Money E verybody knows Poison Centers save lives and recent research proves they also save money. Using data from cases managed by the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center , researchers at the UA College of Pharmacy compared the costs of treating drug medication overdoses and household chemical exposures with, and without, the services of a regional poison center. In each comparison, researchers showed that a poison center was substantially more cost-effective than the treatment of poison exposures without access to a poison center. The research demonstrated that the average cost for patients treated through a poison center was less than half that achieved without the services of a poison center. T he study of the immune system of sharks has major implications for understanding how the immune system works in human health and disease, according to researchers in the UA Department of Microbiology and Immunology, one of the nation's leading centers in the study of shark molecular biology.
Sharks also can explain the origins of the immune system in evolution, experts say.
Sharks have disease-fighting antibodies much like those of humans. These very strong naturally occurring antibodies may be used to develop a new generation of antibiotics. Sharks also provide an excellent model for studying autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Although sharks have apparent immune shortcomings, they are extremely hardy and rarely get sick. Sharks have a profound immune response and their study will provide better understanding of human disease.