Biomedical subjects

Melissa A Pasquale-Styles

Publications and source records attributed to Melissa A Pasquale-Styles.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Fatal bromethalin poisoning.

Bromethalin is a neurotoxin found in some rodenticides. A delusional 21-year-old male presented to a hospital with altered mental status the day after ingesting a bromethalin-based rodenticide. He died 7 days after his self-reported exposure to c. 17 mg bromethalin (equivalent to 0.33 mg bromethalin/kg). His clinicopathologic course was characterized by altered mental status, obtundation, increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, cerebral edema, death, and diffuse histologic vacuolization of the white matter in the central nervous system seen on microscopic examination at autopsy. The presence of a demethylated form of bromethalin in the patient's liver and brain was confirmed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Clinical signs and lesions observed in this patient are similar to those seen in animals poisoned with bromethalin. This case illustrates the potential for bromethalin ingestion to result in fatal human poisoning.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Apparent suicidal carbon monoxide poisonings with concomitant prescription drug overdoses.

We report four separate suicides by apparent motor vehicle-related carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in which complete toxicological analysis showed the absence of, or lower than expected, percent carboxyhemoglobin saturation and high concentrations of concomitant prescription drugs. These cases, within a population of 71 apparent CO suicides from the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office over 1998-2004, represent cases where additional factors are in play. Multiple modalities (CO poisoning and drug overdose) and/or undetectable carbon dioxide poisoning from the vehicle exhaust of cars manufactured after laws regulating vehicle emissions were enacted are examples of additional factors that require consideration in these selected cases. All four cases demonstrated some degree of decomposition, so the possible loss of CO could not be ruled out. The need for full toxicological analysis in apparent suicidal CO poisoning is emphasized.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Blunt force injury of the abdomen complicating previously undiagnosed peliosis hepatis in a 2-year-old female.

Peliosis hepatis is an abnormal accumulation of blood-filled lakes in the liver that is most commonly seen in adults and is generally associated with chronic wasting diseases, use of androgenic steroids or bacterial infection. Few cases have been reported in children. We report a case of a 2-year-old female with no past medical history who presented with homicidal blunt force abdominal injury. The autopsy revealed lacerations in the liver and previously undiagnosed peliosis hepatis.

Abdominal Injuries↗

PubMed2003

Three-millimeter apocrine adenoma in a man: a case report and review of the literature.

We describe a rare case of apocrine adenoma of the breast in a 45-year-old man. The patient presented with a tender lump in his left breast that had been present for 6 months. A mammogram identified a 3-mm nodular density in the breast, which was described as a hypoechoic nodule on ultrasound. Microscopic examination of tissue from an excisional biopsy revealed a 3-mm group of benign glands with abundant granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm and apical luminal blebbing, consistent with an apocrine adenoma. After reviewing other reported apocrine adenomas in the literature, we determined that our case was the smallest detected apocrine adenoma to be reported to date.

Adenoma, Sweat Gland↗