Antidote
hideAn antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against".
The antidotes for some particular toxins are manufactured by injecting the toxin into an animal in small doses and extracting the resulting antibodies from the host animals' blood. This results in an antivenom that can be used to counteract poison produced by certain species of snakes, spiders, and other venomous animals. A number of venoms lack a viable antivenom, and a bite or sting from an animal producing such a toxin often results in death. Some animal venoms, especially those produced by arthropods (e.g. certain spiders, scorpions, bees, etc.) are only potentially lethal when they provoke allergic reactions and induce anaphylactic shock; as such, there is no "antidote" for these venoms because it is not a form of poisoning, though anaphylactic shock can be treated (e.g., by the use of epinephrine).
Some other toxins have no known antidote. For example, the poison ricin, which is produced from the waste byproduct of castor oil manufacture, has no antidote, and as a result is often fatal if it enters the human body in sufficient quantities.
For more information about Antidote, read the full article at
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News tagged with antidote
Designing drugs and their antidotes together improves patient care
Oct 04, 2009 |
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Imagine a surgical patient on a blood-thinning drug who starts bleeding more than expected, and an antidote that works immediately - because the blood thinner and antidote were designed to work together. Researchers at Duke ...
Questions and answers about pain medicine dangers
Jul 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A Food and Drug Administration panel has recommended limits on Tylenol and other drugs containing acetaminophen because of risks for liver failure. Maximum recommended doses for over-the-counter Tylenol would be ...
No evidence that WHO-recommended treatment for insecticide poisoning improves survival
Jun 30, 2009 |
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A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine finds no evidence to suggest that a controversial antidote recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to treat patients poisoned with highly toxic ...
Researchers devise a fast and sensitive way to detect ricin
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Apr 08, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a simple, accurate, and highly sensitive test to detect and quantify ricin, an extremely potent toxin with potential use as a bioterrorism ...
Search results for antidote
Common herbal medicine may prevent acetaminophen-related liver damage
Nov 17, 2009 |
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A well-known Eastern medicine supplement may help avoid the most common cause of liver transplantation, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding came as a surprise to ...
Medication effective for acute liver failure in early stages of disease
Oct 08, 2009 |
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The antidote for acute liver failure caused by acetaminophen poisoning also can treat acute liver failure due to most other causes if given before severe injury occurs, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers ...
Relieve headaches by knowing the cause
Aug 28, 2009 |
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When it comes to fighting headaches, instant gratification is ideal. It's easy to pop a couple of pain pills and move on with your daily activities. But doctors say the most common remedy used by headache sufferers could ...
Living together: The best way to divorce-proof a marriage?
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Aug 19, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Young adults see living together as the best way to protect against divorce, not as an alternative to marriage, a University of Michigan researcher says.
Implant bacteria, beware: Researchers create nano-sized assassins
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jun 26, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
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Staphylococcus epidermidis is quite an opportunist. Commonly found on human skin, the bacteria pose little danger. But S. epidermidis is a leading cause of infections in hospitals. From catheters to prosthetic ...
Windows washer: Meet Microsoft's antidote to Vista
Apr 19, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Julie Larson-Green hopes you'll like Windows 7. If not, well, now you and a billion other people know whom to blame.
Stem cells could halt osteoporosis, promote bone growth
Mar 04, 2009 |
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While interferon gamma sounds like an outer space weapon, it's actually a hormone produced by our own bodies, and it holds great promise to repair bones affected by osteoporosis. In a new study published in the journal Stem Ce ...
Injections of licorice ingredient show promise as treatment for cocaine addiction
Feb 20, 2009 |
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An ingredient in licorice shows promise as an antidote for the toxic effects of cocaine abuse, including deadly overdoses of the highly addictive drug, researchers in Korea and Pennsylvania are reporting. Their study is in ...
Italy's geologic history becomes a personal tale in Walter Alvarez's new book
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 22, 2008 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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Italy's mountains, from the Apennines to the Alps, have fascinated University of California, Berkeley, geologist Walter Alvarez for more than 35 years, resulting in a new book, "The Mountains of Saint Francis," that traces ...
Researchers use nanoparticles to deliver treatment for brain, spinal cord injuries
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 01, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
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Purdue University researchers have developed a method of using nanoparticles to deliver treatments to injured brain and spinal cord cells. A team led by Richard Borgens of the School of Veterinary Medicine's Center for Paralysis ...
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