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L’avvelenamento da selenio è un evento raro e ancor più raro è quello che segue all’ingestione da semi di Lecythis ollaria; quindi, in letteratura sono pochi i casi segnalati nell’uomo, mai al di sotto dei 18 anni in Colombia. L’attuale lavoro presenta il caso di un paziente pediatrico che va incontro ad avvelenamento acuto da selenio dopo aver ingerito un numero significativo di questi semi. La presentazione clinica è caratterizzata da vomito, diarrea, ittero, ematuria, alopecia diffusa e pigmentazione grigia delle unghie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two previously healthy women developed nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness for several days, a massive hair loss about 2 weeks later and a discoloration of the fingernails. Detailed diagnostic procedures did not reveal any pathological results. Therapeutic measures did not show any effect. Thallium and arsenic were within normal range in plasma. Delayed quantitative determination of selenium in blood, however revealed toxic values (in case I: 479 μg/L of serum, 8 weeks after ingestion, and in case II 300 μg/L of serum, 9 weeks after ingestion). In retrospect, a relation to the ingestion of paradise nuts could be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium has been determined in different parts of the Lecythis ollaria (LO) plant (Venezuela) and the determination of its speciation has been achieved in fruit seeds. The study has been performed using different analytical techniques including inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry (DPCSV), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). Different parts of the plant (leaves, bark, capsules and seeds) were examined as well as the soil where LO was growing. Among different considered parts, seeds show the highest content in selenium (≅5 g kg−1) which is dependent on the maturation extent of the fruit. In seeds, about half of the total selenium content is soluble in water while the remaining is involved in protein structure. In the aqueous fraction, the prevailing form of selenium appears to be seleno-cystathionine with much lower amounts of Se(VI) and Se(IV). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Selenium is a micronutrient. It presents a nutritional conundrum because of its twin status as an essential as well as a highly toxic trace element. Here, we report a case of acute non-intentional selenium toxicity due to increased ingestion of "paradise nuts" (Lecythis ollaria) which resulted in massive alopecia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]