Human & experimental toxicology
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Historical Article
Acute hydrofluoric acid exposure reported to Taiwan Poison Control Center, 1991-2010.
Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a dangerous chemical that can cause severe cutaneous burns as well as possible systemic toxicity. ⋯ Significant symptomology may occur following HF exposure, and most of the HF exposure required hospitals evaluation. Calcium gluconate soaks appear to be effective in reducing local pain and tissue damage. Hyperkalemia should not be overemphasized as a common finding in HF exposure, hypokalemia tends to occur in cases of severe HF poisoning.
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To determine whether or not wave/interval dispersions in electrocardiography (ECG) are increased, and to define whether wave and interval dispersions are correlated with carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels. ⋯ A significant increase in wave/interval dispersions in the ECG of CO-poisoning patients compared with controls may show that not only a part is affected but both atrium and the ventricles as a whole are affected by hypoxic ischemia. When COHb levels of the patients are unavailable, P dispersion on ECG may show CO poisoning level of the patient.
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Hair dyes are widely used and very popular xenobiotics. Most of these products contain paraphenylenediamine (PPD) that can cause methemoglobinemia. We here report a case of severe methemoglobinemia that we treated using large amounts of methylene blue. ⋯ Because PPD can result in serious methemoglobinemia, clinicians should test it in cyanotic patients who have been exposed to hair dye for an extended period.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the role of serum cholinesterase (SChE) activity and S100B protein in the evaluation of patients with acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning. Patients with acute OP poisoning admitted to the emergency department were included in this cross-sectional study. Twenty healthy volunteers served as controls. ⋯ According to receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cutoff value of serum S100B level to predict mortality was 236.5 pg/mL, with 71.4% sensitivity and 89.7% specificity. Our data suggest that initial SChE level is related to the clinical severity but not with mortality. S100B may be a useful marker in the assessment of clinical severity and prediction of mortality in acute OP poisoning.
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At low-to-moderate concentrations, ethanol elimination follows zero-order kinetics. It is unknown whether renal, pulmonary or other first-order processes become significant in patients with very high serum ethanol concentrations. Additionally, it is unclear whether ethanol naive subjects induce their metabolism during acute intoxication. We present the toxicokinetic analysis in a child with a massive ingestion of ethanol. ⋯ Even at very high ethanol concentrations in ethanol naive subjects, elimination of ethanol follows a zero-order toxicokinetic model.