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Children (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2024Exposure to plants accounts for approximately 5% of human poisoning cases reported by poison control centers in North America and Europe. The aim of this study was to...
BACKGROUND
Exposure to plants accounts for approximately 5% of human poisoning cases reported by poison control centers in North America and Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate acute plant poisoning in patients aged 0-18 years admitted to a Romanian pediatric poison center, focusing on epidemiological and clinical aspects.
METHODS
A retrospective observational study was conducted between 2017 and 2022, analyzing medical records for demographic information, clinical features, biological findings, and outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel.
RESULTS
71 patients (aged 7 months to 16 years) presented with acute plant poisoning. Most cases were unintentional (92.9%), peaking during the autumn season. (18.3%), (9.8%), and (5%) were the most frequently involved plants. Gastrointestinal symptoms, especially vomiting, predominated. The Poisoning Severity Score classified most cases as mild (52.1%), with no severe or fatal cases. The mean length of hospitalization was 1.8 days.
CONCLUSIONS
Unintentional plant exposure, mainly in children under 5 years of age, accounted for more than 90% of cases. Gastrointestinal exposure and symptoms were prevalent, and treatment consisted mainly of symptomatic and supportive measures. Severe and fatal cases were rare, highlighting the generally favorable outcome and low incidence of severe poisoning in the pediatric population.
PubMed: 38539306
DOI: 10.3390/children11030271 -
Journal of Food Protection Feb 2019In this study, we investigated contamination rates and possible contamination routes of Salmonella in two typical tilapia sashimi processing plants in Taiwan. We found...
In this study, we investigated contamination rates and possible contamination routes of Salmonella in two typical tilapia sashimi processing plants in Taiwan. We found that the overall isolation rate was 5.0% ( n = 61), from a total of 1,218 samples collected in a year from different processing sections (freezing, scaling and bleeding, visceral removal, washing and disinfection, and packaging) and from different operating times (before processing and 3 and 6 h after processing began). In plant A, which is a relatively well-operated plant compared with plant B, Salmonella was only found in the freezing, scaling and bleeding, and visceral removal sections, with isolation rates ranging from 0 to 9.3%. No Salmonella was identified in the final ready-to-eat products at plant A. In plant B, Salmonella was found in all sections and in the final products, with isolation rates ranging from 4.6 to 36.1%. Regarding the processing times, the contamination rates increased significantly ( P < 0.05) 3 h after processing began in plant B. Among the isolates, 10 serotypes were detected, some of which are commonly observed in human salmonellosis cases in Taiwan, indicating a risk of zoonoses. However, only four isolates showed antimicrobial resistance in the current study. With molecular subtyping, we observed accumulated and persistent Salmonellae contamination patterns in plant B. These results suggest that inadequate sanitation impairs the foodborne pathogen control program in tilapia sashimi plants.
Topics: Animals; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Food Contamination; Food Microbiology; Humans; Salmonella; Salmonella Food Poisoning; Serogroup; Taiwan; Tilapia
PubMed: 30677309
DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-324 -
SAGE Open Medicine 2023Pesticides are frequently used by plant cultivars to control pests that could affect yield. Although many local farmers in Eastern Ethiopia use organophosphate...
INTRODUCTION
Pesticides are frequently used by plant cultivars to control pests that could affect yield. Although many local farmers in Eastern Ethiopia use organophosphate insecticides extensively for the production of khat, the pattern and treatment outcome of acute poisoning of these organophosphates has been poorly quantified and reported in this region.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
A cross-sectional study design was employed at two public hospitals found in Harari region, Ethiopia. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews and card review, then analyzed with SPSS version 20. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to compare independent variables with the treatment outcome. Statistical significance is defined at 95% confidence interval of odds ratio not including 1 or < 0.05.
RESULTS
A total of 135 cases of organophosphate were admitted in the emergency departments of the hospitals during the study period. 42.2% of participants were adolescents (age: 11-20 years) while the mean age of all participants was 18.8 ± 12.9 years with a range of 1-61 years. 73.7% of the study participants were rural residents. The result showed that 47.4% of the cases were exposed to the poison accidentally. Family disharmony was the common reason among cases poisoned intentionally. The mean time elapsed between poisoning and reaching the health facility was 3.1 h. Atropine was administered for 47% of the cases. About 11% of cases expired following the poison. The home remedy given, lag time, and residency were found to be factors significantly related to poor treatment outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Easy availability, low cost, and excessive popularity of organophosphate use as pesticides in Eastern Ethiopia have increased the incidence of ingestion, resulting in increasing intentional and unintentional poisoning. In the present study, accidental exposure accounts for 47.4%.
PubMed: 38084292
DOI: 10.1177/20503121231216603 -
Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic... Jul 2021We determined the prevalence of diseases and pathogens associated with mortality in beef cattle in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, based on pathology laboratory...
We determined the prevalence of diseases and pathogens associated with mortality in beef cattle in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, based on pathology laboratory submissions. Postmortem examinations were conducted on 1,277 beef cattle that died between 2008 and 2018. Information regarding age, time of the year, breed, and regional location were analyzed statistically. Most cattle were from the surrounding region of Porto Alegre, and 78.7% of the analyzed cases had diagnostic value. The diagnostic category with most cases was infectious and/or parasitic diseases (60%), followed by toxic and toxicoinfectious (25%). Most cases occurred in the fall. Major disease conditions identified included hemoprotozoal infection (18.2%), rabies (8.2%), and plant intoxications by spp. (8.5%) and (4.6%). Hemoprotozoal infection occurred at a higher frequency in young cattle, mainly in animals up to 1 y old. Intoxication by spp. was more frequent in cattle 2-3 y old.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Brazil; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Cause of Death; Geography; Plant Poisoning; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Rabies; Seasons
PubMed: 33834923
DOI: 10.1177/10406387211007952 -
Heart Views : the Official Journal of... 2016The clinical features, management, and the associations of dosage in poisoning with the cardiotoxic plant (suicide tree), responsible for more than half of plant...
INTRODUCTION
The clinical features, management, and the associations of dosage in poisoning with the cardiotoxic plant (suicide tree), responsible for more than half of plant poisoning deaths in the South Indian State of Kerala alone, have not been evaluated. There are only few studies on its clinical features and none on the usage of cardiac pacing in its management, given its rarity in the Western world. We depend on data for similar toxins to form our management protocols.
AIMS
Our aim was to describe the clinical features of poisoning, dosage, and its relations to clinical features and pacemaker initiation therapy and to study the characteristics of temporary pacemaker therapy in its management.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
This study was conducted in fifty consecutive cases who presented with a history of poisoning from whom clinical data were obtained. Cases initiated on temporary cardiac pacemaker therapy due to the toxin effects were also studied. Effect of dosage on various clinical manifestations and pacing was analyzed.
RESULTS
All cases were due to suicidal ingestion. Vomiting (54%), thrombocytopenia (50%), and sinus bradycardia (32%) were the most common features. The need for cardiac pacing had a significant association with dosage in kernels ingested ( < 0.05) and with thrombocytopenia ( < 0.05). There was no association between hyperkalemia and death. Thirty-six percent of cases had to be paced, of which 16% died. In-hospital mortality of odollam poisoning was 12%.
CONCLUSIONS
poisoning cases merit monitoring and treatment in Intensive Care Unit with facilities for electrocardiographic monitoring and temporary cardiac pacing. The clinical features and the factors associated with mortality are different from other cardiac glycosides.
PubMed: 28400936
DOI: 10.4103/1995-705X.201783 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2021A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of small ruminant abortion and identify its major causes and potential risk factors in goat and sheep...
A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of small ruminant abortion and identify its major causes and potential risk factors in goat and sheep flocks in three agroecology and production systems of Ethiopia. Information on pregnancy outcomes and management risk factors were collected for 299 goat and 242 sheep flocks. Blood samples were collected from 133 sheep and 90 goat flocks and tested for spp., , and . A causal diagram outlined relationships between potential predictor variables and abortion in the flock. The effect of management and exposure to infectious causes on the number of abortions in the flock across agroecology was tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results showed that 142 (58.68%) goats and 53 (17.73%) sheep flocks reported abortions in the 12 months before the survey. The mean annual flock abortion percentages were 16.1% (±26.23) for does and 12.6% (±23.5) for ewes. Farmers perceived infectious diseases, extreme weather conditions, feed shortage, physical traumas, and plant poisoning as the most important causes of abortion. A higher proportion of abortion was recorded during the short rainy season (March to May) and start of the short dry and cold season (June to August) in the lowland mixed crop-livestock and pastoral agroecology and production system, respectively. Overall, 65.41% sheep and 92.22% goat flocks tested positive for one or more abortion causing agents, namely, spp., and mixed infection was found in 31.58% sheep and 63.33% goat flocks. Spending the night in a traditional house and providing supplementary feed for pregnant dams were important management factors which significantly ( ≤ 0.05) decreased the risk of abortion by 2.63 and 4.55 times, respectively. However, the presence of other livestock species and dogs in the household and exposure of the flock to spp. or anyone of the four tested infectious agents significantly ( ≤ 0.05) increased the risk of abortion in sheep and goat flocks. In general, abortion is a challenge for small ruminant production in the study area especially in lowland agroecology and calls for improvement in husbandry practices, health care and biosecurity practices.
PubMed: 33585619
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.615310 -
BMC Pharmacology & Toxicology Nov 2016Manganese (Mn) is an essential heavy metal. However, Mn's nutritional aspects are paralleled by its role as a neurotoxicant upon excessive exposure. In this review, we... (Review)
Review
Manganese (Mn) is an essential heavy metal. However, Mn's nutritional aspects are paralleled by its role as a neurotoxicant upon excessive exposure. In this review, we covered recent advances in identifying mechanisms of Mn uptake and its molecular actions in the brain as well as promising neuroprotective strategies. The authors focused on reporting findings regarding Mn transport mechanisms, Mn effects on cholinergic system, behavioral alterations induced by Mn exposure and studies of neuroprotective strategies against Mn intoxication. We report that exposure to Mn may arise from environmental sources, occupational settings, food, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), methcathinone drug abuse or even genetic factors, such as mutation in the transporter SLC30A10. Accumulation of Mn occurs mainly in the basal ganglia and leads to a syndrome called manganism, whose symptoms of cognitive dysfunction and motor impairment resemble Parkinson's disease (PD). Various neurotransmitter systems may be impaired due to Mn, especially dopaminergic, but also cholinergic and GABAergic. Several proteins have been identified to transport Mn, including divalent metal tranporter-1 (DMT-1), SLC30A10, transferrin and ferroportin and allow its accumulation in the central nervous system. Parallel to identification of Mn neurotoxic properties, neuroprotective strategies have been reported, and these include endogenous antioxidants (for instance, vitamin E), plant extracts (complex mixtures containing polyphenols and non-characterized components), iron chelating agents, precursors of glutathione (GSH), and synthetic compounds that can experimentally afford protection against Mn-induced neurotoxicity.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Cognition Disorders; Food; Humans; Manganese; Manganese Poisoning; Motor Skills Disorders; Neuroprotective Agents; Parkinson Disease
PubMed: 27814772
DOI: 10.1186/s40360-016-0099-0 -
Pharmacognosy Reviews 2015India has a rich and diversified flora. It is seen that synthetic drugs could pose serious problems, are toxic and costly. In contrast to this, herbal medicines are...
India has a rich and diversified flora. It is seen that synthetic drugs could pose serious problems, are toxic and costly. In contrast to this, herbal medicines are relatively nontoxic, cheaper and are eco-friendly. Moreover, the people have used them for generations. They have also been used in day-to-day problems of healthcare in animals. 25% of the drugs prescribed worldwide come from plants. Almost 75% of the medicinal plants grow naturally in different states of India. These plants are known to cure many ailments in animals like poisoning, cough, constipation, foot and mouth disease, dermatitis, cataract, burning, pneumonia, bone fractures, snake bites, abdominal pains, skin diseases etc. There is scarce review of such information (veterinary herbals) in the literature. The electronic and manual search was made using various key words such as veterinary herbal, ethno-veterinary medicines etc. and the content systematically arranged. This article deals with the comprehensive review of 45 medicinal plant species that are official in Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) 2014. The botanical names, family, habitat, plant part used and pharmacological actions, status in British Pharmacopoeia 2014, USP 36 are mentioned. Also, a relationship between animal and human dose, standardization and regulatory aspects of these selected veterinary herbals are provided.
PubMed: 26392714
DOI: 10.4103/0973-7847.162140 -
Frontiers in Toxicology 2024Bog bilberry ( L.) is a wild-growing berry native to all circumboreal regions. There is however a significant discrepancy in the uses of bog bilberry fruits around the... (Review)
Review
Bog bilberry ( L.) is a wild-growing berry native to all circumboreal regions. There is however a significant discrepancy in the uses of bog bilberry fruits around the world. There exists a strong prejudice against the use of these berries in many European countries as well as a few incidences of poisoning reported between 1906 and 1944. In Asia and North America, this fear is completely absent from the local knowledge and the bog bilberry is valued as an excellent food and medicinal plant. There has been a lack of research on the topic in the last 50 years and thus the presumed toxicity remains unproven. This review aims to gather the conflicting information from all regions where bog bilberry grows and present them in a critical way to elucidate the possible explanations for the discrepancies. There are several possible explanations for the alleged toxicity of the bog bilberry, including a fungal infection of the fruits, individual intolerance or accidental poisoning by a different plant species; the local names meaning "drunk, inebriating, vomit-inducing berry" may be related to the alcoholic drinks made from them. This review highlights the gap in knowledge and serves as a theoretical framework for future research.
PubMed: 38357417
DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1358840 -
Journal of Toxicology 2018Since they are natural, plants are wrongly considered nondangerous; therefore people used them in various contexts. Each plant is used alone or in mixture with others,... (Review)
Review
Since they are natural, plants are wrongly considered nondangerous; therefore people used them in various contexts. Each plant is used alone or in mixture with others, where knowledge and the requirements of preparation and consumption are not mastered. Thus, intoxications due to the use of plants have become more and more frequent. The reports of intoxications made at the Antipoison Center and Pharmacovigilance of Morocco (ACPM) support this finding, since the interrogations suffered by the victims show that the use of plants is practiced irrationally, anarchically, and uncontrollably. Faced by the increase of these cases of poisoning in Morocco, it seemed necessary to investigate the nature of poisonous plants, their monographs, and the chemicals responsible for this toxicity.
PubMed: 29853874
DOI: 10.1155/2018/4563735