Cyanotoxins: A Poison that Frees Phosphate

Cyanotoxins: A Poison that Frees Phosphate

Autotrophic organisms obtain phosphorus from the environment by secreting alkaline phosphatases that act on esters, resulting in inorganic phosphate that is then taken up. New work shows that the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon ovalisporum obtains inorganic phosphate by secreting the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin, which induces alkaline phosphatase in other phytoplankton species.

Botulinum toxin the poison that heals: A brief review

Botulinum neurotoxins, causative agents of botulism in humans, are produced by Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic spore-former Gram-positive bacillus. Botulinum neurotoxin poses a major bioweapon threat because of its extreme potency and lethality; its ease of production, transport, and misuse; and the need for prolonged intensive care among affected persons. This paper aims at discussing botu...

Searching for a Poison in a Poison

chlorinated biphenyl (PC8I mixtures had been described previously. High mortality, liver damage, and edema were associated with only two of the three PCB5. Using column and gas chromatography, several compounds were identified in the diethylether fracdon of these two PCBs. A chick embryo assay confirmed the high toxicity of this fraction. Mass spectremetric and microcoulometric analyses indicat...

Frees – Insurance Portfolio Risk Retention

In this paper, I introduce a tool for managing a portfolio of insurance risks. This tool is based on changes in the risk profile when changes in a risk parameter, such as a deductible, coinsurance, or upper policy limit, are made. I refer to the new statistic as a risk measure relative marginal, or RM, for short, change. The theory underpinning the development of this tool draws from the manage...

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.