No abstract

Introduction. Diquat is an herbicide that can lead to rapid multiorgan system failure upon toxic ingestion. Although Diquat shares a similar chemical structure with paraquat, diquat is still readily available to the general population, and in contrast to paraquat, it is not regulated. We present a case of an intentional diquat poisoning which emphasizes the necessity of the early recognition due to atypical symptoms within the first 24 hours and certainly enhanced regulatory restrictions on this very toxic compound. Case. A 60-year-old male with a history of severe depression presented to the emergency department after intentional ingestion of a commercial herbicide containing diquat dibromide 2.30%. The earliest manifestations of this acute diquat intoxication comprised a glomerulonephritis and proximal tubular dysfunction. Progressive multiorgan system failure then developed with a significant delay (24–38 hours) including acute renal, liver failure, and then respiratory failure with refractory hypoxemia. Despite maximal supportive care, the end organ failure was lethal. Discussion. Diquat intoxication should be suspected in patient presenting an acute glomerulonephritis with coma. Diquat should undergo the same regulatory restrictions as paraquat-containing compounds.

Situs inversus totalis is a condition where there is a transposition of all internal organs from their normal anatomical location. This infrequent and rare congenital condition has been described in several species of mammals. Dextorcardia is a series of conditions associated with an abnormal congenital positioning of the heart, and is often associated with situs inversus totalis. Here we report a case of situs inversus totalis and two cases of dextrocardia identified in Sprague Dawley rats during gross necropsy evaluations at both the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) in Canada and Finlay Institute of Vaccine Research and Production in Cuba. The intent of this report is to share our findings and aid in the accumulation of data on these rare conditions.

Typhoid fever continues to be a major public health problem according with estimates of World Health Organization. Conjugation of polysaccharides to an immunogenic protein revert the Thymus independent pattern of polysaccharides to a T-dependent pattern and induce immune response in infants. The aim of this work was to evaluate the toxicological profile a conjugate candidate vaccine against this disease through single dose study in Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were observed daily for local and systemic toxicity symptoms. Also, body weight, water and food consumption, immune response, temperature and local inflammation in the site of injection were evaluated. Gross necropsy was made at the end of the study to each rat, selected organs were weighed, and a full range of tissues was preserved for histological studies. The vaccine not evidenced clinical symptoms, deaths, local effects or adverse systemic toxicological change. Therefore, this vaccine may be considered potentially non-toxic for human.Summary: Typhoid fever remains a major public health problem according to estimates by the World Health Organization. The conjugation of polysaccharides to an immunogenic protein reverses the thymus pattern independent of polysaccharides to a dependent T pattern and induces an immune response in children. The objective of this work was to evaluate the toxicological profile of a conjugate vaccine candidate against this disease, using a single dose trial in Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were observed daily to detect symptoms of local and systemic toxicity. In addition, body weight, food and water consumption, immune response, temperature and local inflammation at the injection site were evaluated. At the conclusion of the study, macroscopic anatomopathology was performed on all animals, selected organs were weighed and all organs processed for histological studies. The vaccine showed no clinical symptoms, deaths, local effects or adverse systemic toxicological changes. Therefore, this vaccine can be considered potentially non-toxic to humans.