Strychnine poisoning causing generalized tetanic spasm

2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000943
Author(s):  
Simon Winzer ◽  
Kristian Barlinn

A 55-year old male presented with spontaneous and stimulus-triggered tetanic-like activity of the whole body without losing consciousness or orientation (video, http://links.lww.com/CPJ/A196). There was no history of trauma, and clinical examination did not reveal any tetanus-prone wound. Electroencephalography showed no significant alteration in brain activity. Serial intravenous benzodiazepines showed limited effect. Frequency and duration of muscle contractions increased over time and led to severe hypoxemia requiring intubation and sedation with propofol for almost 24 hours followed by continuous infusion of midazolam. Daily sedation pauses revealed ongoing generalized muscle spasm triggered by tactile and auditory stimuli and severe vegetative dysregulation. Tetanus antibody level suggested long-term protection. On day 6, toxicology revealed toxic levels of strychnine in serum (180 ng/ml [toxicity > 75 ng/ml]) and urine (514 ng/ml [no toxicity level defined]). Repeated testing showed markedly declined strychnine levels in serum (2.8 ng/ml) and urine (1.1 ng/ml) on day 11. Sedation was ultimately stopped on day 10. Subsequently, the patient recovered completely and was discharged on day 25. Strychnine ingestion mode remained unclear. Generalized tetanic spasm with sustained alertness, presumably caused by selective inhibition of post-synaptic glycine receptors in the spinal cord, should trigger testing for strychnine poisoning.1,2 High-dose intravenous benzodiazepines are considered first-line therapy for controlling muscle spasms; however, in patients whose muscle contractions are refractory to benzodiazepines, sedation with propofol or barbiturates is deemed necessary.1

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Anindita L. ◽  
Aris Aji K. ◽  
Arcadia Sulistijo J.

Hypertension presents an increase in blood pressure following the oral manifestations, such as gingival enlargement. A 42-year-old woman came to the General Sudirman University Dental and Oral Hospital complaining of enlarged front gums seven years ago. The patient had a history of hypertension and regularly consumed drugs, amlodipine 5 mg. Extraoral examination revealed no lymphadenopathy and no swelling of the head and neck area. Intraoral examination revealed a gingival enlargement involving the papilla to the gingival margin present on the entire upper and lower labial gingival surface. The patient's diagnosis was gingival enlargement caused by gingival enlargement due to the use of amlodipine. Gingival enlargement has been noted with long-term or high-dose amlodipine use. The mechanism of amlodipine in causing gingival enlargement is through the role of fibroblasts with abnormal susceptibility to the drug, resulting in increased levels of protein synthesis, especially collagen. The role of pro-inflammatory cytokines occurs through an increase in interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in the inflamed gingival tissue due to the gingival fibrogenic response to drugs. Therapies were DHE and scaling and root planning as phase I in periodontal treatment. Plaque elimination is vital to reduce gingival inflammation that may occur. Substitution of the drug amlodipine may be needed if there is no improvement. Based on case reports, hypertension patients who took amlodipine could have gingival enlargement. The therapy given was plaque elimination in the form of DHE and Scaling and regular check-ups with the dentist.


2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abelardo Araujo ◽  
Charles R.M. Bangham ◽  
Jorge Casseb ◽  
Eduardo Gotuzzo ◽  
Steve Jacobson ◽  
...  

Purpose of reviewTo provide an evidence-based approach to the use of therapies that are prescribed to improve the natural history of HTLV-1–associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP)—a rare disease.Recent findingsAll 41 articles on the clinical outcome of disease-modifying therapy for HAM/TSP were included in a systematic review by members of the International Retrovirology Association; we report here the consensus assessment and recommendations. The quality of available evidence is low, based for the most part on observational studies, with only 1 double-masked placebo-controlled randomized trial.SummaryThere is evidence to support the use of both high-dose pulsed methyl prednisolone for induction and low-dose (5 mg) oral prednisolone as maintenance therapy for progressive disease. There is no evidence to support the use of antiretroviral therapy. There is insufficient evidence to support the use of interferon-α as a first-line therapy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonsun Mo ◽  
Fletcher Nehring ◽  
Andrew H. Jung ◽  
Seth T. Housman

Purpose To report a case of isolated daptomycin-induced acute liver injury without elevations in creatine kinase (CK) levels or kidney dysfunction. Summary A 49-year-old female with a history of pancreatitis, lupus, diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and chronic pain syndrome presented to the emergency department with alteration in mental status and acute liver failure. The patient had been treated with daptomycin for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) endocarditis for 3 weeks. After ruling out other possible etiologies, daptomycin was suspected as a cause of acute liver failure. Her liver failure resolved gradually following withdrawal of daptomycin. Conclusion Although hepatic abnormalities caused by daptomycin are rare, a handful of cases with daptomycin-induced liver injury have been reported in the literature. Of note, in most cases, patients on daptomycin therapy developed liver damage with elevations in CK levels. Our case report suggests possible severe liver injury associated with high-dose and long-term daptomycin treatment in the absence of rhabdomyolysis. Future research is warranted to further investigate the relationship between daptomycin use and liver injury, yet it is reasonable to monitor liver function tests at baseline and weekly thereafter along with CK levels, especially in patients requiring long-term daptomycin therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Ikuo Inoue ◽  
Yasuhiro Takenaka ◽  
Yoshitora Kin ◽  
Satoshi Yamazaki ◽  
Yuichi Ikegami ◽  
...  

A 72-year-old man with a 10-year history of coronary heart disease started evolocumab treatment once a month after developing excess myalgia due to therapy with a 3-hydroxy-methylglutaryl CoA reductase inhibitor. No side effects such as myalgia symptoms had been reported during the first 14 months of evolocumab treatment; however, he suddenly presented with acute severe thrombocytopenia following the 14th treatment. His platelet count continued to decrease to a nadir of 1,000/μL. His platelet-associated immunoglobulin G level had elevated to 790 ng/107 cells. He started receiving a combination of steroid therapy, high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, and platelet transfusions, but the first-line therapy was ineffective. He was subsequently treated with a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, and his platelet count recovered to 250,000/μL.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 904-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Reimer ◽  
Thomas Ruediger ◽  
Tobias Schertlin ◽  
Eva Geissinger ◽  
Florian Weissinger ◽  
...  

Abstract Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) represent a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, which in general show a poor outcome following conventional chemotherapy. Long-term remissions are achieved in only 15 to 35 %. However, the impact of more aggressive therapeutic approaches such as myeloablative therapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as first line therapy is poorly defined mainly due to the lack of prospective PTCL-restricted studies. In 6/00 we initiated the first prospective PTCL-restricted multicenter study of myeloablative radiochemotherapy in primary diagnosed PTCL. The results of the first 30 patients (pts) are in press. We update our data on all pts entering the study. Study design: Pts < 65 years with PTCL of all subtypes without primary cutaneous lymphoma and ALK1 expressing anaplastic large cell lymphoma were included. Treatment consisted of 4–6 courses of CHOP protocol followed by DexaBEAM or ESHAP regimen and collection of stem cells. Subsequently pts underwent total body irradiation (TBI) and high dose cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (60 mg/kg body weight) with ASCT. Patient characteristics: From 6/00 to 8/04 65 pts (42 male) with a median age of 50 years were enrolled. Main subtypes were Peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (NOS, n= 26) and Angioimmunioblastic T-cell lymphoma (AILT, n= 19). According to the Ann Arbor classification, 81% of the pts had stage III/IV disease. The International Prognostic Index (IPI) was low/low intermediate in 54% and intermediate high/high in 46% of the pts, respectively. Results: So far 54 of 65 pts are eligible for evaluation, while the remaining 11 pts are still under therapy. Thirty-three pts could be transplanted (61%). After a median follow up of 10 months after transplantation 22 pts (67%) are in sustained remission and 8 pts (27%) had relapsed. Post transplantation two pts died treatment-related (one secondary AML, one multiorgan failure). Twenty-one pts (39%) did not proceed to ASCT mainly due to progressive disease (n= 16). Treatment-related toxicity was comparable to other high-dose studies in malignant lymphomas. Conclusion: Our data show feasibility and efficacy of first-line ASCT following myeloablative radiochemotherapy in PTCL. Sustaining remission seems achievable for a majority of pts. However, additional treatment strategies are required to prevent early progression prior myeloablative therapy. Longer follow-up is necessary to confirm long-term remission rate.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 5148-5148
Author(s):  
Esbjörn Paul ◽  
Tolga Sutlu ◽  
Evren Alici ◽  
Goesta Gahrton ◽  
Hareth Nahi

Abstract High-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the most common treatment for patients under 60–65 years of age with multiple myeloma (MM). In this study, we present a retrospective analysis of the prognostic impact of different factors in patients who have received this treatment as first line therapy in our centre. Abnormalities in chromosome 13 were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization at the time of diagnosis. The median OS and PFS from transplantation time in the whole group of 193 patients were 90 and 48 months respectively. The median follow-up was 65 months (range: 6–186 months). The complete remission (CR) rate in patients with and without del(13) was 31% and 40% respectively whereas the median OS in patients with del(13) was 58 months but not reached in patients without del(13) (p=0.006). The PFS was 26 months in patients with del(13) and 84 months in those without del(13) (p=0.001). The transplantation related mortality was 2.5% both in the absence and presence of del(13). Patients who achieved CR following ASCT had longer OS and PFS when compared to those who only achieved partial remission. Thus, this study confirms the role of del(13) as a marker of poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that the existence of del(13) was the only single independent factor effecting survival (p=0.001). In patients without del(13), the prognostic impact was even stronger when combined with the plasma cell load in the bone marrow (p=0.020), whereas the plasma cell load had no effect on survival of patients with del(13). Overall, the absence of del(13) in combination with low plasma cell infiltration at diagnosis predicts the best survival.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 205-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline J. Greene ◽  
Ilka C. Naumann ◽  
Janet M. Poulik ◽  
Kevin T. Nella ◽  
Lindsay Weberling ◽  
...  

Background: A rare subset of sarcoidosis, neurosarcoidosis, is reported to occur in 5-7% of sarcoid patients and can manifest in a variety of ways. The most common are facial paralysis and optic neuritis, less commonly causing cochleovestibulopathy, blindness, anosmia, and other cranial nerve (CN) palsies. The sensory deficit may be severe and psychiatric symptoms may result from the effects of the disease or steroid treatment. Although MRI-compatible cochlear implants are now available, concerns about the feasibility of recoverable hearing with cochlear implantation in these patients as well as the practical difficulty of disease monitoring due to implant artifact must be considered. Results: We present 3 recent cases from different institutions. The first is a 39-year-old man with a history of progressively worsening hearing loss, followed by visual loss, delusions, agitation, ataxia, and musical auditory hallucinations, diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement on MRI with a normal serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) level but elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ACE levels, suggesting neurosarcoidosis, was treated with corticosteroids, and underwent successful cochlear implantation. The second is a 36-year-old woman with rapid-onset horizontal diplopia, left mixed severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and tinnitus, diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement on MRI, and progressive palsy of the left CNs IV, VI, VII, IX, X and XI, with altered mental status requiring admission following high-dose intravenous corticosteroids. The third is a 15-year-old boy who presented with sudden, bilateral, profound SNHL, recurrent headaches, and left facial weakness refractory to antivirals, ultimately diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis following an aborted cochlear implantation where diffuse inflammation was found, and histopathology revealed Schaumann bodies; he was treated with methotrexate and later underwent successful cochlear implantation. Conclusions: Neurosarcoidosis is an elusive diagnosis and can cause hearing loss and psychiatric symptoms. Cochlear implantation for patients with severe hearing loss should be considered once the diagnosis is confirmed, as it is possible to achieve a successful level of hearing. Psychiatric symptoms can manifest with the onset of neurosarcoidosis, result from CN deficits, or develop as a side effect from long-term, high-dose corticosteroids, and should be monitored carefully in patients with neurosarcoidosis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e1086
Author(s):  
Elham Akbarzadeh ◽  
Mojtaba Heydari ◽  
Fatemeh Atarzadeh ◽  
Amir Mohammad Jaladat

Background: Although ginger is considered a harmless remedial substance for a wide range of medical complaints, according to Persian medicinal texts, its long-term or high-dose consumption is potentially harmful. Case Report: The case of a 43-year-old man, with a complaint of urinary stream interruption, dysuria, and flank pain, following a non-prescribed use of ginger was reported. The symptoms were reported to persist for four years, despite some medical referrals. Remarkably, the symptoms were attested to be shrinking eight weeks after ginger-intake cessation; besides, no further intervention was asserted. Conclusion: The history of herbal remedies use should be considered in patients with any unexplained urinary symptoms. [GMJ.2018;7:e1086]


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 2850-2850
Author(s):  
Anne Etienne ◽  
Mohamad Mohty ◽  
Catherine Faucher ◽  
Sabine Furst ◽  
Jean El-Cheikh ◽  
...  

Abstract In the setting of RIC for allo-SCT, long term outcomes are still poorly defined. Of note, the epidemiology of long term transplant-related infections is still sparse. This prospective report describes infectious complications occurring beyond 6 months after allo-SCT, in 159 consecutive patients who received a RIC allo-SCT from an HLA-identical sibling. Patients characteristics are as follow: median age was 50 (range, 18–68) years. 68 patients (43%) had a myeloid malignancy, whereas 66 patients (41%) had a lymphoid malignancy. The remaining 25 patients (16%) were treated for metastatic non-hematological malignancies. The majority of patients (n=126, 79%) had an advanced disease with high risk features precluding the use of myeloablative allo-SCT. 24 patients (15%) received donor bone marrow (BM), while the remaining 135 patients (85%) received PBSCs. In addition to fludarabine and busulfan, the RIC regimen included high dose ATG in 20 patients (13%) and low dose ATG in 95 (60%). 24 patients (15%) received fludarabine, busulfan and TLI, while the remaining 24 patients (15%) received fludarabine and low dose TBI. With a median follow-up of 19 (range, 6–90) months, 120 patients (75%) experienced at least one infectious episode (total number of episodes, 366) beyond the first six months after allo-SCT developing at a median of 8 (range, 6–34) months. In all, 212 infectious episodes (58%) required hospitalization (7% in the intensive care unit) for a median duration of 10 (1–91) days. 144 episodes (39%) could be documented (bacterial, n=48; viral, n=78; fungal, n=18). Microbiologically documented infections were distributed as follow: gram negative bacteria (18%), other bacteria (15%), CMV positive antigenemia (17%), HSV (19%), VZV (15%), other viruses (3%), aspergillus (6%), candida species (6%), other (1%). 76% of patients with an infection were under systemic immunosuppressive therapy for chronic GVHD at time of infection. Moreover, 85 patients (71%) experienced more than one infectious episode (median, 2; range, 1–12). In multivariate analysis, active or prior history of extensive chronic GVHD and the use of a BM graft were the strongest factors significantly associated with an increased risk of long term infections (P=0.0003; RR=2.04; 95%CI, 1.4–3.0; and P=0.005; RR=2; 95%CI, 1.2–3.2 respectively), highlighting the raising concern about the deleterious impact of severe chronic GVHD occurring after RIC allo-SCT, but also the protective effect of donor origin immunity based on graft origin and content. In this series of patients surviving at least 6 months after RIC allo-SCT, the overall long term transplant-related mortality was 11% (n=18), of whom 12 deaths were attributed to chronic GVHD and its complications including infections, and 5 deaths solely attributed to infections. In all, these results suggest that, despite reduction in early toxicity associated with the use of RIC regimens, long term debilitating chronic GVHD and its corollary of continuous immunosuppression and subsequent infections are still a matter of concern. Prospective efforts to develop optimal antimicrobial preventive strategies are needed to further improve the safety of the procedure and the overall benefits of RIC preparative regimens before allo-SCT.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 518-518
Author(s):  
Avichai Shimoni ◽  
Avital Rand ◽  
Noga Shem-Tov ◽  
Izhar Hardan ◽  
Yulia Volchek ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 518 Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a potentially curative therapy for patients (pts) with AML and MDS. SCT is associated with substantial mortality during the first 2 years after treatment due to relapse and non-relapse causes, whereas after 2 years survival curves often reach a plateau. However, late mortality and late events continue to cause treatment failures through the late post-transplant course. The pattern of late events has been reported following myeloablative conditioning (MAC) but is not well defined in the RIC setting. To explore late outcomes we retrospectively analyzed SCT results in a cohort of 298 pts with AML/MDS given allogeneic SCT with various regimens. As a general role, pts meeting standard eligibility criteria were given MAC, consisting of high dose intravenous busulfan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide (BuCy). Pts considered at excessive risk for non-relapse mortality (NRM), mostly due to advanced age, were given a reduced toxicity regimen such as fludarabine with high-dose Bu (FB4) or treosulfan (FT) or a RIC regimen of fludarabine and reduced doses of Bu (FB2). The 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) for this cohort was 48% (95CI, 42-54) and 38% (95CI, 31-44), respectively. We identified 93 pts who were alive and leukemia-free 2 years after SCT. The median age at SCT was 52 years (17-72), 52 male, 41 female. The donors were HLA-matched siblings (n=57) or unrelated donors (n=36. The conditioning regimen was FB2 (n=28), FB4 (n=21, FT (n=15) or BuCy (n=29). At the 2-year time-point, 28 pts had a history of acute GVHD, 68 had a history of chronic GVHD, 43 had active chronic GVHD which still required immune suppressive therapy (IST) in 37. Among pts surviving leukemia-free 2 years after SCT, the probability of remaining alive and leukemia-free, for the next 5 years, was 81% (95CI, 71-91) and 79% (95CI, 69-88), respectively. The probability of OS was 75%, 84%, 92% and 79%, after the various regimens, respectively (p=NS). There were 14 deaths beyond 2 years, 8 deaths due to relapse and 6 due to NRM. NRM included 3 deaths due to solid cancers, 2 due to breast cancer (both in pts transplanted for therapy related AML relapsing with the primary malignancy) and one due to colon cancer. There were 3 additional secondary cancers; breast cancer, squamous cell skin cancer and Kaposi sarcoma (1 pt each; all currently alive). Two pts died of myocardial infarction and one of chronic GVHD. In all, the cumulative incidence of late NRM was 10% (4-24). Interestingly, unlike the early post-transplant period, with current supportive care regimens, late deaths from GVHD and infections are rare. Twelve pts relapsed, 24-59 months after SCT, cumulative incidence 12% (6-23); 8 died, 4 are alive following further therapies, 3 long-term. The kinetics of late relapses was similar with MAC and RIC. Advanced age (&gt;50) was the most significant predicting factor for shortened survival. OS was 64% and 92%, in the older and younger groups, respectively (p=0.03). All deaths due to NRM, and all secondary cancers occurred in the older group (p=0.01). Multivariate analysis (MVA) identified advanced age as the only independent predicting factor for OS; HR 3.1 (1-11.3). The conditioning regimen, disease status at SCT and donor type were not predictive. A history of acute or chronic GVHD predicted improved leukemia-free survival. Age was the most important predicting factor for NRM Active chronic GVHD was the most important factor predicting for reduced relapse risk. The cumulative probability of stopping IST by 7 years post SCT, for the entire cohort, was 73% (63-82). This probability was related to the conditioning regimen and was 80%,76%,80% and 63%, after FB2,FB4,FT and BuCy, respectively (p=0.06 for BuCy versus others). MVA identified conditioning with BuCy (HR 1.8, p=0.06) and male gender (HR 1.7, p=0.04) as predicting for prolonged need for IST. Among the 37 pts who were still on IST 2 years after SCT, the cumulative probability of stopping IST during the following 5 years was only 35%. It was higher in younger pts (59% Vs 15%, p=0.05) and in pts given FB2 (42% Vs. 31%, p=NS). In conclusion the pattern of late outcome is similar after MAC and RIC. Younger pts with AML/MDS who are leukemia-free 2 years after SCT can expect a very good outcome, while older pts are at higher risk for NRM and second cancers, which may not always relate directly to SCT. Pts given RIC are more likely to be able to stop IST, which may be associated with a better quality of life. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


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