Advancing toxicovigilance of recreational drugs, including new psychoactive substances, by using data from four European poison centres.

Introduction: Common recreational drugs and new psychoactive substances pose challenges to public health. This study investigated the feasibility of merging cases of recreational drug poisoning reported to European poison centres.

Methods: Four European poison centres (Freiburg, Germany; the Netherlands; Sweden and Switzerland) collaborated in a retrospective, observational study.

Systematic Evaluation of Regiochemistry and Lipidation of Aryl Trehalose Mincle Agonists.

The Macrophage-Inducible C-type Lectin receptor (Mincle) plays a critical role in innate immune recognition and pathology, and therefore represents a promising target for vaccine adjuvants. Innovative trehalose-based Mincle agonists with improved pharmacology and potency may prove useful in the development of Th17-mediated adaptive immune responses. Herein, we report on in vitro and in silico investigations of specific Mincle ligand-receptor interactions required for the effective receptor engagement and activation of Th17-polarizing cytokines.

Improving urban waste management: A comprehensive study on household waste generation and spatial patterns in the Grand Guayaquil Metropolitan Area.

This study tackles the growing global concern about municipal waste management, particularly in cities like the Grand Guayaquil Metropolitan Area (GGA). Through realistic field studies on in situ household waste generation and geographic information system (GIS) tools, this work offers a framework to predict the quantities and types of recyclable household waste for any metropolitan area in Latin America. Over 4 weeks, students collected, sorted and weighed recyclable waste types, including plastic, paper, metal, glass and fabric, from 776 sampled household of the GGA.

Results of the Dutch scalp cooling registry in 7424 patients: analysis of determinants for scalp cooling efficacy.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a common consequence of cancer treatment with a high psychological impact on patients and can be prevented by scalp cooling (SC). With this multi-center patient series, we examined the results for multiple currently used chemotherapy regimens to offer an audit into the real-world determinants of SC efficacy.

Materials And Methods: The Dutch Scalp Cooling Registry collected data on 7424 scalp-cooled patients in 68 Dutch hospitals.

Taming Molecular Folding: Anion-Templated Foldamers with Tunable Quaternary Structures.

Higher-order foldamers represent a unique class of supramolecules at the forefront of molecular design. Herein we control quaternary folding using a novel approach that combines halogen bonding (XBing) and hydrogen bonding (HBing). We present the first anion-templated double helices induced by halogen bonds (XBs) and stabilized by "hydrogen bond enhanced halogen bonds" (HBeXBs).

Informal waste pickers in guayaquil: Recycling rates, environmental benefits, main barriers, and troubles.

Systems for managing municipal solid waste are typically ineffective in developing nations because of governments' deficient financial and administrative frameworks, poor rules, and a lack of suitable infrastructure and human resources. The informal sector plays an essential role in these systems by reprocessing waste into secondary raw materials, reducing collection and disposal costs, and, most importantly, benefiting the environment by avoiding incineration and landfilling. However, their actual contributions remain unknown.

[Intoxication of a child by an oral nicotine pouch].

Background: Oral nicotine pouches are pouches that contain varying amounts of nicotine. The use of nicotine pouches by adolescents has increased since 2020. Subsequently, there has been an increase in the amount of reports of nicotine intoxications.

High Incidence of Signs of Neuropathy and Self-Reported Substance Use Disorder for Nitrous Oxide in Patients Intoxicated with Nitrous Oxide.

Introduction: The number of patients with excessive nitrous oxide (N2O) use and neurological disorders has been rising, indicating an addictive potential of N2O. We studied the incidence of self-reported substance use disorder (SUD)-related symptoms, signs of neuropathy, and the patterns of use in N2O-intoxicated patients.

Methods: The Dutch Poisons Information Center (DPIC) provides information by telephone on the management of intoxications to healthcare professionals.

CAG-Repeat RNA Hairpin Folding and Recruitment to Nuclear Speckles with a Pivotal Role of ATP as a Cosolute.

A hallmark of Huntington's disease (HD) is a prolonged polyglutamine sequence in the huntingtin protein and, correspondingly, an expanded cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) triplet repeat region in the mRNA. A majority of studies investigating disease pathology were concerned with toxic huntingtin protein, but the mRNA moved into focus due to its recruitment to RNA foci and emerging novel therapeutic approaches targeting the mRNA. A hallmark of CAG-RNA is that it forms a stable hairpin in vitro which seems to be crucial for specific protein interactions.

Procedural sedation and analgesia versus nerve blocks for reduction of fractures and dislocations in the emergency department: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) and peripheral nerve blocks (NBs) are techniques to manage pain and facilitate reduction of dislocated joints or fractures. However, it is unclear if either approach provides any distinct advantage in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this systematic review is to compare these 2 techniques on pain scores, adverse events, patient satisfaction, and length of stay (LOS) in the ED.

Evidence of a sudden increase in α-chloralose poisoning in dogs and cats in the Netherlands between 2018 and 2021.

Background: After changes in European Union biocide legislation, the Dutch Poisons Information Center observed a strong increase in information requests concerning dogs and cats exposed to α-chloralose. To investigate whether α-chloralose-based rodenticides are safe for non-professional use, additional information regarding poisoning scenarios and clinical course was collected.

Methods: Veterinarians reporting α-chloralose exposure over a 2.

Expediting the Implementation of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Management: a Facilitated Case Study on Re-using Timber in Construction Projects.

An increasing number of firms are aiming to implement closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) management to contribute to a more circular economy. However, for many of these firms, it is difficult to translate this strategic aim into fruitful operational decisions. They need to address many deep uncertainties and dynamic complexities in their supply chain system, which make their transition towards CLSC management challenging.

3-Methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) Poisonings: Acute Clinical Toxicity and Time Trend Between 2013 and 2021 in the Netherlands.

Study Objective: The synthetic cathinone 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC, or metaphedrone) has recently gained popularity. We studied the numbers of 3-MMC poisonings over time and the clinical effects following poisonings with 3-MMC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study on the numbers of self-reported 3-MMC poisonings to the Dutch Poisons Information Center (DPIC) from 2013 to June 2021.

Differential Effects of One Meal per Day in the Evening on Metabolic Health and Physical Performance in Lean Individuals.

Generally, food intake occurs in a three-meal per 24 h fashion with in-between meal snacking. As such, most humans spend more than ∼ 12-16 h per day in the postprandial state. It may be reasoned from an evolutionary point of view, that the human body is physiologically habituated to less frequent meals.

Significant toxicity following an increase in poisonings with designer benzodiazepines in the Netherlands between 2010 and 2020.

Background: Designer benzodiazepines (DBs) are an emerging class of new psychoactive substances. While structurally derived from pharmaceutical benzodiazepines, their toxicological profile is less clear. We investigated time trends in the rate of DB poisonings and their clinical toxicity.

Halogen bonding organocatalysis enhanced through intramolecular hydrogen bonds.

Recent results indicate a halogen bond donor is strengthened through direct interaction with a hydrogen bond to the electron-rich belt of the halogen. Here, this Hydrogen Bond enhanced Halogen Bond (HBeXB) plays a clear role in a catalyst. Our HBeXB catalyst improves product conversion in a halide abstraction reaction over a traditional halogen bonding derivative.

Alarming increase in poisonings from recreational nitrous oxide use after a change in EU-legislation, inquiries to the Dutch Poisons Information Center.

Background: After the change in EU-legislation in 2014, recreational use of nitrous oxide (NO) increased in the Netherlands from 2015 onwards. We studied the effect on NO poisonings during an 11 year period.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed on the incidence rate of NO poisonings, relative to all recreational drug poisonings reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center (DPIC) from 2010-2020.

Is secondary chemical exposure of hospital personnel of clinical importance?

Introduction: There is increasing concern among hospital personnel about potential secondary exposure when treating chemically contaminated patients.

Objective: To assess which circumstances and chemicals require the use of Level C Personal Protective Equipment (chemical splash suit and air-purifying respirator), to prevent secondary contamination of hospital personnel treating a chemically contaminated patient.

Methods: The US National Library of Medicine PubMed database was searched for the years 1985 to 2020 utilizing combinations of relevant search terms.

Profile of incidental exposures to e-cigarette liquids in Europe, 2018-2019.

Background: Following the implementation of the European Union Tobacco Product Directive (EU TPD) regulations on e-cigarette products in 2016, we assessed the current profile of e-cigarette liquid exposure incidents and their associated health outcomes.

Methods: De-identified data were received from poison centers in eight EU Member States (Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary Austria, Finland, Spain and Croatia) reporting on e-cigarette liquid exposure incidents between August 2018 to December 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted to present incident characteristics and health outcomes.

Theoretical, Solid-State, and Solution Quantification of the Hydrogen Bond-Enhanced Halogen Bond.

Proximal noncovalent forces are commonplace in natural systems and understanding the consequences of their juxtaposition is critical. This paper experimentally quantifies for the first time a Hydrogen Bond-Enhanced Halogen Bond (HBeXB) without the complexities of protein structure or preorganization. An HBeXB is a halogen bond that has been strengthened when the halogen donor simultaneously accepts a hydrogen bond.

The Clinical Toxicology of 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B): The Severity of Poisoning After Exposure to Low to Moderate and High Doses.

Study Objective: We studied the severity of poisoning after exposure to low to moderate and high doses of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B).

Methods: Patients for whom the Dutch Poisons Information Centre was consulted for 2C-B exposure from 2016 to 2018 were included in a prospective cohort study. Data were collected through telephone interviews with the physician or patient.

Preserving fertility in young women undergoing chemotherapy for early breast cancer; the Maastricht experience.

Purpose: We assessed the uptake of fertility preservation (FP), recovery of ovarian function (OFR) after chemotherapy, live birth after breast cancer, and breast cancer outcomes in women with early-stage breast cancer.

Methods: Women aged below 41 years and referred to our center for FP counseling between 2008 and 2015 were included. Data on patient and tumor characteristics, ovarian function, cryopreservation (embryo/oocyte) and transfer, live birth, and disease-free survival were collected.

Anion Influence on the Packing of 1,3-Bis(4-Ethynyl-3-Iodopyridinium)-Benzene Halogen Bond Receptors.

Rigid and directional arylethynyl scaffolds have been widely successful across diverse areas of chemistry. Utilizing this platform, we present three new structures of a dicationic 1,3-bis(4-ethynyl-3-iodopyridinium)-benzene halogen bonding receptor with tetrafluoroborate, nitrate, and hydrogen sulfate. Structural analysis focuses on receptor conformation, anion shape, solvation, and long range packing of these systems.

Hydrogen Bond Enhanced Halogen Bonds: A Synergistic Interaction in Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The halogen bond (XB) has become an important tool for molecular design in all areas of chemistry, including crystal and materials engineering and medicinal chemistry. Its similarity to the hydrogen bond (HB) makes the relationship between these interactions complex, at times competing against and other times orthogonal to each other. Recently, our two laboratories have independently reported and characterized a synergistic relationship, in which the XB is enhanced through direct intramolecular HBing to the electron-rich belt of the halogen.