RESUMO
Choking is one of the important types of asphyxia deaths. The incidences of which are not uncommon. The choking in children could be due toys, coins, marbles, nuts and any other small hard object or even sometimes due to stuffed in plastic bags whereas in adults most of the times food bolus or hard parts of food like bone pieces are responsible. It is mostly accidental in nature. It can cause coughing or sometimes airway obstruction leading to death. We present a case wherein a mentally ill person accidentally choked to death after consumption of food.
RESUMO
Background: Gap junctions (GJs) are clusters of channels that connect the interiors of adjoining neurons and mediate electrical/electrotonic coupling by transfer of ions and small molecules. Electrotonic coupling between principal neurons via GJs is increasingly recognized as one of the mechanisms in the pathogenesis of the abnormal neuronal synchrony that occurs during seizures. Carbenoxolone the succinyl ester of glycyrrhetinic acid obtained from liquorice has been shown to have the property of blocking gap junctional intercellular communication. The objectives were to study if carbenoxolone has in-vivo anticonvulsive activity in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES) seizure models and to probe the functional role of GJs in seizures. Methods: Carbenoxolone was tested for anticonvulsive effect in albino rats subjected to seizures by the PTZ and MES at three doses 100 m/kg, 200 m/kg, 300 m/kg. In the PTZ model parameters observed were seizure protection, seizure latency and seizure duration. In the MES model parameters observed were seizure protection and seizure duration. Results: The results showed that the carbenoxolone has anticonvulsant activity in both PTZ and MES induced seizures with better protection in the PTZ induced seizures. In the PTZ model carbenoxolone produced a statistically significant increase in seizure latency, decrease in seizure duration and seizure protection. In the MES model carbenoxolone produced a statistically significant decrease in seizure duration. Conclusions: Carbenoxolone has in-vivo anticonvulsive effect and could be useful in both petitmal (absence) seizures and grand mal (generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy) seizures. The protective effect of carbenoxolone could be due to blockade of GJ channels that mediate electro tonic coupling and thereby prevent the neural synchronization that is characteristic of seizures. The study also supports the view that GJs have a functional role in the electrophysiology of seizures and GJ blockers have potential as a new class of antiepileptic drugs.
RESUMO
The present research aims to highlight the pattern of thoraco-abdominal injuries sustained by the victims of fatal road traffic accidents (RTA) in Manipal, South India. The study is an autopsy based observation of thoraco-abdominal injuries in victims of fatal road traffic accidents during 1999 – 2003. Road traffic accidents accounted for most of the injury related deaths (77%) during the study period. A male preponderance (86%) was observed with a male-female ratio of 6:1. Individuals in the age group of 21 to 50 years formed the most vulnerable (83%) group. External thoracic injuries were more common than internal thoracic injuries in the thoracic region. In the abdominal region, internal injuries were more common than external injuries. Lungs (61%) and kidneys (23%) were the most commonly involved organs in the thoracic and abdominal regions respectively. Majority of the victims were two wheeler occupants (35%) followed by pedestrians (23%). The study indicates the pattern of thoraco-abdominal injuries sustained along with the trend of road traffic accidents in the region.