Antibodies as Snakebite Antivenoms: Past and Future.

Snakebite envenomation is considered a neglected tropical disease, affecting tens of thousands of people each year. The recommended treatment is the use of antivenom, which is composed of immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin fragments obtained from the plasma of animals hyperimmunized with one (monospecific) or several (polyspecific) venoms. In this review, the efforts made in the improvement of the already available antivenoms and the development of new antivenoms, focusing on snakes of medical importance from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, are described.

Pathophysiology of COVID-19: Critical Role of Hemostasis.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, had its first cases identified in late 2019 and was considered a clinical pandemic in March 2020. In March 2022, more than 500 million people were infected and 6,2 million died as a result of this disease, increasingly associated with changes in human hemostasis, such as hypercoagulation. Numerous factors contribute to the hypercoagulable state, and endothelial dysfunction is the main one, since the activation of these cells can strongly activate platelets and the coagulation system.

Matrigel 3D bioprinting of contractile human skeletal muscle models recapitulating exercise and pharmacological responses.

A key to enhance the low translatability of preclinical drug discovery are in vitro human three-dimensional (3D) microphysiological systems (MPS). Here, we show a new method for automated engineering of 3D human skeletal muscle models in microplates and functional compound screening to address the lack of muscle wasting disease medication. To this end, we adapted our recently described 24-well plate 3D bioprinting platform with a printhead cooling system to allow microvalve-based drop-on-demand printing of cell-laden Matrigel containing primary human muscle precursor cells.

Design of bioactive peptides derived from CART sequence isolated from the toadfish .

The emergence of bacterial resistance due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics warrants the need for developing new bioactive agents. In this context, antimicrobial peptides are highly useful for managing resistant microbial strains. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of peptides obtained from the venom of the toadfish .

Leptospira interrogans Bat proteins impair host hemostasis by fibrinogen cleavage and platelet aggregation inhibition.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide spread zoonosis, caused by pathogenic Leptospira. Evidences suggest that compromised hemostasis might be involved in the leptospirosis pathophysiology. In the genome of L.

[Antituberculosis-drug resistance in the border of Brazil with Paraguay and Bolivia].

Objective: To estimate the rate of drug resistance among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and specifically in the border areas with Paraguay and Bolivia, as well as to identify associated risk factors.

Method: The present cross-sectional, epidemiological study focused on PTB cases recorded between January 2007 and December 2010 in the State Reportable Disease Information System with results of susceptibility tests to rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and streptomycin. Dependent variables were development of resistance to a single drug or any combination of drugs.

Infection Interferes with the Prothrombinase Complex Assembly during Experimental Leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic and neglected infectious disease of human and veterinary concern, caused by pathogenic species. Although bleeding is a common symptom of severe leptospirosis, the cause of hemorrhage is not completely understood. In severe infections, modulation of hemostasis by pathogens is an important virulence mechanism, and hemostatic impairments such as coagulation/fibrinolysis dysfunction are frequently observed.

Exploring the in vivo wound healing effects of a recombinant hemolin from the caterpillar .

Background: Hemolin proteins are cell adhesion molecules from lepidopterans involved in a wide range of cell interactions concerning their adhesion properties. However, hemolin's roles in cell proliferation and wound healing are not fully elucidated. It has been recently reported that rLosac, a recombinant hemolin from the caterpillar , presents antiapoptotic activity and is capable of improving in vitro wound healing.

Amblyomin-X having a Kunitz-type homologous domain, is a noncompetitive inhibitor of FXa and induces anticoagulation in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Cancer has long been associated with thrombosis and many of the standard chemotherapeutics used to treat cancer are pro-thrombotic. Thus, the identification of novel selective anticancer drugs that also have antithrombotic properties is of enormous significance. Amblyomin-X is an anticancer protein derived from the salivary glands of the Amblyomma cajennense tick.

Spatial distribution and environmental factors associated to phlebotomine fauna in a border area of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Background: Mato Grosso do Sul has been undergoing a process of urbanization which results in loss of native vegetation. This withdrawal makes vectors of man and domestic animals closer, causing changes in the epidemiology of diseases such as American Visceral Leishmaniasis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phlebotomine fauna and environmental issues related to the transmission of AVL in Ponta Porã, Mato Grosso do Sul, between 2009 and 2010.

Hepatitis B virus infection in a population exposed to occupational hazards: firefighters of a metropolitan region in central Brazil.

Introduction: By the nature of their activities, firefighters are exposed to a high risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) as most of the Fire Brigade occurrences in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, are related to the rescue of victims of traffic accidents and the transportation of clinical and psychiatric emergencies. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroepidemiological profile of HBV infection in firefighters from the City of Campo Grande, central Brazil.

Methods: The research involved 308 firefighters.

Analysis of working conditions focusing on biological risk: firefighters in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.

Unlabelled: Firefighters are exposed to a wide range of risks, among them, biological risk. The objective was to analyze working conditions of firefighters in the city of Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, focusing on risk conditions of exposure to biological material. Three hundred and seven (307) firefighters were interviewed for data collection and observed for ergonomic job analysis (AET).

Maternal decision on obtaining prenatal care: a study in Brazil.

Objective: to address the social aspects of pregnancy and the views of pregnant women regarding prenatal assistance in Brazil.

Design: this qualitative study was focused on describing the Social Representations of prenatal care held by pregnant women. The discourse of the collective subject (DCS) framework was used to analyse the data collected, within the theoretical background of social representations, as proposed and developed by Serge Moscovici.

[Social representations of nurses on the integral care available to women through Brazil's basic healthcare network].

Brazil's Basic Healthcare Act establishes the principle of integral care in terms of networking between services and professional practices, to which we add a dimension: the configuration of public policies. Nurses were selected for this survey as they handle the initial contacts with women and also because we believe they are endowed with an across-the-board view of integral care during the various phases in the lives of this population. This paper examines the social representations of nurses on the scope of the integral care available to women through Brazil's Basic Healthcare Network, explored through qualitative interviews with ten nurses in Mato Grosso do Sul State.

[Vulnerability of men who have sex with men in the context of AIDS].

The number of AIDS cases in men who have sex with men (MSM) decreased in the initial years of the epidemic, but the percentage of cases in this group has remained unaltered in the last five years. This study, aimed to improve knowledge on the impact of AIDS in the daily lives of MSM, was conducted in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil, using a questionnaire and interviews. The results show that MSM perceive their vulnerability to HIV infection, referring to inconsistent condom use and multiple sex partners, given that 65% of homosexuals, 75% of bisexuals, and 33% of transvestites reported up to 5 partners in the previous month and emphasizing that 59% of the group reported more than 11 partners during the same period.

Structural insights into the catalytic mechanism of sphingomyelinases D and evolutionary relationship to glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases.

Spider venom sphingomyelinases D catalyze the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin via an Mg(2+) ion-dependent acid-base catalytic mechanism which involves two histidines. In the crystal structure of the sulfate free enzyme determined at 1.85A resolution, the metal ion is tetrahedrally coordinated instead of the trigonal-bipyramidal coordination observed in the sulfate bound form.

Caissarolysin I (Bcs I), a new hemolytic toxin from the Brazilian sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum: purification and biological characterization.

Two cationic proteins, C1 and C3, were purified to homogeneity from the hemolytic fraction of the venom of Bunodosoma caissarum sea anemone. The purification processes employed gel filtration followed by ion exchange chromatography, being the purity and molecular mass confirmed by SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Protein C1 represented the second major peak of the hemolytic fraction and was previously believed to be a cytolysin belonging to a new class of hemolysins.

Kinetic and mechanistic characterization of the Sphingomyelinases D from Loxosceles intermedia spider venom.

Envenomation by arachnids of the genus Loxosceles leads to local dermonecrosis and serious systemic toxicity mainly induced by sphingomyelinases D (SMase D). These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin resulting in the formation of ceramide-phosphate and choline as well as the cleavage of lysophosphatidyl choline generating the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid. We have, previously, cloned and expressed two functional SMase D isoforms, named P1 and P2, from Loxosceles intermedia venom and comparative protein sequence analysis revealed that they are highly homologous to SMase I from Loxosceles laeta which folds to form an (alpha/beta)8 barrel.

Conformational changes of Loxosceles venom sphingomyelinases monitored by circular dichroism.

Envenomation by arachnids of the genus Loxosceles can induce a variety of biological effects, including dermonecrosis and hemolysis. We have previously identified in L. intermedia venom two highly homologous proteins with sphingomyelinase activity, termed P1 and P2, responsible for all these pathological events, and also an inactive isoform P3.