Evaluation of the toxicity of combustion smokes at the air-liquid interface: a comparison between two lung cell models and two exposure methods.

In vitro tests at the air-liquid interface (ALI) represent valuable alternatives to animal experiments to assess the acute toxicity of inhalable compounds. However, these methods still need to be characterized for the toxicity evaluation of complex mixtures such as combustion smokes. In this study, Alveolar type I or Alveolar type 2 cells in co-culture with macrophages were investigated as models for evaluating the acute toxicity of complex mixtures at the air-liquid interface.

[Neurocryptococcosis waiting to be diagnosed].

Neurocryptococcosis is a severe neurological complication of Cryptococcus neoformans infections, primarily affecting immunocompromised individuals. This report describes the case of a 53-year-old man with no known medical history who experienced severe headaches and vomiting while on a business trip to Pakistan. He was given preventive antibiotic therapy, followed by a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim for suspected toxoplasmosis.