Community health impacts after a jet fuel leak contaminated a drinking water system: Oahu, Hawaii, November 2021.

BACKGROUND: In 2021, a large petroleum leak contaminated a water source that supplied drinking water to military and civilians in Oahu, Hawaii. METHODS: We conducted an Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) survey and supplemented that information with complementary data sources: (1) poison center caller records; (2) emergency department visit data; and (3) a key informant questionnaire. RESULTS: Among 2,289 survey participants, 86% reported ≥1 new or worsening symptom, 75% of which lasted ≥30 days, and 37% sought medical care. Most (n = 1,653, 72%) reported new mental health symptoms. Among equally observable symptoms across age groups, proportions of children ≤2 years experiencing vomiting, runny nose, skin rashes, and coughing (33, 46, 56, and 35%, respectively) were higher than other age groups. Poison center calls increased the first 2 weeks after the contamination, while emergency department visits increased in early December 2021. Key informant interviews revealed themes of lack of support, mental health symptoms, and long-term health impact concerns. DISCUSSION: This event led to widespread exposure to petroleum products and negatively affected thousands of people. Follow-up health surveys or interventions should give special consideration to longer-term physical and mental health, especially children due to their unique sensitivity to environmental exposures.

Risk of Venous Thromboembolism After Receiving Prothrombin Complex Concentrate for Warfarin-associated Intracranial Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) are commonly used to rapidly reverse warfarin-associated coagulopathy; however, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an established adverse event. OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for VTE AFTER administration of a three-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (3F-PCC) for warfarin-associated intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all patients with a warfarin-associated ICH who received a 3F-PCC at a single tertiary care hospital between 2008 and 2013. Outcomes were VTE events (defined as deep vein thrombosis [DVT], pulmonary embolism [PE], limb ischemia, transient ischemic attack, cerebrovascular accident, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and unexplained sudden death) occurring within 30 days of 3F-PCC administration. Risk factors in subjects with and without VTE complications were compared via Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and univariate logistic regression as appropriate. RESULTS: Two hundred nine subjects received 3F-PCC for warfarin-associated ICH. There were 22 VTE events in 19 subjects (9.1%). Baseline characteristics of subjects with and without VTE were similar. There was a significant increase in VTE events in 29 subjects who were taking warfarin for a previous PE or DVT (36.8% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.007; logistic regression odds ratio 4.455, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a prior history of PE or DVT who were given 3F-PCC for warfarin-associated ICH were 4.5 times more likely to sustain a VTE within 30 days. A careful analysis of risks and benefits of rapidly reversing anticoagulation must be made prior to the administration of 3F-PCC in this patient population.

Structural and functional analysis of Mre11-3.

The Mre11, Rad50 and Nbs1 proteins make up the conserved multi-functional Mre11 (MRN) complex involved in multiple, critical DNA metabolic processes including double-strand break repair and telomere maintenance. The Mre11 protein is a nuclease with broad substrate recognition, but MRN-dependent processes requiring the nuclease activity are not clearly defined. Here, we report the functional and structural characterization of a nuclease-deficient Mre11 protein termed mre11-3. Importantly, the hmre11-3 protein has wild-type ability to bind DNA, Rad50 and Nbs1; however, nuclease activity was completely abrogated. When expressed in cell lines from patients with ataxia telangiectasia-like disorder (ATLD), hmre11-3 restored the formation of ionizing radiation-induced foci. Consistent with the biochemical results, the 2.3 A crystal structure of mre11-3 from Pyrococcus furiosus revealed an active site structure with a wild-type-like metal-binding environment. The structural analysis of the H85L mutation provides a detailed molecular basis for the ability of mre11-3 to bind but not hydrolyze DNA. Together, these results establish that the mre11-3 protein provides an excellent system for dissecting nuclease-dependent and independent functions of the Mre11 complex.

13-year-old girl with recurrent, episodic, persistent vomiting: out of the pot and into the fire.

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a well-established cause of recurrent vomiting in the pediatric population. Severe vomiting with chronic cannabis use, known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, has recently been more widely recognized as an etiology of persistent episodic vomiting. In turn, patients presenting with frequent episodes of CVS are now increasingly being screened for cannabinoid use. Because patients with persistent vomiting are also frequently prescribed a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for their gastrointestinal symptoms, it is important to be aware of the potential for a PPI to cause an interaction that can lead to false-positive urine cannabinoid screening. We describe a case of a false-positive urine cannabinoid screen in a patient with CVS who received a dose of intravenous pantoprazole. The primary reference regarding drug screen interference from PPIs can be found in the pantoprazole package insert that refers to pre-Food and Drug Administration approval data. Although multiple sources on the Internet report the possibility of positive cannabinoid screens from pantoprazole, there are no known published reports of the phenomenon in the medical literature.