Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) may present to the anesthetist in different clinical settings like perioperative care, management of acute painful crisis and intensive therapy for acute respiratory failure. We describe the successful management of a 34-year-old female patient with SCD, posted for cholecystectomy with common bile duct exploration ...

To describe the number of urethral dilations, urethrotomies, and urethroplasties performed on men with a diagnosis of urethral stricture disease seeking care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system in southern California and southern Nevada over a 5-year period. To date, few health services research studies have evaluated patterns ...

A 13-month-old male who ingested 20 diphenhydramine (25 mg) tablets presented with seizures and ultimately progressed to status epilepticus and wide-complex tachycardia. Due to worsening clinical course, hemodialysis was performed with temporal resolution of his symptoms. Hemodialysis may be considered in critically ill diphenhydramine overdoses not responsive to conventional supportive care.

Following major lung resection, patients have routinely been monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU). Recently, however, patients are increasingly being placed in a general thoracic ward (GTW). We investigated the safety and efficacy of the GTW care after lobectomy for lung cancer. 316 patients who had undergone lobectomy for ...

Oral Diseases (2011) Many of the target molecules that reside in blood are also present in oral fluids, albeit at lower concentrations. Oral fluids are, however, relatively easy and safe to collect without the need for specialized equipment and training. Thus, oral fluids provide convenient samples for medical diagnostics. Recent ...

Childhood exposure to environmental lead continues to be a major health concern. This study examined lead content within the plastic of children's toys collected from licensed day care centers in the Las Vegas valley, Nevada. It was hypothesized that the use of lead as a plastics stabilizer would result in ...

Suicide by self-poisoning is a major cause of death worldwide. Few studies have investigated the medical management of fatal self-poisoning. To describe the characteristics and management of a national sample of individuals who died by intentional self-poisoning in hospital and assess the quality of care that they received. National population-based ...

Ancillary care is care that research participants need that is not essential to make the research safe or scientifically valid and is not needed to remedy injuries that eventuate as a result of the research project itself. Ancillary care duties have recently been defended on the grounds of beneficence, entrustment, ...

Three adult Chihuahuas were presented for evaluation after smoke inhalation during a house fire. All three dogs received supportive care and supplemental oxygen. After initial improvement, the dogs developed seizures. Despite anticonvulsant therapy and supportive care, the dogs died. The brains of two dogs were examined. Lesions were identified that ...

The kidney is able to rapidly eliminate many water-soluble xenobiotics (exogenous chemicals). However, in the face of extraordinary serum concentrations of these xenobiotics or renal dysfunction, alternative elimination techniques often become necessary. Extracorporeal removal (ECR) techniques are used to increase the clearance of xenobiotics. These techniques include hemodialysis (HD), charcoal ...

Super-Vasmol, a cheap, freely-available hair dye is emerging as a major cause of suicidal poisoning in India. It contains potential toxins including paraphenylene diamine, resorcinol, sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and propylene glycol which can result in multiorgan dysfunction. A retrospective study was conducted over 3.5 years (January 2006-July 2009) of 13 ...

A 35-year-old so called snake-expert from Thakurgaon district was admitted in Medicine department of Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RpMCH), Rangpur, Bangladesh on 2nd November 2007 with history of bites by a cobra snake. He was famous for his outstanding works to establish a snake farm first ever in Bangladesh. He ...

A case of acute poisoning with nitrobenzene is presented where clinical evaluation and timely management, with repeated intravenous methylene blue helped to save a life. It is important to take care of the secondary cycling of nitrobenzene from body stores in patients presenting late, after heavy exposure.

In order to obtain up-to-date information on the pattern of severe acute poisoning and the characteristics and outcomes of these patients, 265 consecutive patients admitted to an intensive care unit in Hong Kong for acute poisoning from January 2000 to May 2008 were studied retrospectively. Benzodiazepine (25.3%), alcohol (23%), tricyclic ...

The decline in biodiversity is a worldwide phenomenon, with current rates of species extinction more dramatic than any previously recorded. Habitat loss has been identified as the major cause of biodiversity decline. In this article we suggest that a statutory duty of care would complement the current mix of policy ...

Although most poisonings require only supportive care, the emergency physician must recognize when the use of an antidote is required, and understand the risks and benefits of the treatment rendered. Although the more commonly instituted specific therapy in acute poisoning is the administration of intravenous fluids followed by the administration ...

BACKGROUND: Paraquat is an effective and widely used herbicide but is also a lethal poison. In many developing countries paraquat is widely available and inexpensive, making poisoning prevention difficult. However most of the people who become poisoned from paraquat have taken it as a means of suicide.Standard treatment for paraquat ...

The increasing use of non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol for sedation during gastrointestinal endoscopy has both clinical and legal consequences. As medical practices develop, the law of clinical negligence will be applied in the context of such developments. While the law will recognize the desirability of advanced techniques and methods, in circumstances where ...

Few data exist on potentially adverse metaxalone (Skelaxin(R)) ingestions in adults. All metaxalone ingestions involving patients aged >or=20 years during 2000-2006 were retrieved from Texas poison control centers. Exclusion criteria were lack of follow-up or multiple substance ingestion. Cases were analyzed for selected demographic and clinical factors. Of the 142 ...

Numerous studies have described human exposure to heavy metals from diverse sources in Nigeria, but little is known about the exposure from personal care products, and few or no report is available on the personal care product concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc, which have biotic effects. The levels ...

This paper focuses on the legal implications in terms of duties and responsibilities for radiologists and radiologic technologists of independent pre-reading of mammograms by radiologic technologists, so patients could be discharged without being seen by a radiologist. Pre-reading could be effectuated when preconditions are met to perform reserved procedures by ...

The New South Wales Supreme Court has examined the statutory and common law duties of the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission and the New South Wales Medical Board in the recent case of Attorney General (NSW) v Bar-Mordecai [2008] NSWSC 774. The judgment establishes that a professional practice ...

Chinese medicine plays an important role in providing medical care for people in countries with large Chinese communities, including Hong Kong. The aconite herb is one of the commonly-prescribed ingredients for various clinical problems. However, due to its narrow therapeutic index, toxicities are not uncommonly encountered, including life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias ...

INTRODUCTION: Diethylene glycol (DEG) is a clear, colorless, practically odorless, viscous, hygroscopic liquid with a sweetish taste. In addition to its use in a wide range of industrial products, it has also been involved in a number of prominent mass poisonings spanning back to 1937. Despite DEG's toxicity and associated ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Acute poisoning is a medical emergency. It is important to know the nature, severity and outcome of acute poisoning cases in order to take up appropriate planning, prevention and management techniques. This study aimed to assess the pattern and outcome of acute poisoning cases in a tertiary ...

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown the detrimental effects of 19 sub-erythemal exposures to daily ultraviolet radiation (DUVR, which mimics non-extreme exposure conditions), delivered over 4 weeks to volunteers. This source had UVA (320-400 nm) to UVB (290-320 nm) irradiance ratio of 25, instead of that close to 10 that is ...

Venomous bites and stings are complex poisonings that have local and systemic effects. Mild envenomations can be treated with supportive care. Severe envenomations can be treated definitively with species-specific antivenom, although the use of these products has potential risk of immediate and a more delayed onset form of hypersensitivity reactions. ...

Early diagnosis of ethylene glycol poisoning is crucial in order to prevent morbidity and mortality. However, diagnosis can sometimes be delayed because of the false elevation of lactate in some chemistry analyzers as a result of the interference of glycolate, a metabolite of ethylene glycol. We present a case of ...

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose, which can lead to hepatotoxicity, is the most commonly reported poisoning in the United States and has the highest rate of mortality, with more than 100,000 exposures and 300 deaths reported annually (1) . The treatment of choice, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is effective in both oral (PO) and ...

BACKGROUND: In Great Britain (GB), data collected on pesticide associated illness focuses on acute episodes such as poisonings caused by misuse or abuse. This study aimed to investigate the extent and nature of pesticide-related illness presented and diagnosed in Primary Care and the feasibility of establishing a routine monitoring system. ...

Within our everyday life, we are confronted with a variety of toxic substances of natural or artificial origin. Toxins are already used, e.g. in medicine, but there is still an increasing number of toxic compounds, representing a tremendous potential to extract new substances. Since predictive toxicology gains in importance, the ...

OBJECTIVES: Two-pilot operations make up the majority of commercial flights. Fatigue is an important consideration in these operations as there is little opportunity for in-flight rest. We investigated the role of duty length, time of day, and whether one or two sectors were flown on reported fatigue at the top ...

Acquired copper deficiency anemia is rare in humans. This report describes a 38-year-old schizophrenic man with metal pica, especially coins, who presented with symptomatic anemia. Two hundred seventy-five coins were surgically removed from the gastrointestinal tract of this patient during the course of his hospitalization. Some of the post-1981 pennies, ...

We test whether airborne gamma ray spectrometer measurements can be used to estimate levels of radon hazard in the Oslofjord region of Norway. We compile 43,000 line kilometres of gamma ray spectrometer data from 8 airborne surveys covering 10,000 km2 and compare them with 6326 indoor radon measurements. We find ...

This paper reports on research conducted to determine estimates of the extent of environmental noise exposure from road transport on residents and workers in central Dublin, Ireland. The Harmonoise calculation method is used to calculate noise values for the study area while a Geographical Information System (GIS) is utilised as ...

The use of mobile phone telecommunication has increased in recent years. In parallel, there is growing concern about possible adverse health effects of cellular phone networks. We used personal dosimetry to investigate the association between exposure to mobile phone frequencies and well-being in adults. A random population-based sample of 329 ...

OBJECTIVE: Anticholinesterase compounds like organophosphorous and carbamates account for the majority of poisonings by the insecticides class agents. While the toxicokinetic depends on the extent of exposure and also on the chemical structure of the agent, the clinical symptoms range from the classic cholinergic syndrome to flaccid paralysis and intractable ...

We present a 40-year-old man with occupation-induced pemphigus vulgaris (PV). He developed PV within days of a one-time heavy exposure to fumes of burning glyphosate, a broad-spectrum nonselective pesticide. This exposure suggests acute cutaneous contact as a stimulus in the development of his pemphigus. While the patient initially required mycophenolate ...

BACKGROUND: After the tragic events in the early 1960s, thalidomide has re-emerged as therapeutic for multiple myeloma (MM). It was first approved for the treatment of erythema nodosum leprosum, and is now under evaluation for hematologic and non-hematologic disorders. Its complex mechanism of action is not fully understood; however extensive ...

BACKGROUND: Biomass fuel is the primary source of domestic fuel in much of rural China. Previous studies have not characterized particle exposure through time-activity diaries or personal monitoring in mainland China. OBJECTIVES: In this study we characterized indoor and personal particle exposure in six households in northeastern China (three urban, ...

Ergot poisoning is an uncommon but recognized cause of peripheral vascular ischemia and lower extremity gangrene. The traditional management of ergot-related vasospasm includes withdrawal of the inciting compound and supportive care. The authors report a rare case of ergotism related to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) ingestion and describe unconventional treatment ...

The emergence several years ago of SARS, with its high rate of infection and death among healthcare workers, resurrected a recurring ethical question: do health professionals have a duty to provide care to patients with deadly infectious diseases, even at some substantial risk to themselves and their families? The conventional ...

Acutely poisoned children remain a common problem facing pediatricians working in acute care medicine in the United States and worldwide. The management of such children continues to be challenging, and their care has evolved throughout the years. The concept of gastric decontamination in acute poisoning has significantly changed over the ...

Grayanotoxin is a naturally occurring sodium channel toxin which enters the human food supply by honey made from the pollen and nectar of the plant family Ericaceae in which rhododendron is a genus. Grayanotoxin/mad honey poisoning is a little known, but well studied, cholinergic toxidrome resulting in incapacitating and, sometimes, ...

This article reviews recent developments in the formulation and application of biodescriptors to characterize proteomics maps. Such biodescriptors can be derived by applying techniques from discrete mathematics (graph theory, linear algebra and information theory). This review focuses on the development of biodescriptors for proteomics maps derived from 2D gel electrophoresis. ...

Generation of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) such as O(2)(-), H(2)O(2), and *OH is known to be a major mechanism of damage in biological systems. This study investigated and compared effectiveness of scavenging ROI generated in fluoranthene (FLU) pre-fumigated Japanese red pine seedlings. Three kinds of eco-physiological assessments were used to ...

Disorders related to indoor air quality have become a major concern for primary care physicians, who often are asked to evaluate patients whose symptoms may be caused or aggravated by indoor exposure to mold. In this article, we review the common types of indoor mold and discuss the management of ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although environmental levels of polychlorinated biphenyls and certain organochlorine pesticides--hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane and its primary metabolite, dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene--are generally on the decline, early-life exposures to these prevalent contaminants continue. The review will describe current understanding of the potential neurodevelopmental consequences of low-level exposures to these contaminants. RECENT ...

Poisoning is a sparsely studied but major health problem in Vietnam. In this hospital-based retrospective study, the medical records of all cases of poisoning admitted to the Poison Control Center in Hanoi from 1999 to 2003 were carefully reviewed. A total of 1,836 poisoning emergencies were recorded. The female:male ratio ...

We report on the calculation of the next-to-leading-order QCD corrections to the production of W-boson pairs in association with a hard jet at the Fermilab Tevatron and CERN Large Hadron Collider, which is an important source of background for Higgs boson and new-physics searches. The corrections stabilize the leading-order prediction ...