På jagt efter guldhornenes findested

Hunting for the find spots for the golden horns of GallehusIt is common knowledge that the golden horns were found at Gallehus in 1639 and 1734 and, consequently, so early that information on the find spots and finds circumstances is extremely sparse. In 1855, C.C. Rafn reached the conclusion that the horns were discovered in an undeveloped common area in the town (fig. 2), while in 1908, P. Lauridsen believed he had established the precise find spots, which were then marked with commemorative stones (figs. 3 and 4). With the discovery in 1951 of a report from 1734, it became clear that Lauridsen’s locations were incorrect and that the two finds spots are unlikely to have been more than 7 m apart, i.e. significantly less than the distance he concluded (fig. 1). This prompted Professor P.V. Glob to launch an investigation of the area in 1952, aimed at finding possible evidence that could explain these depositions. Glob continued his investigations in 1964, 1969 and 1971-72 (fig. 5). But he never managed to write a concluding report, and this article is an attempt to summarise his findings. The most important of these was the discovery of numerous pits, most of which were not very deep and had a very flat base. Many of them had apparently stood open for a shorter or longer period and they were therefore interpreted as clay pits (figs. 6-8). In 1969, some of these pits were found in an area corresponding to the find spot for one of the golden horns as specified in the 1734 source. Glob therefore believed he had found the actual find spot (figs. 10 and 12). The investigation in 1972 showed that these clay pits lay in the northeastern part of a larger more or less coherent complex of clay pits (fig. 7). Secure dating of these was not possible, but the fact that a house was built in 1832 over the southwesternmost corner of the complex testifies to a considerable age.Sven ThorsenNykøbing Falste

Toxicological comparison of Crotalus ruber lucasensis venom from different ecoregions of the Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California Peninsula possesses a mosaic of ecoregions that offers a wide variety of environments for the species that here inhabit. Here we report biological variations in. Crotalus ruber lucasensis venom from arid, semiarid and tropical eco-regions. Lethal (1.4–6.8 mg/kg), edematogenic (0.3–0.5 μg) and defibrinogenating (from non-detectable to 20 μg) activities were found to have significant differences among eco-region

A tale about vipers’ tails: phylogeography of black-tailed rattlesnakes

The phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes remain poorly understood and some authors indicated that the diversity of this group has been underestimated and additional analyses are required to clarify the biogeographic patterns throughout its distribution in Mexico. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes across their range, identifying relative divergence times among the main clades and reconstructing the biogeographical history of the group. Three partial mitochondrial genes (ND4, cytb and ATPase6) and one nuclear gene (RAG1) were sequenced to infer the phylogenetic relationships, through the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference-based methods; demographic history reconstruction was investigated through Bayesian Skyline plot analysis and the ancestral area reconstruction was carried out considering a Bayesian framework. We found strong evidence that the black-tailed rattlesnakes’ group is composed of six clades, which is in agreement with subspecies previously reported. Divergence time estimation indicated that the origin of the C. molossus group could be traced to the middle of the Miocene (~7.71 Mya). Ancestral area reconstruction indicated that early divergence events occurred in Central Mexico, probably related to the geological dynamics of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The lineage C. m. oaxacus is the basal member of the C. molossus group. Furthermore, the combination of geological events and changes in Quaternary vegetation may have contributed to the divergence of C. molossus clades. Our results suggest several clades within C. molossus complex could be potentially recognized as separate species

Unveiling the Venom Composition of the Colombian Coral Snakes <i>Micrurus helleri</i>, <i>M. medemi</i>, and <i>M. sangilensis</i>

Little is known of the biochemical composition and functional features of the venoms of poorly known Colombian coral snakes. Here, we provide a preliminary characterization of the venom of two Colombian endemic coral snake species, Micrurus medemi and M. sangilensis, as well as Colombian populations of M. helleri. Electrophoresis and RP-HPLC techniques were used to identify venom components, and assays were conducted to detect enzyme activities, including phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase, and protease activities. The median lethal dose was determined using murine models. Cytotoxic activities in primary cultures from hippocampal neurons and cancer cell lines were evaluated. The venom profiles revealed similarities in electrophoretic separation among proteins under 20 kDa. The differences in chromatographic profiles were significant, mainly between the fractions containing medium-/large-sized and hydrophobic proteins; this was corroborated by a proteomic analysis which showed the expected composition of neurotoxins from the PLA2 (~38%) and 3FTx (~17%) families; however, a considerable quantity of metalloproteinases (~12%) was detected. PLA2 activity and protease activity were higher in M. helleri venom according to qualitative and quantitative assays. M. medemi venom had the highest lethality. All venoms decreased cell viability when tested on tumoral cell cultures, and M. helleri venom had the highest activity in neuronal primary culture. These preliminary studies shed light on the venoms of understudied coral snakes and broaden the range of sources that could be used for subsequent investigations of components with applications to specific diseases. Our findings also have implications for the clinical manifestations of snake envenoming and improvements in its medical management

The Bold and the Beautiful: a Neurotoxicity Comparison of New World Coral Snakes in the Micruroides and Micrurus Genera and Relative Neutralization by Antivenom

Coral snake envenomations are well characterized to be lethally neurotoxic. Despite this, few multispecies, neurotoxicity and antivenom efficacy comparisons have been undertaken and only for the Micrurus genus; Micruroides has remained entirely uninvestigated. As the USA's supplier of antivenom has currently stopped production, alternative sources need to be explored. The Mexican manufacturer Bioclon uses species genetically related to USA species, thus we investigated the efficacy against Micrurus fulvius (eastern coral snake), the main species responsible for lethal envenomations in the USA as well as additional species from the Americas. The use of Coralmyn® coral snake antivenom was effective in neutralizing the neurotoxic effects exhibited by the venom of M. fulvius but was ineffective against the venoms of Micrurus tener, Micrurus spixii, Micrurus pyrrhocryptus, and Micruroides euryxanthus. Our results suggest that the Mexican antivenom may be clinically useful for the treatment of M. fulvius in the USA but may be of only limited efficacy against the other species studied

Mis casos Clínicos de Odontopediatría y Ortodoncia

Libro que conjunta casos en el área de Odontopediatría y OrtodonciaEs para los integrantes de la Red de Investigación en Estomatología (RIE) una enorme alegría presentar el tercer libro del 2021, sobre casos clínicos, revisiones de la literatura e investigaciones. La RIE está integrada por cuerpos académicos de la UAEH, UAEM, UAC y UdeG