ABSTRACT
In a cohort of 245 men with vibration white finger disease, the effects of tobacco use on the symptoms of the disease and the results of a cold provocation test were studied. The tobacco habits of 111 patients were confirmed by measurement of nicotine and cotinine in plasma. In a subgroup the cold provocation test was repeated after nicotine absorption according to individual habits. Patients with advanced disease as measured on a symptom scale were found to use tobacco more often and to have higher cotinine levels than patients with less advanced disease. Pathologic test results were found more frequently among users of tobacco than among nonusers. Habitual use of tobacco seems to aggravate the symptoms of vibration white finger disease and to result in an increased reactivity in a cold provocation test.
Subject(s)
Raynaud Disease/etiology , Smoking/adverse effects , Tobacco Use Disorder/complications , Adult , Blood Pressure , Body Temperature Regulation , Cold Temperature , Cotinine/blood , Fingers/blood supply , Fingers/drug effects , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nicotine/blood , Raynaud Disease/blood , Smoking/blood , Tobacco Use Disorder/bloodABSTRACT
A case of inadvertent intra-arterial self-injection of crushed codeine tablets in an 37-year-old man, resulting in gangrene of an upper extremity, is presented. The problem studied was whether the gangrene was caused by the codeine or by one of the excipients found in the tablets. The cause of the gangrene was investigated in an experimental study. Each of the components of the tablet (codeine, lactose, gelatin, carboxymethyl cellulose, calcium stearate, talc, and microcrystalline cellulose) was injected into the femoral arteries of dogs. The results of the study clearly demonstrate that the unique component producing the gangrene was the micro-crystalline cellulose, while the injection of pure codeine was harmless. To date, the only reported deleterious effects of intravascular injection of micro-crystalline cellulose have been pulmonary embolism and granulomatosis. Some examples of drugs that include microcrystalline cellulose are methadone, methaqualone, oxcycodone, acetaminophen, aspirin with codeine, propoxyphene napsylate, meprobamate, and phenobarbital. Recently, the vulnerability of drug addicts who habitually inject drugs into veins to the accidental injection of an artery has been noted, and it seems likely that in the future the problem of intra-arterial injection will increase in severity. The literature of the last 40 years is reviewed, and a list of drugs known to have produced gangrene when injected intra-arterially is cited.
Subject(s)
Arm/drug effects , Codeine/adverse effects , Gangrene/chemically induced , Adult , Animals , Arm/pathology , Codeine/administration & dosage , Dogs , Fingers/drug effects , Fingers/pathology , Gangrene/pathology , Humans , Injections, Intra-Arterial , Male , Pharmaceutic Aids/adverse effects , Substance-Related Disorders/complications , Suspensions , Tablets , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Infection of the flexor tendon sheath and proximal interphalangeal joint by Mycobacterium marinum is described. The characteristic features of this unusual infection are delineated.
Subject(s)
Coxsackievirus Infections/drug therapy , Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease/drug therapy , Mycobacterium Infections/drug therapy , Occupational Diseases/drug therapy , Adult , Female , Fingers/drug effects , Humans , Methylprednisolone/therapeutic use , Microbial Sensitivity TestsSubject(s)
Fingers/blood supply , Heart Failure/physiopathology , Heparin/therapeutic use , Liver/blood supply , Adult , Drug Evaluation , Female , Fingers/drug effects , Heart Failure/drug therapy , Hemodynamics/drug effects , Humans , Liver/drug effects , Male , Middle Aged , Plethysmography, Impedance , Time Factors , Vascular Resistance/drug effectsSubject(s)
Adhesives/adverse effects , Fingers/drug effects , Skin/drug effects , Adult , Electric Conductivity , Environmental Exposure , Humans , Shoes , USSRABSTRACT
The lack of quantitative information on the observed effects after subcutaneous injections of triamcinolone prompted a double blind, prospective study of the drug's effects. The results demonstrate that there are gross losses in the subcutaneous fat. No significant quantitative differences were observed in the collagen content (microscopic or biochemical) in these monkey digits.
Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue/drug effects , Connective Tissue/drug effects , Skin/drug effects , Triamcinolone Acetonide/pharmacology , Animals , Collagen/analysis , Female , Fingers/analysis , Fingers/drug effects , Haplorhini , Injections, Intradermal , Injections, Subcutaneous , Macaca , Triamcinolone Acetonide/administration & dosageABSTRACT
About 26 years ago symptoms of liver and spleen were described for the first time by Tribukh et al. in laborers exposed to vinyl chloride. Besides these symptoms sclerodermia, acroosteolysis and Raynaud's phaenomenon are known to be typical for the VC disease. Rather high concentrations of VC seem to be necessary to cause this disease. After cessation of exposure the symptoms may improve partly. Haemangiosarcoma of the liver may occur as the most serious effect of prolonged exposure to vinyl chloride. Presently 48 cases induced by VC exposure are observed all over the world. Diagnosis is difficult, the prognosis of this cancer is practically always fatal. The improvement of working places by the chemical industries should further reduce the risk of acquiring VC disease as well as haemangioma of the liver due to VC exposure.
