[Retrospective surveys on intoxications with essential oils]. / Enquêtes sur la survenue d'intoxications après l'utilisation d'huiles essentielles, comparaison avec les données du CAP d'Angers (2017­2018).

OBJECTIVES: Non-conventional medicines are not devoid of toxicity and it is relevant to establish an inventory of the general public's knowledge of essential oils. The objective is to identify the profile of the victims of a poisoning, the ways of administration and the symptoms as well as the incriminated essential oils. METHODS: Two surveys, for the general public and health professional, were distributed (January-March 2019). In addition, data from the Angers poison control center for the period 2017-2018 were analyzed and compared with the data from our study. RESULTS: Our surveys gathered 623 and 59 answers. The data of the poison control center of Angers counted 741 intoxications. The precautions for use and contra-indications of essential oils are not well known since 5% of the respondents identified them correctly. Our data show that using a mixture increases the risk of intoxication (P<0.02). The most cited essential oils in case of intoxication are Eucalyptus, Tea tree and Lavender. The symptoms mainly concern a cutaneous application (75%) and remain of short duration and without gravity. Concerning the intoxications referenced to the poison control center in Angers, the same essential oils are involved, the oral route is mostly used (70%) and the symptoms listed for 74% of intoxications concern oropharyngeal, ocular, abdominal and skin pain. CONCLUSION: The delivery of essential oils is not harmless and the data obtained both through our surveys and the processing of data from the poison control center of Angers show that they must be used with caution.

Pentoxifylline aggravates fatty liver in obese and diabetic ob/ob mice by increasing intestinal glucose absorption and activating hepatic lipogenesis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pentoxifylline is in clinical trials for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetic nephropathy. Metabolic and hepatic effects of pentoxifylline were assessed in a murine model of obesity and type 2 diabetes. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Pentoxifylline (100 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1)) was administered for 4 days or 3 weeks in lean and obese/diabetic ob/ob mice. Plasma lipids, glucose, other metabolites and relevant enzymes were measured by standard assays. Hepatic lipids in vivo were assessed with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and by histology. Hepatic extracts were also analysed with RT-PCR and Western blotting. KEY RESULTS: Four days of pentoxifylline treatment slightly increased liver lipids in ob/ob mice. After 3 weeks, pentoxifylline exacerbated fatty liver and plasma transaminases in ob/ob mice but did not induce liver steatosis in lean mice. Plasma glucose was highest in fed, but not fasted, ob/ob mice treated with pentoxifylline. During the first 10 min of an oral glucose tolerance test, blood glucose increased more rapidly in pentoxifylline-treated mice. Jejunal expression of glucose transporter 2 isoform was increased in pentoxifylline-treated obese mice. Hepatic activity of carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) increased after pentoxifylline in ob/ob, but not lean, mice. Hepatic expression of lipogenic enzymes was highest in pentoxifylline-treated ob/ob mice. However, pentoxifylline reduced markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in ob/ob liver. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Pentoxifylline exacerbated fatty liver in ob/ob mice through enhanced intestinal glucose absorption, increased postprandial glycaemia and activation of hepatic lipogenesis. Long-term treatment with pentoxifylline could worsen fatty liver in some patients with pre-existing hyperglycaemia.

Afterglow mode and the new micropulsed beam mode applied to an electron cyclotron resonance ion source.

An increasing number of experiments in the field of low energy ion physics (<25 keV/charge) requires pulsed beams of highly charged ions. Whereas for high-intensity beams (greater than microampere) a pulsed beam chopper, installed downstream to the analyzing dipole, is used. For low-intensity beams (<100 nA) the ion intensity delivered during the pulse may be increased by operating the electron cyclotron resonance discharge in the afterglow mode. This method gives satisfactory results (i.e., average current during the beam pulse is higher than the current in the cw mode) for high charge state ions. In this paper, we report on results of the afterglow mode for beams of (22)Ne(q+), (36)Ar(q+), and (84)Kr(q+) ions. Furthermore, a new promising "micropulsed beam" mode will be described with encouraging preliminary results for (84)Kr(27+) and (36)Ar(17+) ions.