Handheld Point-of-Care Devices for Snakebite Coagulopathy: A Scoping Review.

Venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) is a common complication of snakebite that is associated with hypofibrinogenemia, bleeding, disability, and death. In remote tropical settings, where most snakebites occur, the 20-minute whole blood clotting test is used to diagnose VICC. Point-of-care (POC) coagulation devices could provide an accessible means of detecting VICC that is better standardized, quantifiable, and more accurate.

The relative lethal toxicity of pharmaceutical and illicit substances: A 16-year study of the Greater Newcastle Hunter Area, Australia.

Aims: We aim to calculate 2 metrics of relative lethal toxicity; the fatal toxicity index (FTI; number of deaths per year of a daily dose) and the case fatality (CF; number of deaths per overdose) with a focus on opioids, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and illicit drugs.

Methods: This descriptive cohort study used the Australian National Coronial Information System (NCIS) to identify a population of individuals with drug-associated deaths in the Greater Newcastle Hunter Area between January 2002 and December 2016. This was combined with Australian medicine dispensing data and corresponding data from the Hunter Area Toxicology Service to calculate FTI and CF.

The socio-economic burden of snakebite in Sri Lanka.

Background: Snakebite is a major problem affecting the rural poor in many of the poorest countries in the tropics. However, the scale of the socio-economic burden has rarely been studied. We undertook a comprehensive assessment of the burden in Sri Lanka.

The in vitro effects of two chirodropid (Chironex fleckeri and Chiropsalmus sp.) venoms: efficacy of box jellyfish antivenom.

The pharmacological and biochemical isolation of cnidarian venoms has been hindered by difficulties with both extracting pure venom from nematocysts and venom stability. The development of a new technique to extract active, pure venom of Chironex fleckeri and Chiropsalmus sp. has enabled identify both neurotoxic and myotoxic activity in their venoms.