Renal System
David Sturgeon in Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare Students, 2018
The colour, clarity and odour of urine can provide a great deal of information about a person’s general state of health. Normal urine is typically transparent and ranges in colour from pale yellow to bright amber. Lack of colour is usually not a concern but may indicate excessive fluid consumption or diabetes insipidus (see above). Red or pinkish urine, on the other hand, suggests the presence of blood (haematuria). However, it is important to remember that certain foods such as beetroot and blackberries contain a red pigment which could be responsible for this change in colour. It is also important to discretely enquire whether menstrual blood could have coloured the sample. Cloudy urine often indicates urinary tract infection (UTI) and may contain white blood cells, bacteria, pus and large amounts of mucous. A foamy or frothy specimen is usually a sign of protein in the urine. If you have ever beaten eggs in a bowl and then washed it under a tap, you will have seen it froth and foam as protein from the eggs react with water. A slight odour is not uncommon in a normal urine specimen but strong or foul-smelling urine usually indicates that the sample is highly concentrated or infected. A sweet or fruity odour (acetone), on the other hand, is associated with ketone formation (see below) which may occur as a result of diabetes mellitus, starvation or dehydration. Some foods such as asparagus can also produce strong smelling urine. In this instance, what you can smell is the breakdown of a sulphur compound called methyl mercaptan or methanethiol. There is also a rare genetic condition called trimethylaminuria (fish odour syndrome) which causes urine, sweat and breath to smell strongly of fish.
Abies Spectabilis (D. Don) G. Don (Syn. A. Webbiana Lindl.) Family: Coniferae
L.D. Kapoor in Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants, 2017
Hexane extract of the whole plant yielded epifriedelinol acetate,681 whereas the petroleum extract gave sitosterol and friedelin. Shukla et al.685 reported the presence of iridoid glycosides, viz. asperuloside, paederoside, scandoside; triterpenoids, viz., hentriacontane, cerylalcohol, hentriacontanol, palmitic acid; and the steroids, viz., sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, and ursolic acid. Bose et al.686 reported the presence of methyl mercaptan responsible for the fetid odor of the plant.
Cyanides, sulfides, and carbon monoxide
Bev-Lorraine True, Robert H. Dreisbach in Dreisbach’s HANDBOOK of POISONING, 2001
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas. Carbon disulfide (CS2) is a liquid that boils at 46°C. It ignites at the temperature of boiling water (100°C). Ethylmercaptan (C2H5SH) and methylmercaptan (methanethiol, CH3SH) are gases.
Intramuscular cobinamide as an antidote to methyl mercaptan poisoning
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2021
Tara B. Hendry-Hofer, Patrick C. Ng, Alison M. McGrath, Kirsten Soules, David S. Mukai, Adriano Chan, Joseph K. Maddry, Carl W. White, Jangwoen Lee, Sari B. Mahon, Matthew Brenner, Gerry R. Boss, Vikhyat S. Bebarta
Methyl mercaptan, also known as methanethiol, is produced endogenously in animals and humans during the metabolism of methionine and cysteine, and is released by oral and intestinal microflora during anaerobic metabolism (Tomei Torres 2014). It is present in a variety of occupational settings, most notably the petroleum, paper and plastic industries, and during the manufacturing of pesticides (Tomei Torres 2014). It has a noxious rotten cabbage odor, and is added to natural gas to aide in leak detection (Tomei Torres 2014). Exposure to high concentrations of methyl mercaptan can lead to nasopharyngeal irritation, headache, vomiting, dizziness, muscle fatigue, hypotension, seizures, coma, cardiac arrhythmias, bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, hepatic and renal damage, and death (Kangas et al. 1986; Klingberg et al. 1988; ATSDR, 1992; Kauppinen et al. 1997; Sato et al. 2003; Korhonen et al. 2004; Tomei Torres 2014; Xiang et al. 2017). In 2014 four employees died after ∼24,000 pounds of methyl mercaptan were released from a pesticide production facility in La Porte, Texas (CSB 2014). Mass casualty exposures from industrial accidents remain an ongoing risk (Song 2016).
Development of sodium tetrathionate as a cyanide and methanethiol antidote
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2022
Adriano Chan, Jangwoen Lee, Subrata Bhadra, Nesta Bortey-Sam, Tara B. Hendry-Hofer, Vikhyat S. Bebarta, Sari B. Mahon, Matthew Brenner, Brian Logue, Renate B. Pilz, Gerry R. Boss
In addition to reacting directly with cyanide, we hypothesized that tetrathionate could also react with methanethiol, another toxic chemical that like cyanide, inhibits cytochrome c oxidase of the mitochondrial electron transport chain [13–16]. Methanethiol, also known as methyl mercaptan and mercaptothiol, is a catabolic product of methionine and is generated during the decay of organic matter [17]. It is present in sewage treatment plants, wood pulp mills, oil and natural gas processing plants, and factories that produce pesticides, poultry feed, and jet fuel [18,19]. Seven deaths related to methanethiol exposure have occurred from occupational exposures over the last 10 years, and like cyanide, methanethiol is listed as a high priority chemical threat by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [20,21]. But, unlike cyanide, no specific antidote exists for methanethiol.
Methyl mercaptan gas: mechanisms of toxicity and demonstration of the effectiveness of cobinamide as an antidote in mice and rabbits
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2022
George P. Philipopoulos, John Tat, Adriano Chan, Jingjing Jiang, David Mukai, Tanya Burney, Melody Doosty, Sari Mahon, Hemal H. Patel, Carl W. White, Matthew Brenner, Jangwoen Lee, Gerry R. Boss
Methyl mercaptan (CH3SH), also known as methanethiol and mercaptothiol, is a colorless, flammable gas. It is used in the production of oil, paper, plastics, jet fuels, and pesticides [1]. It is also used as a chemical odorant to detect natural gas leaks due to its pungent smell of rotting cabbage [2]. It is produced in humans during methionine or cysteine catabolism in the mouth and colon, contributing to the smell of halitosis and flatulence, respectively [3].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Flatulence
- Blood
- Brain
- Thiol
- Organosulfur Chemistry
- Chemical Formula
- Feces
- Nut
- Cheese
- Bad Breath