Query: Could deadly snake venom save lives?

title: Could deadly snake venom save lives?
abstract: Snakes have always been creatures of myth, intriguing but fascinating, and long associated with good as well as with evil, representing life and death, creation and destruction. However, in modern times with the advent of scientific know how, one aspect of these captivating creatures has given birth to a research discipline, christened "snake venom research" specifically pertaining to venomous snakes. Now, "What is snake venom?" Snake venoms are complex mixtures of pharmacologically active polypeptides and proteins, and are therefore veritable gold mines for various drug  A case in point is Captopril, the first venom based drug, discovered in 1975 from Bothrops jaracusa (the Brazilian arrowhead viper venom) by Nobel Prize winner Sir John Vane and later commercialised by the pharmaceutical giant Squibb. Captopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and therefore a potent anti hypertensive  At present in the Sultanate of Oman, there are 9 species of poisonous snakes (see Figures 1 and and22 for images of two of the venomous species) but little is known about the venom biochemistry of these enthralling serpents. One of the long term scientific interests of the lead authors of this communication has been to study the biochemistry of venoms in order to identify novel pharmacologically active molecules. In this endeavour, a team has been formed in the Department of Biochemistry in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University. This group, designated the Venom Research Group, consists of Drs. Yajnavalka Banerjee, Professor Riad Bayoumi, Yahya Al Tamimi and Naseer Al Nazwani. Mr Seyad Farook of the University Small Animal House, who is in charge of the University herpetarium, is also an ardent member of this team. The team aims to obtain insight into the venoms of these 9 species of serpents through diverse proteomic and transcriptomic tools, which will hopefully lead to the identification of drug leads targeting some common human diseases. Additional goals of the Group include mapping the geographical distribution of these species as well as studying the evolution of these snakes. Researchers from the Ministry of Defense, under the supervision of Dr Yahya Al Rashdi, will also participate in this project. Scientists from Saudi Arabia and Ministry of Health in Oman have also expressed their keenness to contribute towards this endeavour. In line with the enthusiasm expressed by researchers and clinicians, and in order to establish a more holistic group of researchers a workshop was organised on the 31st of March 2010 under the theme of "Initiatives into Snake Venom Research" which aimed at informing the scientific community and the general public about the immediate and long term goals of this project. In summary, we sincerely believe that the above project provides the revelation that "Deadly snake venom does have the potential to save life" Figure 1 Atractaspis micropholis andersoni, commonly known as the mole viper, found in Oman and Southwestern Saudi Arabia. The average size of an adult snake is about 45 cm, with some growing up to 75 cm. Figure 2 Echis carinatus, commonly known as the saw scaled viper, found not only in Oman and the Middle East, but also in the Indian sub continent and central Asia. Size ranges between 38 and 80 cm in length, but usually no more than 60 cm

title: Snake evolution and prospecting of snake venom
abstract: in this thesis I have shown that snakes have undergone multiple changes in their genome and embryonic development that has provided them with the variation to which natural selection could act. This thesis provides evidence for the variable mechanisms of venom gene evolution, which presumably is much more flexible than previously thought. But it also underscores the potential use of the many different types of snake venom toxins that could be screened for use against human disorders. And most of all, I hope I have contributed towards the fact that snakes are just an incredibly interesting group of vertebrates from both the perspective of ecology and life style, as well as from a genomic and molecular perspective. They are, and will always be, my first and true love

title: Epidemiology of insect venom anaphylaxis
abstract: Knowledge of the epidemiology, natural history and risk factors of insect venom allergy is crucial for improving the clinical management of allergic patients. This review focuses on the recent research on these aspects of Hymenoptera sting anaphylactic reactions.  The latest data from population based studies of anaphylactic reactions due to Hymenoptera stings, as well as those extrapolated from studies of epidemiology of anaphylaxis due to any cause are reviewed. The topic of biphasic anaphylactic reactions due to insect stings is also examined. Although no parameter has been identified that can predict which sensitized individuals will have a future anaphylactic reaction, several factors associated with the severity of a systemic resting reaction are known and emphasized here.  As half of individuals with fatal sting reactions had no documented history of previous systemic reaction, we need to further improve the knowledge of the natural history and risk factors, especially in asymptomatic sensitized individuals. Moreover, and no less important, the epidemiological studies on sting anaphylaxis conducted in the 2000s continue to reveal the poor management of allergic patients and the startling lack of awareness of the efficacy of venom immunotherapy. These findings indicate the urgent need to educate the general population and doctors on the management of venom allergic patients.

title: Snake venom: From fieldwork to the clinic
abstract: Snake venoms are recognized here as a grossly under explored resource in pharmacological prospecting. Discoveries in snake systematics demonstrate that former taxonomic bias in research has led to the neglect of thousands of species of potential medical use. Recent discoveries reveal an unexpectedly vast degree of variation in venom composition among snakes, from different species down to litter mates. The molecular mechanisms underlying this diversity are only beginning to be understood. However, the enormous potential that this resource represents for pharmacological prospecting is clear. New high throughput screening systems offer greatly increased speed and efficiency in identifying and extracting therapeutically useful molecules. At the same time a global biodiversity crisis is threatening the very snake populations on which hopes for new venom derived medications depend. Biomedical researchers, pharmacologists, clinicians, herpetologists, and conservation biologists must combine their efforts if the full potential of snake venom derived medications is to be realized.

title: The pioneers of venom production for Australian antivenoms.
abstract: Before the introduction of the first Australian antivenom was the era of the self styled 'snakemen' and their diverse snakebite remedies. Many received multiple bites from highly dangerous snakes, some of which were deliberately taken to either prove a certain treatment or liven up their show. The mortality rate among these handlers and showmen was high. Production of the first effective Australian antivenom, the tiger snake antivenom, in 1930, began the scientific approach to treating snakebite and opened new frontiers for professional and amateur snake people. Collecting venoms in the development and early production of antivenoms was carried out by a number of professional herpetologists often with little or no reward and in some instances at the ultimate cost of their lives. This paper reviews the most important of those late nineteenth and twentieth century snakemen and their contributions to venom research, antivenom production and current toxinological knowledge.

title: Peptide therapeutics from venom: Current status and potential.
abstract: Peptides are recognized as being highly selective, potent and relatively safe as potential therapeutics. Peptides isolated from the venom of different animals satisfy most of these criteria with the possible exception of safety, but when isolated as single compounds and used at appropriate concentrations, venom derived peptides can become useful drugs. Although the number of venom derived peptides that have successfully progressed to the clinic is currently limited, the prospects for venom derived peptides look very optimistic. As proteomic and transcriptomic approaches continue to identify new sequences, the potential of venom derived peptides to find applications as therapeutics, cosmetics and insecticides grows accordingly.

title: Deadly Flowers and Lethal Plants. A Theme in Folklore, Fiction and Metaphoric Imagery
abstract: In this article, we consider the murderous or suicide assistance role of flowers or plants in fictional works from various periods. We also discuss lore about the dangerous shade of plants, about mushrooms and other fungi as well as the spectacular effects of a dish containing rose petals in Laura Esquivel's movie Like Water for Chocolate, and death by the pricking of a rose in a story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Furthermore, we deal with the theme of man eating carnivorous plants in modern pulp fiction, in the theatre and the movies (especially in The Little Shop of Horrors) instances of which are also found in a computer game and a crosswords and puzzle magazine. Resume Dans cet article, nous considerons l'emploi de fleurs ou plantes dans le suicide et le meurtre, tel qu'il a ete decrit dans des oeuvres fictionnelles de diverses epoques. Parmi les autres sujets traites sont: l'ombre dangereuse de certaines plantes, le danger des champignons, les effets spectaculaires d'un mets contenant des petales de roses dans le film Chocolat amer de Laura Esquivel et la mort cause par la piqure d'une rose dans un conte de Gabriel Garcia Marquez. On discutera egalement le theme des plantes carnivores anthropophages dans la litterature moderne de bas etage, le theatre et le cinema (specialement dans La Petite Boutique des Horreurs) repris par un jeu d'ordinateur et un magazine pour mots croises et enigmes. Zusammenfassung In diesem Artikel wird die Rolle von Blumen oder Pflanzen beim Mord und Selbstmord in fiktionalen Werken verschiedener Epochen behandelt. Er befasst sich ferner mit dem gefahrlichen Schatten bestimmter Pflanzen, mit Pilzen und der spektakularen Wirkung einer Rosenblattersauce in Laura Esquivels Film Bittersusse Schokolade sowie dem Tod durch den Stich einer Rose in einer Erzahlung von Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Ein weiteres Thema bilden menschenfressende Pflanzen in der modernen Massenliteratur, im Theater und Film (besonders in Der kleine Horrorladen) fur die sich daruber hinaus Beispiele in einem Computerspiel und einer Zeitschrift fur Kreuzwortratsel und anderen Zeitvertreib finden.

title: A Dickinson Reverie: The Worm, the Snake, Marvel, and Nineteenth Century Dreaming
abstract: Emily Dickinson's "In Winter in my Room" has been interpreted by scholars as representing her dread of and contempt for male sexuality and sex, her penis envy, her repressed incestuous desire for her brother Austin, and her fear of domination and potential violation. This article shifts attention away from such biographical readings and their psychoanalytic perspective, and reads the poem in the context of ideas about dreams available to Dickinson in her own time. It examines pre Freudian theories of dreaming available in the journals her family is known to have read and the literary representation of dreams in novels by Dickens and the Brontes and in Ik Marvel's Reveries of a Bachelor. This approach opens out possibilities of interpretation for the poem by placing it in its cultural historical context.

title: 'Offensive' snakes: cultural beliefs and practices related to snakebites in a Brazilian rural settlement
abstract: This paper records the meaning of the term 'offense' and the folk knowledge related to local beliefs and practices of folk medicine that prevent and treat snake bites, as well as the implications for the conservation of snakes in the county of Pedra Branca, Bahia State, Brazil. The data was recorded from September to November 2006 by means of open ended interviews performed with 74 individuals of both genders, whose ages ranged from 4 to 89 years old. The results show that the local terms biting, stinging and pricking are synonymous and used as equivalent to offending. All these terms mean to attack. A total of 23 types of 'snakes' were recorded, based on their local names. Four of them are Viperidae, which were considered the most dangerous to humans, besides causing more aversion and fear in the population. In general, local people have strong negative behavior towards snakes, killing them whenever possible. Until the antivenom was present and available, the locals used only charms, prayers and homemade remedies to treat or protect themselves and others from snake bites. Nowadays, people do not pay attention to these things because, basically, the antivenom is now easily obtained at regional hospitals. It is understood that the ethnozoological knowledge, customs and popular practices of the Pedra Branca inhabitants result in a valuable cultural resource which should be considered in every discussion regarding public health, sanitation and practices of traditional medicine, as well as in faunistic studies and conservation strategies for local biological diversity.

title: Save Our Republic: Battling John Birch in California's Conservative Cradle
abstract: OF DISSERTATION SAVE OUR REPUBLIC: BATTLING JOHN BIRCH IN CALIFORNIA'S CONSERVATIVE CRADLE Previous accounts of the development of the New American Right have demonstrated the popularity and resonance of the ideology in Southern California. However, these studies have not shown how contention surrounded conservatism's ascendancy even in regions where it found eager disciples. "Save Our Republic" uses one conservative Southern California community as a vehicle to better understand the foundations of a wider movement and argues the growth of conservatism was not nearly as smooth as earlier studies have suggested. Santa Barbara, California, experienced a much more contentious introduction to the same conservative elements and exemplifies the larger ideological clash that occurred nationwide during the late 1950s and early 1960s between "establishment," moderate Republicans and the party's right flank. In California's cradle of conservatism, the ideology's birth was not an easy one. Santa Barbara should have provided a bonanza of support for the John Birch Society, a staunchly anticommunist organization founded in 1958 by retired businessman Robert H.W. Welch. Instead, its presence there in the early 1960s divided the city and inspired the sort of suspicion that ultimately hobbled the group's reputation nationally. Rather than thriving in the city, the JBS impaled itself in a series of self inflicted wounds that only worsened the effect these characterizations had on the group's national reputation. Disseminated to a nationwide audience by local newspaper publisher Thomas M. Storke, who declared his intention to banish the organization from the city, the events that occurred in Santa Barbara throughout 1961 alerted other cities of the potential disruption the JBS could inspire in their communities. The JBS would forever bear the battle scars it earned in Santa Barbara. "Save Our Republic" argues the events in Santa Barbara exemplify the more pronounced political battle that was occurring throughout the nation in the 1960s as conservatives grappled to determine the bounds of their ideology. The threat from the right that caused so much handwringing in the halls of conservative power had an equally unsettling effect in the city's parlors, churches, schoolhouses and newsrooms.