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Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018 Dec 2. Epub 2018 Dec 2.

Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica. Electronic address:

Venoms of medically important scorpions from Buthidae family have been intensively studied, in contrast to non-buthid venoms, for which knowledge is scarce. In this work, we characterized the venom of a Diplocentridae species, Didymocentrus krausi, a small fossorial scorpion that inhabits the Tropical Dry Forest of Central America. D. Read More

Med Phys J 1807 Feb;17(96):167-173

Toxicon 2018 Nov 26. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address:

The millions of extant arthropod species are testament to their evolutionary success that can at least partially be attributed to venom usage, which evolved independently in at least 19 arthropod lineages. While some arthropods primarily use venom for predation (e.g. Read More

J Med Toxicol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Center for Toxicology and Pharmacology Education and Research (CTPER), UACOMP, Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Introduction: Arizona has the highest incidence of scorpion envenomation reported to US poison control centers (PCCs). Most cases reported are from a residence, but specific details are limited.

Methods: Specialists at Arizona's two PCCs prospectively completed the Factors of Envenomation in Arizona Residences Survey (FEARS) for residential scorpion exposures reported during 4-week periods in the summer and winter. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Nov 26;10(12). Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Frank Laboratory, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Chlorotoxin (CTX) is a 36-amino-acid disulfide-containing peptide derived from the venom of the scorpion . CTX alters physiology in numerous ways. It interacts with voltage gated chloride channels, Annexin-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 15;4500(1):91-103. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Grupo de Investigación Biología Descriptiva y Aplicada, Grupo de Investigación Hidrobiología. Programa de Biología, Universidad de Cartagena, Sede San Pablo, Barrio Zaragocilla 120, Carrera. 50 #24, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar, Colombia..

Herein, we describe a new schizomid species from the genus Piaroa Villarreal, Giuponni Tourinho, 2008, Piaroa turbacoensis sp. nov., based on individuals collected in the Botanical Garden "Guillermo Piñeres", Turbaco, Bolivar, Colombian Caribbean region. Read More

PeerJ 2018 14;6:e5902. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.

Scorpions have evolved a variety of toxins with a plethora of biological targets, but characterizing their evolution has been limited by the lack of a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis of scorpion relationships grounded in modern, genome-scale datasets. Disagreements over scorpion higher-level systematics have also incurred challenges to previous interpretations of venom families as ancestral or derived. To redress these gaps, we assessed the phylogenomic relationships of scorpions using the most comprehensive taxonomic sampling to date. Read More

Toxicon 2018 Nov 20;157:87-92. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. Electronic address:

The scorpion venom is a cocktail of many components. Its composition can exhibit a level of plasticity in response to different behavioral and environmental factors, leading to intraspecific variation. The toxicity and specificity of scorpion venoms appear to be taxon-dependent, due to a co-evolutionary interaction with prey and predators, which shaped the composition at the molecular level. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr 2019 Jan 14;1861(1):142-150. Epub 2018 Aug 14.

Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil. Electronic address:

To1, previously named Tc49b, is a peptide neurotoxin isolated from venom of the scorpion Tityus obscurus that is responsible for lethal human poisoning cases in the Brazilian Amazonian region. Previously, To1 was shown to be lethal to mice and to change Na permeation in cerebellum granular neurons from rat brain. In addition, To1 did not affect Shaker B K channels. Read More

Pathol Oncol Res 2018 Nov 13. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

CNRS UMR 7039 CRAN, Institut de Cancérologie de Lorraine, Service de Biopathologie, Université de Lorraine, 6 avenue de Bourgogne CS 30519, 54519, 54500, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Mutations of the PIK3CA gene are found in approximately 25% of breast carcinomas and are reported as activators of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. This study aims to compare three assays for the somatic mutation detection of PIK3CA gene in FFPE tissues of patients with breast cancer. Read More

Case Rep Crit Care 2018 23;2018:8304375. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Department of Intensive Care, Habib Bourguiba University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.

Background: Severe scorpion envenomation can lead to severe neurological manifestations, which are an indicator of the severity of the scorpion sting. The direct action of scorpion venom on the central nervous system can explain partly these neurological disorders.

Methods And Findings: We report a case of severe scorpion envenomation in 16-month-old boy with no pathological history admitted in ICU for severe scorpion envenomation. Read More

Toxicon 2018 Dec 9;156:41-47. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, Av. Dr. Vital Brasil 1500, 05503-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Studies of scorpion venoms have used different venom drying methods: lyophilization, desiccation, lyophilization after mixing with 0.9% saline or purified water and centrifugation. The aim of this study was to see if these different approaches cause some alteration in the composition of the venom or interfere with its biological effects. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr 2018 Nov 23;1860(11):2155-2165. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Chemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Technological Chemistry, Araraquara, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Antimicrobial peptides have been extensively described as bioactive agents, mainly considering their selective toxicity towards bacteria but not to healthy mammalian cells. In past years, this class of compounds has been classified as an attractive and novel family of anticancer agents. Pantinin peptides isolated from scorpion Pandinus imperator presented antimicrobial activity. Read More

J Biol Chem 2018 Nov 7. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, China.

Viral infection still threatens human health all over the world, and many people die from viral diseases every year. However, there are no effective vaccines or drugs for preventing or managing most viral diseases. Thus, the discovery and development of broad-spectrum antiviral agents remain urgent. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Nov 5;10(11). Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Venom Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.

Assassin flies (Diptera: Asilidae) inject paralysing venom into insect prey during hunting, but their venoms are poorly characterised in comparison to those produced by spiders, scorpions, or hymenopteran insects. Here we investigated the composition of the venom of the giant Australian assassin fly using a combination of insect microinjection assays, calcium imaging assays of mammalian sensory neurons, proteomics and transcriptomics. Injection of venom into blowflies () produced rapid contractile paralysis (PD at 1 min = 3. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Nov 2;10(11). Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.

Snakes, scorpions, and spiders are venomous animals that pose a threat to human health, and severe envenomings from the bites or stings of these animals must be treated with antivenom. Current antivenoms are based on plasma-derived immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin fragments from hyper-immunized animals. Although these medicines have been life-saving for more than 120 years, opportunities to improve envenoming therapy exist. Read More

Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2018 Nov 5. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

School of Medical Devices, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, CN. China.

Pain affects approximately 30% of people and places a large economic and social burden on society. Despite the availability of a range of analgesics, complete alleviation of symptoms are still rarely occurred. Effective and safe drugs for the treatment of pain are still an unmet clinical need. Read More

J Pept Sci 2018 Dec 4;24(12):e3133. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Scorpion venom contains various bioactive peptides. Among them, peptides having two different structural domains constitute a toxin family known as β-KTx or scorpine-like peptides. These peptides consist of an α-helical structure in the N-terminal region and a cysteine-stabilized structure in the C-terminal region. Read More

Biodivers Data J 2018 2(6):e27004. Epub 2018 Aug 2.

Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland.

Background: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most widely used information source on the extinction risk of species. One of the uses of the Red List is to evaluate and monitor the state of biodiversity and a possible approach for this purpose is the Red List Index (RLI). For many taxa, mainly hyperdiverse groups, it is not possible within available resources to assess all known species. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018 Dec 30;506(4):826-832. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Department of Biochemistry and Immunology - ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:

Voltage-gated sodium channels play important roles in human physiology. However, their complexity hinders the understanding of their physiology and pathology at atomic level. We took advantage of the structural reports of similar channels obtained by cryo-EM (EeNav1. Read More

Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2018 Oct 31. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Department of Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Scorpine is a cationic protein from the venom of Pandinus imperator, belonging to potassium channel blocker family, which has been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antiplasmodia activities. In the present study, a pET-44a vector containing scorpine synthetic gene with T7 Promoter (pET 44a-His6-Nus-His6-tev-scorpine) was transferred into Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami B (DE3) for soluble expression of the protein in the cytoplasm and its overproduction. After confirming recombinant scorpine peptide expression using SDS-PAGE and Western blot, augmentation of production was performed during two stages. Read More

Chem Commun (Camb) 2018 Nov;54(90):12738-12741

Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain.

The present study aims to develop chlorotoxin (CTX), from Giant Yellow Israeli scorpion venom, as a new BBB-shuttle. Minimised versions of CTX were prepared to reduce its complexity while enhancing its BBB-shuttle capacity and preserving its protease-resistance. MiniCTX3, a monocyclic lactam-bridge peptidomimetic, was capable of transporting nanoparticles across endothelial cell monolayers. Read More

Nanobiomedicine (Rij) 2018 Jan-Dec;5:1849543518805355. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Pharmaceutics, JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.

Drug delivery to the brain is challenging because of the low permeability of blood-brain barrier, and therefore, optimum concentration of chemotherapeutics in the target area specifically for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, opens a new path of research. To achieve the goal, the oral alkylating agent temozolomide was incorporated into niosomes, and the surface was modified with chlorotoxin, a small 36 amino acid peptide discovered from the venom of scorpion . Active targeting using nanosized particles facilitates an increase in the accumulation of drugs in the cerebri by 3. Read More

Cell Mol Life Sci 2018 Oct 20. Epub 2018 Oct 20.

Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang (ZJ), People's Republic of China.

The complexity of neuronal wiring relies on the extraordinary recognition diversity of cell surface molecules. Drosophila Dscam1 and vertebrate clustered protocadherins (Pcdhs) are two classic examples of the striking diversity from a complex genomic locus, wherein the former encodes more than 10,000 distinct isoforms via alternative splicing, while the latter employs alternative promoters to attain isoform diversity. These structurally unrelated families show remarkably striking molecular parallels and even similar functions. Read More

Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol 2018 Oct;57(5):692-695

Department of Emergency, Tekırdag Sarkoy State Hospital, Tekirdag, Turkey. Electronic address:

Objective: Scorpion stings remain a serious health problem in many parts of the world. There is very limited information regarding the effects of therapies delivered for scorpion stings in pregnant women on the mother and fetus. They can cause acute conditions such as fetal loss, preterm delivery, or placental abnormalities and can also result in other conditions that may have an effect on the baby in the long term. Read More

Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2018 Sep 24;6(9):1659-1663. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Department of Anesthesiology, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.

Aim: This study was aimed to compare the effects of ondansetron, haloperidol, and dexmedetomidine for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods: This randomised clinical trial study was performed on p.patients who were candidates for abdominal hysterectomy referring to Taleghani hospital in Arak. Read More

Am Nat 2018 Nov 13;192(5):630-643. Epub 2018 Sep 13.

Animals adjust behaviors to balance changes in predation risk against other vital needs. Animals must therefore collect sensory information and use a complex risk-assessment process that estimates risks and weighs costs and benefits entailed in different reactions. Studying this cognitive process is challenging, especially in nature, because it requires inferring sensory abilities and conscious decisions from behavioral reactions. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2018 Dec 30;1862(12):2955-2965. Epub 2018 Aug 30.

Biotechnology Research Center, Venom & Biotherapeutics Molecules Lab., Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Background: An effective therapy against envenoming should be a priority in view of the high number scorpion stings and snakebites. Serum therapy is still widely applied to treat the envenomation victims; however this approach suffers from several shortcomings. The employment of monoclonal antibodies might be an outcome as these molecules are at the core of a variety of applications from protein structure determination to cancer treatment. Read More

Can J Neurol Sci 2018 Nov 5;45(6):669-674. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

1Unit V,Department of Internal Medicine,Christian Medical College,Vellore,Tamil Nadu,India.

Background: Neurological complications following snake and scorpion bite are diverse. Literature regarding patterns of cerebrovascular injury (CVI) and outcomes among these patients is scarce. This is a descriptive study of the clinical profile, brain imaging findings, mechanisms of injury, vascular territory involvement and outcomes of CVI following scorpion and snake envenomation, in a tertiary care center in South India. Read More

Int J Biol Macromol 2018 Dec 1;120(Pt B):1777-1788. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Université de Tunis El Manar, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, LR11IPT08 Venins et Biomolécules Thérapeutiques, 1002, Tunis, Tunisie. Electronic address:

Scorpion peptides are well known for their pharmaceutical potential on different targets. These include mainly the ion channels which were found to be highly expressed in many diseases, including cancer, auto-immune pathologies and Alzheimer. So far, however, the disintegrin activity had only been characterized for snake venom molecules. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Oct 3;8(1):14739. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Scorpion sting envenoming impacts millions of people worldwide, with cardiac effects being one of the main causes of death on victims. Here we describe the first Ca channel toxin present in Tityus serrulatus (Ts) venom, a cell penetrating peptide (CPP) named CPP-Ts. We show that CPP-Ts increases intracellular Ca release through the activation of nuclear InsP3R of cardiomyocytes, thereby causing an increase in the contraction frequency of these cells. Read More

Mar Drugs 2018 Oct 1;16(10). Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Campus Gasthuisberg O&N2, Herestraat 49, P.O. Box 922, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Voltage-gated potassium (K) channels regulate diverse physiological processes and are an important target for developing novel therapeutic approaches. Sea anemone (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) venoms comprise a highly complex mixture of peptide toxins with diverse and selective pharmacology on K channels. From the nematocysts of the sea anemone , a peptide that we named AbeTx1 was purified and functionally characterized on 12 different subtypes of K channels (K1. Read More

Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2018 Sep 27:1-9. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

a Department of Intensive Care , Cliniques St-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain , Brussels , Belgium.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy is a frequent disease responsible for 40-50% of cases of heart failure. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy is a primary disorder often related to familial/genetic predisposition. Before the diagnosis of idiopathic cardiomyopathy is made, clinicians must not only rule out viral and immune causes, but also toxic causes such as drugs, environmental agents, illicit substances and natural toxins. Read More

Wilderness Environ Med 2018 Dec 23;29(4):471-478. Epub 2018 Sep 23.

Department of Pediatric Emergency, School of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey (Drs Gökay, Kendir, Nalbant, and Prof Ylmaz).

Introduction: A clinical course ranging from mild local findings to life-threatening systemic findings may occur after scorpion stings. The purpose of this study was to identify priority markers indicating scorpion sting-related cardiac involvement.

Methods: Our study was performed between July 2014, and September 2015 in the Çukurova University medical faculty pediatric emergency department, in Adana, Turkey. Read More

Neuropharmacology 2018 Dec 22;143:228-238. Epub 2018 Sep 22.

Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997, Russia; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudny, 141701, Moscow Oblast, Russia. Electronic address:

Scorpion venom is an unmatched source of selective high-affinity ligands of potassium channels. There is a high demand for such compounds to identify and manipulate the activity of particular channel isoforms. The objective of this study was to obtain and characterize a specific ligand of voltage-gated potassium channel K1. Read More

Hum Antibodies 2018 Sep 7. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Razi Reference Laboratory of Scorpion Research, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Ahvaz, Iran.

Background: The hypersensitivity reaction to penicillin is a public health problem. Immunological responses to penicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics can be classified into immediate and non-immediate responses. The immediate hypersensitivity is mediated by IgE; however, the non-immediate sensitivity is facilitated by other isotypes of antibody or T lymphocytes. Read More

Genetica 2018 Sep 11. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Av. Prof. Artur Riedel, 275, Diadema, São Paulo, 09972-270, Brazil.

The recently-revised subfamily Centruroidinae is part of the New World clade of buthid scorpions. In this study, we analyzed the cytogenetic characteristics of nine of the 10 Brazilian centruroidines, and one undescribed species of the genus Ischnotelson, using a phylogenetic approach to determine the chromosomal rearrangements responsible for the differentiation of karyotypes among the species. The cytogenetic data recorded in the present study supported the new taxonomic arrangement of the Centruroidinae, with all the species of the same genus sharing the same or similar diploid numbers, i. Read More

J Nat Prod 2018 Sep 11;81(9):2161. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Sep 10;10(9). Epub 2018 Sep 10.

Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, UFMG, Belo Horizonte 31270901, Brazil.

Diagnostic tests for arachnid accidents remain unavailable for patients and clinicians. Together with snakes, these accidents are still a global medical concern, and are recognized as neglected tropical issues. Due to arachnid toxins' fast mechanism of action, quick detection and quantification of venom is required to accelerate treatment decisions, rationalize therapy, and reduce costs and patient risks. Read More

Microb Pathog 2018 Dec 6;125:96-107. Epub 2018 Sep 6.

Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Gurrero, Mexico.

Cancer and infectious diseases are the preeminent causes of human morbidities and mortalities worldwide. At present, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy are considered as predominant options in order to treat cancer. But these therapies provide inadequate consequences by affecting both the normal and tumor cells. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Sep 5;10(9). Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico.

To understand the diversity of scorpion venom, RNA from venomous glands from a sawfinger scorpion, , of the family Vaejovidae, was extracted and used for transcriptomic analysis. A total of 84,835 transcripts were assembled after Illumina sequencing. From those, 119 transcripts were annotated and found to putatively code for peptides or proteins that share sequence similarities with the previously reported venom components of other species. Read More

Talanta 2018 Dec 27;190:182-187. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of sciences of Tunis, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry and Electrochemistry (LR99ES15), Sensors and Biosensors Group, Campus Universitaire de Tunis El Manar, Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia.

Rapid and sensitive detection of low levels of scorpion venom toxins in biological fluids is of tremendous importance for decision-taking in cases of envenomation by scorpions stings. In Tunisia, at least 1200 severe envenomation cases by Androctonus australis hector (Aah) scorpion stings were reported annually. In this work, we report on a novel electrochemical immuno-sandwich to detect the Aah50 toxic fraction within the Aah scorpion venom using the bispecific nanobody format specially designed to highly recognize and neutralize the two most toxic molecules in the AahG50 venom fraction (i. Read More

Toxicon 2018 Oct 5;153:72-77. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

In the present study, 45 children in Upper Egypt (less than 16 years old) were admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for scorpion envenomation (SE). They were compared with 30 apparently healthy children of matching age and sex as controls. Out of the studied victims, 35 children (78%) showed signs of severe envenomation, while 10 victims (22%) showed signs of mild envenomation. Read More

Zoology (Jena) 2018 08 6;129:17-24. Epub 2018 Jun 6.

Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE, Rua Professor Moraes Rego S/N, Cidade Universitária, CEP 50670-420, Recife, PE, Brazil.

Edge effects have drastically affected species living in tropical forests. However, understanding how species respond to edge effects remains a challenge, owing to the many factors involved and different responses of each species thereto. Here, we analyzed how the abundance of two sympatric scorpion species (Tityus pusillus and Ananteris mauryi) and their potential prey varied as a function of microhabitat changes (litter depth, dry mass, and leaf shape) from edge to interior forest habitats. Read More

J Insect Sci 2018 Jul 1;18(4). Epub 2018 Jul 1.

Department of Zoology, University of Education, DG Khan Campus, Punjab, Pakistan.

In the present study, two common buthid scorpions, i.e., Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) and Hottentota tamulus (Fabricus, 1798) (Scorpiones: Buthidae), were maintained in the laboratory for venom recovery. Read More

FEBS Lett 2018 Aug 3;592(15):2668. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2018 22;24:19. Epub 2018 Aug 22.

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR7205-CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, CP 53, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France.

This work aims to contribute to the general information on scorpion reproductive patterns in general including species that can be noxious to humans. Scorpions are unusual among terrestrial arthropods in several of their life-history traits since in many aspects their reproductive strategies are more similar to those of superior vertebrates than to those of arthropods in general. This communication focuses mainly on the aspects concerning embryonic and post-embryonic developments since these are quite peculiar in scorpions and can be directly connected to the scorpionism problem. Read More

Biologicals 2018 Nov 25;56:19-23. Epub 2018 Aug 25.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq.

The aim of this study was to prepare specific F(ab') antivenom against Iraqi scorpion (Hottentotta saulcyi). Venom was obtained by electrical stimulation method, the scorpions venom storage capacity was 1.7 ± 0. Read More

Toxins (Basel) 2018 Aug 22;10(9). Epub 2018 Aug 22.

Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Distrito Federal, Brazil.

Scorpion venoms are a complex mixture of components. Among them the most important are peptides, which presents the capacity to interact and modulate several ion channel subtypes, including voltage-gated sodium channels (Na). Screening the activity of scorpion toxins on different subtypes of Na reveals the scope of modulatory activity and, in most cases, low channel selectivity. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018 Dec 21;18(12):641-652. Epub 2018 Aug 21.

St Luke's Health NetWork , Warren Campus, Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

Erythema migrans (EM) rashes once considered pathognomonic of Lyme disease (LD) have been reported following bites of arthropods that do not transmit LD and in areas with no LD. Also, EM rashes have been reported in association with organisms other than members of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. Arthropod saliva has chemicals that have effects on the host and pathogen transmission. Read More