Transient respiratory function effects

Adverse effects Side effects reported for oral or parenteral use of ribavirin have included dose-dependent transient anemia in Lassa fever victims. Elevated bilirubin has been reported. The aerosol may be safer, although respiratory function in infants can deteriorate quickly after initiation of aerosol treatment and therefore, monitoring is essential. Because of teratogenic effects in experimental animals, ribavirin is contraindicated in pregnancy. 

Respiratory Effects. Some transient respiratory effects have been noted in humans briefly exposed to unspecified amounts of carbon disulfide (Kamat 1994 Spyker et al. 1982). Limited studies were available that specifically address respiratory function changes in exposed animals. Decreased respiratory rate was noted in rats exposed to 803 ppm carbon disulfide for 18 hours (Tarkowski and Sobczak 1971). 

Several CR subjects exposed In the aerosol chamber commented that CR was milder than "tear gas. The effects of exposure to CR aerosol were transient and predominantly respiratory and ocular. All subjects with aerosol exposures had upper respiratory tract Irritation with choking. Many subjects had dyspnea some were tachypnelc. Ocular irritation from aerosol exposure was common, often causing blinking, closing of the eyes, and lacrlmatlon and Interfering with the subject s ability to carry out simulated battlefield functions. 

Zanamivir is delivered directly to the respiratory tract via inhalation. Ten to twenty percent of the active compound reaches the lungs, and the remainder is deposited in the oropharynx. The concentration of the drug in the respiratory tract is estimated to be more than 1000 times the 50% inhibitory concentration for neuraminidase, and the pulmonary half-life is 2.8 hours. Five to fifteen percent of the total dose (10 mg twice daily for 5 days for treatment and 10 mg once daily for prevention) is absorbed and excreted in the urine with minimal metabolism. Potential adverse effects include cough, bronchospasm (occasionally severe), reversible decrease in pulmonary function, and transient nasal and throat discomfort. 

Respiratory Effects. Following an accident involving a railroad car, 27 individuals were exposed via inhalation to an unspecified concentration of carbon disulfide. Subtle and transient changes in pulmonary function were manifested as reduced vital capacity and decreased partial pressure of arterial oxygen (Spyker et al. 1982). Dyspnea was reported in 77 of the 123 persons following an accidental release of large amounts of carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfuric acid from a viscose rayon plant in India (Kamat 1994). Exposure concentrations were not stated. 

Pulmonary exposure is the most popular route for in vivo investigations of nanomaterials-induced toxidty. In order to better understand the toxic effect of amorphous silica nanomaterials, the nanomaterials were instilled into the respiratory tract [38, 44—46, 100] and, after a period of treatmenf the acute and subacute pulmonary toxic effects were monitored. However, this phenomenon was an induced transient toxicity, and pulmonary function was fully recovered after several days post-exposure. Compared to the persistent pulmonary inflammation caused by crystalline silica nanomaterials, the negative effect of amorphous silica nanomaterials was considered insignificant. 

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