Allopurinol-induced drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome with interstitial nephritis

Allopurinol-induced drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe illness related to hypersensitivity syndrome characterized by fever, skin rash, lymph node enlargement, hematological abnormalities, especially eosinophilia and atypical lymphocytosis, and single or multiple organ involvement. The syndrome is difficult to diagnose in view of its clinical heterogeneity and long latency period within 8 weeks after start treatment. We report a case of DRESS syndrome in a 64-year-old man, induced by allopurinol treatment for asymptomatic hyperuricemia, started 8 weeks earlier but stopped only 3 days after because of the onset of rash. The diagnosis was retained due to combining of interstitial nephritis with the clinical findings of fever, skin rash, cervical lymphadenopathy, eosinophilia, and reactivation of human herpesviruses specifically HHV-6. The glucocorticoids were started to relieve hypersensitivity. Five days later, the patient became afebrile, and the rash improved significantly. However, interstitial nephritis with renal function impairment progressed to severe azotemia, and even anuria requiring hemodialysis. Allopurinol-induced DRESS syndrome is associated with significant mortality, and care must, therefore, be exercised when given this drug

Insecticidal, antifeedant, and repellent effect of Lavandula mairei var. antiatlantica essential oil and its major component carvacrol against Sitophilus oryzae

The genus Lavandula encompasses plants commonly known for their bioactivities and applications as in- secticides. Despite this recognition, certain species such as Lavandula mairei Humbert have received no attention. For this reason, our study offers a close insight into the chemical profile, insecticidal (i.e. fumigant and contact toxicity), repellent, and antifeedant effect of Lavandula mairei var. antiatlantica (Maire) Maire essential oil (LMEO) against Sitophilus oryzae (L.), a major stored product insect. Additionally, the major compound of LMEO, i.e. carvacrol, was also tested for the aforementioned bioactivities. In the fumigant bioassays LMEO and carvacrol showed LC50 values of 69.5 and 69.3 μL/L of air, respectively, after 72 h while in the contact bioassays LC50 values of 0.14 and 0.117 μL/insect, respectively, after 24 h. In terms of antifeedant effect, carvacrol and LMEO significantly influenced the Feeding Deterrent Index (FDI) recording 83.2 and 55.0%, respectively, at a con- centration of 3.2%. Furthermore, a notable reduction of 5.5 and 2.1-fold in Relative Consumption Rate (RCR) was observed for carvacrol and LMEO, respectively, compared to the control. Regarding the repellent effect, carvacrol and LMEO exhibited percentages of repellency (PR) of 94 and 82%, respectively, at 0.312 μL/cm2 after 24 h. In conclusion, our study underscores the significant insecticidal, feeding deterrent, and repellent effects of LMEO and its major compound against the rice weevil. Its cultivable potential and bioactivities confirmed through this study promote its use as sustainable pest control solution

Chemical profiling of Artemisia herba-alba, Cuminum cyminum, Cinnamomum camphora, and Salvia rosmarinus essential oils and assessment of their insecticidal potential to control the wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell)

The wild cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae), has become a serious pest of prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica L. in the Mediterranean region. The present study investigated the insecticidal activity of four essential oils, namely Cuminum cyminum, Cinnamomum camphora, Artemisia herba-alba, and Salvia rosmarinus against D. opuntiae nymphs and adult females in laboratory and greenhouse bioassays. Laboratory tests showed that at a concentration of 2.5%, C. cyminum oil was the most effective (inducing 100% nymph mortality at 3 h after treatment), followed by C. camphora, A. herba-alba and S. rosmarinus oils which recorded comparable mortality rates ranging from 89.40 to 100%, while S. rosmarinus and C. cyminum oils induced the highest mortality rates on adult females (88% and 86%, respectively) 8 days after treatments. Under greenhouse con-ditions, the combined application of C. cyminum oil (2.5%) and black soap (10 g/L) showed the highest nymphs' mortality (100%) at 3 days after application. Adult female mortality in the greenhouse was lower than in the laboratory bioassay for all tested oils, with S. rosmarinus inducing 47% mortality at 2.5% at 14 days after the second spray. Eucalyptol was the main constituent of S. rosmarinus (41.20%) and C. camphora (56.47%) oils, and thujon-camphor was the major chemotype of A. herba-alba (30.55%/28.16%), while cuminaldehyde was the main compound of C. cyminum oil seeds (32.53%). These findings showed that the compounds of the two essential oils S. rosmarinus and C. camphora potential sources of insecticidal compounds and warrant further investigation