Reassessing clinical presentations of emamectin benzoate poisoning: A comprehensive study.

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of emamectin benzoate (EMB-a macrocyclic lactone insecticide like abamectin) action involves the disruption of glutamate-gated chloride channels and GABA receptors in insects, leading to paralysis and death. EMB overdose can breach the blood-brain barrier, resulting in severe poisoning and altered consciousness. AIM: Review EMB poisoning presentations in patients and reevaluate clinical manifestations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed (August 31, 2008-August 31, 2023) medical university hospital records. We analyzed symptoms, patient characteristics, vital signs, Glasgow Coma Scale scores, laboratory findings, and outcomes. RESULTS: Ten patients (males: 6, females: 4, median age = 64.5 years) experienced EMB poisoning. Common symptoms included sore throat, gastrointestinal distress, dyspnea, and altered consciousness; two patients showed laryngeal corrosive injuries. Management involved activated charcoal administration, gastric lavage, and intensive care unit admission. DISCUSSION: Sore throat and corrosive injuries were distinctive presentations of EMB poisoning, warranting vigilance. Potential mechanisms of corrosive injury include skin and eye irritation effects of EMB, the solvents of which might exert corrosive action. CONCLUSION: EMB poisoning manifests as diverse symptoms, including sore throat, gastrointestinal symptoms, central nervous system depression, and potential aspiration pneumonia. Recognizing and promptly managing EMB poisoning are crucial for enhancing patient outcomes and minimizing complications.

Rapid progressive vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia with cerebral venous thrombosis after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccination: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition after receiving coronavirus disease vaccines. It is characterized by symptom onset at 5 to 30 d postvaccination, thrombocytopenia, thrombosis, high D-dimer level, and antiplatelet factor 4 (anti-PF4) antibody positivity. VITT can progress very fast, requiring urgent management. Only few studies have described its detailed clinical course and imaging changes. We report a typical VITT case in a patient who underwent regular repeated brain imaging examinations. CASE SUMMARY: A young woman presented with headaches at 7 d after the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) injection. She then showed progressive symptoms of left upper limb clumsiness. Brain computed tomography revealed venous infarction at the right parietal lobe with a hyperacute thrombus in the cortical vein. Two hours later, brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed hemorrhage at the same area. Magnetic resonance venography showed an irregular contour of the right transverse sinus. Laboratory examination revealed a high D-dimer level, thrombocytopenia, and a high titer for anti-PF4 antibodies. She was treated with anticoagulants, intravenous immunoglobulin, and steroids and analgesic agents were administered for pain control. She had a marked improvement on headaches and clumsiness after treatment along with radiological thrombus resolution. During follow-up at the outpatient department, her modified Rankin scale at 90 d was 1. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be alerted whenever patients present with persistent and progressive headaches or focal motor/sensory deficits postvaccination.

The prevalence of esophageal cancer after caustic and pesticide ingestion: A nationwide cohort study.

Habits such as smoking and alcohol drinking and existing esophageal malfunction are considered the main risk factors for esophageal carcinogenesis. Caustic ingestion of acidic or alkaline agents or strong irritants can induce severe esophageal corrosive injury and increase esophageal cancer risk. We studied the relationship between esophageal carcinoma and acute detergent or pesticide poisoning by using nationwide health insurance data. Methodology/Principle findings: We compared a pesticide/detergent intoxication cohort (N = 21,840) and an age- and gender-matched control cohort (N = 21,840) identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2011. We used the multivariable Cox proportional model to determine esophageal carcinoma risk. The overall incidence density of esophageal cancer was 1.66 per 10,000 person-years in the comparison cohort and 4.36 per 10,000 person-years in the pesticide/detergent intoxication cohort. The corresponding adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for esophageal cancer was 2.33 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-3.86) in the pesticide/detergent intoxication cohort compared with the control cohort. Patients with corrosive and detergent intoxication did not have a higher risk of esophageal cancer (adjusted HR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.29-3.33) than those without pesticide/detergent intoxication. However, patients with pesticide intoxication had a significantly higher risk of esophageal cancer (adjusted HR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.52-4.18) than those without pesticide/detergent intoxication. Conclusion: In the present study, after adjusting for conventional risk factors, we observed that pesticide intoxication could exert substantial effects through increased esophageal cancer risk. However, patients with detergent intoxication may not have an increased risk of esophageal cancer.

Oxidative storm in a patient with acute rotenone-containing plant poisoning.

A 64-year-old woman presented with coma, seizure, and lactic acidosis after ingesting 80 yam bean seeds. This rotenone-containing seeds cause cellular asphyxia via blockage of the mitochondrial electron transport. Subsequent oxidative stress results in the formation of lipid peroxidation (LPO). Rotenone analysis via liquid chromatography mass spectrometry revealed the following: 31,590 ng/mL in cooked yam bean seed and 100 ng/mL in the blood. We attempted to use N-acetylcysteine to alleviate oxidative stress and documented the continuous decline in the plasma concentration of LPO.

Alcohol use disorder tied to development of chronic kidney disease: A nationwide database analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a spectrum of high risk behaviors including alcohol abuse and dependence. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is progressive loss of renal function for more or equal to 3 months or presence of any irreversible kidney damage. Common risk factors of CKD have been identified, but the impact of alcohol consumption on kidney function is controversial. The study aims to investigate the relationship between alcohol use disorder and CKD on a national scale. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using Taiwan's National Health Insurance research database. Patients aged 20 years or older, without CKD and with the diagnosis of AUD (ICD-9-CM codes 303.X; 305.0, V113) from years 2000 to 2013 were enrolled. Control cohort was selected to match the demographics of the target population. Patients were followed until the end of 2013 or earlier if they developed CKD, died, or lost follow up. Baseline characteristics and comorbidities were identified for risk stratification. RESULTS: We identified 11639 patients in the AUD cohort and 46556 patients in the control cohort. Compared to patients in the control cohort, those in the AUD group were more likely to have multiple comorbidities (p < 0.001 for all comorbidities). After adjustment of age, gender, baseline comorbidities, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, the diagnosis of AUD was associated with an increased risk of CKD development (aHR = 1.62, 95% CI, 1.46-1.81). During the mean follow up periods of 6.47 (standard deviation (SD) = 3.80) years for the AUD cohort and 7.23 (SD = 3.75) years for the control cohort, the overall incidence density of CKD was significantly higher in patients with AUD than those in the control cohort (3.48 vs 6.51 per 1000 person-years, aHR = 1.68, 95% CI, 1.50-1.87). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the AUD cohort had a higher cumulative incidence of CKD than the control cohort (log-rank test, p value < 0.001). Patients with AUD had higher risks of CKD in all the stratified groups, except for the subgroup with age over 65 years old. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that AUD was associated with an increased incidence of newly diagnosed CKD by nearly two folds. Young age, in particular, had a higher association between AUD and CKD. Considering the preventable nature of AUD, establishing effective health policies is imperative to reduce high-risk alcohol behaviors and thereby prevent alcohol-related kidney disease. Further prospective studies are warranted to further elucidate the causation of AUD on kidney function.