The BIOFIRE System and Your Immune System

The BIOFIRE System provides syndromic infectious disease testing, empowering healthcare professionals to choose the right test, the first time. Patients benefit from quicker diagnosis and more targeted treatments. Clinicians benefit from improved stewardship of antibiotics. https://www.fireplacesandstove.com/categories/bioethanol-fireplaces save money and gain efficiency.

The BioFire Pneumonia Plus Panel (PN panel) tests native sputum (including mini-BAL), endotracheal lavage, and bronchoalveolar liquids (including mini BAL) for 33 clinically significant pathogens and resistance genes to antimicrobials in one hour.

Respiratory

The burning of biomass, including plants, wood and other organic materials produces gaseous pollutants and fine particles that adversely affect the respiratory system. Climate change may increase the negative effects of forest fires to human health.

In the United States wildfire smoke is associated with hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses like asthma, COPD, and lung cancer. In addition, this type of air pollution is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and a major cause of disease for the most vulnerable population which includes those who are of lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Wildfires have led to unhealthy levels of air pollution in many communities during the COVID-19 epidemic. The response to public health has been limited to a communication campaign on symptom management. This knowledge gap is alarming given the evidence that smoking and other sources of poor quality air can lead to health problems.

Researchers are now looking at the best methods to safeguard public health in future events of this type. NIH is a research institution that studies this important public health issue through the BLUE CORAL and FIRE CORAL studies.

First time an prospective study will evaluate long-term outcomes of exposure to smoke from wildfires and other sources. FIRE CORAL is a study that seeks adult participants who are hospitalized for COVID-19 index episode and who speak English or Spanish, but are not pregnant. The protocol for Fire Coral includes a battery in-person assessments that objectively measure pulmonary function testing lung imaging and functional assessment.

Smoke and other particles can trigger or worsen respiratory problems like emphysema COPD, and pneumonia. A variety of steps can be taken to prevent or reduce the adverse health effects from short-term exposures to smoke, including avoiding outdoor activities when possible and using the EPA's "N95" mask that is designed to trap fine particles.

Smoking can cause irritation of the eyes and throat, and lead to a runny nose. To reduce the symptoms the lungs must be flushed by drinking lots of water and taking medicines that decrease inflammation, like corticosteroids.

Bloodstream

Bloodstream is the first line of defense against germs that invade your system. Dendritic cells are specialized cells that are like the fire department's call centre; they gather antigens (molecules that trigger an immune response) from germs that are invading your body and release proteins that alert other white blood cells to fight them. The total white blood cells, differentials, and band cells increased following firefighters' fire-fighting duties as compared to levels following strenuous exercise without fire-fighting.

Skin

Dermatologists were concerned that the smoke and ash of the California wildfires could have negative effects on the skin of those exposed to the smoke and ash. Maria Wei is a graduate student from University of California, Irvine. She examines how extreme wildfire pollution affects the skin. Her research was published on April 22, 2012 in Scientific Reports.

Wei's research has shown that the temperature of the skin changes based on the length of time that the body is exposed to flames. It can take as long as two hours for a skin to reach its flash point, the temperature at which it starts to burn and then turns to ash. That's why it's important to not stay near an open flame or campfire and why you must wear protective clothing when you go outside during a forest fire or even just the heat of the day.

While it is important to be aware of the dangers of wildfire pollution, there is no way to stop forest fires from happening. Wei predicts that as the climate changes cause forests to burn more quickly, the number of people suffering from wildfires will grow. That means more people will need to wear long sleeves, hats and thick moisturizers.

It's also worth noting that the atopic dermatitis (itchy skin) that a lot of people suffer from can be exacerbated by air pollution from wildfires. She claims that the particles in smoke can block pores and cause atopic skin to become worse.

Another issue is the fact that atopic dermatitis tends to make people more sensitive to UV light, which may be aggravated by wildfire smoke. This can cause people to be more likely to seek out tanning salons, and can also cause people to tan less protection than they ought to.

While a cold and fire facial may help reduce the effects of atopic dermatitis, it's not recommended for anyone with an open wound or rash on their face. This treatment is not recommended for people with active acne or if you're pregnant or nursing. The IS Clinical Fire & Ice Facial at Novuskin, Las Vegas' premiere membership MedSpa, is an intensive result-driven facial that bridges the gap between a gentle facial and a peel without requiring any downtime. It is designed to resurface skin, reduce rosacea, decrease fine lines and acne scarring, as well as stimulate cellular renewal. It's an incredible treatment to give yourself radiant skin.

Infections

The human body is comprised of a complex system of organs and tissue that work together to protect us against infections. Infections are caused by microscopic microorganisms like parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi that infect healthy cells and cause them to reproduce beyond control. If this occurs your immune system can respond with symptoms of illness. The symptoms could range from a runny or stuffy nose to stomach ache and can include a fever that is high or swollen glands. You may also experience a rash. The nature of the infection and its location can affect your symptoms.

Infections can be spread through a variety of methods however the most common are from person to person by droppings that hang in the air after sneezing or coughing. This is how bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis, strep and meningococcal disease as well as viral infections such a common cold and influenza, spread. Some bacteria-related infections, like skin infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia, can be transmitted through contact with infected tissue or mucous membranes or by indirect contact with contaminated surfaces. Some bacterial infections are spread by insects like fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes.

The virus and the parasites are small enough to get into your bloodstream and infect your cells, which can cause serious illness such as the common cold and AIDS. Fungi can cause a variety of skin ailments such as ringworm and athlete's foot. Other types affect the lungs or the nervous system, like the rabies virus.

The BioFire Panel utilizes our unique FilmArray Technology to test the bronchoalveolar and sputum samples to provide a complete list of pathogens that are involved in upper respiratory infections. The kit comes with the reagent pouch which stores all the necessary chemistry to perform reverse transcription PCR, nested multiplex testing and detection on a single machine. It's an easy-to-use solution to help clinicians syndromicly identify and treat patients with various respiratory symptoms. This test has received an Emergency Use Authorization and is available through bioMerieux's CLIA moderate and high-complexity labs.