Decontamination of Victims in the Event of a Radiation Accident at the Stages of Provision Medical Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
G. Frolov ◽  
Yu. Salenko ◽  
M. Grachev ◽  
I. Galstyan ◽  
V. Klochkov

Purpose: To summarize and analyze the results of research and practical recommendations on the decontamination of victims in the event of radiation accidents, including taking into account the authors’ experience gained in the initial period of the Chernobyl accident (April – August 1986) and in other local radiation accidents (incidents), as well as during emergency exercises. Results: The indications for carrying out decontamination and the technique of its implementation were considered, a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of skin decontamination agents was presented. Recommendations were formulated for determining the priority (urgency) of carrying out decontamination, depending on the level of external radioactive contamination of the victims. Criteria, rules and methods for carrying out decontamination were proposed for use in relation to the practice of medical and hygienic measures at the stages of medical evacuation (accident site, enterprise health center, enterprise sanitary inspection department, triage site, hospital admission department). The features of decontamination of victims with combined radiation injuries and contaminated wounds (burns) were considered, issues of ensuring the radiation safety of medical personnel who provide assistance to victims are touched upon. Conclusion: Timely and correctly performed decontamination reduces the exposure of the skin, prevents the entry of radioactive substances into the body and the transfer (spread) of radioactive substances to the subsequent stages of medical evacuation. The main criteria for the urgency (priority) of carrying out decontamination are the levels of radioactive contamination of the skin, contamination nature (radionuclide composition, physicochemical form, etc.) and the presence of victim’s skin lesions (wounds, burns). Decontamination of victims with high levels of radioactive contamination should be considered as a part of the first and subsequent emergency health care and should be carried out as prescribed or with the direct participation of a healthcare professional. At the stages of medical evacuation, decontamination can be carried out if the victim’s condition is stabilized. In the case of a serious condition of the victim, the priority is evacuation to a hospital, while in the prehospital period, as a rule, only partial decontamination of skin areas with high levels of contamination can be carried out. The procedure and rules for decontamination, including the use of skin decontaminating agents, should be reflected in the action plans of the personnel of radiation hazardous enterprises and the plans for medical support of medical units of the FMBA of Russia.

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 326-330
Author(s):  
Flora Kaltsogianni ◽  
Rania Farmaki ◽  
Alexander F. Koutinas

ABSTRACT Norwegian or crusted scabies (N/CS) is a rare skin disease with very few cases reported in the dog or the cat. Two adult, stray dogs were admitted in our clinic with a generalized, multifocal to diffuse and nonpruritic dermatitis that was characterized by severe crusting, scaling, and ulceration. In both instances, leishmaniosis and N/CS were diagnosed by immunofluorescent antibody test serology, lymph node cytology, and skin scrapings in which high numbers of Sarcoptes mites were found. The combination of miticidal and antileishmanial treatment, supported by topical treatment and nutritional support, resulted in the complete resolution of the skin lesions and spectacular improvement of the body condition in both cases. Dog 1 eventually died from end-stage kidney disease attributed to leishmaniosis-associated glomerulonephritis, whereas the also proteinuric dog 2 remains clinically healthy. The manifestation of the rare type of N/CS in these dogs could be attributed to cell-mediated immunosuppression, which was most likely induced by leishmaniosis and malnutrition. The necessity of searching for leishmaniosis in those scabietic cases, especially in the endemic areas of leishmaniosis, is strongly recommended.


2018 ◽  
Vol XXIII (133) ◽  
pp. 56-62
Author(s):  
Ana Cláudia Balda ◽  
Juliana Cristina Gonçalves ◽  
Renata Cristina Menezes ◽  
Ana Cristina Fascetti de Souza ◽  
Guilherme Durante Cruz

Crytococcosis is the most common deep mycosis in cats, despite its rarity in the medical practice of small animals. The infectious agent of the disease is Cryptococcus sp, an opportunistic fungus that can spread throughout the body. An approximately two-year-old mixed breed cat, weighting 3 kg was presented to a private practice in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Physical examination relealed pyogranulomatous skin lesions, mainly on the nasal planum and the second digit of the left thoracic lim. The animal presented no neurological or respiratory signs. The response to antifulgal on cutaneous lesions was favorable, but the animal did not resist a second sedation and died within twenty-eight days after starting treatment. This report shows an atypical case of cryptococcosis due to the lack of immunodeficiency.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Vena Chupia ◽  
Jirapat Ninsuwon ◽  
Kakanang Piyarungsri ◽  
Chollada Sodarat ◽  
Worapat Prachasilchai ◽  
...  

Dermatophytosis is a disease caused by dermatophytes, a group of fungi that can cause disease both in humans and animals. The important genera that are pathogenic in animals include Trichophyton and Microsporum. Microsporum canis is an important species because it can cause zoonosis and is commonly found in domestic animals. Cats, which live very close to humans, may expose humans to this pathogen. This research focused on the epidemiology of M. canis found in cats. Hair samples were collected via the Mackenzie technique from cats with and without skin lesions, preliminarily examined with 10% KOH preparation, and cultured for fungal identification. Samples were confirmed with molecular techniques including polymerase chain reaction, gel electrophoresis, and sequencing. Samples were collected from 138 cats located in 93 households, 43 from cats with skin lesions (31.16%) and 95 from cats without skin lesions (68.84%). Eighteen cats with lesions (13.04%) and ten cats without lesions (7.2%) were found to carry M. canis. In eleven of the eighteen cats both with skin lesions and positive for M. canis (61.11%), the pathogen was found both at the site of the lesion and at other sites in the body. Because the pathogen can be found in the hair of cats with and without skin lesions, owners, keepers, veterinarians, and others who come into contact with these animals are at risk of infection if they are not aware or do not take precautions after contact with them.


2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-108
Author(s):  
Siham Belmourida ◽  
Meriame Meziane ◽  
Nadia Ismaili ◽  
Laila Benzekri ◽  
Badreddine Hassam ◽  
...  

Sir, Pemphigus herpetiformis (PH) was originally described by Jablonska et al. in 1975. Clinically, PH presents itself as a herpetiform dermatitis with immunopathological characteristics of pemphigus [1,2]. We report an exceptional case of typical pemphigus vulgaris (PV) relapsing after 36 years in PH. A 65-year-old patient, followed for PV for 36 years and treated with corticosteroid therapy with a remission for more than thirty years, consulted for pruriginous lesions evolving for the previous eight months. A dermatological examination revealed urticariform pruriginous ring lesions surmounted by small peripheral vesicles spread throughout the body (Fig. 1), sparing the mucous membranes, and without Nikolsky’s sign. After two non-specific skin biopsies, the histological examination revealed an intraepidermal bubble with acantholytic cells and eosinophilic spongiosis (Figs. 2a and 2b). Direct immunofluorescence confirmed the diagnosis of pemphigus and indirect immunofluorescence was at the upper limit. The diagnosis of a PV relapse in PH was retained and a dapsone-based treatment was initiated at a dose of 150 mg/day and stopped seven days later when met with hemolytic anemia. Oral corticosteroid therapy involving prednisone at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day was initiated but, given the persistence of the pruritus, the decision was to combine methotrexate at a dose of 12.5 mg/week. A good evolution and a decline within eight months were observed. An improved pruritus and the disappearance of the skin lesions were achieved after one month of treatment. PV and PH are two different anatomical and clinical entities of the autoimmune disease pemphigus, with distinct clinical, histopathological, and immunopathological characteristics [1,2]. Our observation documents a complete phenotypic “switch” of pemphigus with a transition from PV to PH both clinically, histologically, and immunologically. Several rare cases of PV switching to superficial pemphigus (SP) (“phenotypic switch”) have, since 1991, been reported, with a higher frequency this direction than otherwise; the transition period varies from six months to twenty years [3]. To the best of our knowledge, no case has been described of a progression from PV to PH. Having observed one firsthand, we are first to describe the case of a complete phenotypic switch from PV to PH. The mechanism of such a transition remains poorly understood and is often observed during a relapse. Some authors suggest that the effect of immunosuppressants on the desmoglein DSG3 more marked than on DSG1 could explain the relapse of PS in PH [3,4]. Future studies on the immunological factors and predictors of PV relapses after the discontinuation of treatment would be useful to better understand the mechanisms of a relapse in pemphigus, with or without a phenotypic transition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jair Alves Ferreira Junior ◽  
Saulo Pereira Cardoso ◽  
Nathália Dela-Sávia Da Fonseca ◽  
Karla Alvarenga Nascimento ◽  
Fábio Rodrigues ◽  
...  

Background: Brazil has a vast territory and favorable climatic conditions that allow the cultivation of freshwater fish. The intensification of the productive system can cause an imbalance in the aquatic environment as a result of poor water quality, nutritional deficiencies and infectious or parasitic diseases. The laboratory diagnosis and the determination of the prevalence of the main lesions, which occur in a certain region, help to guide towards the etiological diagnosis. This study aimed to describe the main parasitic lesions in fish in the routine at the Veterinary Pathology Laboratory of the Universidade de Brasília. Material, Methods & Results: All records of fish with parasitic lesions were recovered. Those cases in which there was an intralesional parasite and which presented lesions compatible with the parasite were included. The screening of ectoparasites was done by scraping the superficial mucus from the gills and skin. Organ sections were routinely processed for histopathologyand stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE). In some records, parasitological identification was carried. The information was divided into the species of the affected fish, epidemiology of the outbreak (water quality, temperature, type of breeding), lesion distribution, etiology and macroscopic and microscopic changes. The resulting data was organized in absolute frequency and percentage. In this study, 22 cases were counted, between individual deaths and outbreaks, totaling 83 necropsied teleost fish.Inflammatory changes of parasitic origin were seen in 13/22 (59%) of the cases had lesions of parasitic origin. Skin lesions and gills were the most relevant. Macroscopically, red areas or spots of hyperemia or hemorrhage on the body surface were the most prevalent findings. Under microscopy, proliferative gill inflammation was the most relevant diagnosis. Pscinoodinium pilullare (Dinoflagellida), Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ciliophora), and monogenetic worms (Monogenea) were the main parasites found. Trichodina sp. (Ciliophora), Ichtyobodo sp. (Kinetoplastida), Amoebas, and Chilodonella sp. (Ciliophora), were seen in fewer numbers. An unusual case suggestive of parasitism by Eustrongylides sp. (Nematoda), in a pirá-brasília (Simpsonichthys boitonei), specimen has been recorded.Discussion: The diagnoses were based on epidemiology, anatomopathological and parasitological findings. The most frequent and significantly lethal lesion in the study was proliferative and / or hyperplastic branchitis. Proliferative branchitis with lamellar epithelial hyperplasia (LEH) is a response to some type of chemical or mechanical injury to the gill epithelium in order to protect the capillaries from further damage or microbial penetration. However, it also increases the diffusion distance between capillaries and the environment and, therefore, hinders breathing, excretory and osmoregulatory functions. Protozoan infections and monogenetic worms in general generated LEH and skin lesions of mechanical origin. Secondary bacterial infection, were observed in this parasitosis determining the cause of death of the fish. Its pathogenicity comes from the lesions caused by the colonization and histophagy of the epithelial surfaces, mainly gills and skin, causing epithelial proliferation, lamellar cell fusion, epithelial cell degeneration and necrosis forming several ulcers in the epithelium after the release of mature trophies. The pathogenesis of parasitism by Eustrongylides spp. is considerable when there is a large quantity of these larvae that can cause intestinal obstruction, rupture and compression of viscera, of greater importance in small fish. The main parasites of necropsied fish were protozoa and monogenetic worms, which mainly cause branquitis and dermatitis in varying grades.


1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1230-1233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim M. Murray ◽  
Michael S. Camp

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of cephalexin-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), a devastating adverse drug reaction that involves the entire skin surface and mucosal areas of the body. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE search (key terms cephalosporins, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme, and systemic lupus erythematosus) and references identified from bibliographies of pertinent articles. DATA SYNTHESIS: Clinical presentation and manifestations of SJS include the skin, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, and pulmonary system. Infectious complications are the leading cause of mortality. Early intervention is important to prevent progression of SJS. The case described is consistent with the features of this syndrome. The patient presented with fever, arthralgias, and malaise. Skin lesions included a diffuse violet macular rash with erythema and multiple bullous lesions on her neck and abdomen. The skin biopsy was consistent with SJS. Multiple mucocutaneous ulcers were found in her mouth, but no evidence of lower gastrointestinal tract involvement was documented. She remained relatively free of pulmonary complaints except for the presenting bronchitis. CONCLUSIONS: Cephalexin should be added to the list of agents to consider as iatrogenic causes of SJS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grażyna Jarząbek-Bielecka ◽  
Katarzyna Plagens-Rotman ◽  
Małgorzata Mizgier ◽  
Piotr Merks ◽  
Magdalena Czarnecka-Operacz ◽  
...  

A family doctor, as well as a sexologist, gynecologist, in his medical practice encounters problems related to skin diseases significantly affecting the sense of femininity or masculinity. An example of such an issue, especially in gynecology of developmental age, is the problem of skin changes associated with androgenization syndromes. Typical dermatological diseases are sometimes associated with enormous pain, not only physical, but also mental, resulting from the fact that skin disease processes significantly disfigure the body, lower self-esteem and significantly affect the sexual sphere. Selected aspects related to the holistic approach to the issue of pain and suffering, also related to skin lesions, are presented. This issue, like all medical fields, is a source of philosophical reflection. It is inseparable from psychodermatology. The experience of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, taking into account skin lesions, also prompts a similar search.


Author(s):  
Hermann Einsele ◽  
Peter J. Maddison

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH) is a rare systemic disease characterized by the combination of typical papular and nodular skin lesions and a severe and destructive polyarthritis, although virtually any organ system of the body can be involved. MRH most commonly affects middle-aged white women; it is about three times more common in women with a mean age at onset in the fifth decade. MRH is a rare histiocytic proliferative disease of unknown aetiology, characterized by tissue infiltration by histiocytes and multinuclear giant cells. The stimulus for the histiocytic proliferation has not been fully elucidated, although there is an association with internal malignancies and abnormal immunological laboratory findings. The diagnosis is confirmed by skin or synovial biopsy. The disease often runs a waxing and waning course and sometimes stabilizes. Work-up for underlying malignancy cannot be overemphasized. The recommended treatment for MRH is oral methrotrexate plus prednisone tapered gradually over 3–4 months.


Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3556 (1) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
MING LI ◽  
WEIDONG LI ◽  
XIANPING GE ◽  
CHONG WANG ◽  
LIN ZHANG ◽  
...  

The peritrich Epistylis unioi Gong, 1986 was collected from fry of Pelteobagrus fulvidraco during parasite surveys at Hon-ghu Lake Fish Hatchery, Hubei Province, central China in May 2010 and redescribed. Some revisions were done basedon live, silver-impregnated, and SEM specimens. The zooid is elongated and somewhat vase-like in shape, measuring56–88 × 22–38 µm in vivo. A single contractile vacuole is apically located slightly below the peristome disc. The macro-nucleus is horseshoe-shaped, always transversely situated at the foreside of the body. Haplokinety (H) and polykinety (Po)complete one and one-half circuits on the peristome before entering the infundibulum, with a distal kinetal fragment pres-ent at the distal end. Silverline system consists of 37–45 pellicular striations between peristome and aboral trochal band(TB), and of 26–33 between TB and scopula. Colony is asymmetrically and dichotomously branched, usually with onlytwo levels of branches. In addition, the telotrochs of E. unioi were also observed and its structures were described herein.Besides, obvious skin lesions caused by the ringlike base of E. unioi were detected and the relationship between these epizooites and their hosts was briefly discussed as well.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 03005
Author(s):  
Olga Shchkvirina ◽  
Dinamutdin Misirov ◽  
Marina Akopyan ◽  
Irina Loseva

An indicators analysis of the first-graders functional state and vegetative homeostasis obtained in the initial period of adaptation to the educational environment revealed gender differences in the rates of the adaptation process to new learning conditions. It has been established that girls’ adaptation mechanisms turn on earlier than boys’, with their similar orientation. The article provides an experimental justification of the indicators use legitimacy for heart rate variability to assess the functional state of the body in the acute period of adaptation to the educational environment. The importance of teacher physiological literacy for the optimization of the educational process is substantiated. The results of the study are convincing evidence of the knowledge importance for the physiological foundations of the occurrence and course of physiological and mental processes, stable individual psycho-physiological characteristics for the organization of the learning environment, corresponding to the functional capabilities of the body. This argument is also confirmed by many years of experience among master students key competencies development, which allow using such an objective criterion as the current functional state of the body to ensure, through the joint efforts of parents, teachers, psychologists, and doctors, the correction of the educational environment and psycho-physiological resistance of individual to it. The established differences in the dynamics of heart rate variability indicators for girls and boys can be used to form a health-saving program in school settings.


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