Prazosin treatment in the management of scorpion envenomation

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erdal Peker ◽  
Suleyman Oktar ◽  
Murat Dogan ◽  
Ergun Kaya ◽  
Mehmet Duru

Scorpion stings represent an important and serious public health problem worldwide due to their high incidence and potentially severe and often fatal clinical manifestations. Children are at greater risk of developing severe cardiac, respiratory, and neurological complications due to lesser body surface area. Alpha receptor stimulation plays important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary edema. Prazosin, a post synaptic alpha blocker, can be recommended as an effective drug in the treatment of serious scorpion envenomations with significant sympathetic symptoms. Oral prazosin is fast acting, easily available, relatively cheap, free from any anaphylaxis and highly effective.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-46
Author(s):  
Eloiza Sarmento Amoras ◽  
Anderson Luiz Pena Costa

Aflatoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by the fungi of the genus Aspergillus. These substances cause food poisoning with clinical manifestations that vary according to the time of exposure and concentration of the dose ingested, representing a serious public health problem for compromising the food security, also causing considerable economic losses both in the production of stocked vegetable foods, as well as in the livestock contaminated with these substances through the feed. Therefore, this literature review aims to introduce some aspects related to the contamination of food by the fungi of the genus Aspergillus, the chemical and toxicological properties of the aflatoxins, as well as the strategies of control to avoid them in food.


Author(s):  
Zhu ◽  
Zhao ◽  
Ou ◽  
Xiang ◽  
Hu ◽  
...  

Mumps vaccines have been widely used in recent years, but frequent mumps outbreaks and re-emergence around the world have not stopped. Mumps still remains a serious public health problem with a high incidence in China. The status of mumps epidemics in Chongqing, the largest city in China, is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological and spatiotemporal characteristics of mumps and to provide a scientific basis for formulating effective strategies for its prevention and control. Surveillance data of mumps in Chongqing from January 2004 to December 2018 were collected from the National Notifiable Diseases Reporting Information System. A descriptive analysis was conducted to understand the epidemiological characteristics. Hot spots and spatiotemporal patterns were identified by performing a spatial autocorrelation analysis, a purely spatial scan, and a spatiotemporal scan at the county level based on geographic information systems. A total of 895,429 mumps cases were reported in Chongqing, with an annual average incidence of 36.34 per 100,000. The yearly incidence of mumps decreased markedly from 2004 to 2007, increased sharply from 2007 to 2011, and then tapered with a two-year cyclical peak after 2011. The onset of mumps showed an obvious bimodal seasonal distribution, with a higher peak of mumps observed from April to July of each year. Children aged 5–9 years old, males, and students were the prime high-risk groups. The spatial distribution of mumps did not exhibit significant global autocorrelation in most years, but local indicators of spatial autocorrelation and scan statistics detected high-incidence clusters which were mainly located in the midwestern, western, northeastern, and southwestern parts of Chongqing. The aggregation time frame detected by the purely temporal scan was between March 2009 and July 2013. The incidence of mumps in Chongqing from 2004 to 2018 featured significant spatial heterogeneity and spatiotemporal clustering. The findings of this study might assist public health agencies to develop real-time space monitoring, especially in the clustering regions and at peak periods; to improve immunization strategies for long-term prevention; and to deploy health resources reasonably.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lintao Wang ◽  
Zhiguang Ren ◽  
Li Ma ◽  
Yanjie Han ◽  
Wenqiang Wei ◽  
...  

COVID-19 has spread rapidly worldwide since its outbreak and has now become a major public health problem. More and more evidence indicates that SARS-CoV-2 may not only affect the respiratory system but also cause great harm to the central nervous system. Therefore, it is extremely important to explore in-depth the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the nervous system. In this paper, the possible mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 invading the central nervous system during COVID-19, and the neurological complications caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection were reviewed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1067
Author(s):  
Ranganatha A. Devaranavadagi ◽  
Srinivasa S.

Background: Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella typhi. It is a major public health problem in India. Typhoid fever is endemic in many developing countries. Wide variations in the clinical manifestations of typhoid fever make its diagnosis a challenging task. This study was conducted to understand the wide range of clinical manifestations, complications and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of typhoid fever in children.Methods:Prospectively, 113 children admitted in pediatric unit with confirmed Typhoid fever from September 2015 to December 2016 at KIMS hospital, Bangalore were included. In each case, age, sex, presenting complaint, laboratory investigations and antibiotic sensitivity pattern are collected and analysed.Results: Out of 113 cases, 72 cases (63.8.1%) were males, 41 cases (36.2%) were females. The most common age group was 5-10 years. The most common symptom was fever, seen in 100% cases, followed by anorexia (61%), vomiting (44%) and abdominal pain (18%). The most common sign observed was toxic look in 68% of the cases, followed by coated tongue in 49% and hepatomegaly in 44%. Leucocytopenia was found in 34% of cases. Eosinopenia was found in 39% of cases. Anaemia was found in 16% of cases. Thrombocytopenia was found in 15% of cases. Blood culture was positive in 20% of cases. Use of municipal water for drinking was found in 65% of cases. Outside eating was found in 40% of cases. Unhygienic practices were found in 64% of cases. Duration of hospital stay varied from 3-10 days. No mortality reported.Conclusions:Typhoid fever is most commonly observed with unhygienic practices and eating of unhealthy outside food. This major public health issue can be tackled by bringing awareness among people regarding disease transmission and its various preventive measures. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilir Tolaj ◽  
Murat Mehmeti ◽  
Hamdi Ramadani ◽  
Jasmina Tolaj ◽  
Kreshnike Dedushi ◽  
...  

Over the past 10 years more than 700 cases of brucellosis have been reported in Kosovo, which is heavily oriented towards agriculture and animal husbandry. Here, brucellosis is still endemic and represents an uncontrolled public health problem. Human brucellosis may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations; among them, vascular complications are uncommon. Hereby we describe the case of a 37-year-old male patient with brucellosis complicated by deep vein thrombosis on his left leg.


1996 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo de Sousa ◽  
Stefano Bonoli ◽  
Mercedes Quiroga ◽  
Pedro Parrilla

Scorpion stings were surveyed in the Montes Municipality of the State of Sucre, Venezuela, aiming to extend the information on these poisonous accidents by characterizing their geographic distribution. From 1980 to 1990, 184 cases of scorpion stings were recorded with an incidence rate of 38.6 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The locality of San Fernando presented the highest incidence (68.3(0)/000) of poisonous accidents. The highest percentages of severe cases were recorded in the towns of Arenas (27%), San Lorenzo (21%), and Cocollar (19%), which are located at the foot of the Turimiquire Mountains. This region is a dispersion area of scorpions of the Tityus genus. Our results show that this region of the State of Sucre is endemic for scorpion stings which are an important public health problem.


2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshid Kompani ◽  
Azar Nickavar

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a significant public health problem worldwide. Early diagnosis of HTN and its related risk factors has been considered as one of the main requirements of general healthcare in children. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the nomograms of normal systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and the prevalence of asymptomatic HTN and pre-HTN in a population of school-aged children. Methods: Systolic and diastolic BP, height, and weight were measured in 5811 healthy school-aged children (2904 males and 2907 females) during healthcare visits. HTN was defined as systolic or diastolic BP ≥ 95th percentile for age, gender, and height of the screened population on ≥ 3 occasions. Pre-HTN was considered as systolic or diastolic BP between 90 - 95 percentile. Results: HTN and pre-HTN were detected in 8.4% and 7.8% of the children, respectively. The prevalence of HTN was 8.6% among the males and 8.2% among the females. Systolic HTN and pre-HTN were detected in 5.8 and 6.4% of the cases compared to diastolic HTN and pre-HTN observed in 5.9 and 6.1% of the participants, respectively. In addition, HTN was detected in 27.9% of children with obesity. Conclusions: According to the high incidence of asymptomatic HTN and pre-HTN in asymptomatic children, it is recommended to perform routine BP measurement during medical care visits of all healthy school children and to prevent and treat obesity in childhood.


Author(s):  
Farzad Motevalli Haghi ◽  
Mohammad Yousef Mogaddam ◽  
Ahmad Ali Enayati ◽  
Rouhullah Dehghani ◽  
Mahmoud Fazeli-Dinan

Background and purpose: Scorpionism is a public health problem in Darmian City.  This study was conducted to determine the biodiversity and faunistic of scorpions in order to discover the health preventive features of scorpion sting among the residents of these regions.Methods: A nightly and daily actively searching on distribution and biodiversity of scorpions was carried during April 2015 to March 2016 in Darmian, Iran.Results: A total of 685 scorpions including five species belonging to buthidae family were identified. The highest abundance was observed in warmer months, and Mesobuthus eupeus (54.5%) was the most abundant species. The researchers found a positive correlation between abundance and temperature and a negative correlation between abundance and humidity. The scorpions were observed with more nocturnal activity and were well-adapted with more abundance to the plain, rural, and outdoors environments. Regarding constancy index, all species except A. crassicauda were classified as constant species (C=100). There was no significant difference in the richness of scorpions in different time collections (day or night), geographical areas (plain or mountainous), regions collected (urban or rural), and places (indoors or outdoors). The Shannon and dominant indices were found to be not significantly different between mentioned sites except in time collection.Conclusions: Species composition of scorpions revealed that scorpions were constantly active throughout the year which can play an important role in sting events. So, familiarity of healthcare experts and indigenous people with existing species and their seasonal activities can largely reduce the risk of scorpion stings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabrouk Bahloul ◽  
Olfa Turki ◽  
Anis Chaari ◽  
Mounir Bouaziz

Hyperglycaemia is often observed in severe scorpion-envenomed patients. It is due to a severe autonomic storm with a massive release of catecholamines, increased glucagon levels, cortisol levels, and either decreased insulin levels or insulin resistance. The presence of hyperglycaemia is an indicator of severity in this specific condition. Indeed, hyperglycaemia was associated with the severity of clinical manifestations of severe scorpion envenomation requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. In fact, the presence of hyperglycaemia was associated with the presence of respiratory failure, pulmonary oedema, haemodynamic instability, neurological failure, multisystem organ failure, and an increased mortality and ICU length of stay. As a consequence, we think the presence of hyperglycaemia in scorpion-envenomed patients at the emergency department prompts searching for presence of systemic manifestations or cardiorespiratory manifestations. As a consequence, the presence of hyperglycaemia can help screen severe patients at the emergency department. The current management of severe scorpion envenomation involves the admission and close surveillance in the ICU, where vital signs and continuous monitoring enable early initiation of therapy for life-threatening complications. The use of antivenom for scorpion stings remains controversial. All patients with pulmonary oedema should receive prazosin and possibly dobutamine, according the scorpion’s species. Mechanical ventilation is usually used in severe cases. Insulin should be reserved for severe cases with confirmed excessive hyperglycaemia (>10 mmol/l).


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Diego Henrique Moreira ◽  
Lorranne Dias Lima ◽  
Hernani Lopes Santana ◽  
Yasmin Pugliese ◽  
Osvaldo Pinto Neto ◽  
...  

A Hanseníase é um problema de saúde pública, devido a sua endemicidade em todo território brasileiro. Esta afecção crônica é causada pela Mycobacterium leprae, um bacilo álcool-ácido resistente, de alta infectividade e baixa patogenicidade. Relaciona-se com uma grande variedade de lesões cutâneas. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar um caso de hanseníase virchowiana diagnosticado em fase avançada e com manifestações clínicas exuberantes; caso que, felizmente, é pouco comum, na atualidade.   Palavras-chave: Hanseníase. Hanseníase Virchowiana. Doenças endêmicas. Leprosy is a public health problem due to its endemicity throughout Brazil. This chronic disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a bacillus resistant acid-high infectivity and low pathogenicity. It relates to a variety of skin lesions. The aim of this paper is to present a case of lepromatous leprosy diagnosed at an advanced stage and with exuberant clinical manifestations; case, fortunately, is not common today. Keywords: Leprosy. Leprosy, lepromatous. Endemic diseases.


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