Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology
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SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that emerged in 2019 and is causing the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no current standard of care. Clinicians need to be mindful of the toxicity of a wide variety of possibly unfamiliar substances being tested or repurposed to treat COVID-19. ⋯ Nucleic acid vaccines may introduce mutations into the human genome. ACE inhibitors and ibuprofen have been suggested to exacerbate the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Here, we review the use, mechanism of action, and toxicity of proposed COVID-19 therapeutics.
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Content and training about pediatric environmental health are lacking in healthcare professionals' education. In an initiative to improve pediatric environmental health education, the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) program offers free, interactive, web-based ("eLearning") modules on environmental health topics. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of PEHSU eLearning modules in increasing knowledge about pediatric and reproductive environmental health. ⋯ PEHSU eLearning modules are effective at increasing environmental health knowledge of clinical and nonclinical professionals. Further studies are needed to determine long-term knowledge retention and clinical impact.
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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-operated devices to insufflate nicotine or other psychoactive e-liquid aerosols. Despite initial claims of e-cigarettes as a nicotine-cessation device, aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes has led to an explosion in adolescents' and young adults' use over the last few years. Coupled with a lack of adequate investigation and regulation of e-cigarettes, the USA is facing an outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) starting in mid-2019. ⋯ While most EVALI patients were hospitalized, treatment remains largely supportive, and use of corticosteroids has been associated with clinical improvement. The outbreak of EVALI highlights the need for regulation of e-cigarette devices and e-liquids. Clinicians need to be aware of the health hazards of e-cigarettes and be vigilant in asking about vaping.
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The height of the opioid epidemic in the USA has led to an increasing call for access to medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, including buprenorphine initiation from the emergency department (ED). However, only a small percentage of emergency physicians feel prepared or have the necessary training to prescribe buprenorphine. Twitter has increasingly been used as a tool for medical education, and there is growing interest in using this forum to actively engage medical providers and the public. This study examined the views regarding ED initiation of buprenorphine treatment among contributors to the quarterly American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) tweetchat, #firesidetox, and the demographics of the participants. ⋯ A tweetchat can be used to disseminate and discuss the adoption of buprenorphine in the ED. Importantly, the tweetchat provides a forum for experts to share narratives and expertise on implementation and barriers and successes in operationalizing buprenorphine administration in emergency departments.