Human & experimental toxicology
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In a prospective study, 174 families were interviewed over the telephone to find out whether the treatment of their child's poisoning with medical charcoal was successfully completed. The majority (103; 59.2%) of the families had no charcoal at home. ⋯ Thus for mild poisoning in young children, the administration of activated charcoal at home, under the guidance of a Poison Information Centre, could be a rapid and safe first-aid treatment. Presently the widespread unavailability of charcoal in the home in Finland causes an unnecessary delay in treatment that could be of clinical importance.
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The serial cognitive assessment of ten individuals made between 8 and 26 months after the water at Camelford in Cornwall was accidentally contaminated with aluminium sulphate, showed consistent evidence of impairment of information processing and memory. There was no obvious relationship between these impairments and measurements of anxiety and depression. Serial bone biopsies in two individuals showed that the aluminium which was present 6 and 7 months after the accident had disappeared by 19 months. ⋯ Thus, aluminium deposited in the bone of normal individuals can disappear within 18 months. After an accident such as that at Camelford important evidence of toxicity is likely to be missed if an investigation is delayed. The abnormal neuropsychological findings indicate cognitive impairment, but whether this was caused by an acute episode of brain damage, or other causes such as the psychological effects of stress resulting from the accident, is uncertain.
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Letter Case Reports
Persistent hiccup as a side-effect of dexamethasone treatment.