Common Toxic Substances: A Blog Review
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Welcome to Common Toxic Substances: A Blog Review, a u.osu site dedicated to the toxicologic analysis of substances I find interesting. In this blog, you will find analyses of the superwarfarin Brodifacoum, metal Aluminum, solvent Benzene, and, finally, the Gila Monster’s venom. Each toxin was chosen for a specific reason, as discussed below.
Brodifacoum
I chose the superwarfarin Brodifacoum due to my interest in cardiology pharmacy as well as my familiarity with warfarin itself. As opposed to warfarin, this superwarfarin is capable of producing toxic levels of vitamin K inhibition with just a single dose.
Aluminum
I next chose aluminums due to the myriad of medical misinformation that circulates online regarding aluminum in vaccines as well as aluminum’s abundance in the earth.
Benzene
I chose the solvent benzene due to its well-established toxicity and leukogenic effects. I was interested in learning more behind the true mechanisms of its hematotoxicity and leukogenic effects.
Gila Monster Venom
My final post covers Gila Monster envenomation due to a crucial peptide isolated from said venom – exendin-4. Due to its similarity to endogenous human GLP-1, this peptide gave rise to an entire class of incredibly effective type-2 diabetes treatments known as GLP-1 analogues.
In all, I hope you enjoy the blog and learn something about each toxic substance reviewed!