BACKGROUND There is inequality in vaccination coverage, and adult farmers in tropical rural communities could have missed tetanus toxoid as campaigns target children. Snakebite is not uncommon and partly because of lack of effective antivenom, management in inaccessible areas could be complicated with tetanus in unimmunized victims. PATIENTS AND RESULTS Four snakebite victims who developed te...

Limnoperna fortunei, an Asiatic rivers bivalve has become a worldwide problematic invasive species causing several water quality and macrofouling problems. In the Neotropical region it was first recorded in 1991 in the Rio de la Plata coast, Buenos Aires province. Since this, it showed a quick upstream invasion into the principals aquatic systems of the Plata Basin. Nevertheless, there is not a...

The chemical and biological properties of the nerve growth factor isolated from Naja naja venom are described. The nerve growth promoting activity appears to be distinct from the most commonly known enzymes and toxins present in the venom. The purified nerve growth factor from cobra venom has properties remarkably similar to those of the nerve growth factor isolated from mouse submaxillary glan...

BACKGROUND Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) displays diverse pharmacological actions including analgesia, anti-inflammation and immune regulation.In this study, we investigated the effects of NNAV on pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanisms of action. METHODS To determine if Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) can produce beneficial effects on pulmonary fibrosis, two marine models of pulmonary fibrosis were ...

We use a combination of phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences and multivariate morphometrics to investigate the phylogeography and systematics of the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) species complex. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial haplotypes reveals a highly distinct clade of haplotypes from the Sudano–Sahelian savanna belt of West Africa, and that the haplotypes of Naja haje arabica form ...

Snake venoms are known to cause different metabolic disorders, altering cellular and enzymatic activities in animals and releasing pharmacological substances. The objective of this study is to explore the effect of the lethal dose of Indian cobra (Naja naja) venom snake on the lung tissue of albino rats. The rats were divided into three groups, the first group served as a control group, while t...

The neurotoxin secreted by Indian cobra (Naja naja) binds to acetylcholine receptor of nerve cells, which leads to a lump in the nerve impulse, ceases breathing, thereby causing the death of a person due to suffocation. These neurotoxins are small peptide with approximately 7 kDa. Homology modeling was performed to generate the 3D structure of neurotoxins (A, B, C and D) of N. naja, using the k...

Two toxins have been isolated from the venom of the Forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca) and their amino acid sequences elucidated. Toxin b, a 71 amino acid residue molecule, is devoid of methionine and resembles toxin (x from Naja nivea venom both immunochemically and in amino acid sequence. Toxin d consists of 61 amino acid residues with alanine, phenylalanine, and leucine totally absent. Toxin d ...

Secretory phospholipases A(2) (sPLA(2)) exert proinflammatory actions through lipid mediators. These enzymes have been found to be elevated in many inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of harpalycin 2 (Har2), an isoflavone isolated from Harpalyce brasiliana Benth., in the enzymatic, edematogenic, and m...