The present report describes two cases of paraquat poisoning by skin absorption. The cases involved contractual workers who were spraying paraquat in an orchard. Whilst spraying, some solution adhered to their skin. The skin developed erythema followed by blistering and hemorrhaging hemorrhagic diabrosis. Six days later the patients were admitted to the Department of Poisoning and Occupational Disease, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (Jinan, China) with 3 and 2% total body surface area (TBSA) burns, respectively. Surgical debridement was performed and immunosuppressants were administered during the patients’ treatment. The patients were treated successfully and had made a complete recovery following 21 days. From these cases it was examined how paraquat may cause skin injuries and occasionally poisoning. To the best of our knowledge, cases of paraquat poisoning are rare in China. A review of the relevant literature was performed.

In the present study, the successful management of severe paraquat (PQ) poisoning with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is described. A 42-year-old female ingested >100 ml PQ (20% weight/volume) in an attempted suicide. After 22 h the patient was admitted to hospital with serious liver, kidney and lung damage. Comprehensive therapy that maximized poison elimination was administered, along with appropriate glucocorticoids and medication for anticoagulation and protection of the liver and kidney. The patient was successfully treated and recovered after 40 days. However, pulmonary damage was aggravated when the glucocorticoid treatment was stopped after 2 months; the lungs recovered again following systematic therapy. Subsequent to a 8-month follow-up, the patient was able to look after herself in her daily life. To the best of our knowledge, successful treatment following severe PQ poisoning is rare.

Suicidal poisoning by ingestion of organophosphate (OP) insecticides represents a serious emergency with a high mortality rate. However, attempted suicide via the parenteral route has rarely been reported. The present study reports a case of parasuicide by self-injection of an organophosphorus insecticide (phoxim, phenylglyoxylonitrile oxime O,O-diethyl phosphorothioate) into the distal region of the left arm. The patient developed necrosis at the injection site and an abscess of the affected limb following injection. A fasciotomy and surgical debridement resulted in the symptoms of the patient disappearing within a few days and were vital in shortening the course of the disease.

No abstract

Abstract. In China, and other Asian countries, numerous patients have succumbed to pulmonary fibrosis induced by paquarat poisoning, but the early pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study the effect of cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 was observed in early acute paraquat poisoning and examined the mechanism by which paraquat caused early acute lung injury. It was discovered that the rat serum TGF-β1 levels in the paraquat groups were significant higher than that in the control group (P<0.05) and the rat pulmonary TGF-β1 mRNA expression levels were also higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Histological examination indicated that the rat lung tissue was broad and congested, and had been infiltrated by inflammatory cells. Masson's trichrome staining for collagen showed that the lung tissue appeared fibrotic following paraquat poisoning. Ultramicrostructure observation found that macrophages, red blood cells, lymphocytes and granulocytes infiltrated the alveolar space and there were cytolysosomes in the macrophages. The shape of the type II alveolar epithelial cell nuclei were irregular with karyopyknosis. The heterochromatin migrated to the cell edge and lamellar body vacuolization was also observed. Type I alveolar epithelial cells shrank. In conclusion, the effect of cytokine TGF-β1 on paraquat-induced acute lung tissue injury may be important.