Admissions to the Cardiff Poisons Unit involving paracetamol poisoning (1989–2002)

In this study, the trends in paracetamol poisoning were examined over more than a decade in Cardiff and compared with patterns for other substances taken in overdose. All data concerned patients aged 14 years and over of both genders, who were referred to the Cardiff Poisons Treatment Unit between 1989 and 2002. The Chi-squared test for trend was used. During the 14-year study period, there were 18,834 admissions to the hospital, involving poisoning either with pure paracetamol or paracetamol in combination with other drugs (37%, N = 6975), and the proportion of admissions with paracetamol poisoning increased from 36% in 1989 to 44% in 2002. Paracetamol was the second most common drug associated with admissions related to poisoning to the Cardiff Poisons Treatment Unit (37%), after alcohol (48%). Thus, paracetamol poisoning remains a major public health concern in the UK.     

Adult respiratory distress syndrome in human organophosphate poisoning cases

Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinical syndrome which occurs due to various direct or indirect noxious agents and pyhsical mechanisms. One of the etiological factors is ingested chemicals (e.g. paraquat, ethylene glycol). The organophosphorous (OP) insecticides are the most toxic and frequently encountered chemicals that produce poisoning in humans. Studies were undertaken to investigate whether OP insecticides may produce ARDS. Fifteen autopsy cases due to suicidal OP insecticide poisoning were investigated. Toxicological analyses were performed with a gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphorous detector (GC-NPD). Methamidophos, dimefox and dichlorvos were the detected OP. Lungs were examined macroscopically. Two cases showed features compatible with ARDS in which the only cause of death was OP poisoning. Due to the severity of ARDS it is important to assess insecticidal exposure in an attempt to enhance survival patterns following OP poisoning in patients in order to initiate therapy.     

Unintentional Wildlife Poisoning and Proposals for Sustainable Management of Rodents

In Europe, bromadiolone, an anticoagulant rodenticide authorized for plant protection, may be applied intensively in fields to control rodents. The high level of poisoning of wildlife that follows such treatments over large areas has been frequently reported. In France, bromadiolone has been used to control water voles (Arvicola terrestris) since the 1980s. Both regulation and practices of rodent control have evolved during the last 15 years to restrict the quantity of poisoned bait used by farmers. This has led to a drastic reduction of the number of cases of poisoned wildlife reported by the French surveillance network SAGIR. During the autumn and winter 2011, favorable weather conditions and high vole densities led to the staging of several hundreds of Red Kites (Milvus milvus) in the Puy‐de‐Dôme department (central France). At the same time, intensive treatments with bromadiolone were performed in this area. Although no misuse has been mentioned by the authorities following controls, 28 Red Kites and 16 Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) were found dead during surveys in November and December 2011. For all these birds, poisoning by bromadiolone as the main cause of death was either confirmed or highly suspected. Other observations suggest a possible impact of bromadiolone on the breeding population of Red Kites in this area during the spring 2011. French regulation of vole control for plant protection is currently under revision, and we believe this event calls for more sustainable management of rodent outbreaks. Based on large‐scale experiments undertaken in eastern France, we propose that direct control of voles at low density (with trapping or limited chemical treatments) and mechanical destruction of vole tunnels, mole control, landscape management, and predator fostering be included in future regulation because such practices could help resolve conservation and agricultural issues. Envenenamiento No Intencional de Fauna Silvestre y Propuestas para un Manejo Sustentable de Roedores.     

Epidemiology of centipede exposures reported to Texas poison control centers, 1998–2004

Centipedes are found globally, including the southern United States. Although centipede bites may cause pain, the bite is generally not considered life threatening. The present retrospective investigation studied the epidemiology of centipede exposures reported to Texas poison control centers. Cases were all human exposures reported during 1998–2004 that involved centipedes. There were totally 851 cases. Among the cases with a known patient age, 16% were less than 6 years of age, 19% were 6–19, and 65% were greater than 19 years. Females accounted for 55% of the patients with known gender. The reported centipede exposures were managed on site (outside of a health care facility) in 93% of the cases. Of the 305 cases with a known clinical outcome, 82% had minor effects. Cases exhibited a seasonal trend, with most of the reports occurring during July–September. There was no clear geographic pattern to the reported centipede exposures, although the highest rate occurred in West Texas. Dermal irritation or pain was reported in 73% of cases and the treatment by decontamination via irrigation was reported for 76% of the cases during 2000–2004.     

Pattern of lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers, 1998–2006

The purpose of this study was to describe a large number of lionfish envenomations reported to poison control centers. Cases were lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers during 1998–2006. The distribution of cases was determined for selected parameters. A total of 188 cases were identified. Of the cases with a known location of envenomation, 94% involved the finger or hand. The patient was male in 72% of the cases, and the mean age was 32 years (range 4–65 years). The most frequently reported adverse clinical effects were dermal pain (89%) and a puncture or wound (66%). The most commonly reported treatments were immersion in hot water (84%) and tetanus antitoxin/status (48%). Patients with lionfish envenomations reported to Texas poison control centers were most often adults and males. The reported adverse clinical effects were typical of lionfish envenomations, and the treatments were generally consistent with the recommended guidelines.     

腹泻性贝毒素软海绵酸的昆明系小鼠生物学检测法的建立

为完善腹泻性贝毒素软海绵酸(Okadaic acid,OA)的小鼠生物学检测技术,以昆明系小鼠为实验材料,应用小鼠生物学检测法检测了OA的毒性.用不同浓度OA标准溶液通过腹腔注入19～21g昆明系小鼠体内,观察其中毒症状,确定1个鼠单位(MU)所代表的毒素剂量,并且建立剂量-死亡时间曲线.结果表明,昆明系小鼠经OA腹腔注射后中毒症状和死亡时间具有明显剂量效应关系,其剂量-死亡时间曲线方程为y=600.57x-2.257,其中y代表致死时间(h),x代表剂量(μg);将死亡时间t变为时间倒数1/t,对OA的毒性MU取对数(即logMU),得直线回归方程为y=0.5363x+0.1295,R2=0.9488,p<0.01,其中y代表OA毒素剂量单位的对数(1ogMU),x代表小鼠死亡时间倒数(1/t),R2为可决系数.通过该方程计算得出,1个鼠单位(MU)所对应的OA剂量值约为4.015μg,其95%置信限为3.826～4.204μg.     

Amygdalin in bitter and sweet seeds of apricots

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) poisoning due to amygdalin (AMY) in apricot seeds is one of the public health issues in Turkey. The aim of this study was to investigate the AMY content of 13 different apricot seeds including bitter and sweet ones, and which are either sulfurized or roasted. The AMY content was determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography. Release of HCN was predicted and total amount of seeds which can cause poisoning was calculated. The mean AMY content of bitter seeds was 26 ± 14 mg g^?1 and that of sweet seeds was 0.16 ± 0.09 mg g^?1. The consumption of small amounts of bitter seeds may cause cyanide poisoning.     

阿维菌素对意大利蜜蜂(Apis mellifera L.)的毒性影响

通过单次饲喂高浓度阿维菌素药液以及连续饲喂亚致死浓度阿维菌素药液进行意大利蜜蜂的经口染毒,从而探讨阿维菌素对意大利蜜蜂的急性及慢性毒性影响。结果表明,阿维菌素对意大利蜜蜂急性经口毒性48 h半数致死剂量(48 h-LD50)为0.00700μg a.i.·蜂-1,慢性经口毒性240 h每日半数致死剂量(240 h-LDD50)为0.000308μg a.i.·蜂-1·天-1。在亚致死效应方面,0.0233 mg a.i.·L-1和0.0467 mg a.i.·L-1处理组在168 h后摄食量出现明显的减少,说明阿维菌素中毒已经严重影响意大利蜜蜂的觅食和摄食能力。同时,由于摄食量的下降以及阿维菌素的毒性作用,造成了0.0467 mg a.i.·L-1处理组意大利蜜蜂体重的大幅度下降,试验前后的体重变化率达到-54.84%。意大利蜜蜂爬行能力的测定结果显示,各处理组的爬行通过率均低于对照组,特别是0.0117 mg a.i.·L-1处理组、0.0233 mg a.i.·L-1处理组和0.0467 mg a.i.·L-1处理组(P0.05)。综上所述,阿维菌素对意大利蜜蜂的急性经口毒性为高毒,较高剂量染毒会引起意大利蜜蜂的直接死亡;此外,长期接触较低浓度的阿维菌素,一方面会损害意大利蜜蜂的运动能力,如爬行、飞行能力的减弱;另一方面意大利蜜蜂生理方面也会遭到威胁,表现为摄食量下降、体重减轻,甚至死亡。因此,在施用该农药时应尽量避开蜜蜂栖息地,同时避免在蜜源植株花期时施用。     

Error propagation in spatial modeling of public health data: a simulation approach using pediatric blood lead level data for Syracuse,New York

Lead poisoning produces serious health problems, which are worse when a victim is younger. The US government and society have tried to prevent lead poisoning, especially since the 1970s; however, lead exposure remains prevalent. Lead poisoning analyses frequently use georeferenced blood lead level data. Like other types of data, these spatial data may contain uncertainties, such as location and attribute measurement errors, which can propagate to analysis results. For this paper, simulation experiments are employed to investigate how selected uncertainties impact regression analyses of blood lead level data in Syracuse, New York. In these simulations, location error and attribute measurement error, as well as a combination of these two errors, are embedded into the original data, and then these data are aggregated into census block group and census tract polygons. These aggregated data are analyzed with regression techniques, and comparisons are reported between the regression coefficients and their standard errors for the error added simulation results and the original results. To account for spatial autocorrelation, the eigenvector spatial filtering method and spatial autoregressive specifications are utilized with linear and generalized linear models. Our findings confirm that location error has more of an impact on the differences than does attribute measurement error, and show that the combined error leads to the greatest deviations. Location error simulation results show that smaller administrative units experience more of a location error impact, and, interestingly, coefficients and standard errors deviate more from their true values for a variable with a low level of spatial autocorrelation. These results imply that uncertainty, especially location error, has a considerable impact on the reliability of spatial analysis results for public health data, and that the level of spatial autocorrelation in a variable also has an impact on modeling results.     

贵州省务川地区土法炼汞工人汞蒸汽暴露调查及健康影响评价

为探讨土法炼汞过程中汞蒸汽暴露对炼汞工人健康的影响,测定了贵州省务川土法炼汞区和对照区(贵州省长顺县)人群的尿汞、尿常规参数(pH、葡萄糖、尿胆红素原、潜血、尿蛋白)、尿肌酐和尿β2微球蛋白含量,并对两地区人群进行了详细的健康检查．测定结果显示,土法炼汞区人群尿汞和尿β2微球蛋白的平均含量分别高达779μg·g-1 Cr 和208．5μg·g-1 Cr,远远高于对照区人群的尿汞1．24μg·g-1 Cr和尿β2微球蛋白75．4μg·g-1 Cr．分析表明,务川地区土法炼汞人群遭受了较严重的汞蒸汽暴露,部分暴露人群已经表现出轻度慢性汞中毒的症状,其肾脏已经遭受到一定程度的损伤．     

End-users’ knowledge,attitude, and behavior towards safe use of pesticides: a case study in the Guanting Reservoir area,China

Pesticides are widely used in China for crop protection. However, the use of some highly toxic and accumulative pesticides has led to serious pollution to the environment. The knowledge that end-users of pesticides have about hazards is important for the prevention of acute poisoning. Moreover, farmers, especially those who purchase and use pesticides, often make important and long-standing impacts on the local ecosystem and environment. In this study, a specially designed questionnaire was used to collect information on their knowledge, attitude, and behavior related to pesticides in the Guanting Reservoir area, north of China. Most pesticide end-users reported that they took incomplete preventive measures for lack of extensive pesticide knowledge and information. Pesticide information, instruction, and training among farmers should be promoted, and governmental intervention is needed to ensure proper management regarding public health risks and environmental hazards.     

国产八角药用植物资源

根据14个国家94个标本馆所收藏的近万份八角科标本的分类学研究,本文确认中国现有八角科植物24种,分布于黄河流域以南的19个省区,其中15种有药用功能,它们于18个省区的467个县。本文给出了国产八角科植物分种检索表,记录了各个药用种类的分布和各自的主要医药用途,还就资源开发利用、综合药用功能、中毒解毒等方面作了讨论或报道。     

铅污染与儿童健康

鉴于我国青少年铅中毒趋势的不断递升，文章从多方面论述了铅中毒的来源，找出铅中毒的对策。通过阐述铅中毒的现状和临床症状，以引起全社会的广泛关注和重视。解决有关健康和环境的问题，需要多部门的综合协调完成，只有整个社会都关心环境问题，重视对环境的综合治理，才能有效推进预防儿童铅中毒的工作,铅污染才能真正得到解决。     

Lupine calls to Texas poison control centers, 1998–2005

Many lupine species (Genus Lupinus) contain toxic compounds, although the amount of these substances varies by the plant part and species. This investigation described the epidemiology of 138 lupine exposures reported to Texas poison centers during 1998–2005. Almost 88% of the lupine exposure calls occurred in March and April, and 90% of the calls came from the central portions of the state. Sixty-one percent of the calls involved female patients, and 91% of the patients were age <6 years. The lupine exposure occurred at the patient's own residence in 79% of the cases. Of the reported lupine exposures, 93% were handled outside of health care facilities, and, of those cases with a known medical outcome, few moderate or major effects, and no deaths, were reported. The most frequently noted clinical effect among cases during 2000–2005 was vomiting, affecting 8% of the cases. In conclusion, most reported lupine exposures in Texas came from the central parts of the state, occurred in spring, and involved young children. Typical reported lupine exposures in Texas were not likely to have adverse outcomes.     

Accelerating effect of sodium chloride on mexiletine adsorption onto activated charcoal

The effective use of activated charcoal as an oral adsorbent for primary treatment of acute poisoning was investigated in vitro by evaluating the characteristics of mexiletine, an anti-arrhythmic drug, adsorbed onto activated charcoal in the presence of sodium chloride solutions at various concentrations. The equilibrium amount of mexiletine adsorbed onto activated charcoal was increased by the addition of sodium chloride. In particular, there was a marked increase in the amount adsorbed from a solution of lower mexiletine concentration. The removal rate is another important factor in the evaluation of activated charcoal, and a rapid decrease of mexiletine concentration by the addition of sodium chloride was recognized. The acceleration of mexiletine adsorption onto activated charcoal by the addition of sodium chloride was due to the occurrence of salting-out. It could be concluded that the administration of activated charcoal suspended in saline solution was more effective in the primary treatment of acute poisoning by mexiletine overdose.     

Pathological and toxicological investigations of chronic nitrate poisoning in cattle

In this study, three stillborn and five premature and blind calves from cows suffering from chronic nitrate poisoning were examined pathologically. The live calves were euthanized, due to a poor prognosis. Complete necropsy was performed on all the eight affected calves. Hydroperitoneum and ascites were the most predominant lesions in the stillborn calves. Edema and hemorrhage were observed in the lungs of all the calves. Hemorrhages were seen in the digestive systems of four calves. Blood samples were taken from five live calves and their mothers, and from two cows that had delivered stillborn or blind calves, for biochemical observations and measurement of methemoglobin levels. Blood values of five healthy cattle from a herd with no history of stillborn or blind calves were used as controls. Water and feed samples were taken from five different farms with a history of stillborn or blind calves and examined for nitrates. Nitrate and nitrite levels of feeds ranged from 154 to 480 and 1.5 to 20?ppm respectively; these levels can cause chronic poisoning. Levels of nitrates and nitrites in blood samples from cows and calves were found to be high. While hemoglobin values were found to be low, methemoglobin values were very high. No differences were observed between liver enzyme levels of the affected and control cattle. There were no bacteria or virus isolated from these animals, and histopathological examination revealed no indication of any other diseases.     

呼和浩特市某地慢性砷中毒流行因素探讨

１９９０年以来，在呼和浩特某地的６个自然村，查明以特殊皮肤损害为特征的慢性砷中毒病人１９７例。经用流行病学方法研究，从不同角度分析出，天然富砷水为该病的流行因素。     

Rapid and sensitive headspace gas chromatographic method for cyanide determination in whole blood

We reported a simple and rapid headspace (HS) gas chromatographic (GC) assay for the determination of cyanide in human whole blood obtained from both cadaveric and intoxicated subjects. The poison was extracted from whole blood samples by HS technique after 10 min incubation at 80°C with a HCl (1N) acidic solution supplemented with 30 g L^?1 of sodium chloride and 10 mg L^?1 of isopropanol as internal standard. A SGE WAX capillary column (30 m × 0.32 mm ID × 0.5 µm df) was used. The Flame Ionization Detector (FID) was set at 250°C. The detection and the quantification limits were 0.02 and 0.2 mg L^?1, respectively. In the within-day study, the coefficients of variation for three different whole blood cyanide concentrations varied between 3.2 and 6.5%, whereas those in the day-to-day study varied between 4.8 and 6.3%. The assay was performed in less than 20 min per sample, which appears to be suitable for emergency toxicological tasks involved in diagnosis of cyanide poisoning.     

Extinction Rates in Archipelagoes: Implications for Populations in Fragmented Habitats

To study the effect of habitat fragmentation on population viability, I used extinction rates on islands in archipelagoes and estimated the relative probability of extinction per species on single large islands and sets of smaller islands with the same total area. Data on lizards, birds, and mammals on oceanic islands and mammals on mountaintops and in nature reserves yield similar results. Species are likely to go extinct on all the small islands before they go extinct on the single, large island. In the short term, the analysis indicates that extinction probabilities may be lower on a set of small islands. This is perhaps an artifact due to underestimation of extinction rates on small islands and/or the necessity of pooling species in a focal taxon to obtain estimates of extinction rates (which may obscure area thresholds and underestimate the slope and curvature of extinction rates as a function of area). Ultimately, cumulative extinction probabilities are higher for a set of small islands than for single large islands. Mean and median times to extinction tend to be shorter in the fragmented systems, in some cases much shorter. Thus, to minimize extinction rates in isolated habitat remnants and nature reserve systems, the degree of fragmentation should be minimized     

White locoweed toxicity is facilitated by a fungal endophyte and nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Mutualistic interactions with fungal endophytes and dinitrogen-fixing bacteria are known to exert key biological influences on the host plant. The influence of a fungal endophyte alkaloid on the toxicity of a plant has been documented in Oxytropis sericea. Oxytropis sericea is a perennial legume responsible for livestock poisoning in western North America. Livestock poisoning is attributed to the alkaloid swainsonine, which is synthesized inside the plant by the fungal endophyte Embellisia sp. In this study, the ability of Oxytropis sericea to form a dinitrogen-fixing symbiosis with Rhizobium and the effects of this symbiosis on the production of swainsonine by Embellisia sp. were evaluated in a greenhouse environment. Seeds of O. sericea were grown in plastic containers. Twenty-week-old O. sericea seedlings were inoculated with four strains of Rhizobium. Twenty weeks after inoculation, plant growth and root nodulation by Rhizobium were measured. Dinitrogen fixation was confirmed using an acetylene reduction assay (ARA) on excised root nodules. Dry leaves were analyzed for swainsonine content. A second set of plants was treated with fungicide to evaluate the effect of reduced fungal endophyte infection on plant growth and swainsonine production. All inoculated plants produced indeterminate nodules. The ARA indicated that 98% of the excised nodules were fixing dinitrogen. Rhizobium-treated plants had greater swainsonine concentrations than the non-inoculated controls. Plants that established from seeds treated with fungicide had lower biomass than non-fungicide-treated controls and plants treated with foliar fungicide. Plants treated with foliar fungicide and the controls had greater swainsonine concentrations than the plants that received seed fungicide. This greenhouse study is the first report of nodulation and dinitrogen fixation in O. sericea. It also demonstrates that dinitrogen fixation increases the production of swainsonine in O. sericea plants infected with Embellisia sp. Results from this study suggest that dinitrogen fixation affects swainsonine production and has the potential to support the symbiosis between Embellisia sp. and O. sericea when soil nitrogen is limited. Oxytropis sericea competitiveness appears to be facilitated by an ability to simultaneously associate with Rhizobium and a fungal symbiont.