Leishmaniasis is a widely spread zoonotic disease caused by the bite of infected sandflies, particularly in developing countries. Cutaneous leishmaniasis can have a diverse range of presentations, ranging from minor skin nodules to significant mucosal damage. However, nose involvement is infrequent. Our report highlights a 15-year-old female patient with a persistent skin lesion on her nose for three months, which is a rare manifestation of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The lesion started as a raised spot with a brownish-red color and a crust but eventually developed into an ulcer that spread over the entire lobe of the nose and even moved toward the eye. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of Leishmania amastigotes, and a biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The patient received daily intravenous sodium stibogluconate doses of 9 mg/kg for 20 days, and three weeks later, there was a significant clinical improvement, with the ulcer beginning to heal and no more amastigotes visible on microscopic examination. It is crucial to keep cutaneous leishmaniasis in mind as a possible diagnosis for patients with skin lesions, even in regions where the condition is not prevalent.
Matched MeSH terms: Antimony Sodium Gluconate/therapeutic use
In ZnO-based low voltage varistor, the two essential features of microstructure determining its nonlinear response are the formation Bi-enriched active grain boundaries as well as a controlled ZnO grain size by secondary spinel-type phases. Besides, the microstructure and phase composition are strongly affected by the dopant concentration during sintering process. In this study, the optimal dopant levels of Bi2O3, TiO2, and Sb2O3 to achieve maximized nonlinear electrical property (alpha) were quantified by the response surface methodology (RSM). RSM was also used to understand the significance and interaction of the factors affecting the response. Variables were determined as the molar ratio of Bi2O3, TiO2, and Sb2O3. The alpha was chosen as response in the study. The 5-level-3-factor central composite design, with 20 runs, was used to conduct the experiments by ball milling method. A quadratic model was established as a functional relationship between three independent variables and alpha. According to the results, the optimum values of Bi2O3, TiO2, and Sb2O3 were obtained 0.52, 0.50, and 0.30, respectively. Under optimal conditions the predicted alpha (9.47) was calculated using optimal coded values from the model and the theoretical value is in good agreement with the value (9.43) obtained by confirmation experiment.
Twenty-seven out of five hundred and fifty three patients hospitalized for visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) died during treatment with sodium antimony gluconate. Data from these patients were evaluated to find out the cause of death. Eight patients had associated diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis (3), severe malnutrition (1), acute gastroenteritis (1), spleenic infarction (1), acute renal failure (1) and atrial septal defect (1) which could be attributed to death. Twelve patients developed spontaneous haemorrhages from nose, gums and gastrointestinal tract and died, despite of adequate supportive measures. Seven other patients who were improving slowly with antimony therapy died unexpectedly. Though, cause of death could be explained in some patients with associated disease conditions, it could not be explained in others as significant clinical manifestations, haematological, biochemical and electrocardiographic alterations were not evident prior to death. Our impression is that mortality in Kala-azar patients during standard antimonial therapy is more related to the drug rather than the disease process.
In this article, an easy and quick method based on microwave assisted acid digestion technique prior to quantification using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the analysis of heavy metals in cocoa beans, cocoa powder and chocolate was established and validated for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and antimony (Sb). Limit of quantification for all elements were product dependent and varies from 7.84 to 194.52 µg/kg. The recoveries of the heavy metals at 250 and 1000 µg/kg spiking levels were ranged between 96.27-108.75%, 90.43-101.97% and 89.72-106.26% for cocoa beans, cocoa powder, and chocolate, respectively. Relative standard deviation values obtained were all below 20% and the expanded uncertainty measurements for the elements were less than 25%. The analysis of real samples found that the concentration level is far from the national alarming level except for cadmium in cocoa beans.
To develop a novel granular adsorbent to remove arsenic and antimony from water, calcined Mg/Al-layered double-hydroxide (CLDH)-incorporated polyethersulfone (PES) granular adsorbents (PES-LDH) were prepared using a core-shell method having 25% PES in an N,N-dimethylformamide solution. The PES-LDH displayed a spherical hollow shape having a rough surface and the average particle size of 1-2 mm. On the PES-LDH surface, nanosized CLDH (100-150 nm) was successfully immobilized by consolidation between PES and CLDH. The adsorption of Sb(V) by PES-LDH was found to be more favorable than for As(V), with the maximum adsorption capacity of As(V) and Sb(V) being 7.44 and 22.8 mg/g, respectively. The regeneration results indicated that a 0.5 M NaOH and 5 M NaCl mixed solution achieved an 80% regeneration efficiency in As(V) adsorption and desorption. However, the regeneration efficiency of Sb(V) gradually decreased due to its strong binding affinity, even though the PES-LDH showed much higher Sb(V) adsorption efficiency than As(V). This study suggested that PES-LDH could be a promising granular adsorbent for the remediation of As(V) and Sb(V) contained in wastewater.