to have a lowered liver cytochrome P-450 activity. The effect of vitamin A deficiency on MFO enzymes, however, depends on several factors such as substrate, tissue, and animal species. 

In 1995, the Air Route TrafQc Control Center, Fremont, CaUfomia, lost power, causing radar screens covering Northern California, Western Nevada, and 18 million square miles of Padlic Ocean to go dark for 34 min while 70 planes were in the air, almost resulting in two separate midair collisions. In another incident, a worker in downtown Chicago cut into a cable and brought down the entire Air Route Traffic Control Systan for thousands of square miles. 

Ralph DJ, Woodhouse CRJ, Ransley PG (1992) The management of the neuropathic bladder in adolescents with imperforate anus. J Urol 148 366-368 Rivosecchi M, Lucchetti MC, Zaccara A et al (1995) Spinal dysraphism detected by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with anorectal anomalies incidence and clinical significance. J Pediatr Surg 30 488-490 Stephens FD, Smith ED (1971) Ano-rectal malformations in children. Year Book, Chicago... 

July 17, 1983, was a day that will live in infamy in the petroleum refining industry. On that day, 16 men and 1 woman lost their lives at the Unocal (now Citgo) Chicago Refinery (actually located in Lemont, Illinois). Months later, I was hired to investigate the cause of this terrible incident. 

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