In the wake of recent terrorist attacks on the United States, the nation's physicians, emergency departments, and other health providers face the challenge of preparing for bioterrorist attacks involving many possible--and largely unfamiliar--biochemical agents.

To help meet this challenge the January/February issue of the American Journal of Therapeutics, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, includes a synopsis of the biological and chemical agents most likely to be used in such attacks. The review provides health workers with the essentials for diagnosis and management of biochemical attacks. It presents information on biological agents - such as anthrax, plague, and smallpox - as well as a range of chemical agents, including pulmonary agents, nerve agents, incapacitating agents, and riot control agents. Information is presented in tabular form for easy reference.

The information is drawn from the electronic Portable Emergency and Primary Care Information Database (PEPID), a comprehensive medical and drug database for health care professionals.

"Following September 11th, the demand, need, and concern encouraged Dr. Mark Rosenbloom to finish development on an entirely new Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons database for PEPID products, and offer this information free to all healthcare professionals. He created a website exclusively for this purpose," says Zafar A. Chaudry, M.D., Director of Editorial Services for PEPID and co-author of Biological and Chemical Agents: A Brief Synopsis. "The article is designed as a quick review for all physicians, presenting the basic information they need to know if they think they may be dealing with any of these threats."

The complete Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons database is available as a free download for PCs or handheld computers at www.biochemweapons.com.

"The free information is not abridged or sample information and contains 100% of the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons text. This information gives the physician the opportunity to use Point-of-Care information on their handheld device or pocket PC," says Chaudry.