Veterinary and human toxicology
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Both exposures reported to poison centers and the treatments used involved potential teratogens. This investigation describes the patterns of exposures and treatments among women of childbearing age and pregnant women reported to Texas poison centers during 2000-2002. Of 476,365 total reported human exposures, 65,074 (13.7%) involved women of childbearing age and 1,406 (0.3%) involved pregnant women. ⋯ The substances used most often to treat women of childbearing age were oral N-acetylcysteine, antihistamines and naloxone; anticonvulsants were the 7th most frequently reported substance used in treatment, and ethanol the 28th most commonly reported substance. Although only a small fraction of pregnant women of childbearing age reported to Texas poison centers, a portion of women reported to be not pregnant may have been pregnant and unaware of the fact, and thus may have been exposed to a teratogen at a time when susceptibility to teratogens is greatest. Poison centers need to be aware of this when providing information to patients and recommending treatment.
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Case Reports
An improved method for emergent decontamination of ocular and dermal hydrofluoric acid splashes.
Accidental hydrofluoric acid (HF) splashes often occur in industrial settings. HF easily penetrates into tissues by initial acid action allowing fluoride ions to penetrate deeply, chelating calcium and magnesium. Resultant hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia can be fatal. ⋯ Between 1998 and 1999, 16 cases of ocular and dermal HF splashes with either 70% HF or 6% HF/15% nitric acid (HNO3) were decontaminated with Hexafluorine at the worksite. HF burns did not develop and medical treatment other than initial decontamination was not reQuired in 12/16 (75%). In 7/16 (44%) cases, lost work time corresponded to duration of hospital observation (mean < 1 d).
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Epidemiological, clinical and pathological aspects of an unreported plant poisoning are described in sheep from southern Brazil. The disease occurred during the summer of 2003/2004 in 173 crossbred sheep with morbidity, mortality and lethality rates respectively of 31.8%, 8.1%, and 25.5%. Affected sheep were reluctant to move; when forced to walk they had stiff uncoordinated gaits, dragged their toes and bumped into objects in their path. ⋯ The experimental feeding of 2 sheep with the fruits of Eythroxylum argentinum reproduced the clinical disease. Except for consistent findings of distended bladder and the presence of E. argentinum undigested seeds in the abomasum and rumen in 4 necropsied sheep, no significant necropsy and histopathological findings were found. It was concluded that the ingestion of fruits of E. argentinum was the cause of this disease in sheep.