The BIOFIRE System and Your Immune System

The BIOFIRE System provides syndromic infectious disease testing, empowering healthcare providers to select the most appropriate test the first time. Patients benefit from quicker diagnosis and more targeted treatment. Clinicians benefit from improved stewardship for antibiotics. Labs save money and bio flame fireplace gain efficiency.

The BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia plus panel (PN panel) tests native sputum, endotracheal aspirate, and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens (including mini-BAL) for 33 pathogens that are clinically relevant and antimicrobial resistance genes with semiquantitative results within an hour.

Respiratory

The burning of biomass (wood, plants and other organic material) produces gaseous pollutants as well as fine particles of matter that adversely affect the respiratory system. Additionally, the environmental issues caused by forest fires, such as droughts, can be potentiated by climate change, increasing the negative effects on human health.

In the United States wildfire smoke is associated with hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses like asthma, COPD, and lung cancer. This kind of pollution to the air also increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and is a major cause of the burden of disease among the most vulnerable populations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of communities were exposed levels of air pollution due to wildfires. However the public health response to this environmental issue has been sporadic and mostly focused on educating people regarding symptom management. This knowledge gap is alarming given the evidence that smoking cigarettes and other sources of poor quality air can lead to health problems.

Researchers are currently assessing the best ways to protect public's health in the event of future events of this nature. NIH invests in 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 as well as other sources. FIRE CORAL enrolls adults who are hospitalized for COVID-19 index episodes and who speak English or Spanish however, they are not pregnant. The FIRE CORAL protocol includes a series of tests conducted in-person, objectively measuring the pulmonary function test and lung imaging, as well as functional assessments.

Smoke and other particles can trigger or worsen chronic respiratory conditions like emphysema COPD, and pneumonia. Smoke exposure can cause adverse consequences for health. To lessen or stop these effects, you should avoid outdoor activities and wear the EPA "N95" mask. The mask is designed to catch fine particles.

Smoke can also cause irritation to the throat and eyes and lead to the nose to run. To minimize symptoms, drink plenty of water, and take medications that reduce inflammation, such as corticosteroids.

Bloodstream

Your bloodstream is at the forefront of fighting off germs that enter your body. Dendritic cells, which are special cells, are like your fire department's call center; they take antigens (molecules that trigger an immune response) from invading germs and release proteins to signal other white blood cells to come to fight them. The total number of white blood cells, differentials, and band cells grew after firefighters' fire-fighting duties in comparison to levels after vigorous exercise that did not include firefighting.

Skin

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

Wei's research shows that the temperature of a person's skin varies 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 a person to reach its "flash point"--the place where it begins to burn and then turn ashy. It is important to avoid staying near a fire pit or campfire and wear protective clothing if outdoors built in bioethanol fireplace a humid or hot day.

Forest fires will continue to occur, despite the measures implemented to reduce the risk of fires from causing pollution. Wei predicts that as the climate changes cause forests to burn faster, the number of people suffering from wildfires will grow. This means that more people will need to wear long sleeves, hats and thick moisturizers.

It's also worth noting that atopic dermatitis (itchy skin) that many people suffer from can be made worse by wildfire air pollution. She claims that the particles in smoke can clog up pores and cause atopic skin to become worse.

Another issue is that atopic dermatitis is known to make people more sensitive to UV light, which may be aggravated by wildfire smoke. This could lead to people looking for tanning salons and tannish with less protection.

While a fire and ice facial may help reduce the effects of atopic dermatitis it's not recommended for anyone who has an open wound or rash on their face. This treatment is not recommended for those with active acne or if you are pregnant or nursing. The IS Clinical Fire & Ice Facial, at Novuskin Las Vegas' premier membership MedSpa is a result-driven, intensive facial that bridges an easy facelift and a peel, without requiring downtime. It's designed to rejuvenate skin, improve rosacea, reduce the appearance of acne scars and fine lines and stimulate cellular regeneration. This is a great treatment to give your skin a radiant glow.

Infections

The human body is a complicated system of organs and tissues that work to shield us from infections. Infections are caused by microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungus that invade healthy cells and cause them to reproduce out of control. When this occurs, your immune system may respond by displaying symptoms of illness. These symptoms could range from a runny nose to an upset stomach, but can also include an increase in fever, swelling of lymph glands, or an skin rash. The nature of the infection and its location can impact the symptoms.

Infections can be spread through a variety of methods but the most prevalent are from person to person via droplets that remain in the air after sneezing or coughing. Bacterial diseases like tuberculosis and strep throat meningococcal disease and Legionnaires disease spread in this manner, as do certain viral infections such as the common cold and influenza. Certain bacterial infections, such as skin infections and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) like gonorrhea and chlamydia, are spread by contact with infected tissue or mucous membranes as well as indirect contact with surfaces that are contaminated. Certain bacterial infections are transmitted by insects like mosquitoes, ticks or fleas, and are spread by bites from these bugs you.

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

The BioFire Panel uses our innovative FilmArray technology to analyze the bronchoalveolar and sputum samples to provide a complete list of pathogens involved in upper respiratory infections. The kit comes with an reagent pouch that houses all the chemistry needed to perform reverse transcription PCR, nested PCR and detection using a single machine. This is a simple method that aids clinicians in identifying and treat patients suffering from several respiratory symptoms. This test has been issued an Emergency Use Authorization. It's available in bioMerieux CLIA medium and high complexity labs.