Scorpion Research Articles

Ethnomedicinal Plants of Betul District, Madhya Pradesh

The paper deals with ethnomedicinal information on 54 plant species (belonging to 33 families) collected from field survey amongst three tribes viz., Gond, Korku and Gaiki of Betul district, Madhya Pradesh. An analysis of data has indicated that eight plant species are employed as antidote to snake bite and scorpion sting, six to treat fever. five for rheumatism, four to treat cold, cough, skin diseases, as anthelmintic and tonic, and three for stomach diseases while two species to treat impotency, cuts, wounds and as diuretic. On the other hand, only single species has been referred for a number of other ailments like eye diseases, spermatorrhoea, spleen enlargement, tuberculosis, mouth sore, boil, asthma, liver disorder, toothache, bone fracture, abortifacient, antifertility, and in veterinary. Further, a comparison with the concerned literature has revealed that 23 ethnomedicinal uses of plants have not been reported earlier.

Análise da ocorrência de acidentes envolvendo animais peçonhentos no Município de Caxias, estado do Maranhão, Brasil

O presente artigo teve como objetivo determinar a prevalência de acidentes envolvendo animais peçonhentos no município de Caxias-MA no período de 2016 a 2019. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, documental, retrospectivo, com abordagem quantitativa, realizado no período de 2016 a 2019, tendo como universo de dados notificações de acidentes com animais peçonhentos no município de Caxias- MA. Os dados foram coletados por meio do sistema de informação de agravos e notificação (SINAN) disponibilizados pelo Ministério da Saúde. Quanto aos resultados, estudo avaliou 997 casos notificados de acidentes envolvendo animais peçonhentos no município de Caxias-MA, no período de 2016 a 2019, quanto ao perfil dos indivíduos identificados houve prevalência do sexo masculino (55,97%), faixa etária de 20 a 59 anos (59,88%), escolaridade dos acidentados era de ensino fundamental incompleto (37,41%), a maioria eram pardos (92,38%), com maior número de ocorrência em 2018 (32,60%), a maioria dos acidentes envolve escorpiões, (59,98%). Quanto às espécies de serpentes a Crotalus foi a mais prevalente (59,76%), o tempo de atendimento após a picada ocorreram entre uma a três horas após o acidente (50,65%) dos registros. O estudo permitiu analisar a prevalência de acidentes que envolveram animais peçonhentos durante um recorte temporal (2016 a 2019), em que foi observado um aumento no número de casos e uma pequena oscilação no decorrer dos anos. Neste aspecto, a enfermagem exerce um importante papel para a prevenção destes agravos, já que, está constantemente em contado com os pacientes que procuram atendimento hospitalar.

Clinical Profile and Outcome of Poisoning in Children Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Childhood poisoning is one of the emergencies commonly encountered in paediatric practice. Accidental poisoning accounts for most of the cases in childhood poisoning and is preventable. Intentional poisoning becomes more likely in adolescent age group. Average incidence among varies studies range from 0.3% to 7.6%. Male children predominate the poisoning accidents accounted for by their greater degree of activity and more number of cases belong to poor socio economic status because of less space. Methodology: All children less than 18 years of age admitted in our PICU and pediatric ward with history of poisoning or intoxication during the study period from October 2017 to September, 2019. Children with chronic poisoning, snake bite, scorpion sting and other poisonous bite, idiosyncratic reactions to drug and food poisoning were excluded from the study. Results: 101 children were admitted with history of poisoning. Most of the cases were accidental. The most common age group was 1-3 years. Maximum families belonged to Lower Middle socioeconomic status. Hydrocarbon (Kerosene) was the most common poison. Suicidal poisoning was more common in the 13-18 year age group and more common in female sex. Vomiting was the most common presentation Specific antidote was used in 21.78% cases. The mean duration between poisoning and presentation was 3.1 hours. The mean duration of hospital stay was 4.2 days. Mortality rate was 2.97%. Conclusion: Childhood poisoning is one of the pediatric medical emergencies like other emergencies and causes significant morbidity and mortality in children. Most of the accidental poisoning is seen in less than 5 years age group due to their innovative character, exploratory nature and mouthing tendencies. Despite of rapid socioeconomic changes, Kerosene is still the commonest agent involved in pediatric poisoning mainly because it is commonly used household item.

Toad eats live scorpions and survives toxic sting

Toad eats live scorpions and survives toxic sting

A Study of Acute Poisoning Cases Admitted to the National Poisoning Center

Objectives: There is a necessity to study the pattern of poisoning of patients who visited national poisoning centers to take up appropriate management and prevention techniques. Methods: This study includes all cases of human poisoning exposures (11181 poisoning cases) presenting to the national poisoning center, Cairo, from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016. The data were statistically analyzed to assess a correlation for a gender, age, agents and poisoning type. Results: It was found that 24% of patients were younger than 4 years. The female-to-male ratio was 1.6:1. Therapeutic drugs (68%) were the most common cause of poisoning followed by a household product (13%), pesticides (9%), and abuse agents (5%), bites of snakes and scorpions (3%) and food poisoning (1%). Detailed information on groups of pharmaceuticals and the most frequent agents causing poisonings was presented. Analgesics (24%) and central nervous system agents (21%) were the most common therapeutic pharmaceutical poisons. Synthetic opioid; tramadol (45%) was the most common abuse agent. Accidental poisoning of abuse agents in children younger than 4 years represented 20.4 % of the abuse agents poisoning cases. The mortality rate for the patients was 0.3% (32 patients). Conclusion: The prevention of medicinal poisoning should merit high priority in the education interventions and preventive efforts. An important concern toward drugs and abuse agents’ availability at homes within the reach of children should be raised. The most risk factors of poisoning are female gender and young age patients.

Bulbotrachystola, a substitute name for Centruroides Breuning, 1940 (Coleoptera Cerambycidae).

The genus name Centruroides was first introduced by George Marx (in Howard, 1889: 211) for two species of scorpions in the family Buthidae: C. exilicauda (Wood, 1863) and C. luctifer n. sp. The latter species, coming from Indefatigable Is. (Galapagos), lacks a description and has been considered as a nomen nudum and synonym of Centruroides exsul (Meise, 1934) (Lambertz, 2013). Nonetheless, exilicauda Wood (Buthus) is an available and valid species name; thus, Centruroides is available according to the ICZN, 1999, Art. 12.2.5. ("the specific name or names can be unambiguously assigned to a nominal species-group taxon or taxa").

Radioiodination of a natural toxin (ICD-85) for fighting cancer

Introduction: Many molecules can be labeled by iodine. Some of labeled substances are used for investigations of cancer treatment, biodistribution study in body, receptor binding, secrete pathway etc. Peptides are biomolecules and can be labeled by 131Iodine. ICD- 85 is a tri-peptide derived from Iranian brown snake venom and scorpion venom. This tri-peptide treats cancer by inducing apoptosis. In this study, radioiodination and normal mice biodistribution of ICD-85 was performed by different values of Chloramine-T. Materials and Methods: This tri-peptide isolated from snake and yellow scorpion venom by HPLC and gel chromatography. Labeling with iodine-131 was done by Chloramine-T method. The reaction was performed by different values of chloramine T. The values 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 micrograms were chosen for this radiolabelling. Stability of labeled tripeptide was investigated in phosphate buffer saline for one day. Biodistribution study was studied in normal mice. Results: The results show that, the use of 20 micrograms of Chloramine-T leads to radiochemical purity of more than 45 percent. The stability of labeled compound was considerable (more than 40%) after 24 hours. Biodistriution study in normal mice show that, the liver is organ of target. Conclusion: The natural toxins such as snake and scorpion venoms can be labeled with radionuclides and used as cancer treatment agent.

Radiolabeling the Peptides extracted from Scorpion venom (ICD-85) with 99mTc as treatment and imaging agent for cancer

Introduction: Venoms are a mixture of proteins and peptides which can be used for fighting cancers. They can affect the exposed fibers and the muscles directly or through motor nerves, causing neuromuscular intoxication. ICD-85 is a combination of three poly-peptides derived from the venoms of an Iranian brown snake and a yellow scorpion. Materials and Methods: Technetium-99m was obtained from a 99Mo/99mTc generator. Venom (ICD-85) was provided by Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute of Iran. Labeling of this venom was achieved with Technetium-99m. Labeled ICD-85 was injected into mice to determine the organ targets and excretion pathway. Results: Results show that the radiolabeling yield of the radio-venom is acceptable. The biodistribution study shows that the organs of liver, kidney and tumor are the targets of ICD venom. Also moderate clearance of the complex from blood was seen. Conclusion: The results suggest that 99mTc radiolabeling of venom (ICD-85) may be a good tool for in-vivo studies and is an excellent approach to follow the process of biodistribution and kinetics of toxins for cancer imaging and treatment.

APPROPRIATE UTILIZATION AND STOCKING OF ANTIDOTES IN QATAR PUBLIC HOSPITALS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

BackgroundFew studies evaluating preparedness and availability of antidotes in the emergency setting exist and none have been conducted in Qatar. To address this; we conducted a study to evaluate antidote stocking and utilization in Qatar hospital pharmacies and emergency departments. MethodsOur aim was: 1) evaluate the appropriate use and timely administration of antidotes, and; 2) evaluate stocking of the 31 most important antidotes our main public hospitals. For the evaluation of the first aim; research assistants prospectively collected data on ED patients who received any key antidote over the 6-month study period using both ED and pharmacy records. For the second aim; survey assessing stocking of these key antidotes was sent to the four general hospitals in Qatar to determine their availability and whether they are stocked in the ED or only in the main pharmacy.ResultsPoison exposure in 471 cases were evaluated. Antidotes were given within 30 minutes in 73% of cases, which included atropine, calcium, dextrose, flumazenil, naloxone, pralidoxime, sodium bicarbonate, thiamine, vitamin K and scorpion and snake antivenoms. Administration occurred later than 60 minutes in 2% of cases, exclusively with N-acetylecysteine and activated charcoal. Atropine,dextrose, naloxone, pralidoxime (2-PAM), sodium bicarbonate, and anti-venoms were clinically indicated 92% of the time they were ordered. N-acetylcysteine was indicated in only 51.5% of administrations. ConclusionOver 90% of antidotes were administered in less than 30 minutes. N-acetylcysteine administration was frequently delayed due to preparation outside of the ED. This delay of administration did not have any adverse effect on clinical management. Antidote stocking varied significantly between hospitals and antidotes necessary for cyanide and toxic alcohol poisoning were deficient in all public hospitals. The implication indicates the need for the development of national guidelines to standardize the stocking and administration of the antidotes among the country public hospitals.

Efficacy, safety and prognostic factors analysis of first-line icotinib treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with mutated EGFR

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety and prognostic factors of icotinib as first-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-sensitive mutation. Methods: A total of 152 advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR-sensitive mutation underwent first-line icotinib treatment were retrospectively reviewed in this cohort study. Icotinib was given orally three times daily at 125 mg dose. Scorpion amplification refractory mutation system kit was used for EGFR mutation detection. The median follow-up duration was 15.0 (range: 1.0–44.0) months, and the last follow-up date was 2016/12/31. Results: The complete response (CR), partial response (PR), objective response rate (ORR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) rates were 4% (N=6), 67.8% (N=103), 71.8% (N=109), 23.7% (N=36) and 4.6% (N=7) respectively. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 14.0 months (95% CI: 12.7–15.3 months) and 33.0 months (95% CI: 24.9–41.1 months) respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis indicated smoking history (P=0.013) was statistically correlated with non-ORR achievement, while EGFR mutation 19del (P=0.001) was statistically associated with ORR achievement. No factor could predict PFS or OS. As to safety profiles, there were 66 (43.4%), 35 (23.0%), 10 (6.6%), 9 (5.9%), 9 (5.9%), 4 (2.6%) and 3 (2.0%) patients appeared rash, diarrhea, abnormal liver function, paronychia, oral ulcer, fatigue and poor appetite, and most adverse events (AEs) were in mild grade. Conclusions: First-line icotinib treatment was efficient and well tolerated in patients with advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations, and smoking history was negatively while EGFR mutation 19del was positively correlated with ORR achievement.

A Coconut-Eating Monitor Lizard? On An Unusual Case Of Frugivory In The Melanistic Sulawesi Water Monitor (Varanus Togianus)

During field work on Selayar Island off the coast of southwest Sulawesi, an adult male specimen of the melanistic Sulawesi water monitor (V. togianus) was found dead on a road south of the village of Benteng (6°7’10.73’’ S, 120°27’59.88’’ E) on 6 June 2006. The specimen had a snout-vent-length of 56.5 cm with the tail measuring 79.3 cm. Its head exhibited clear evidence from a lethal accident with a vehicle, while the remaining body showed no injuries. The specimen was collected to be examined in detail. In order to preserve and deposit it at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (MZB Lac. 5951, field number K208), the venter was opened to remove all stomach contents and prey items. Surprisingly, no prey remains were recovered from the digestive tract, but instead an unidentifiable mass comprised of countless small pieces of a whitish hard substance. After flushing and cleaning, closer examination revealed that these were small pieces of coconut flesh and had filled out the body cavity of the lizard. Although the stomach contents of other voucher specimens of water monitor lizards collected from different localities on Sulawesi have not been investigated, some specimens disgorged the remains of scorpions, chicken, and sea turtle eggs when handled for examination. The coconut pieces of the Selayar specimen, however, represent the only case of frugivorous remains recorded. The Herpetological Bulletin Vol. 139. 2017. P: 41-42

Radiolabeling and Bio-distribution study of ICD-85 with Technetium-99m as a cancer treatment agent in mice

ICD-85 is a combination of three poly-peptides, ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 Dalton, derived from the venoms of an Iranian brown snake (Agkistrodon halys) and a yellow scorpion (Hemiscorpius lepturus) . Labeling of this ICD-85 was successfully achieved with 99m Tc, through direct method using SnF 2 as reducing agent. Labeled ICD-85 was injected into mice to determine the excretion pathway. The results show that the maximum labeling yield (>75%) was obtained by using 30 μg of ICD-85 in phosphate buffer (60 μl, pH 7.1) at room temperature. Bio-distribution studies with radiolabeled ICD-85 shows moderate clearance of the complex from blood. The improvement of the immunotherapeutic treatment of cancer requires a better knowledge of the biological actions of the ICD-85 since tissue distribution studies are very important for clinical purpose.

Scorpion venom: pharmacological analysis and its applications

Scorpions belong to class: Arachnida, order: Scorpionida represented now by approximately 1500 species. These are one of the most ancient group of the animals on the earth conserving their morphology almost unaltered and are the most successful inhabitants of the earth. Scorpions when stimulated secrete venom which is a cocktail of variable concentration of neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, nephrotoxins, hemolytic toxins, phosphodiesterases, phospholipases, hyaluronidase, glucosaminoglycans, histamine, seratonin, tryptophan and cytokine releasers. According to an estimate, frequency of deaths caused by scorpion sting is higher in comparison to that of caused by snake-bite. Almost all of these lethal scorpions except Hemiscorpious species belong to scorpion family Buthidae comprising 500 species. Scorpion venoms show variable reactions in envenomated patients. However, closer the phylogenic relationship among the scorpions, more similar the immunological properties. Furthermore, various constituents of venom may act directly or indirectly and individually or synergistically to exert their effects. Scorpion stings cause a wide range of conditions from severe local skin reactions to neurologic, respiratory and cardiovascular collapse. Lethal members of Buthidae family include Buthus , Parabuthus , Mesobuthus , Tityus , Leiurus , Androctonus and Centruroides . Besides their lethal properties, scorpion venoms have some unique properties beneficial to mankind. These contain anti-insect, antimicrobial and anticancer properties and thus, can play a key role in the insect pest management programmes, treatment of microbial infection and in the treatment of various cancer types.

Larvicidal activity of recombinant Escherichia coli expressing scorpion neurotoxin AaIT or B.t.i toxin Cyt2Ba against mosquito larvae and formulations for enhancing the effects

To assess the larvicidal effects of recombinant Escherichia coli expressing scorpion neurotoxin AaIT or Bacillus thuringiensis subsp israelensis (B.t.i) toxin Cyt2Ba against the second instar larvae of Culex pipiensquinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus and compare different formulations for their larvicidal effects. The AaIT- or Cyt2Ba-coding sequences were cloned into pET28a(+) and the recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3). After induction with IPTG, the recombinant proteins expressed by the recombinant E. coli were detected and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting, respectively. The larvicidal activity of the bacterial suspension was tested at different concentrations against mosquitoes. The effective engineered bacteria were prepared into dry powder with different formulations, and their larvicidal activity was tested. AaIT and Cyt2Ba proteins were successfully expressed in E. coli. The recombinant AaIT protein showed no virulence to the mosquito larvae. The suspension of the recombinant E. coli expressing Cyt2Ba protein exhibited a stronger killing effect on Aedes albopictus larvae than on Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus larvae at 48 h (P<0.001) with LC50 of 3.00×106 cells/mL and 1.25×107 cells/mL, respectively. The dry powder of the engineered bacteria formulated with yeast extract, wheat flour or white pepper powder at the mass ratio of 1:1 showed the strongest killing effect on mosquito larvae (P=0.044), and the formulation with white pepper powder produced a stronger killing effect than formulations with yeast extract or wheat flour (P=0.002). The B.t.i Cyt2Ba protein expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) shows a good larvicidal activity against mosquitoes, and appropriate formulations of the engineered bacteria can enhance its efficiency in mosquito control.

Clinical analysis of 26 cases of scorpion stings young children

Clinical analysis of 26 cases of scorpion stings young children

The 6th International Conference on snakebites and scorpion stings envenoming in Africa: a crucial step for the management of envenoming

Les piqures de scorpion en Afrique du Nord et les morsures de serpent en Afrique subsaharienne sont respectivement responsables de 750 000 envenimations, avec 1 700 deces [1], et de 320 000 envenimations, dont une dizaine de milliers de morts et autant de sequelles handicapantes [2]. Les envenimations concernent les populations rurales, le plus souvent de jeunes agriculteurs dont le revenu est faible. De nombreuses enquetes communautaires ont etabli que la quasi-totalite des victimes de [...]

When attacked, some scorpions discard their stinger—and their anus

When attacked, some scorpions discard their stinger—and their anus

First scorpions may have crawled from the seas

First scorpions may have crawled from the seas

Scorpion sting in pregnancy

OZET Akrep sokmasi sonrasinda hafif yerel bulgulardan yasami tehdit edebilecek agir sistemik bulgulara kadar degisebilen klinik seyir gozlenebilir. Bu olgu sunumumuzda, literaturde kisitli bilgiye sahip oldugumuz ve cocuk acillerde nadir karsilastigimiz akrep sokmasi sonrasi cocuk acile basvuran bir gebede ve fetuste akrep toksininin etkilerini tartismayi amacladik. Olgumuz 17 yasinda 35 gestasyonel hafta+1 gunluk gebe akrep sokmasi sonrasinda acile basvurdu. Yerel bulgu disinda belirti ve bulgusu olmayan hasta, herhangi bir tedavi verilmeden yakin izlendi. Hastada ve fetusta yirmi dort saatte herhangi bir bulgu gelismemesi uzerine onerilerle taburcu edildi. Sonuc olarak, akrep sokmasi farkli klinik bulgularla acile basvurabilir. Tedaviyi duzenlerken akrep antiserumunun yan etkileri de dusunulerek hareket edilmeli, hastanin klinigine gore karar verilmelidir. Gebelikte akrep sokmasiyla ilgili sinirli bilgiye sahip oldugumuz icin gebe hasta grubunda hem anne, hem fetus goz onune alinarak tedavi secenekleri degerlendirilmelidir CAYD 2015;2(1):41-44. Anah tar Ke li me ler: Gebelik, Akrep sokmasi, Fetus

Synthesis and biophysics studies of threeantimicrobial peptides isolated from the scorpion pandinus imperator

UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Chem, Dept Biochem & Chem Technol, Araraquara, S Paulo, Brazil