Lymphoedema
Wesley C. Finegan, Angela McGurk, Wilma O’Donnell, Jan Pederson, Elizabeth Rogerson in Care of the Cancer Patient, 2018
Cleanliness is vitally important. Advise the use of a soap-free cleanser for the skin.Dry the skin carefully, paying special attention to the areas between the fingers and toes. Use a hairdryer set on a cool setting if necessary.Gloves must be used for gardening.Insect bites should be prevented if possible with repellent creams.Nail care is important, and special care must be taken when trimming the nails.Protect the limb from trauma as far as possible.Sunburn must be avoided.The affected limb must not be used for blood pressure measurements, injections or venepuncture, either for blood sampling or infusions.
Alternative Methods of Vector Control
Jacques Derek Charlwood in The Ecology of Malaria Vectors, 2019
The application of a repellent to the skin or clothing is one of the most common methods of preventing mosquito bites. Repellents have a long history. In addition to using nets and building houses on stilts to avoid mosquito bites, Herodotus describes the possible use of lamps that may have functioned as a repellent. He states, ‘The Egyptians who live in the marsh-country use an oil extracted from the castor-oil plant. This plant which grows wild in Greece, they call Kiki, and the Egyptian variety is very prolific and has a disagreeable smell. Their practise is to sow it along the banks of rivers and lakes, and when the fruit is gathered it is either bruised and pressed, or else boiled down, and the liquid thus obtained is of an oily nature and quite as good as olive oil for burning in lamps, although the smell is unpleasant…’ The same principal of vaporising a chemical that acts as a repellent or killing agent is used in mosquito coils and electrically heated mats. Coils are normally made of sawdust impregnated with a pyrethroid. When lit, the coil smoulders (rather like a cigarette) and the heat vaporises the insecticide immediately behind the smouldering edge. Unfortunately, the smoke from the coil contains a number of noxious chemicals (mainly microparticles) that themselves are bad for one’s health.
Bites and stings
Biju Vasudevan, Rajesh Verma in Dermatological Emergencies, 2019
Bites and stings are a very common cause of morbidity, and a few cases of mortality are seen throughout the world. The causative agents are also well-known disease vectors worldwide, and personal protection against bites and stings plays a major role in the prevention of disease [1]. A few important bites and stings that can occur as emergencies are as follows: Arthropod bites.Insect bites: Mosquitoes, flies, fleas, bees, wasps, bugs.Arachnid bites and stings: Spiders, scorpions.Snakebites.Dog bites and stings.Sea animal bites and stings: Stingrays, California cones, blue-ringed octopus, sea urchins, box jelly, hydroids, and stinging corals. (These bites and stings are not common in this part of the world and hence are not described here.)
Antivenom effect on lymphatic absorption and pharmacokinetics of coral snake venom using a large animal model
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2019
D. Paniagua, I. Vergara, R. Román, C. Romero, M. Benard-Valle, A. Calderón, L. Jiménez, M. J. Bernas, M. H. Witte, L. V. Boyer, A. Alagón
Micrurus fulvius is a coral snake endemic to the southeastern United States. Its venom, in contrast with coral snake venoms from South America [1,2], contains three finger toxin (3FTx) peptides with low toxicity and a relatively high content of lethal phospholipases A2 (PLA2). Bites are rare, but can cause minor local tissue reaction or pain at the bite site, followed by a progressive paralysis that can evolve to respiratory arrest and death. Symptoms may be delayed up to 18 h after the bite, making diagnosis of severe envenomation challenging [3,4]. Early administration of antivenom (AV) prevents envenomation evolution [4,5] but once respiratory arrest has occurred, effectiveness of AV is limited [3,4]. Accordingly, AV is commonly administered before envenomation symptoms appear. In the absence of objective measures or quantitative guidelines, administration and dosing of AV are guided by physician judgment alone [4].
Basidiobolomycosis complicated by hydronephrosis and a perinephric abscess presenting as a hypertensive emergency in a 7-year-old boy
Published in Paediatrics and International Child Health, 2018
Sriram Krishnamurthy, Rakesh Singh, Venkatesh Chandrasekaran, Gopinathan Mathiyazhagan, Meenachi Chidambaram, S. Deepak Barathi, Subramanian Mahadevan
Basidiobolomycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by Basidiobolus ranarum, a common environmental saprophyte belonging to the order Entomophthorales which usually presents as subcutaneous zygomycosis. Usually, it is characterised by chronic subcutaneous indurations affecting the limbs, trunk and buttocks [1−4]. Visceral organ involvement including the gastro-intestinal and pulmonary systems has been documented [1,5], but it seldom spreads to cause disseminated infection [2]. Minor trauma, insect bites and local inoculation have been described as predominant causes [6,7]. Our patient was from a rural area, had a history of exposure to manure and defaecated in the open (and used leaves to clean the skin afterwards) which could have been the source of the fungal infection.
Black widow spider bite in Johannesburg
Published in Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2018
Teressa Sumy Thomas, Alan Kemp, Kim Pieton Roberg
Following the bite, he experienced the typical features of latrodectism. Symptoms included intense muscle pain and rigidity over the bite site, which radiated to his trunk, arms and neck. On examination he had a mild tachycardia. Muscle spasm was evident. He was flushed, sweaty and anxious (Figure 3). Inspection revealed an erythematous area on the right lower quadrant of his abdomen, which was thought to be the bite mark (see Figure 3). His blood pressure, temperature and neurological state remained stable throughout his admission. Blood investigations revealed a mild leucocytosis of 13.61 x109 cells/l and a creatine kinase of 1171 U/l. The remainder of the full blood count, urea and electrolytes, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, C-reactive protein and liver function tests were all normal. A toxicology screen for over-the-counter medication (paracetamol, barbiturates, salicylates and benzodiazepines), cerebrospinal fluid examination and blood cultures were all negative.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Bleeding
- Dizziness
- Kidney Failure
- Tachycardia
- Venom
- Vomiting
- Envenomation
- Penetrating Trauma
- Fang
- Fear