A retrospective study on non-drug related poisoning in the community among children from south India.

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study was performed to determine the incidence, demographic distribution, types and outcomes across various non-drug related poisonings among children attending a tertiary care center in south India. METHODS: All children from 0-16 years who presented to the Paediatric Emergency Department, Christian Medical College, Vellore with non-drug related poisoning from October 2004 to September 2013 were included. RESULTS: Out of the total 997 cases of poisoning, 629 (63.1%) cases were contributed by chemicals and plants: mainly hydrocarbons (kerosene) 309 (49.1%); organophosphates 72 (11.5%); corrosive acids and alkalis 57 (9.1%); insecticides 51 (8.1%); and plant poisons 20 (3.2%). Males (62.79%) and children < 5 years (77.42%) were mostly affected. Although many children developed complications requiring intensive care unit admissions, the total mortality was only 9 (1.4%). The incidence of poisoning showed a decreasing trend over the last 4 years. CONCLUSION: This study for the first time gives an elaborative insight on non-drug related pediatric poisoning from a tertiary care center in south India for almost a decade.

Drug poisoning in the community among children: a nine years' experience from a tertiary care center in south India.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to determine the incidence, demographic distribution, types and outcomes across various drug poisonings among children from south India. METHODS: This retrospective study included children less than 16 years who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department with drug poisoning from the 1st of October 2004 to the 30th of September 2013. RESULTS: Out of the total 997 poisoning cases, 366 (36.71%) were contributed by drugs; mainly antiepileptics, central nervous system depressants, psychotropics, analgesic-antipyretics and natural drugs. Males and children of < 5 years were mostly affected. Although many children developed complications and required intensive care unit admissions, the total mortality rate was less than 1%. The incidence of drug poisoning showed a decreasing trend over the last 4 years. CONCLUSION: This study for the first time gives an elaborative insight into pediatric drug poisoning over a nine-year period from a Pediatric Emergency Department tertiary care center in south India.

Inhibition by sildenafil of contractility of isolated non-pregnant human myometrium.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of sildenafil to inhibit the contractility of isolated non pregnant human myometrium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The inhibitory effect of three concentrations (3, 10, and 30 µM) of sildenafil on 55 mM KCl-induced contractility of isolated non-pregnant human myometrium was studied. The ability of the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ (10 µM), the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor MDL-12,330A (10 µM), the non-specific potassium channel blocker TEA (2 mM), and the calcium-sensitive potassium (BKCa) channel blocker iberiotoxin (100 nM) to reverse the inhibition of 10 µM sildenafil on KCl-induced myometrial contractility was also studied. RESULTS: Sildenafil produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of KCl-induced myometrial contractility that was statistically significant at all three concentrations of sildenafil used. The inhibition by 10 µM sildenafil of KCl-induced myometrial contractility was not reversed by the concurrent administration of ODQ or MDL-12,330A. The inhibition of 10 µM sildenafil of myometrial contractility was partially reversed by concurrent administration of TEA and totally and significantly reversed by the concurrent administration of iberiotoxin. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that sildenafil inhibits the contractility of isolated non-pregnant human myometrium. The results suggest that sildenafil does so by opening BKCa channels.