The association between leptin and adiponectin, and metabolic syndrome components and serum levels of lipid peroxidation in bipolar disorder patients treated with lithium and valproic acid

Public Health; Clinical Genetics; Internal Medicine; Laboratory Medicine; Clinical Research; Leptin, Adiponectin, Metabolic syndrome components, Lipid peroxidation, Bipolar Disorder Patients, Lithium and Valproic Acid © 2020 Background: The aim of study is to assess a relation between the adiponectin and leptin levels, and metabolic syndrome components and lipid peroxidation treated with Li and VPA in bipolar disorder patients and compared with controls. Materials and methods: 56 patients and 31 healthy controls were enrolled. The ATP III criteria were used to determine metabolic syndrome components. Leptin, adiponectin, lipid peroxidation and lipid profiles were measured. Results: Malondialdehyde in Li patients was higher than VPA patients. BMI, waist circumference (WC), triglyceride, malondialdehyde and adiponectin levels were increased, whereas HDL-cholesterol (VPA treated patients) and leptin were decreased in patients compared with controls. Leptin and adiponectin were correlated with WC, triglyceride and malondialdehyde in both groups. Adiponectin was correlated with HDL-cholesterol in VPA patients. Conclusion: Patients should be checked metabolic syndrome components, serum leptin and adiponectin level occasionally to prevent possible deficiency or pathologic increase of these parameters. © 202

Envenoming by coral snakes (Micrurus) in Argentina during the period between 1979-2003

Envenomation by coral snakes (Micrurus sp.) is one of the most dangerous injuries in America and it is considered as a serious medical emergency, however bites by these snakes appear to be rare. We analyzed epidemiological data, clinical signs and antivenom use in Argentina during the period between 1979-2003. During this period of study 46 non-fatal Micrurus bites were reported. The majority of cases were men from 31 to 40 years old. Bites occurred primarily in spring and summer. Most cases were reported from the northeast and northwest provinces of the country. The bites were mostly located on hands or feet and occurred mostly during agricultural activities and so mainly involved farmers. Only four cases occurred as a result of handling snakes. The median time it took for antivenom to be administrated was 60 minutes after the bite, and the median number of vials applied was 2. Local pain was mentioned and edema was reported in 41% of patients. All patients recovered without sequelae. This study showed a low incidence of Micrurus bites and low severity of envenomation. However, although no deaths have been reported during the last 30 years, given the toxicity of the venom of Micrurus snakes, the risk of severe envenomation should be considered

Gender and Body Mass Index-Related Serum Level of Adipokines and Metabolic Syndrome Components in Bipolar Patients Who Received Lithium and Valproic Acid

Background: This is the study to assess alterations on adiponectin, leptin, and metabolic syndrome components in women and men bipolar disorder (BD) patients with normal weight and obesity who received valproic acid (VPA) and lithium (Li). Methods: Thirty-six women and 51 men were included. Commercial kits were used to determine all parameters. Metabolic syndrome components were determined according to the NCEP ATP III criteria. Results: Patients who received Li and VPA significantly differ in waist circumference (WC) and triglyceride (TG) levels (in women and men). Normal weight patients received both drugs, significant differences were considered in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), WC, and TG levels compared to healthy controls, but there were significant differences in TG, leptin, and adiponectin levels in obese patients who received VPA. There were significant negative and positive correlation between leptin and adiponectin and WC and TG in women and men BD patients treated with VPA and Li. There were significant positive correlation between leptin and adiponectin and WC and TG and significant negative correlation with HDL-C in normal weight BD patients treated with VPA and Li, respectively, while there was only a significant positive correlation between leptin and adiponectin, and TG in obese BD patients treated with VPA. Conclusions: It looks like that patients treated with both drugs for our suggested time may increase leptin and adiponectin levels. Correlation differences between leptin and adiponectin, and metabolic syndrome components may be important parameters in women, men, normal weight, and obese BD patients. Monitoring of body composition and adipokines may benefit in medical care of these patients

Epidemiology of snakebite and use of antivenom in Argentina

Background: The incidence and case fatality rate of snakebite in Argentina are poorly known. Methods: The authors used questionnaires provided with antivenoms by the primary manufacturer of anti-venoms in Argentina. Results: A total of 8083 completed questionnaires was collected between 1978 and 1998. The annual incidence of snakebite was 1.8 bites per 100 000 inhabitants, with a high geographical heterogeneity; in the northern provinces of the country, the incidence can exceed 150 snakebites per 100 000 people per year. Bothrops (pit viper) bites predominated, accounting for 96.6 (6720/6957) of envenomations, bites from Crotalus (rattlesnake) accounted for 2.8 (195/6957), and bites from Micrurus (coral snake) for 0.6 (42/6957). Most patients were young men, who were generally bitten during agricultural activities, i.e. while working in the fields. Most snakebites (78.9, 5852/7419) were to the lower limb, including 58.3 (4322/7419) to the foot. The case fatality rate was 0.04 (3/8083). Most envenomations (90, 7275/8083) were treated with specific antivenom during the first 4 h after the bite. The median dose of antivenom was two vials for viper bites (Bothrops and Crotalus) and three vials for Micrurus bites. Conclusion: These preliminary results should enable manufacturers to increase the availability of appropriate antivenom and health authorities to improve the management of snakebites where they are most common

Toxicity of venoms from snakes of medical importance in Mexico

Fil: de Roodt, A. R. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Estévez-Ramírez, J. Instituto Bioclón S.A. de C. V. Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Paniagua-Solís, J. Laboratorios Silanes S.A de C.V. Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Litwin, Silvana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Carvajal-Saucedo, A. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos; México.Fil: Dolab, Jorge A. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos. Servicio antígenos y antisueros; Argentina.Fil: Robles-Ortiz, L. E. Laboratorios Silanes S.A de C.V. Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Alagón, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos; México.La caracterización de las actividades tóxicas de los venenos de serpientes es necesaria para el cabal entendimiento de los procesos fisiopatológicos que se producen ante su mordedura, como también para evaluar la potencia neutralizante de los antivenenos utilizados para tratar estos envenenamientos. A causa de los pocos datos disponibles sobre la toxicidad del veneno de serpientes con importancia sanitaria en México, estudiamos las actividades tóxicas de los venenos de Bothrops asper, Athropoides nummifer, Agkistrodon billineatus> Crotalus durissus durissus, Crotalus basiliscus, Crotalus scutulatus, Crotalus atrox y Micrurus nigrocinctus. A los venenos se les realizaron los siguientes estudios: SDS–PAUE, determinación de la potencia letal, y de las actividades hemorrágica, necrotizante, coagulante en plasma y fibrinógeno, fosfolipásica y fibrinogenolítica. Se estudió además la capacidad neutralizante de un antiveneno de uso corriente para la terapéutica de las mordeduras de serpientes venenosas en México, sobre varias de estas actividades. Los venenos de vipéridos mostraron actividades hemorrágicas, necrotizante, coagulante sobre plasma, protrombínica, fibrinogenolítica y fosfolipásica importantes. Los venenos de mayor potencia letal fueron los de Micrurus nigrocinctus y Crotalus scutulatus, sin embargo el veneno que presentó en general potencias tóxicas mayores fue el de Bothrops asper. Las diferentes potencias tóxicas halladas se encontraron dentro de los márgenes descritos para especies de vipéridos y elápidos de Sudamérica. La actividad sobre el plasma y el fibrinógeno fue muy diferente en los diferentes venenos viperinos, sin embargo todos mostraron ser capaces de afectar componentes del sistema de la coagulación. El antiveneno probado no sólo neutralizó la letalidad del veneno sino también sus actividades tóxicas

Toxicity of venoms from snakes of medical importance in Mexico

Fil: de Roodt, A. R. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Estévez-Ramírez, J. Instituto Bioclón S.A. de C. V. Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Paniagua-Solís, J. Laboratorios Silanes S.A de C.V. Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Litwin, Silvana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Carvajal-Saucedo, A. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos; México.Fil: Dolab, Jorge A. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos. Servicio antígenos y antisueros; Argentina.Fil: Robles-Ortiz, L. E. Laboratorios Silanes S.A de C.V. Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo; México.Fil: Alagón, Alejandro. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos; México.La caracterización de las actividades tóxicas de los venenos de serpientes es necesaria para el cabal entendimiento de los procesos fisiopatológicos que se producen ante su mordedura, como también para evaluar la potencia neutralizante de los antivenenos utilizados para tratar estos envenenamientos. A causa de los pocos datos disponibles sobre la toxicidad del veneno de serpientes con importancia sanitaria en México, estudiamos las actividades tóxicas de los venenos de Bothrops asper, Athropoides nummifer, Agkistrodon billineatus> Crotalus durissus durissus, Crotalus basiliscus, Crotalus scutulatus, Crotalus atrox y Micrurus nigrocinctus. A los venenos se les realizaron los siguientes estudios: SDS–PAUE, determinación de la potencia letal, y de las actividades hemorrágica, necrotizante, coagulante en plasma y fibrinógeno, fosfolipásica y fibrinogenolítica. Se estudió además la capacidad neutralizante de un antiveneno de uso corriente para la terapéutica de las mordeduras de serpientes venenosas en México, sobre varias de estas actividades. Los venenos de vipéridos mostraron actividades hemorrágicas, necrotizante, coagulante sobre plasma, protrombínica, fibrinogenolítica y fosfolipásica importantes. Los venenos de mayor potencia letal fueron los de Micrurus nigrocinctus y Crotalus scutulatus, sin embargo el veneno que presentó en general potencias tóxicas mayores fue el de Bothrops asper. Las diferentes potencias tóxicas halladas se encontraron dentro de los márgenes descritos para especies de vipéridos y elápidos de Sudamérica. La actividad sobre el plasma y el fibrinógeno fue muy diferente en los diferentes venenos viperinos, sin embargo todos mostraron ser capaces de afectar componentes del sistema de la coagulación. El antiveneno probado no sólo neutralizó la letalidad del veneno sino también sus actividades tóxicas

Some toxic and enzymatic activities of Bothrops ammodytoides (yarará ñata) venom

Fil: de Roodt, Adolfo R. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Dolab, Jorge A. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Hajos, S E. Cátedra de Inmunologı́a de la Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquı́mica de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Gould, Eduardo G. Fundación de Estudios Biológicos, Pte. Perón, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Dinápoli, H. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, CONICET, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Troiano, J C. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, CONICET, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Gould, J. Cátedra de Inmunologı́a de la Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquı́mica de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Dokmetjian, Christian ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, CONICET, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Carfagnini, Julio C. Cátedra de Patologı́a General, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Fernández, Teresa. Fundación de Estudios Biológicos, Pte. Perón, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Amoroso, Marcela. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Segré, Liliana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos; Argentina.Fil: Vidal, Juan C. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, CONICET, Buenos Aires; Argentina.Bothrops ammodytoides, the smallest representative of this genus, is found only in Argentina. Venom was extracted from thirty adult specimens (35-70 cm in length, 90-300 g in weight) captured in the Province of Buenos Aires and kept in captivity. Venom yield was 3-30 mg. SDS-PAGE showed strong bands at 14.0; 23-25; 45; 54 and 63 kDa and weak bands at 17.0; 30.0; 40.0 and 85.0 kDa. Toxic activities were: LD50 (intravenous, mice) 0.5+/-0.2 microg/g; minimal procoagulant dose on human plasma (MPD-P) 35+/-2 mg/l; and minimal defibrinogenating dose (MDD, mice) 6-12 microg. Hemorrhagic and/or necrotic activities appear to play a major role in lethality; minimal hemorrhagic dose (MHD, mice) is 10+/-2 microg/g and minimal necrotizing dose (MND, mice) is 38+/-5 microg. The LD50, MPD-P and MND are among the lowest in venoms from Bothrops species found in Argentina. B. ammodytoides venom exhibited high proteolytic and phospholipase A2 activities. Most of the B. ammodytoides venom components cross-react with Bivalent Bothropic antivenom (Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos ANLIS Dr. G. Malbrin, against B. alternatus and B. neuwiedii venoms). One ml of antivenom neutralizes 1.2 mg of B. ammodytoides venom

Snakes, Snakebites, and Humans

Indiana Jones is a fictional intrepid archeologist who, in a series of Hollywood movies starting in the early 1980s, faced a variety of perils. He dodged bullets, faced evildoers, and escaped cunning traps set by ancient civilizations to protect assorted treasures. But in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he seems to meet his match: “Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?” he rants, after dropping a torch into a chamber full of nonvenomous snakes, legless lizards, and animatronic ophidians (rest assured, he escapes intact, having achieved his mission and shown us yet again how scary snakes are). Thirty-five years later and reporting the recent scientific discovery (Dinets 2017) that Cuban boas (Chilabothrus angulifer) positioning themselves to hunt cave bats take into account where other snakes are located, the mass media report (McKirdy 2017) began with a similar sentiment: “Get ready to update your nightmares.” Snakes consistently get a bad rap in the Western world and elsewhere, but this is not a universal viewpoint (Morris and Morris 1965; Pandey et al. 2016). How snakes are perceived is one of three main topics we cover in this chapter. We begin by updating data on snakebites around the world, treating developed countries separately from the developing world because of differences in reliability of statistics, prevalence of bites, and efficacy of treatment. We use the same separation in the next section, where we discuss the current knowledge about treatment of snakebite. Finally, we return to public perceptions and folkloristic depictions of snakes around the world