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The burden and morbidity of environmental nephrosis is increasing globally. Atrazine (ATR) and degradation products in the environment are considered key determinants of nephrosis. However, the lack of highly effective treatments for environmental nephrosis creates an urgent need to better understand the preventive strategies and mechanisms. This study aimed to highlight the mechanism of ATR-induced environmental nephrosis and the chemoprotective potential of lycopene (LYC) against the renal injury and nephrosis. Male mice were treated with LYC (5 mg/kg) and/or ATR (50 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg) by gavage administration for 21 days. Histopathological changes and biochemical function, cytochrome P450 enzymes system (CYP450s), nuclear xenobiotic receptors (NXRs) response and the transcription of CYP isoforms (CYPs) were detected. ATR exposure caused the changes of the histopathological and biochemical function, activated the NXR response and disturbed the CYP450s homeostasis. Supplementary LYC significantly prevented ATR-induced nephrotoxicity and alleviated the alternation of histopathological and biochemical function via modulating the CYP450s homeostasis and the NXR response. The results demonstrated AHR, CAR, PXR, PPAR (α, γ), CYP1, CYP2, CYP3 and CYP4 superfamily play a vital role in LYC-ATR interaction. Our findings provide new evidence that ATR exposure can cause the environmental nephrosis via inducing the kidney injury. Supplementary LYC showed significant chemoprotective potential against ATR-induced renal injury and environmental nephrosis via regulating the NXR response and the CYP450s homeostasis., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to examine epidemiologic data regarding acute herbicide or insecticide poisoning in adults from 2011 to 2014 at the national level in South Korea. Further, the association between governmental regulations involving pesticides and changes in pesticide poisoning occurrences over time was determined. Data were obtained from the emergency department (ED)-based Injury In-depth Surveillance system conducted by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Governmental regulations on pesticides were downloaded from the homepage of the Korea Rural Development Administration. Pesticides were classified according to guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and by the respective Resistance Action Committee (RAC). Trends in the number of ED presentations and case fatality rate (CFR) due to pesticide poisoning were investigated. The overall CFR due to poisoning from herbicides or insecticides in adults in South Korea was 16.8% during 2011-2014. However, CFR significantly decreased over the 4-year period. The ED presentations of paraquat (PQ) poisoning fell significantly, whereas poisoning due to glyphosate, glufosinate, or combined herbicides increased markedly over the 4 years. Between 2011 and 2013, PQ was the most common pesticide poisoning, whereas glyphosate became the most frequent in 2014. PQ produced the highest rate of fatality followed by endosulfan. Although the frequency of PQ poisoning decreased, which may be attributed to governmental regulations, the CFR and incidence of pesticide poisoning in adults remain a public health concern that needs to be addressed.

Introduction: A multicenter retrospective survey of patients poisoned by herbicides containing glyphosate salts in Japan was conducted to identify differences in symptoms and outcome of poisoning., Methods: Participants were patients who were transported to emergency facilities between October 2006 and March 2014 after consuming herbicides containing glyphosate potassium salt (GlyK(+)) (the K-group) or other glyphosate salts (the O-group). Questionnaires were mailed to 38 emergency facilities that agreed to participate in the study., Results: Serum potassium levels upon arrival were significantly higher (p < 0.01), and abnormal electrocardiogram findings were significantly more common (p < 0.01) in the K-group (n = 55) than in the O-group (n = 62). Conversely, acute lung injury (ALI) including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (p = 0.05) and liver injury (LI) (p < 0.01) were significantly more common during hospitalization in the O-group, although no significant differences in the duration of hospital stay (p = 0.92) or outcomes (p = 0.95) were observed between the two groups., Discussion and Conclusion: The ingestion of products containing glyphosate isopropylamine or ammonium salts, and polyoxyethyleneamine (POEA) as a surfactant, can cause severe organ injury. Physicians should note that the ingestion of products containing glyphosate potassium salt and surfactants other than POEA can cause hyperkalemia, potentially leading to fatal arrhythmias or cardiac arrest.

The herbicide paraquat is associated with a high mortality rate. It produces multiorgan damage through the induction of acute oxidative stress, by generation of reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative damage to biomolecules. In addition to general supportive measures, the management of paraquat poisoning includes gastric washing, forced diuresis, haemodialysis and the use of antioxidants, such as N-acetylcysteine. However, this drug is rather unavailable in Venezuela and S-carboxymethylcysteine has been used. We report 35 patients with mild to severe paraquat poisoning, which beside standard supportive treatment received 1500 mg S-carboxymethylcysteine, up to 2-3 w. The mortality rate was 22.86% (8 deaths/35 cases) and was related to the severity of paraquat poisoning (as assessed by urine dithionite tests). We conclude that S-carboxymethylcysteine is a reliable alternative in managing patients with paraquat poisoning.

Oral ingestion of allyl alcohol by a 55-year-old man resulted in death within 100 min. At autopsy, bloody, reddish fluid was found in mouth, larynx, esophagus, and trachea. The mucous membranes of the trachea, stomach, and duodenum were congested and inflamed. The stomach contained a pungent green-black fluid, and all internal organs exhibited a strong pungent odor. Toxicological analysis of blood identified allyl alcohol using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Quantitative determination of allyl alcohol and its toxic metabolite, acrolein, was performed using headspace gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection. Total amounts of allyl alcohol in gastric content, bile, and urine were 3.6 g, 15 mg, and 0.5 mg, respectively. The concentration in blood was 309 mg/L. Acrolein was not detected in gastric contents and only in small amounts in bile and urine. The concentration of acrolein in blood was 7.2 mg/L. Death was attributed to acrolein-induced acute cardiotoxicity, similar to that previously documented in animal experiments.

In conditions of exotoxicosis arising after the effect of 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid cytoplasmic cells of littoral cells of marginal and medullary sinuses undergo alike changes and their cell organelles (rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, micropinocytotic vesicles and mitochondria) mass is reduced. These changes are more pronounced in littoral cells of marginal sinus when the dos under the effect of 4 permissible doses of the poison. Intensity of intracellular structures reaction to the toxicant action depends on the cell localization on the lymph passage insid within the lymph node (marginal or medullar sinuses). Dystrophic changes in sinus lining cells so as the speed and character of regenerative processes depend on the dose and time of action of the agent.

The determination of homicidal poisoning due to the oral administration of paraquat presents a unique challenge for both the clinician and the pathologist. Reported are four cases of homicidal paraquat poisoning, three leading to conviction and one possible, but unproved case. This study illustrates that intentional paraquat poisoning is not generally considered, even when physicians are faced with an atypical clinical course for inflammatory disease. The mechanism of action and symptoms of paraquat poisoning are presented, guidelines for when to suspect paraquat are given, and recommendations for treatment are outlined.

A 49-year-old white male was found lying unconscious at home. He had vomited, his mouth was filled with a white foam and a pungent odour filled the room. After emergency treatment blood, urine and stomach contents were screened for drugs after acid and alkaline extraction with subsequent derivatisation and GC-MS analysis. Large quantites of 2,4-dichlorophenoxypropionic acid (dichlorprop, 2,4-DP) were found in all acid extracts. The man died 3 h later in hospital. Body fluids and tissues obtained at autopsy were analysed for 2,4-DP by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. The concentrations of 2,4-DP in cardiac blood, stomach contents, bile, liver, spleen, kidney and brain found by both methods were very similar.

The potential of toxic action in rats of orthochlorbenzol sulphochloride, administered intragastrically in single doses and in daily doses included in food, was estimated. Other bioenzymatic parameters of liver function (transaminase, gammaglutamyltransferase, glutamatdehydrogenase etc.), which presented changes in all experiments performed during this investigations, were also analyzed. Based on the obtained results, stop-gap suggestions of maximum admitted concentrations in environmental elements and air at the work places (0.5 mg/cubic meter) were made.

Changes in the liver of male rats were studied on the 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days after a single oral application of 1/5 DL 50 of the chloracetanilic herbicide Acetochlor (DL50 = 1063 mg/kg-1). Two main periods in the action of acetochlor can be identified: between 1-2 days when the influence of the compound itself is predominant and between 5-7 days, when the toxic action of the slowly eliminated metabolites is most pronounced. These two periods provoke a biphasic activation/inhibition response of the liver. Remarkable is the compensatory effect of the cytochrome P-450 system responsible for the metabolism of acetochlor. The phase-specific changes were are followed by pathomorphological observations of liver tissue as well as by the time-course of the biochemical parameters studied in different liver fractions.