True or false coral snake: is it worth the risk? A Micrurus corallinus case report

Background Bites provoked by the genus Micrurus represent less than 1% of snakebite cases notified in Brazil, a tiny fraction compared with other genus such as Bothrops and Crotalus, which together represent almost 80% of accidents. In addition to their less aggressive behavior, habits and morphology of coral snakes are determinant factors for such low incidence of accidents. Although Micrurus bites are rare, victims must be rescued and hospitalized in a short period of time, because this type of envenoming may evolve to a progressive muscle weakness and acute respiratory failure. Case Presentation We report an accident caused by Micrurus corallinus involving a 28-year-old Caucasian sailor man bitten on the hand. The accident occurred in a recreational camp because people believed the snake was not venomous. The victim presented neurological symptoms 2 h after the accident and was taken to the hospital, where he received antielapidic serum 10 h after the bite. After the antivenom treatment, the patient presented clinical evolution without complications and was discharged 4 days later. Conclusions We reinforce that it is essential to have a health care structure suitable for the treatment of snakebite. Besides, the manipulation of these animals should only be carried out by a team of well-equipped and trained professionals, and even so with special attention.

A case of stings in humans caused by Sclerodermus sp. in Italy

In the last years, stings of Sclerodermus species in humans have been sporadically reported in Italy. In order to draw attention to these bethylid wasps of medical importance, we report the case of documented Sclerodermus sp. stings on the dorsum, abdomen, arms, and thighs of a 40-year-old man and his wife. The sting sites developed raised red itchy rash. The source of environmental contamination was identified in a worm-eaten sofa purchased from a used furniture dealer and placed in the living room about a month and half earlier. The lesions on the man and his wife rapidly healed within 3 to 4 days once they left the house and treatment for the lesions was instituted. Physicians, dermatologists, medical and public health entomologists, as well as specific categories of workers should be aware of the risk of exposure to Sclerodermus stings.

A case of stings in humans caused by Sclerodermus sp. in Italy

In the last years, stings of Sclerodermus species in humans have been sporadically reported in Italy. In order to draw attention to these bethylid wasps of medical importance, we report the case of documented Sclerodermus sp. stings on the dorsum, abdomen, arms, and thighs of a 40-year-old man and his wife. The sting sites developed raised red itchy rash. The source of environmental contamination was identified in a worm-eaten sofa purchased from a used furniture dealer and placed in the living room about a month and half earlier. The lesions on the man and his wife rapidly healed within 3 to 4 days once they left the house and treatment for the lesions was instituted. Physicians, dermatologists, medical and public health entomologists, as well as specific categories of workers should be aware of the risk of exposure to Sclerodermus stings.

Evaluation of toxicity risks in farmers exposed to pesticides in an agricultural community in Concórdia, Santa Catarina State, Brazil / Avaliação do risco de toxicidade em agricultores expostos a agrotóxicos em uma comunidade agrícola de Concórdia, Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil

A utilização de agrotóxicos nas atividades rurais tem crescido ao longo dos anos com o intuito de aumentar a produtividade das lavouras e reduzir a mão-de-obra empregada. Em contrapartida, o uso excessivo ou sem medidas adequadas de biossegurança podem causar sérios danos à saúde humana. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar o risco de toxicidade de 50 agricultores da comunidade da Linha São Paulo, município de Concórdia, Estado de Santa Catarina, expostos a produtos agrotóxicos pela aplicação de questionário com perguntas abertas e fechadas. Foi possível observar que estão presentes várias situações e procedimentos que expõem boa parte dos agricultores envolvidos nesta pesquisa a riscos de intoxicação, pois não possuem uma ideia clara a respeito das medidas de biossegurança, como também não há entendimento adequado sobre os produtos que utilizam, sugerindo carência na veiculação de informações acerca dos produtos. Estes dados corroboram para o aumento do risco à saúde dos agricultores entrevistados em sua rotina de trabalho. Dessa forma, fica fortemente destacada a necessidade de medidas voltadas à informação e sensibilização, que conscientizem e conduzam ao autocuidado no manejo de agrotóxicos.

There has been an increase during recent years in the use of pesticides in agricultural activities to improve productivity, reduce labor costs and increase profits. On the other hand, the use of pesticides in excess or without adequate biosafety practices could lead to serious harm to human health. Current research evaluated toxicity risks in the case of 50 agricultural workers from the São Paulo Rural Community in the municipality of Concordia, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, who were exposed to pesticides. The questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions revealed that there are several situations and procedures that expose most farm workers to toxicity risks since they do not have a clear understanding of biosafety measures or suitable knowledge on the products they use. Since a lack of information on pesticides exists, there is strong evidence for measures to inform and raise consciousness so that agricultural workers may exercise self-care in handling pesticides.

Avaliação da resposta imune relacionada a ação dos venenos das serpentes Bothrops erythromelas e Crotalus durissus cascavella / Evaluation of the immune response associated to poison action of snakes bothrops erythromelas and crotalus durissus cascavella

Acidentes causados por serpentes, especialmente nos países tropicais e subtropicais, ainda constituem grave problema de saúde pública. Este estudo objetivou avaliar aspectos da resposta imune em vítimas de envenenamento por Bothrops erythromelas (jararaca) antes e após tratamento soroterápico. Além disso, em cultura de esplenócitos de camundongos BALB/c foram determinadas citotoxicidade, produção de óxido nítrico, de citocinas (IL-10, IFN-gama, IL-2, IL-6) e a viabilidade celular na presença do veneno de B. erythromelas. Os aspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos de pacientes picados por B. erythromelas e a resposta imune humoral dos mesmos foram avaliados antes, 12 e 24 horas após soroterapia. IFN-gama, IL-10 e óxido nítrico foram quantificados em sobrenadantes de culturas desses pacientes, além de marcadores de superfície celular. Níveis séricos de quimiocinas e citocinas também foram avaliados. Em cultura de esplenócitos, assim como em sobrenadantes de cultura de pacientes acometidos por envenenamento botrópico, o veneno de B. erythromelas induziu uma resposta imunomoduladora através de citocinas (IFN-gama e IL-6) e produção de óxido nítrico, apresentando um perfil pró-inflamatório. No soro de pacientes foi identificada uma proteína de 38 kDa, sugerindo um marcador no envenenamento por essa espécie. A clínica e a epidemiologia dos acidentes por B. erythromelas mostram aspectos similares aos acidentes ofídicos ocorridos no Brasil. A variação nos marcadores de superfície celular observados pode estar relacionada a aspectos que vão da quantidade inoculada de veneno ao tratamento do paciente. Os niveis séricos de citocinas Th1/Th2, além de quimiocinas mostraram um perfil semelhante para todos os tipos de envenenamento humano. Portanto, o presente estudo permitiu compreender os aspectos relacionados à evolução clínica de pacientes acometidos por envenenamento por B. erythromelas na região Nordeste.

La exposición a la aflatoxina B1 en animales de laboratorio y su significado en la salud pública / Exposure to aflatoxin B1 in experimental animals and its public health significance

En México se ha detectado la presencia AFB1 en humanos: como mutación en el gene p53 en hepatocarcinomas de pacientes de Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, en 1996 y como aducto AFB1-lisina en suero de pacientes del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social de Matamoros, Tamaulipas, México, en 2003. La aflatoxina B1 ha sido clasificada por la Agencia Internacional para Investigación en Cáncer como un agente carcinogénico para humanos. Este compuesto es un contaminante natural encontrado en alimentos y es sintetizado por Aspergillus flavus y/o A. parasiticus cuando estos hongos crecen en diversos productos alimenticios. Considerando el riesgo que este compuesto representa para los seres humanos, en el presente artículo se revisa y analiza, a nivel molecular, su capacidad carcinogénica, mutagénica y tóxica y se ilustra su relación causal con hepatocarcinomas en humanos. Se destaca que la capacidad carcinogénica y mutagénica están determinadas por la AFB1-formamidopirimidina, la cual causa errores en las transcripciones del ADN. Los resultados ilustran que la población mexicana está consumiendo alimentos con bajas concentraciones de AFB1. La toxicidad es consecuencia de la acción carcinogénica en el hígado.

The presence of AFB1 in human beings was detected in Mexico in 1996 both as a mutation of the gene p53 in hepatocellular carcinomas in Monterrey, Mexico, and as the adduct AFB1-lysine in serum from patients in Matamoros, Mexico in 2003. Aflatoxin B1 has been classified as a carcinogenic agent to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The compound is a natural contaminant produced by Aspergillus flavus and/or A. parasiticus when these fungi grow on different food products. At the molecular level, this review covers the carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic properties of these mycotoxins and their risk to humans. It also gives insight into the causal relationship between aflatoxins and hepatocellular carcinoma. Information is provided about AFB1-formamidopyrimidine, which is a determinant of the carcinogenic and mutagenic capabilities. The results suggest that the Mexican population ingests food containing low amounts of AFB1. Analyses is presented of AFB1 toxicity, which is a consequence of the carcinogenic activity in liver cells.

The spectrum of accidental childhood poisoning in the Caribbean

Objective. To assess accidental poisoning in children in the Caribbean country of Antigua and Barbuda, including the incidence, the types of substances ingested, the age of the children involved, and the clinical outcomes. The results from Antigua and Barbuda were compared with the results of other reports from the English-speaking Caribbean and from the United States of America. Design and Methods. We performed a retrospective review of the charts of all patients less than 13 years old admitted to the Children's Ward at Holberton Hospital in Antigua for accidental poisoning between March 1989 and March 1999. Those data were compared with data from earlier reports from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and the United States of America. Results. In Antigua and Barbuda there were 255 hospital admissions for accidental poisoning among children below 13 years old over that 10-year period. Of the 255 ingestions, 115 of them (45 percent) were in 1-year-old children, 69 (27 percent) were in 2-year-old children, and 26 (10 percent) were in 3-year-old children. These proportions in Antigua and Barbuda are similar to the age patterns seen in the other countries with which we made comparisons. In Antigua and Barbuda there was an annual average of 26 hospital admissions for poisoning for the roughly 20 000 children below 13 years of age, for a rate of 1.3 per 1 000. In comparing the patterns of childhood poisoning in all the countries we studied, we found that, as economic levels rose, there was a shift in the substances ingested, with hydrocarbon and plant ingestions decreasing and chemical and medication ingestions increasing. Conclusions. There is an increasing variety and complexity of poisonous substances ingested as economic conditions improve. This trend would make the establishment of a poison control center for the English-speaking Caribbean a logical step

Hemorrhagic syndrome and acute renal failure in a pregnant woman after contact with Lonomia caterpillars: a case report

Um caso de uma gestante de 37 semanas que desenvolveu uma sindrome hemorragica e insuficiência renal aguda apos contato com lagartas do genero Lonomia e relatado. O acidente desencadeou trabalho de parto prematuro e a paciente deu a luz a um recém nascido vivo. Alguns aspectos fisiopatologicos do sangramento genital e da insuficiência renal aguda säo discutidos

Trauma ocular por Himenópteros: aspectos clínicos e histopatológicos / Ocular trauma by Himenopteros: clinical and hystopathological aspects

Säo apresentados 3 casos clínicos de trauma ocular por insetos da ordem dos Himenópteros. Tais acidentes säo pouco frequentes em grandes cidades. Os insetos inoculam nos tecidos oculares misturas de substâncias altamente tóxicas, como aminas, peptídeos, enzimas. Todos os casos apresentavam alteraçöes anatômicas e funcionais graves do segmento anterior do olho e foram submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico, tendo o exame anátomo-patológico revelado intensa destruiçäo tecidual da córnea e cristalino. Discutem-se ainda as açöes dos componentes do veneno sobre os tecidos humanos, concluindo-se que o trauma ocular por insetos Himenópteros pode determinar uma baixa acentuada de acuidade visual ou mesmo cegueira definitiva

Toxicologia general / General toxicology

Debido al uso indiscriminado de insecticidas, fungicidas, raticidas y otros productos con propiedades toxicas en cuyo empleo no se guardan los correspondientes cuidados tanto por parte de la persona encargada de su aplicacion, como de aquellas que manejan alimentos u objetos expuestos y no protegidos contra la contaminacion con tales elementos. Presenta los aspectos toxicologicos de la practica medica de urgencias, analisis de laboratorio y conocimientos generales de varios compuestos existentes en el pais con relacion a su principio toxico