Two cases of intravenous injection of elemental mercury are described in this report. One patient succumbed and the other remains asymptomatic two years after the surgical removal of all the injected mercury. Management of intravenous injection of elemental mercury (intended to be an aphrodisiac in these two cases) is discussed here and the need for surgical removal of all accessible mercury ha...

There is growing evidence that idiopathic (lone) atrial fibrillation is caused by a combination of an inflamed heart lining and a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system[1-7]. Many of the triggers for atrial fibrillation such as mental and physical stress, vigorous exercise, alcohol consumption, mercury poisoning, bacterial, viral and fungal infections, and oxidative stress have been identified ...

We read with great interest the article entitled “An arrhythmic episode after mercury exposure and successful treatment with chelation therapy: A case report.” by Karakulak et al. (1) reporting a case of acute mercury (vapor) poisoning followed by 7-day history of malaise, fatigue, proximal weakness in the legs and in the arms, atypical chest pain, and palpitation in a 32-year-old woman in publ...

Bioavailability and hence bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish species depends on seasonal conditions causing different risks levels to human health during the lifetime. Mercury, cadmium and lead contents in fish from Chihuahua (Mexico) water reservoirs have been investigated to assess contamination levels and safety for consumers. Muscle samples of fish were collected across the seasons. Le...

The assertion in the Case Report by Roger Ho and colleagues (Jan 24, p 352) that methyl mercury (MeHg) exposure from a daily diet of tuna is responsible for amnesia is problematic toxicologically and clinically. The lowest level reported for adult manifestations of MeHg exposure is 200 μg Hg per L whole blood. That level is used by most national regulatory committees. The blood Hg level of the ...

The normalized elimination of the small component (NESC) method is a Dirac-exact relativistic method that leads to reliable first order response properties such as contact densities, Mössbauer shifts, electric field gradients, quadrupole coupling constants, or hyperfine structure constants for heavy atoms. In this review, the calculation of these hyperfine parameters with a NESC analytical deri...

OBJECTIVE To report the case of a fisherman who developed chronic mercury poisoning due to excessive consumption of tuna while working on a pelagic fishing vessel. CASE REPORT A 48-year-old male deep-sea fisherman developed paresthesia and pain in both legs while working at sea. He continued working for over 4 months on a pelagic fishing vessel but was eventually unable to function normally a...