Jamaican Vomiting Sickness
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Jamaican Vomiting Sickness
Jamaican vomiting sickness, also known as toxic hypoglycemic syndrome (THS), acute ackee fruit intoxication, or ackee poisoning, is an acute illness caused by the toxins hypoglycin A and hypoglycin B, which are present in fruit of the ackee tree. While in the fully ripened arils, hypoglycin A is at levels of less than 0.1 ppm, in unripe arils it can be over 1000 ppm and can cause vomiting and even death. Some countries in the Caribbean and Western Africa experience frequent cases. Presentation Abdominal discomfort begins two to six hours after eating unripe ackee fruit, followed by sudden onset vomiting. In severe cases, profound dehydration, seizures, coma, and death may ensue. Children and those who are malnourished are more susceptible to the disease. Pathophysiology When ingested, hypoglycin A is metabolized to produce methylenecyclopropylacetic acid (MCPA). MCPA acts to inhibit the beta-oxidation of fatty acids in two ways. First, it interferes with the transport of ...
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Hypoglycin A
Hypoglycin A is a naturally occurring amino acid derivative found in the unripened fruit of the Ackee tree ('' Blighia sapida'') and in the seeds of the box elder tree ('' Acer negundo''). It is toxic if ingested, and is the causative agent of Jamaican vomiting sickness. A 2017 Lancet report established a link between the consumption of unripened lychees (containing hypoglycin A or methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG)) resulting in hypoglycaemia and death from acute toxic encephalopathy. Sources The entirety of the unripe Ackee fruit is toxic and contains large amounts of hypoglycin. The fruit is safe to eat only when the fruit is allowed to fully open and expose the large black seeds while on the tree. The levels of the toxin decrease over time though from approximately 1000 ppm to around 0.1 ppm in the mature fruit. Relatives of Ackee, including lychee, longan, and rambutan, can contain enough α-(methylenecyclopropyl)glycine, a homologue of hypoglycin A, in their fruit to cau ...
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Lychee
Lychee (US: ; UK: ; ''Litchi chinensis''; ) is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic taxon and the sole member in the genus ''Litchi'' in the Sapindus, soapberry family, ''Sapindaceae''. It is a tropical tree native to Southeast and Southwest China (the Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan and Hainan provinces), Assam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaya, Java, Jawa, Borneo, Philippines and New Guinea. The tree is introduced into Cambodia, Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Mauritius and Réunion. The cultivation in China is documented from the 11th century. China is the main producer of lychees, followed by Vietnam, India, other countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Madagascar and South Africa. A tall evergreen tree, the lychee bears small fleshy Drupe, fruits. The outside of the fruit is pink-red, roughly textured, and inedible, covering sweet flesh eaten in many different dessert dishes. Lychee seeds contain Methylene cyclopropyl acetic acid, methylene cycl ...
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Reye Syndrome
Reye syndrome is a rapidly worsening brain disease. Symptoms of Reye syndrome may include vomiting, personality changes, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness. While liver toxicity typically occurs in the syndrome, jaundice usually does not. Death occurs in 20–40% of those affected with Reye syndrome, and about a third of those who survive are left with a significant degree of brain damage. The cause of Reye syndrome is unknown. It usually begins shortly after recovery from a viral infection, such as influenza or chickenpox. About 90% of cases in children are associated with aspirin (salicylate) use. Inborn errors of metabolism are also a risk factor. The syndrome is associated with changes on blood tests such as a high blood ammonia level, low blood sugar level, and prolonged prothrombin time. Often, the liver is enlarged in the syndrome. Prevention is typically by avoiding the use of aspirin in children. When aspirin was withdrawn for use in children in the U ...
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Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and several small islands which lie to the north of the main island and are a part of the Grenadines. It is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is , and it had an estimated population of 112,523 in July 2020. Its capital is St. George's. Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace crops. Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Grenada was inhabited by the indigenous peoples from South America. Christopher Columbus sighted Grenada in 1498 during his third voyage to the Americas. Following several unsuccessful attempts by Europeans to colonise the island due to resistance from res ...
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Dave Malucci
Dr. Dave Malucci is a fictional character on the NBC prime time drama '' ER''. He was portrayed by Erik Palladino. Season 6 Dave Malucci first appears as a second-year resident. He often breaks protocol to get things done and appears to lack warmth towards patients, but is occasionally shown to be both sensitive and insightful, particularly where younger patients are involved (a story in the episode "Loose Ends" very strongly implies that Malucci was physically and/or sexually abused when he was a child). He is also quite proactive and ready to pitch in or to take the lead on a problem. In "Last Rites," Malucci ropes John Carter into helping steal medical gear from an ambulance to go help some construction workers injured at a site not far from the hospital; later, Kerry Weaver reprimands them for violating emergency protocols and Carter comes away with a negative view of Malucci that he never really changes his mind about. Malucci attended medical school in Grenada, and in "Gre ...
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ER (season 6)
The sixth season of the American fictional drama television series '' ER'' first aired on September 30, 1999, and concluded on May 18, 2000. The sixth season consists of 22 episodes. Plot In the first major cast change in ''ER'', the sixth season sees the addition of four new characters: Dr. Luka Kovač; nurse, later third-year medical student, Abby Lockhart; Dr. Cleo Finch; and Dr. Dave Malucci. Paul McCrane's Robert Romano is now billed as a series regular and we also see the return of Deb Chen from season one, now preferring to be called Dr. Jing-Mei Chen. Physician Assistant Jeanie Boulet leaves to care for her HIV-positive child. Lucy Knight and John Carter are attacked and stabbed by a psychotic patient. The ER staff work to save Carter and Lucy. Despite everyone's best efforts, they are unable to save Lucy who succumbs to her wounds and dies. In addition Croatian doctor Luka Kovač joins the team and struggles to gain the respect and trust from his new colleagues in the ...
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ER (TV Series)
''ER'' is an American medical drama television series created by novelist and physician Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994, to April 2, 2009, with a total of 331 episodes spanning 15 seasons. It was produced by Constant C Productions and Amblin Television, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ''ER'' follows the inner life of the emergency room (ER) of Cook County General Hospital (a fictionalized version of the real Cook County Hospital) in Chicago, Illinois, and various critical issues faced by the department's physicians and staff. The show is the second longest-running primetime medical drama in American television history behind ''Grey's Anatomy'', and the sixth longest medical drama across the globe (behind the United Kingdom's ''Casualty'' and '' Holby City,'' ''Grey's Anatomy'', Germany's ''In aller Freundschaft'', and Poland's ''Na dobre i na złe''). It won 23 Primetime Emmy Awards, including the 1996 Outstanding Drama Series award ...
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Hypoglycin
Hypoglycin may refer to: * Hypoglycin A * Hypoglycin B Hypoglycin B is a naturally occurring organic compound in the species '' Blighia sapida''. It is particularly concentrated in the fruit of the plant especially in the seeds. Hypoglycin B is toxic if ingested and is one of the causative agents of ...
{{Disambiguation with potential ...
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Urinalysis
Urinalysis, a portmanteau of the words ''urine'' and ''analysis'', is a panel of medical tests that includes physical (macroscopic) examination of the urine, chemical evaluation using urine test strips, and microscopic examination. Macroscopic examination targets parameters such as color, clarity, odor, and specific gravity; urine test strips measure chemical properties such as pH, glucose concentration, and protein levels; and microscopy is performed to identify elements such as cells, urinary casts, crystals, and organisms. Background Urine is produced by the filtration of blood in the kidneys. The formation of urine takes place in microscopic structures called nephrons, about one million of which are found in a normal human kidney. Blood enters the kidney though the renal artery and flows through the kidney's vasculature into the Glomerulus (kidney), glomerulus, a tangled knot of capillaries surrounded by Bowman's capsule. The glomerulus and Bowman's capsule together form t ...
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Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth most populpus city in Bihar. Muzaffarpur is famous for Shahi lychees and is known as the Lychee Kingdom. Shahi litchi is set to become the fourth product from Bihar, after jardalu mango, katarni rice and Magahi paan (betel leaf) to get the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It is situated on the banks of the perennial Burhi Gandak River, Budhi Gandak River, which flows from the Someshwar Hills of the Himalayas. Etymology The current city was established in 1875 during the British Raj for administrative convenience, by dividing the Tirhut district and was named after an ''Glossary of the British Raj, aumil'', Muzaffar Khan; thus the city came to be known as ''Muzaffarpur''. History The city was founded by Muẓaffar Khan in the 18th centur ...
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Encephalopathy
Encephalopathy (; from grc, ἐνκέφαλος "brain" + πάθος "suffering") means any disorder or disease of the brain, especially chronic degenerative conditions. In modern usage, encephalopathy does not refer to a single disease, but rather to a syndrome of overall brain dysfunction; this syndrome has many possible organic and inorganic causes. Signs and symptoms The hallmark of encephalopathy is an altered mental state or delirium. Characteristic of the altered mental state is impairment of the cognition, attention, orientation, sleep–wake cycle and consciousness. An altered state of consciousness may range from failure of selective attention to drowsiness. Hypervigilance may be present; with or without: cognitive deficits, headache, epileptic seizures, myoclonus (involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles) or asterixis ("flapping tremor" of the hand when wrist is extended). Depending on the type and severity of encephalopathy, common neurological sym ...
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Hypoglycin B
Hypoglycin B is a naturally occurring organic compound in the species '' Blighia sapida''. It is particularly concentrated in the fruit of the plant especially in the seeds. Hypoglycin B is toxic if ingested and is one of the causative agents of Jamaican vomiting sickness. It is a dipeptide of glutamic acid Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synt ... and hypoglycin A. References Dipeptides Dicarboxylic acids Toxic amino acids {{organic-compound-stub ...
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