Use of Poppers (Amyl Nitrite): Unpleasant Side Effects in a Brothel

Introduction: Various agents can lead to an acquired methaemoglobinaemia (MHB) with potentially fatal consequences. There is a lack of literature on the formation of methaemoglobin (MH) in the blood after the intake of poppers (amyl nitrite). Poppers are a popular aphrodisiac agent. Case description: A 56-year-old diabetic called an ambulance after using poppers in a brothel with subsequent associated acrocyanosis, confusion and headache. The paramedics reported tachycardia and blood glucose of 3.8 mmol/l. The arterial blood gas analysis in the Emergency Department (ED) revealed a MHB of 23.1%. MH levels decreased rapidly without antidotal therapy. The patient was discharged the next day free of symptoms. Discussion: This case illustrates the potential risks of taking poppers. A wide spectrum of symptoms were present in our patient. For the differential diagnosis of acquired MHB, poppers should be considered.

Scavo 2015 della necropoli romana di Porta Nocera a Pompei: nascita e sviluppo di un paesaggio funerario romano (I sec. a.C. - I sec. d.C.)

The Porta Nocera 2 program aims to study the process of establishing and developing a Roman urban necropolis from a road network, which is an essential setting in the expression of death in the Roman time. As such, the necropolis of Porta Nocera essentially excavated between 1952 and 1958 and then in 1983 offers a privileged field study. Indeed, monuments and funerary enclosures with burial structures (graves, cremation areas) built along the road to Nocera are well preserved and allow to observe funerary practices on a relatively short time, about 160 years, since we can assume that the necropolis has been founded with the colony in 80 BC. It is then the necessity to organize a burial area according to Roman customs, which is at the origin a new landscape development until then essentially marked by the presence of the urban wall.