Reports Of Toxic Effects Research Articles

Acanthospermum hispidum DC: An Updated Review on Phytochemistry and Biological Activities.

Acanthospermum hispidum DC is a medicinal plant present in America, Africa, Australia, India, Hawaii, and Brazil. In Brazil, the species is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal, respiratory disorders and has expectorant action. In the literature, there are studies on the chemical composition of the species, with reports of the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, hydrolyzable tannins, terpenes, and steroids. In addition, several studies have reported in vitro and in vivo studies that prove the biological properties of extracts and compounds isolated from different organs of the A. hispidum plant, including hepatoprotectors, antioxidants, antimicrobials and antiparasitic. The objective of this review is to update the knowledge about the phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicity aspects of A. hispidum, and to contribute to the recognition of the species and direct new studies. An extensive bibliographic search was conducted in different scientific databases. The presence of different chemical constituents in A. hispidum has been identified, among these constituents are flavonoids, tannins, terpenes, and steroids. Additionally, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities were mainly attributed to the species, and other activities not previously described were presented, such as anticholinesterase, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic, all based on results of in vitro and in vivo studies. Finally, no reports of toxic effects were found in the in vitro and in vivo tests. After analyzing the articles, it was evidenced that other experiments with different models using animals are essential to evaluate the possible mechanisms of action of the extracts and compounds isolated of A. hispidum. Therefore, this review may contribute to the recognition of the importance of A. hispidum and its potential as a medicinal plant and may also guide the conduct of future research regarding the constituents, biological activities, and toxicity of the species.

Leachate from microplastics impairs larval development in brown mussels

Microplastic debris is a pervasive type of contaminant in marine ecosystems, being considered a major threat to marine biota. One of the problems of microplastics is that they can adsorb contaminants in extremely high concentrations. When released from the particle, these contaminants have the potential to cause toxic effects in the biota. So far, reports of toxic effects are mostly linked with the direct exposure of organisms through ingestion of contaminated microplastics. There is little information on the toxicity of leachates from microplastics to marine organisms. In this study, we conducted experiments to evaluate the toxicity of leachates from virgin and beached plastic pellets to embryo development of the brown mussel (Perna perna). We compared the efficiency of two test procedures, and evaluated the toxicity of beached pellets collected in a coastal marine protected area. We observed that mussel embryo is sensitive to leachate from both virgin and beached pellets. However, the toxicity of the leachate from beached pellets was much higher than that of virgin pellets. We suggest contaminants adsorbed onto the surface of beached pellets were responsible for the high toxicity of leachate from beached pellets, while the toxicity of leachate from virgin pellets was mainly due to plastic additives. Our results suggest microplastic debris may be harmful even if ingestion is not the only or main pathway of interaction of marine organisms with contaminated plastic debris.

The use of local anaesthesia in general practice

The term anaesthesia is from the Greek and means ‘loss of sensation’. It enables painful and invasive procedures to be performed with little distress to the patient. Local anaesthesia is a method used to apply anaesthetic to one site, usually topically or subcutaneously. The first recorded use of a local anaesthetic to provide anaesthesia for a surgical procedure was in 1884 when Koller used cocaine to anaesthetise the eye. This initially led to widespread enthusiasm and use of cocaine; however, this was soon tempered by reports of toxic effects and death. Minor surgery in primary care has been shown to be cost-effective and popular with patients. Despite an improvement in the safety of local anaesthetics it is important to get the correct dose and type of anaesthetic and to be aware of potential adverse effects.

Central and Peripheral Neurotoxic Effects of Ivermectin in Rats

Ivermectin is considered a very safe drug; however, there are reports of toxic effects in particularly sensitive populations or due to accidental overdose. The aim of this study was (1) to further characterize the central and peripheral toxic effects of ivermectin in animals and (2) to determine possible therapeutic strategies for use in cases of ivermectin poisoning. We tested the effects of experimental doses of ivermectin previously reported to cause various intensities of CNS depression. However, in our study, ivermectin at 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 mg/kg i.v. did not produce visible CNS depression in rats and 10 mg/kg resulted in sleepiness and staggering 10 to 40 min after application, while a dose of 15 mg/kg caused CNS depression very similar to general anesthesia. Ivermectin dose-dependently potentiates thiopentone-induced sleeping time in rats. Flumazenil (0.2 mg/kg), the benzodiazepine antagonist, did not affect the action of thiopentone; however, it significantly reduced sleeping time in rats treated with a combination of ivermectin (10 mg/kg) and thiopentone (25 mg/kg; from 189.86 ± 45.28 min to 83.13 ± 32.22 min; mean ± SD). Ivermectin causes an increase in the tonus (EC(50)=50.18 µM) and contraction amplitude (EC(50)=59.32 µM) of isolated guinea pig ileum, very similar to GABA, but without the initial relaxation period. These effects are dose-dependent and sensitive to atropine. Our results confirm the central and peripheral GABAergic properties of ivermectin in mammals and also indicate involvement of the cholinergic system in its toxicity. In addition, the results suggest that flumazenil and atropine have potential clinical roles in the treatment of ivermectin toxicity.

Perineural Infusion of Local Anesthetics

Perineural Infusion of Local Anesthetics

Battling quackery: attitudes about micronutrient supplements in American academic medicine.

T H R O U G H O U T T H E 20th century American academic medicine has resisted the concept that supplementation with micronutrients might have health benefits. This resistance is evident in several ways: (1) by the uncritical acceptance of news of toxicity, such as the belief that vitamin C supplements cause kidney stones; (2) by the angry, scornful tone used in discussions of micronutrient supplementation in the leading textbooks of medicine; and (3) by ignoring evidence for possible efficacy of a micronutrient supplement, such as the use of vitamin E for intermittent claudication. Part of the resistance stems from the fact that the potential benefits of micronutrients were advanced by outsiders, who took their message directly to the public, and part from the fact that the concept of a deficiency disease did not fit in well with prevailing biomedical paradigms, particularly the germ theory. Similar factors might be expected to color the response of academic medicine to any alternative treatment. In The Crime of Galileo, historian Giorgio de Santillana presents a revisionist view of the great scientist’s struggle with the Catholic church. According to de Santillana, Galileo’s crime was not his propounding a heliocentric universe; it was that he wrote in Italian; he communicated his revolutionary ideas about astronomy directly to the public. Previous scientists wrote in Latin, limiting their audience to other scholars. Within this small community, controversial ideas could be entertained. Copernicus’ proposal of a heliocentric universe 70 years before Galileo’s treatises had elicited no attempts at suppression by the church. The 17th-century church represented the intellectual establishment, and Galileo’s persecutors included some of the finest minds of his time. Galileo was punished not for writing heresy, not for threatening paradigms, but for bypassing the intellectual establishment and taking his exciting ideas directly to the people. The establishment, threatened not so much by his ideas as by his methods, did what it could to destroy his credibility. In addition, Galileo did not respect professional boundaries. He was a mathematician, and yet his writings dealt with phenomena considered within the purview of philosophers, a profession of considerably higher status than mathematics. Thus, he was considered a usurper as well as a popularizer. In what follows we argue that the reaction of academic medicine to the concept of micronutrient supplementation can best be understood in light of the foregoing description of Galileo. Our thesis is that throughout much of the 20th century, American academic medicine was resistant to the concept that micronutrient supplementation might prove beneficial, and that the cause of this resistance was similar to that which faced Galileo. This resistance is evident in several ways: (1) by uncritical acceptance of bad news about micronutrient supplements; reports of toxic effects were rarely questioned and widely quoted; (2) by the scornful, dismissive tone of the discussions about micronutrient supplementation in textbooks of medicine, a tone avoided in most medical controversies; and (3) by the skeptical reaction greeting any claim of efficacy of a micronutrient, relative to other therapies; indeed, most claims were simply ignored. Note that in each of the areas mentioned above we examine the reaction to micronutrients relative to other therapies. It is not proof of bias to be concerned about toxicity or to be skeptical of claims of efficacy. Bias occurs when concern and skepticism are applied selectively. Also note that we are not proposing to prove that any particular micronutrient supplement is indeed efficacious. Some readers of earlier drafts of this article have concluded that we are apologists for megavitamins. We are not. Rather, the vitamin controversy is one of a series of examples we have used to discuss the forces that influence medical practice other than those stemming directly from scientific discovery. Herein we rely on the multiple editions of 2 major American medical textbooks: A Textbook of Medicine and Principles of Internal Medicine. Each has been published in 12 different editions between 1950 and 1992. They can be presumed to represent established opinions and can be used to sample how medical opinion changes over time. From the Center on Aging, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. COMMENTARY

Propylene Glycol: Increased Incidence of Seizures in Low Birth Weight Infants

Propylene glycol is a solvent commonly used in drug preparation. Although generally considered nontoxic, there are reports of toxic effects in animals and humans. Noted toxic effects have included seizures, sudden collapse, cardiac arrythmia and asystole, hepatic damage, renal damage, hemolysis, and serum hyperosmolality with a marked osmolar gap. We have previously reported serum hyperosmolality in small premature infants receiving a large dose of propylene glycol during IV nutrition. The major source of propylene glycol for these infants was an IV multivitamin solution, MVI-12 (Armour Pharmaceutical Co). Other drugs used in the newborn nursery were also found to contain significant amounts of propylene glycol (Table 1).

FATAL REACTIONS TO INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF AMINOPHYLLINE

Aminophyllline (theophylline ethylenediamine) has received widespread acceptance as a bronchodilator in the treatment of both bronchial and cardiac asthma,1as a diuretic in cardiac congestive failure2and as a coronary vasodilator in the treatment of coronary occlusion3and angina pectoris.4Because of its irritating action on the gastrointestinal tract, its therapeutic effectiveness by mouth, even in enteric-coated capsules, is limited.5In bronchial asthma, in fact, it cannot be tolerated by mouth in doses large enough to relieve bronchospasm, whereas, when it is administered intravenously, the effect is usually prompt and satisfactory.1The intravenous route has therefore come to be the method of choice whenever the urgency of the situation demanded prompt and effective action. Particularly has this been true in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. There have been only a few reports of toxic effects from aminophylline administered intravenously. A review of the

TOXIC PSYCHOSES ASSOCIATED WITH ADMINISTRATION OF QUINACRINE

EVER VER since quinacrine hydrochloride was introduced into the therapyof malaria, it has been considered a most valuable addition to the series of antimalarial drugs, owing to its well established effectiveness, together with its relatively low toxicity. This evaluation of the drug has not changed, even though reports of toxic effects after therapeutic doses and, in particular, of mental disorders following treatment with the drug were described as early as 1933. In that year Conoley1gave an unpublished report on psychosis following treatment with quinacrine. In 1934 Kingsbury,2utilizing observations of his own, as well as of others (Cameron,3Green,4Hoops,5McSwan,6Quaife7), collected a series of 12 cases of psychoses associated with quinacrine therapy, with the records available, which had been observed in the Malay States. Six more cases were published by Banerjee8in 1936, from India. Decherd,9in 1937,

TOXIC EFFECTS WITH ANURIA FROM A SINGLE INJECTION OF A BISMUTH PREPARATION

Reports of toxic effects from a single injection of bismuth, especially when associated with anuria, are rare enough to merit mention. Fatal terminations of such poisonings have been reported by Aubertin and Destouches,1by Dowds2(3 cases), by Keith and Osterberg3and by Eitzen.4Beerman, in a review of the literature in 1932,5found reports on 22 cases of fatalities due to the use of bismuth in the treatment of syphilis. Most of the reports have been on adult patients under treatment for syphilis or on patients who had had repeated doses of the metal. Bismuth is somewhat similar to mercury in its action on body tissue. The toxic effects usually noted are stomatitis, gastritis and renal damage. The effect on the kidney may be stimulating, and diuretic oliguria is often produced. Anuria as a result of a single dose of bismuth, especially in infants,