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Background:Poisoning accounts for about 7% of all accidents in children under 5 years and is implicated in over 5% of all childhood deaths in developing countries.Objectives:Due to the potential risks of methadone poisoning in children and increased cases of methadone poisoning among Iranian children, this study was conducted to investigate the clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory findings of methadone toxicity in children.Patients and Methods:The present retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study describes the clinical symptoms and signs and laboratory findings of methadone poisoning in children under 12 years old in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, during the years 2009 to 2013.Results:Of 58 patients, 33 (56.9%) were male and 25 (43.1%) female (P = 0.294). The mean age of patients was 5.2 ± 1.0 years. All the cases of poisoning happened with methadone syrup, due to unsafe keeping of methadone in mineral water bottles and containers of other drugs. Signs and symptoms included drowsiness (91.4 %), miosis (75.9%), vomiting (69.0%), ineffective breathing (any kind of breathing problem except apnea) (62.1%), apnea (53.4%), cyanosis (43.1%), seizure (8.6%), ataxia (6.9%) and delirium (3.4%).Conclusions:Keeping methadone in appropriate containers and warning methadone consumers about the dangerous side effects of its consumption and the symptoms of methadone poisoning in children may minimize the occurrence of this form of poisoning and its complications in children.

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Background:Controlling superficial bleeding, despite all the progress in surgical science, is still a challenge in some settings.Objectives:This study assesses the hemostatic effects of ferric chloride and compares it with the standard method (suturing technique) to control superficial bleeding.Materials and Methods:In this animal model study, 60 male Wistar rats were used. An incision, 2 cm long and 0.5 cm deep was made on rat skin and the hemostasis time was recorded using ferric chloride at different concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 50%) and then using a control (i.e. control of bleeding by suturing). The skin tissue was examined for pathological changes. Finally, the obtained data were entered into SPSS (ver. 16) and analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and Wilcoxon signed ranks test.Results:The hemostasis time for the ferric chloride concentration group was significantly less than for the control group (P < 0.001).Conclusions:Ferric chloride may be an effective hemostatic agent to control superficial bleeding in rats.

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