Anticholinergic Toxicity Secondary to Overuse of Topricin Cream, a Homeopathic Medication.

Adverse reactions from over-the-counter medications present a challenge to physicians. Homeopathic medicine is an alternative practice, originating in Germany and gaining popularity in the United States. It utilizes dilute preparations of substances in order to treat and cure disease. Patients may potentially suffer serious effects from the use of these products as the contents and concentrations are often unclear. Here, we describe a case of suspected atropine toxicity due to the overuse of a topical homeopathic cream, Topricin, which contains belladonna, a plant containing atropine

Lead and cadmium biosorption from milk by Lactobacillus acidophilus

The food and water contamination with heavy metals is increasing due to the environmental pollutions. Lead and cadmium are the toxic heavy metals for humans that can be found in air, soil, water, and even food. Lactic acid bacteria have the ability to remove and diminish the level of heavy metals. In this study, Lactobacillus acidophilus was used to remove lead and cadmium in milk and the capability of this valuable bacterium in biosorption of these metals low concentrations (µg/L or ppb) in milk was evaluated. First, the variables on lead and cadmium removal by this bacterium have been studied by Plackett–Burman design. Then, the bioremoval process was optimized and the three main factors, the bacterium concentration, contact time, and the initial heavy metal concentration were chosen by using a central composite design. The optimum lead and cadmium bioremoval yield of 80% and 75% were observed, respectively, at 1 × 1012 CFU of L. acidophilus in milk at the 4th day and the initial ion concentration of 100 µg/L. The 3D plots analysis showed the interaction effects on metal biosorption. This study showed that L. acidophilus is a natural effective biosorbent for lead and cadmium removal from milk