The BIOFIRE System and Your Immune System

The BIOFIRE System provides syndromic infectious disease testing, which allows healthcare providers to choose the right test the first time. Patients benefit from quicker diagnosis and a more targeted treatment. Clinicians benefit from better stewardship of antibiotics. Labs improve efficiency and cost savings.

The BioFire Pneumonia Plus Panel (PN panel) analyzes native sputum (including mini-BAL) and endotracheal lavage and bronchoalveolar slurries (including mini BAL) for 33 clinically significant pathogens and resistance genes to antimicrobials within an hour.

Respiratory

The burning of biomass (wood plants, agro-forestry and other organic material) produces gaseous pollutants and fine particles that adversely affect the respiratory system. Climate change can make it more difficult to reverse the negative impacts of forest fires on human health.

In the United States, wildfire smoke has been linked to hospitalizations for respiratory diseases like asthma, COPD and lung cancer. Furthermore, this type of air pollution can be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and a major cause of disease in the most vulnerable populations that include those with lower socioeconomic status (SES).

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

Researchers are currently evaluating the best methods to safeguard the public's health in future events of this type. NIH funds research on this crucial public health issue through the BLUE CORAL and FIRE CORAL studies.

For the first time an prospective cohort study will assess long-term outcomes from exposure to smoke from wildfires and other sources. FIRE CORAL recruits adult participants who are hospitalized for COVID-19 index episode and who speak English or Bioethanol corner fireplace Spanish, but are not pregnant. The protocol for FIRE CORAL includes a set of tests conducted in-person, objectively measuring lung function tests and pulmonary imaging, as well as functional assessment.

The lungs are particularly sensitive to the effects of smoke and other particles due to the fact that they can trigger or exacerbate chronic respiratory conditions such as emphysema, asthma and COPD, and increase the risk of pneumonia. There are a variety of steps that can be taken to stop or reduce the adverse health effects of exposure to smoke, including avoiding outdoor activities when feasible and wearing the EPA's "N95" mask that is designed to trap fine particles.

Smoking cigarettes can cause irritation to the eyes, throat and nose. To reduce the symptoms, the lungs should be flushed by drinking lots of fluids and bio flame fireplace taking medications that reduce inflammation, such as corticosteroids.

Bloodstream

Your bloodstream is at the forefront of fighting germs that invade your body. Dendritic cells, which are special cells, are akin to your fire department's call center. they gather antigens (molecules that trigger an immune response) from invading germs and release proteins to alert other white blood cells to come to fight them. The total white blood cells, differentials and band cells grew after firefighters' fire-fighting duties, compared to levels after intense exercise without firefighting.

Skin

As the wildfires in California produced smoke and ash into the air over the course of fall and winter dermatologists were concerned how it could affect the skin of those exposed to it. Maria Wei is a graduate student from University of California, Irvine. She investigates how the extreme pollution from wildfires affects the skin. Her research was published on April 22 2012 in Scientific Reports.

Wei's research shows 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 the skin of someone to reach their "flash point"--the moment at which it starts to burn and then turn ashy. That's why it's important to not stay near a fire or campfire, and why you should wear protective clothing if you go outside in the midst of a forest fire or even the heat of the day.

Forest fires will continue occur, despite the steps taken to prevent wildfire pollution. Wei is forecasting that the number of people suffering from the consequences of wildfires will increase as climate change causes more forests to burn. This means that more people will be required to wear long sleeves, hats, and thick moisturizers.

The air pollution from wildfires can increase the severity of atopic skin dermatitis which is a condition that causes itchy skin in a lot of people. She says that the particles in smoke can block pores, making atopic skin worse.

Atopic dermatitis can cause people to be more sensitive to UV light. This can be made worse by smoke from wildfires. This can result in people looking for tanning salons and tannish with less protection.

A treatment with ice and fire can help reduce atopic skin symptoms of dermatitis however it is not advised for anyone who has an open wound or rash. Patients who suffer from acne are advised to avoid it, and if you're nursing or pregnant, it is best to steer clear of this treatment altogether. The IS Clinical Fire & Ice Facial located at Novuskin Las Vegas' premier membership MedSpa is a result-driven, intensive facial that bridges a mild facelift and a peel, but without the need for time off. It's designed to smooth skin, improve rosacea and decrease acne scarring and fine lines, as well as stimulate cellular renewal. It's an amazing treatment that will give you radiant skin.

Infections

The human body is comprised of a complex system of organs and tissue that work together in order to guard against infection. Infections are caused by microscopic microorganisms like parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi that infect healthy cells and cause them to replicate out of control. When this happens, your immune system may respond by displaying symptoms of illness. These symptoms could range from a runny or stuffy nose to a stomach upset, but they can also include a fever high swelling of the glands, an itchy rash. The severity of your symptoms may be affected by the nature of the disease, its location, and even your temperature.

Infections can spread in a variety of ways but the most prevalent are transmitted from person to person through droplets that linger in the air after coughing or sneezing. Bacterial diseases like strep throat, tuberculosis, meningococcal disease, and Legionnaires disease spread this way, along with some viral infections, such as the common cold and influenza. Some bacterial infections, such as skin infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) like gonorrhea or Chlamydia, can be transmitted through direct contact with infected tissue or ethanol tabletop fire pit mucous membranes or by indirect contact with contaminated surfaces. Certain bacterial diseases are transmitted by bugs like ticks, mosquitoes or fleas, local and are transmitted when they bite you.

Some parasites and viruses are small enough to enter your bloodstream and infect your cells which can lead to serious diseases like the common cold or AIDS. Fungi can cause a variety of skin ailments, like ringworm and athlete's foot. Some infect the lungs or nervous system, such as the rabies virus.

The BioFire PN Panel employs our unique FilmArray technology to test for an extensive list of pathogens that are involved in upper respiratory infections in sputum and samples of bronchoalveolar fluid. The kit comes with a reagent kit that includes all the chemistry required to perform reverse transcription, nested multiplex PCR and detection in a single machine. It's a simple solution to aid clinicians in identifying and treat patients suffering from a variety of respiratory symptoms. This test has been given an Emergency Use Authorization. It's available in bioMerieux CLIA medium and high complexity labs.