We report a case of fatal methaemoglobinaema resulting from sodium nitrite poisoning. A 28 year old woman arrested in the emergency department following collapse. During resuscitation venous blood gas revealed methaemoglobin percentage 81%. Following treatment with methylene blue, bicarbonate and adrenaline, decreased. Prior to transfer intensive care, CT head extensive hypoxic brain injury. Tw...

Sodium nitrite is a strong oxidising agent with multiple industrial uses. Ingestion of small dose can cause death rapidly through the formation methaemoglobin and nitric oxide. Globally, while deaths due to sodium ingestion have been sporadic tended be accidental, frequency purposeful ingestions increasing. Local incidences in Singapore remain rare. We present case report Singapore, challenges ...

Background: Malaria remains the world’s most devastating human parasitic infection. Our goal was to assess the capacity of increasing concentrations of five antimalarial drugs (FansidarTM, HalfanTM, Quinine, CoartemTM and Chloroquine phosphate) to elicit the generation of methemoglobin in three human erythrocyte genotypes (Hb AA, Hb AS and Hb SS). Materials and Methods: Spectrophotometric metho...

Changes in the serum haptoglobin level have been reported in certain forms of anaemia (Allison and ap Rees, 1957; Allison, 1958; Nosslin and Nyman, 1958; Nyman, Gydell, and Nosslin, 1959), in hepatobiliary disease (Owen, Mackay, and Got, 1959) and in various inflammatory and chronic diseases (Jayle and Boussier, 1955; Allison and Blumberg, 1958). A simple colorimetric procedure for the determin...

A case is reported of methaemoglobinaemia presenting with recurrent fits in the absence of cyanosis. A low oxygen saturation measured on pulse oximetry that fails to improve with oxygen treatment, the presence of "chocolate brown" blood that does not change on exposure to air, and a high PaO2 arterial blood gas with oxygen therapy should support such a diagnosis. A diagnostic blood methaemoglob...

A biochemical approach to the study of photosynthesis in terms of hydrogen transport is de­ scribed. In particular, the system concerned with reduction of the coenzymes has been found to depend on two proteins: a non haem iron protein closely connected with a photochemical reaction and a flavoprotein which acts as a reductase. The iron protein, previously known as “methaemoglobin reducing facto...

Background: Malaria remains the world’s most devastating human parasitic infection. Our goal was to assess the capacity of increasing concentrations of five antimalarial drugs (Fansidar, Halfan, Quinine, Coartem and Chloroquine phosphate) to elicit the generation of methemoglobin in three human erythrocyte genotypes (Hb AA, Hb AS and Hb SS). Materials and Methods: Spectrophotometric method was ...