According to the definition established by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) a "new psychoactive substance is considered any narcotic or psychotropic substance in pure form or in preparations, which is not controlled by the Conventions regarding drugs of the United Nations and which represent a threat to human health comparable to that realized by the substances registered in these conventions considered illicit substances (1). There have been described 4 main classes of new psychoactive substances:synthetic cannabinoids (contained in plant mixtures) , synthetic cathinones (contained in various bath salt powders),natural hallucinogens and piperazines (contained in tablets or capsules). Synthetic cannabinoids are synthetic agonists of cannabinoid receptors, constituting a group of synthetic substances that mimic the effects of Δ 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main product from cannabis, responsible for its psychoactive effects (4). Symptoms of poisoning are similar to those of cannabis poisoning but more severe, the clinical picture most commonly comprising: agitation, nausea, palpitations (9). Synthetic cathinones are compounds derived from cathinone-the main constituent of the Catha edulis plant known as KHAT (12). The effects of the consumption are similar to those of amphetamines, methamphetamines or cocaine. Natural hallucinogens are substances that in small doses have the main effect of altering the perception of thinking and mood with the preservation of lucidity along with minor effects on memory and orientation (23,24). Despite the name, these substances rarely produce true hallucinations. The most popular natural hallucinogens are: salvinorin A, psilocybin and psilocyn muscimol and ibotenic acid. Piperazines are synthetic compounds similar to amphetamines but with weaker effects. The best known are: benzylpiperazines and phenylpiperazines (28). Conclusions. The occasional consumption that can lead to acute intoxication or the chronic consumption of new psychoactive substances represents an important health problem occupying a place that should not be neglected in the pathology of adolescents and young people.
Backround and aimsHousehold products are one of the most important category responsable for paediatric toxic exposure, especially in children younger then 6 years old. The aims of this study were to analize the epidemiological characteristics of paediatric exposures to packet and nonpacket forms of liquid detergents and to identify the most frequent clinical findings associated with this type of exposures.MethodsWe performed a five year retrospective study between January 1 st, 2012 and December 31 st, 2016 of all cases with liquid detergent poisoning admitted to the Toxicology Department in the Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children „Grigore Alexandrescu ’ from Bucharest.ResultsA total of 231 cases involving liquid detergents were recorded, including 166 cases of laundry liquid detergents and 65 exposures to other types of liquid detergents. The packet forms of laundry detergents were the most commonly identified (131 cases, 56.7%)Boys (131 cases) were more frequently exposed than girls (100 cases). Regarding the age, most patients belonged to the age group 1–5 years (190 cases, 82.25%), followed by patients younger than 1 year (23 de cases, 9.95,%), those aged 6 to 10 years (11 cases, 4.76%) and 11 to 18 years (7 cases,3.03% ). The mean age of the patients exposed was 2.7 years.85.7% of the patients were symptomatic after exposure, clinical manifestations depending on the route of exposure. In case of ingestion, gastrointestinal symptoms were most commonly noted. Vomiting were present in 180 cases (77.9%), causing acute dehydration in 36 cases. Dysphagia was noted in 41 of the analysed cases, abdominal pain in 11 cases and diarrhoea and hematemesis in 2 cases each. Coughing was noted in 25 patient (10.8%), of which 7 were diagnosed with chemical laryngitis and 9 with chemical pneumonia. Dermal exposure was associated to ingestion in 6 patients and determined oral irritation or oral burns and lips oedema.Ocular exposure occurred in 11 patients (4.76%) causing conjunctivitis, keratitis or corneal burns.ConclusionsExposures to packed forms of liquid laundry detergents were much more common than laundry detergents nonpacket or other types of liquid detergents exposures. Clinical manifestations depended on the route of exposure: ingestion, ocular or dermal and the severity of clinical effects ranged between no symptoms to severe form of hematemesis, acute dehydration and chemical pneumonia.
Nicotine and cotinine are very polar basic molecules, which makes it difficult to analyze them by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), especially in biological samples. Additives with an ionic character have been traditionally used in RPLC as silanol suppressors. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential of selected ionic liquids in improving chromatographic performance in comparison with common additives. The experimental design was conducted using the following ionic liquids as the mobile phase modifiers: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, BMIM[BF4] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate BMIM[PF6], with a C18 chromatographic column. The separation of these alkaloids on silica-based RPLC stationary phases was successfully conducted by the addition of BMIM[BF4] in an acetonitrile:phosphate-buffer-based mobile phase in a pH range of 2.3–5.2. The presented chromatographic method can be used as alternative for monitoring studies or pharmacokinetic application necessary for the evaluation of tobacco smoke exposure.
Objective. The present study has two main objectives: to evaluate the psychological characteristics of adolescents with voluntary acute poisoning in a pediatric toxicology department and to estimate the role of psychological evaluation in the management of these patients. Material and method. The study includes the retrospective analysis of all patients with voluntary acute intoxication, admitted to our clinic between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018. The following criteria were considered: age, gender, number of hospitalizations with this diagnosis and psychological evaluation. performed during hospitalization. Results. During the mentioned period, in the Toxicology and Intensive Care Department of the Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children "Grigore Alexandrescu" in Bucharest, 181 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of voluntary acute poisoning, aged between 10 and 18 years. There was a similar percentage of girls compared to boys (58.1% compared to 41.9%), and most patients (n = 137, 75.7%) were from urban areas. Of the total number of patients 22 (12.1%) had two or more hospitalizations with the diagnosis of voluntary acute intoxication. In 13 cases (7.2%), patients were known to have previous psychiatric disorders: 8 patients with depression, 2 with behavioral disorder and 3 with disorders associated with chronic substance abuse. Analyzing the results of the psychological evaluation in these patients we found that the main psychological disorder was the emotional reaction, being identified in 98 patients (54.1%). The suicide attempt was identified in only 31 patients (17.1%) of whom only 10 received the transfer recommendation in a psychiatric clinic. Conclusions. Psychological evaluation of patients with acute voluntary intoxication is essential during hospitalization in the toxicology section to identify real psychological problems. Emotional reaction is the main psychological disorder in patients with acute voluntary intoxication. The actual suicide attempt is found only in a relatively small number of patients, in our study being diagnosed only at 17% of the total voluntary acute poisoning.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.