Snakebites represent a health-care problem in Africa and Asia [1, 2]. In Africa, for example, snakes are responsible for hundreds of deaths each year and thousands of cases of permanent physical handicap [2]. In Switzerland, venomous snakes enjoy a growing popularity as domestic animals. For that reason the number of cases of illnesses caused by snake bites is rising [3]. We report on three pat...

Evidence suggests that inflammation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (Libby, Nature 420:868-874, 2002). Inflammation is a physiologic process with highly regulated and often redundant mechanisms to balance pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses. The complexity of these networks has made it challenging to identify those specific pathways or key enzymes that c...

Bungarus multicinctus α-bungarotoxin (α-Bgt) and Naja atra cardiotoxins (CTXs) share a common structural scaffold, and their tertiary structures adopt three-fingered loop motifs. Four DNA aptamers against α-Bgt have been reported previously. Given that the binding of aptamers with targeted proteins depends on structural complementarity, in this study, we investigated whether DNA aptamers agains...

The low potency of cobra antivenom has been an area of concern in immunotherapy for cobra envenomation. This study sought to investigate factors limiting the neutralizing potency of cobra antivenom, using a murine model. We examined the immunological reactivity and neutralizing potency of a Thai polyvalent antivenom against the principal toxins of Naja sumatrana (Equatorial spitting cobra) veno...