Double Suicide Due to the Ingestion of Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine: Case Report and Review of the Literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 192536212110653
Author(s):  
Serenella Serinelli ◽  
Luigi Bonaccorso ◽  
Carmelo Furnari ◽  
Lorenzo Gitto

Suicide is a major public health issue and the risk of attempting and committing suicide increases with age. We present the case of an elderly couple who decided to commit suicide together by self-poisoning using levamisole-adulterated cocaine. The choice of committing a double suicide, the method selected (self-poisoning), the drug self-administered (cocaine), and the route of administration (ingestion) are events rarely encountered in the forensic pathology practice, especially not in combination. In this article, we will review the literature regarding the frequency and features of these methods of suicide. An overview of the effects and mechanism of action of levamisole is also provided, highlighting the importance of including this substance and its metabolites in the routine toxicological analyses for cocaine deaths.

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiktor Meissner ◽  
Łukasz Krokowicz ◽  
Adam Bobkiewicz ◽  
Michał Drews

AbstractObesity, a major public health issue of the 21


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Castro ◽  
Hugo Perazzo ◽  
Beatriz Grinsztejn ◽  
Valdilea G. Veloso ◽  
Chris Hyde

Chronic hepatitis C remains one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide and presents a variable natural history ranging from minimal changes to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis and its complications, such as development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately, 1.45 million people are estimated to be infected by HCV in Brazil representing a major public health issue. The aim of this paper was to review the epidemiology and management of chronic hepatitis C from a Brazilian perspective. The management of chronic hepatitis C has been challenged by the use of noninvasive methods to stage liver fibrosis as an alternative to liver biopsy and the high cost of new interferon-free antiviral treatments. Moreover, the need of cost-effectiveness analysis in hepatitis C and the recent changes in treatment protocols were discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bader Y Alhatlani ◽  
Waleed A Aljabr ◽  
Mohammed S Almarzouqi ◽  
Sami M Alhatlani ◽  
Rayan N Alzunaydi ◽  
...  

Aim: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) transmission through blood transfusion is a major public health issue worldwide. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HEV in blood donors in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Materials & methods: Serum samples (n = 1078) were collected from volunteer blood donors and tested for the presence of anti-HEV IgG and IgM by indirect ELISA. Results: The seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG among the blood donors was 5.7% overall. Anti-HEV IgG and IgM seropositivity were significantly higher in non-Saudi donors than in Saudi donors (22.1 vs 3 and 7.8 vs 0.2% for anti-HEV IgG and IgM, respectively). Conclusion: The seroprevalence of HEV among blood donors in the Qassim region was lower than previous estimates for other regions of the country and neighboring countries.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Yuh Leong ◽  
Louis Tong

Dry eye, a visually disabling disease that has been reported to be a major public health issue in many countries, is known to induce a significant decrease in quality of life. In this report, we aim to compile information on the investigators of dry eye that published most frequently in peer reviewed scientific journals and the publications in Asia and Europe.


Author(s):  
Sukhwinder Sahota ◽  
Tahir Mahmood

Obesity is a complex multifactorial disorder, which has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. It affects all aspects of an individual’s life: physical, social, emotional, and psychological. Although it is largely preventable, obesity is now a major public health issue and has a significant impact on the health and well-being of an individual throughout their lifespan. Obesity is associated with multiple adverse outcomes not only during the reproductive phase of a woman’s life but during the post-reproductive era as well. Obesity also increases risks for non-obstetrical and gynaecological illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and non-gynaecological cancers. Obesity thus is a cause of major societal economic burden.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Liu ◽  
Youlin Long ◽  
Yifan Cheng ◽  
Qiong Guo ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a major public health issue and challenge to health professionals. In similar epidemics, nurses experienced more distress than other providers.Methods: We surveyed both on-duty nurses caring for infected patients and second-line nurses caring for uninfected patients from Hubei and other provinces throughout China.Results: We received completed surveys from 1,364 nurses from 22 provinces: 658 front-line and 706 second-line nurses. The median (IQR) GHQ-28 score of all nurses was 17 (IQR 11–24). The overall incidence of mild-to-moderate distress (GHQ score > 5) was 28%; that for severe distress (GHQ score > 11) was 6%. The incidence of mild-to-moderate distress in the second-line nurses was higher than that in the front-line nurses (31 vs. 25%; OR, 0.74; 95 CI, 0.58–0.94). Living alone (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44–0.86) and feeling supported (OR, 0.82, 95% CI, 0.74–0.90) independently predicted lower anxiety.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychological problems of all nurses were generally serious. The interviewed second-line nurses face more serious issues than the front-line nurses.


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