Shielding Analysis of Metal Hydride-based Materials for Both Neutron and Gamma Rays Using Monte Carlo Simulation

Radiation causes damage to the human body, the environment, and electronic equipment. Shielding against neutron and gamma rays is particularly difficult because of their strong ability to penetrate materials. Conventional gamma ray shields are typically made of materials containing Pb. However, they pose problems in that Pb is a heavy metal, and human poisoning and/or pollution can result from the manufacturing, use, and disposal of these materials. In addition, neutron rays are shielded by materials rich in H2 or concrete. In the case of the latter, the manufacturing cost is high. Thus, it is necessary to develop a new multilayer structure that can shield against both neutron and gamma rays. We set up a simulation model of a multilayered structure consisting of metal hydrides and heavy metals, and then evaluated the simulations using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code. Monte Carlo simulation is an accurate method for simulating the interaction between radiation and materials, and can be applied to the transport of radiation particles to predict values such as flux, energy spectrum, and energy deposition. The results of the study indicated the multilayer structure of ZrH2, U, and W could shield both neutron and gamma rays, thus showing potential as a new shielding material to replace Pb and concrete.

Strychnine antidotes. Haggarda. Greenberg report (I. Amer. M. A. vol. 98, no. 14)

Strychnine antidotes. Haggarda. Greenberg report (I. Amer. MA t. 98, No. 14) that apomorphine in doses of 0.0065-0.013. injected under the skin in cases of human poisoning with lethal doses of strychnine, it gave relief from convulsions and other symptoms of poisoning and led to complete recovery (3 case histories are given).

Botulinum Neurotoxins (BoNTs) and Their Biological, Pharmacological, and Toxicological Issues: A Scoping Review

Botulinum toxins or neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most potent neurotoxins known, and are currently extensively studied, not only for their potential lethality, but also for their possible therapeutic and cosmetic uses. Currently, seven types of antigenically distinct toxins are known and characterized, produced by a rod-shaped bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Human poisoning by botulism (presenting with severe neuromuscular paralytic disease) is usually caused by toxins A, B, E, and F type. Poisoning from contaminated food preparations is the most common cause of noniatrogenic botulism. The spores are highly resistant to heat but are easily destroyed at 80 °C for thirty minutes. Type A and B toxins are resistant to digestion by the enzymes of the gastrointestinal system. After their entry, BoNTs irreversibly bind to cholinergic nerve endings and block the release of acetylcholine from the synapses. In contrast, in wound botulism, the neurotoxin is instead product by the growth of C.botulium in infected tissues. The contamination by BoNT inhalation does not occur by a natural route but it is certainly the most dangerous. It can be caused by the dispersion of the botulinum toxin in the atmosphere in the form of an aerosol and therefore can be deliberately used for bioterrorist purposes (e.g., during CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) unconventional events). In addition, BoNTs are currently used to treat a variety of diseases or alleviate their symptoms, such as the onabotulinumtoxinA for migraine attacks and for cosmetic use. Indeed, this paper aims to report on updated knowledge of BoNTs, both their toxicological mechanisms and their pharmacological action.

Disorders of the Reproductive Health of Cattle as a Response to Exposure to Toxic Metals

The aim of this review is to comprehensively present disorders of the reproductive system in cattle exposed to contact with toxic metals. Toxic metals are a common environmental pollutant and can come from mines, smelters, fossil fuel combustion, or volcanic eruptions. Metals have the ability to bioaccumulate in living organisms, thus contaminating the food chain and may pose a threat to humans. They accumulate mainly in the liver and kidneys, but also in muscles and fat tissue. Toxic metals such as lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) have a negative impact on the fertility of animals; they can lead to abortions, premature calving, or oocyte dysfunction. Moreover, in the male reproductive system, they disrupt spermatogenesis, and cause apoptosis of sperm and oxidative damage. The main source of exposure of livestock to toxic metals is through the consumption of feed or contaminated water. It is important to monitor the level of heavy metals in animal products to prevent human poisoning. Toxic metal biomonitoring can be performed by testing urine, blood, milk, plasma, or hair. Chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) are excreted in the urine, while lead can be detected by examining the blood of animals, while in milk, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) can be detected. Moreover, toxic metals do not biodegrade in the environment. To purify soil and waters, remediation methods, e.g., biological or chemical, should be used.

Potential application of chitosan-based nanoparticles containing essential oils against mosquitoes, moths and beetles

The association between the use of synthetic insecticides and the appearance of resistant insects, human poisoning and the environment contamination generated the need to develop new forms to pest control, and essential oils stand out as an alternative. However, due to their volatility and instability, their use in native form is unfeasible. It is possible to circumvent these problems by their encapsulation, and the use of polymeric nanoparticles for this purpose has many advantages, since these systems prevent the oil degradation, and control its release. The first in vivo trials of chitosan nanoparticles containing essential oils with insecticidal activity were published in the late 2010s. Considering the growing interest in this subject, as can be seen from the increase in the number of publications, this review aimed to gather all the papers that presented biological assays using essential oils encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles against insects. Further, the techniques used to prepare these nanoparticles are also discussed. It was possible to note that the technique called complex coacervation led to smaller particles and most articles describing in vivo tests of chitosan nanoparticles containing essential oils assess their larvicidal activity. Among the tested nanoparticles, the one that had the best larvicidal activity in acute toxicity tests were those obtained by complexing of chitosan with cashew gum and those with the best residual activity were the cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Chitosan nanoparticles containing essential oils also increased their insecticidal activity in toxicity tests against adult beetles.

Ocorrência de Casos de Intoxicação por Plantas Ornamentais Tóxicas no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul

Os espaços verdes urbanos são um elemento-chave para a interação entre os cidadãos e o meio ambiente, além de promover a saúde humana. Porém, muitas plantas ornamentais presentes nestes espaços podem ser tóxicas, podendo ocasionar acidentes, principalmente em crianças. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar um levantamento das intoxicações por plantas ornamentais tóxicas ocorridas no período de 2005 a 2015 no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Dados do Centro Integrado de Vigilância Toxicológica (CIVITOX) registraram 214 casos de intoxicações por plantas ornamentais nesse período, sendo que a maioria dos casos está concentrado em Campo Grande, porém a região de Rio Verde e Coxim apresentaram os maiores índices de intoxicação por 5.000 habitantes. Pessoas de todas as idades são intoxicadas com plantas, mas as crianças são a maioria das vítimas (84%) e os dados mostraram haver correlação entre as variáveis mês, população e idade de intoxicação. A família Aracea foi predominante em números de casos de intoxicação, com 150 casos, dos quais 135 foram de intoxicações pela espécie conhecida como comigo-ninguém-pode (Dieffenbachia picta Schott). Cerca de cinquenta casos de intoxicações por plantas ornamentais tóxicas com faixa etária mais elevada foi registrada nas regiões centro-norte e centro-sul de Mato Grosso do Sul. Os resultados sugerem que a escolha de plantas ornamentais para compor as áreas verdes dos municípios deve ser baseada com critérios que possam minimizar os riscos para a população que utilizam esses espaços para o lazer. Palavras-chave: Áreas Verdes. Intoxicação Humana. Planejamento Urbano. Centro Integrado de Vigilância Toxicológica. Dieffenbachia picta. Abstract The green areas of cities have the function of promoting interaction between citizens and the environment, in addition to promoting human health. The plants used to compose these areas, which are ornamental, can be toxic and cause accidents, especially in children. The objective of this work was to conduct a survey of poisoning by toxic ornamental plants that occurred in the period from 2005 to 2015 in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, using the integrated toxicological surveillance center (CIVITOX). A total of 214 cases of poisoning by ornamental plants were recorded during this period, and most cases went to the city of Campo Grande. The region of Rio Verde and Coxim has rathe highest rates of intoxication, when related to the number of intoxications by the number of habitants. The records show people of various age groups with intoxicated plants, but children are the majority of victims (84%) and in the data analysis, there was a correlation between the month, population and age of intoxication. The records show people of various age group with intoxicated plants, but children are the majority of victims (84%) and in the analysis of the data, there was a correlation between the month, population and age of intoxication. The Aracea family was predominant in numbers of cases of intoxication, with 150 cases, of which 135 were poisonings by the species with me-nobody-can (Dieffenbachia picta Schott). The highest age group, with more than 50 cases of poisoning, had a predominance of occurrence in the northcentral and central-south regions of Mato Grosso do Sul.The results suggest that the choice of ornamental plants to compose the green areas of the municipalities should be based on criteria that can minimize the risks to the population that use these spaces for leisure. Keywords: Green Areas. Human Poisoning. Urban Planning. Integrated Toxicological Surveillance Center, Dieffenbachia Picta.

Chemical Composition and Broad-Spectrum Insecticidal Activity of the Flower Essential Oil from an Ancient Sicilian Food Plant, Ridolfia segetum

Several species of the family Apiaceae are aromatic herbs that produce essential oils usable on an industrial scale for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food purposes. In particular, some essential oils, such as green insecticides for example, may replace synthetic insecticides, keeping most of their efficacy and avoiding environmental pollution or human poisoning. In the present study, we explored the insecticidal potential of Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris essential oil (EO) against three different pests: Culex quinquefasciatus Say, Musca domestica L., and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval). For this purpose, the EO was obtained by hydrodistillation of flowers and its composition was achieved by gas chromatography/flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This EO was rich in α-phellandrene (49.3%), β-phellandrene (9.2%), terpinolene (20.7%), and piperitenone oxide (5.9%). Concerning the mosquitocidal efficacy, the EO showed noteworthy toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus 3rd instar larvae, with a LC50 = 27.1 µL L−1 and LC90 = 42.5 µL L−1. Regarding M. domestica, a different toxicity of the R. segetum EO was found on male and female flies, calculating LD50 values of 10.5 and 50.8 µg adult−1, respectively. The EO was also toxic to S. littoralis 3rd instar larvae, achieving LD50 and LD90 values of 37.9 and 99.6 µg larva−1, respectively. Overall, this flower EO, extracted from a traditional Sicilian food plant, merits further investigation for the development of green insecticide formulations to be used in real world conditions, pending a careful assessment of non-target toxicity on beneficial organisms.

Systematic Review of Human Poisoning and Toxic Exposures in Myanmar

The International Health Regulations (2005) promote national capacity in core institutions so that countries can better detect, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. In accordance with the ‘all hazards’ approach to public health risk, this systematic review examines poisoning and toxic exposures in Myanmar. A systematic literature search was undertaken to find articles pertaining to poisoning in Myanmar published between 1998 and 2020. A number of poisoning risks are identified in this review, including snakebites, heavy metals, drugs of abuse, agrochemicals and traditional medicine. Patterns of poisoning presented in the literature diverge from poisoning priorities reported in other lower-middle income countries in the region. The experience of professionals working in a Yangon-based poison treatment unit also indicate that frequently observed poisoning as a result of pharmaceuticals, methanol, and petroleum products was absent from the literature. Other notable gaps in the available research include assessments of the public health burden of poisoning through self-harm, household exposures to chemicals, paediatric risk and women’s occupational risk of poisoning. There is a limited amount of research available on poisoning outcomes and routes of exposure in Myanmar. Further investigation and research are warranted to provide a more complete assessment of poisoning risk and incidence.

Systematic Review of Human Poisoning and Toxic Exposures in Myanmar

The International Health Regulations (2005) promote national capacity in core institutions so countries can better detect, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. In accordance with the ‘all hazards’ approach to public health risk, this systematic review examines poisoning and toxic exposures in Myanmar. A systematic literature search was undertaken to find articles pertaining to poisoning in Myanmar published between 1998 and 2020. A number of poisoning risks are identified in this review including snakebites, heavy metals, drugs of abuse, agro-chemicals and traditional medicine. Patterns of poisoning presented in the literature diverge from poisoning priorities reported in other lower-middle income countries in the region. The expe-rience of professionals working in a Yangon-based poison treatment unit indicates that frequently observed poisoning as a result of substances including pharmaceuticals, methanol, and petroleum products were absent from the literature. Other notable gaps in the available research include assessments of the public health burden of poisoning through self-harm, household exposures to chemicals, paediatric risk and women’s occupational risk of poisoning. There is a limited amount of research available on poisoning outcomes and routes of exposure in Myanmar. Further inves-tigation and research is warranted to provide a more complete assessment of poisoning risk and incidence.