Acute phenol poisoning: a life-threatening hazard of chronic pain relief.

Background: Phenol (carbolic acid, a higher alcohol) has been used for local analgesic therapy for a long time. Several complications of phenol therapy can occur by exposure through inhalational, oral, and dermal routes. Renal and pulmonary toxicity arising from the exposure to injectable phenol, however, has only been reported in a few case reports.

Acute renal failure secondary to imatinib mesylate treatment in prostate cancer.

Objective: To report a case of acute renal failure associated with the administration of imatinib mesylate.

Case Summary: A 64-year-old man diagnosed with prostate cancer was enrolled in a Phase I trial of imatinib mesylate plus taxotere on a protocol that required a run-in period of imatinib mesylate alone. During therapy with imatinib mesylate, the patient developed acute renal failure, requiring hemodialysis.

Spectrum of hypertensive emergencies in pregnancy.

Hypertension in pregnancy represents a spectrum of clinical entities, including pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia, eclampsia, and hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels, low platelet count syndrome. Although hypertension is a common denominator in this group of disorders, the pathogenesis, clinical features, and clinical course of these disorders is variable and somewhat distinct. Therapy must be tailored to the clinical entity and the patient.