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Biological Terrorist Agents
Published in Robert A. Burke, Counter-Terrorism for Emergency Responders, 2017
Swallowing any amount of abrin can lead to severe symptoms. Early symptoms include nausea, vomiting, pain in the mouth, throat, and esophagus, diarrhea, dysphagia (trouble in swallowing), and abdominal cramps and pain. As the symptoms progress, bleeding and inflammation begins in the gastrointestinal tract. The affected person can vomit up blood (hematemesis), have blood in their feces, which creates a black, tarry stool called melena, and more internal bleeding. Loss of blood volume and water from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding causes blood pressure to drop and organ damage to begin, which can be seen as the person begins to have somnolence/drowsiness, hematuria (blood in the urine), stupor, convulsions, polydipsia (excessive thirst), and oliguria (low urine production). This ultimately results in multisystem organ failure, hypovolemic shock, vascular collapse, and death.
Clinical Toxicology of Copper
Published in Debasis Bagchi, Manashi Bagchi, Metal Toxicology Handbook, 2020
Sonal Sekhar Miraj, Mahadev Rao
Copper sulfate, a gastric irritant, causes a metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, crampy abdominal pain, epigastric burning, and hematemesis which occur immediately following ingestion. Vomiting generally appears within 15 min of intake. The vomitus normally is a greenish-blue color. Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is related to mucosal erosions. Severe cases can cause melena or hematemesis, whereas diarrhea is less common (Chuttani et al. 1965). A large quantity of intravenous Cu via Cu tubing in a hemodialysis unit may result in acute necrotizing hemorrhagic pancreatitis (Klein et al. 1972).
Iatrogenic illness: exploitation and harm
Published in Herman Staudenmayer, Environmental Illness, 2018
This resembles a form of child abuse called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, (Livingston, 1987; Meadow, 1977; Rosenberg, 1987), in which signs and symptoms are falsified, either by physical induction or verbal fabrication. There are numerous manifestations of signs and symptoms which, for the sake of presentation, may be classified into three categories. The first involves premeditated harm to the child, such as suffocation, poisoning, or breaking a limb, which reflects what has been called apparent life-threatening events (Little et al., 1987) and is typically seen in infant victims (Southall et al., 1997). The second includes suffering such as failure to thrive, often through the active withholding of food; allegation of allergy and withholding of food; inflicting pain by slapping or pinching; or disrupting medical treatment. The third includes fabricating illnesses without direct evidence for physical harm, one of the most documented being fictitious epilepsy (Meadow, 1984), although others have been identified including hematemesis (vomiting of blood), hematuria (blood in the urine), hemoptysis (blood in the sputum), urinary tract infection, glycosuria (high glucose level in urine), fever (by altering a temperature chart), vomiting, food allergy, and cancer (Boots et al., 1992). Regardless of the degree of physical harm, there is compelling evidence that these children suffer emotional abuse (Garbarino, 1978) and are at greater risk to develop (1) conduct and emotional disorders, problems related to school (including difficulties in attention/concentration and non-attendance), and antisocial behavior (Bools et al., 1993; Rosenberg, 1987); (2) iatrogenic problems as a result of investigations, medications, and other interventions (Meadows, 1982); and (3) psychological morbidity as adult sequelae (McGuire and Feldman, 1989), including somatoform disorders (Bools et al., 1993.) Siblings of identified cases of abuse have also been found to be at greater risk for Munchausen syndrome by proxy and, in some cases, death (Bools et al., 1992; Southall et al., 1997).
Bletilla striata polysaccharide – waterborne polyurethane hydrogel as a wound dressing
Published in Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 2023
Tianyu Chen, Xiaoyan Guo, Yiping Huang, Wentao Hao, Sunyan Deng, Gewen Xu, Junjie Bao, Qiansheng Xiong, Wen Yang
Bletilla striata is a perennial herb mainly grown in southwest China. Its underground part is a good traditional Chinese medicine [20]. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015) stated that B. striata had the function of hemostasis, anti-inflammatory, promoting tissue regeneration, and so on. It can be used in treating hematemesis and hemoptysis [21]. The major active ingredient is thought to be Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP). BSP is composed of mannose and glucose with a molar ratio of 2.4:1 [22] and has a molecular weight of about 65–150 kDa [23]. It has been reported that BSP possessed anticoagulant, antiviral, anti-oxidation, wound healing activities, and other biological activities [24, 25]. Wang et al. [26] reported that BSP could promote higher expression of epidermal growth factors which contributed to epidermal closure. There are also nanomaterials with antioxidant effects, such as AuNPs and AgNPs, which also attracted the attention of researchers [27]. However, because of the possible cytotoxicity of the nanometallic materials, their loadings need to be precisely controlled [28].
Distribution, pollution index and associated health risk of trace metals in waste-impacted soils within Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Published in Geosystem Engineering, 2018
G. A. Ebong, H. S. Etuk, E. U. Dan
Concentrations of copper in Table 4 range between 19.48 mg kg−1 and 61.47 mg kg−1 and these were obtained in samples from Ukanafun and Ibeno dumpsite soils, respectively. This range is higher than 2.20–6.30 mg kg−1obtained by Adaikpoh (2011) dumpsite soils within Delta State, Nigeria; however, lower than 8.41–148.73 is reported in Suxian county, southern China by Song, Zhuang, Jiang, Fu, and Wang (2015). The mean concentration obtained (42.24 ± 14.50 mg kg−1) is higher than 18.56 mg kg−1 reported in the control site which indicates additional source of the metal at these dumpsite soils. Copper is one of the essential elements required by all living cells for proper growth and development (Patel, Stark, Hwang, Dikshit, & Webster, 2000; Pena, Lee, & Thiele, 1999). Nonetheless, a higher level of copper along the food chain may result in health problems such as gastrointestinal distress, coma, vomiting, hematemesis, melena and hypotension in human (Brewer, 2010). The mean reported for Cu in this study is higher than 10.10 mg kg−1 recommended by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA, 1999) for Nigerian soil. Nevertheless, earlier studies by Ebong et al. (2014) and Umoren et al. (2007) have indicated that copper exists principally in the inert (residual) form, and hence it may not be readily available along the food chain for uptake. However, when the soil becomes highly acidic, the bioavailable form may be high; hence, direct or indirect contact with soil particles from the studied locations may result in serious health problems as stated above. Thus, periodic assessment of soil within the studied locations is highly recommended. Copper demonstrated a moderate degree of variability in its distribution within the locations studied with CV of 34%. Copper also showed a negative skewness of –.30 indicating the distribution being directed towards the high end.
Collision versus loss-of-control motorcycle accidents: Comparing injuries and outcomes
Published in Traffic Injury Prevention, 2022
Russell Seth Martins, Sabah Uddin Saqib, Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja, Mishal Gillani, Hasnain Zafar
In-hospital complications included acute kidney injury (AKI: 100/462; 21.6%), new-onset hospital fever (43/462; 9.3%), hospital-acquired pneumonia (15/462; 3.2%), sepsis (14/462; 3%), gastrointestinal complications (excessive vomiting, diarrhea, constipation: 9/462; 1.9%), delirium (9/462; 1.9%), bleeding (surgical site bleeding, hematuria, hemoptysis, melena, hematemesis: 8/462; 1.7%), wound infection (wounds/surgical sites that became infected during hospital stay due to poor wound care: 6/462; 1.3%), seizures (6/462; 1.3%), and stroke (4/462; 0.9%). The majority of AKIs were stage 1 (82%). In comparison to LOCA victims, CA victims had a significantly higher incidence of AKI (25.7% vs. 15.8%; P < .011). Rates of AKI were significantly higher in patients who arrived via referral from centers within (12/32 or 37.5%) and outside (7/10 or 70%) the city of Karachi compared to those arriving directly to AKUH (81/420 or 19.3%; P < .001). Patients were more likely to develop AKI if they had major chest injuries (54.8% vs. 19.3%; P < .001), abdominal injuries (76.5% vs. 19.6%; P < .001), head and neck injuries (27.8% vs. 17.8%; P = .014), pelvic injuries (50% vs. 20.6%; P = .010), spinal injuries (47.6% vs. 20.4%; P = .006), or vascular injuries (100% vs. 21.3%; P = .046) compared to their counterparts without the respective major injuries. In addition, patients with polytrauma were significantly more likely to develop AKI (38.6% vs. 17.9%; P < .001). Lastly, patients aged ≥ 45 years were twice as likely to develop AKI compared to those <45 years (35.1% vs. 17.2%; P < .001). The majority (96.8%) of victims were discharged. Among those discharged, most were discharged without permanent disability (96.4%). However, CA victims had considerably more long-term disability (P = .002), with 12 (4.6%) of the discharged CA victims having a limb amputation compared to none of the discharged LOCA victims. Moreover, 1 victim was discharged with complete quadriplegia and 1 in a persistent vegetative state, both of whom were CA victims. CA victims had longer hospital lengths of stay (LOSs) compared to LOCA victims (3 [2–6] days vs. 2.5 [2–4] days; P = .019).