Serum levels and urine detection of Centruroides sculpturatus venom in significantly envenomated patients.

Introduction: Envenomation by Centruroides sculpturatus can cause systemic signs and symptoms requiring treatment. The toxicokinetics of C. sculpturatus venom has not been described.

Epidemiology of organophosphate pesticide poisoning in Taiwan.

Introduction: The nationwide epidemiology of organophosphate pesticide (OP) poisoning has never been reported in detail for Taiwan.

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed all human OP exposures reported to Taiwan's Poison Control Centers (PCCs) from July 1985 through December 2006.

Results: There were 4799 OP exposures.

Spectrophotometry of hydroxocobalamin and hemoglobin reveals production of an unanticipated methemoglobin variant.

Introduction: Cyanide-poisoned patients often require pulse oximetry and co-oximetry to measure oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, and methemoglobin. These and other critical laboratory measurements can be confounded by the cyanide antidote hydroxocobalamin. The postulated mechanism of this confounding is direct optical interference.