Mussels and clams from the italian fish market. is there a human exposition risk to metals and arsenic?

Seafood is associated with many beneficial effects on human health. However, the overall level of contaminants in biota has increased over the last two centuries and seafood is one of the source of oral exposition to contaminants. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium and nickel presence in mussels and clams, from the Italian market, and the associated risk.

Death due to acute tetrachloroethylene intoxication in a chronic abuser.

Volatile substances are used widespread, especially among young people, as a cheap and easily accessible drug. Tetrachloroethylene is one of the solvents exerting effects on the central nervous system with experiences of disinhibition and euphoria. The case presented is that of a 27-year-old female, found dead by her father at home with cotton swabs dipped in the nostrils.

How reliable are parenchymal tissues for the evaluation of carbon monoxide poisoning? A pilot study.

Dealing with burnt bodies, the forensic pathologist must first of all answer the question whether the victim was alive at the moment of the fire. This study aims at clarifying whether some human solid tissues may be reliably used for the forensic diagnosis of Co poisoning on burnt bodies providing no collectable blood during the autopsy. From 34 selected cases, both cardiac blood and parenchymal samples were collected to perform CO-oxymeter, spectrophotometry, and gas chromatography tests: blood CO estimations (blood COHb% and blood[CO]) and parenchymal[CO] values have been compared with special focus on R values.

Combined high resolution NMR and 1H and 17O relaxometric study sheds light on the solution structure and dynamics of the lanthanide(III) complexes of HPDO3A.

GdHPDO3A is one of the most used MRI contrast agents (CAs) for clinical use. However, unlike most of the other commercially available Gd-based CAs, only limited information is available on its solution structure and dynamics. 600 MHz high resolution (1)H NMR spectra of nine LnHPDO3A complexes (Ln = Pr, Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) have been recorded at 298 K and neutral pH.

The standardization of results on hair testing for drugs of abuse: An interlaboratory exercise in Lombardy Region, Italy.

Hair testing for drugs of abuse is performed in Lombardy by eleven analytical laboratories accredited for forensic purposes, the most frequent purposes being driving license regranting and workplace drug testing. Individuals undergoing hair testing for these purposes can choose the laboratory in which the analyses have to be carried out. The aim of our study was to perform an interlaboratory exercise in order to verify the level of standardization of hair testing for drugs of abuse in these accredited laboratories; nine out of the eleven laboratories participated in this exercise.

Fatal adverse reaction to ketorolac tromethamine in asthmatic patient.

A case of an asthmatic woman who collapsed within a few minutes after intramuscular ketorolac tromethamine (KT) injection is reported. Autopsy findings revealed anatomic evidence of a recent asthma attack. KT was found to be present in the blood at a concentration within the therapeutic range and consistent with the administered dose.

Drug analysis in blowfly larvae and in human tissues: a comparative study.

The present study investigates the correlation between concentrations of drugs in human tissues and Diptera larvae feeding on these tissues. Samples of liver were taken from 18 cases in which preliminary toxicological screening indicated the presence of drugs. Blowfly larvae (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were reared on these samples and subsequently analyzed for drug content.

Opioid-sparing effect of diclofenac in cancer pain.

This study investigated the opioid-sparing effect of diclofenac using patient-controlled analgesia with oral methadone. Fifteen patients with advanced cancer participated. After achieving adequate analgesia with regular dosing of oral methadone (T1), patient-controlled analgesia with methadone was administered for 3 days (T2).

Subcutaneous fentanyl infusion in a patient with bowel obstruction and renal failure.

Inoperable bowel obstruction in patients with renal failure is a difficult clinical situation. In the last days of life, an accumulation of morphine metabolites in patients with impaired renal function may cause opioid toxicity, including terminal agitation. The use of an alternative drug may prevent morphine metabolite accumulation in uremic patients.

Patient-controlled analgesia with oral methadone in cancer pain: preliminary report.

Background: Methadone is a very useful drug in cancer pain because of its low cost, lack of active metabolites, high oral availability, and the rapid onset of its analgesic effect. It seems to be well tolerated in patients with difficult pain syndromes who are receiving high doses of opioids, and it may deter the development of tolerance, but a high individual variation in terminal elimination half-life can result in different rates and extents of drug accumulation. For this reason, oral patient-controlled analgesia with methadone was used in 24 advanced-disease patients with pain.