Snake News and Research

RSS

Media coverage details snakebite victim circumstances better than quantitative data

The majority of snakebites are often perceived as being "illegitimate," meaning they're a result of intentional human contact such as handling a snake in captivity or attempting to kill or move a wild snake; however, little data exists regarding how snakebite victims come in contact with these venomous predators.

24 Jun 2016

Regular exercise may help improve muscle repair response in older adults

Here's another reason why you should hit the gym regularly as you grow older: A new report appearing online in The FASEB Journal shows that regular exercise plays a critical role in helping muscles repair themselves as quickly as possible after injury.

20 Jun 2016

Uncertainty can lead to significantly more stress, study finds

Knowing that there is a small chance of getting a painful electric shock can lead to significantly more stress than knowing that you will definitely be shocked, finds a new UCL study funded by the Medical Research Council .

30 Mar 2016

Study highlights new approach to produce coral snake antivenom from synthetically designed DNA

Coral snake venom carries significant neurotoxicity and human injuries can be severe or even lethal. Despite this, antivenom treatments are scarce due to challenges collecting adequate amounts of venom needed to produce anti-elapidic serum. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases highlights exciting new research from the Butantan Institute in Brazil using synthetically designed DNA to produce coral-snake antivenom.

4 Mar 2016

Researchers invited to showcase latest advances in surgical robot technologies at Surgical Robot Challenge

The world’s pioneering researchers in robotic surgery are invited to showcase their innovative work by taking part in the Surgical Robot Challenge 2016. The Surgical Robot Challenge is open for entry from today, and the competition finals will be held from 20 – 27 June 2016 at the Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics in London, as part of the first ever UK Robotics Week.

21 Dec 2015

Snakebite claims thousands of lives every year but remains a 'forgotten killer'

Snakebite claims thousands of lives in the world's poorest communities every year but remains a 'forgotten killer,' according to a new editorial published in the British Medical Journal.

28 Oct 2015

Nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may stop bleeding, protect wounds

A nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may be the best material to stop bleeding quickly, according to Rice University scientists.

27 Oct 2015

Researchers one step closer to developing synthetic and cheaper antivenoms

Researchers involved in an international collaboration across six institutions, including the University of Copenhagen and the National Aquarium of Denmark (Den Blå Planet), have successfully identified the exact composition of sea snake venom, which makes the future development of synthetic antivenoms more realistic.

4 Sep 2015

Snake-like robots follow the lead of real sidewinder rattlesnakes

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who develop snake-like robots have picked up a few tricks from real sidewinder rattlesnakes on how to make rapid and even sharp turns with their undulating, modular device.

24 Mar 2015

Study explores the efficacy of antivenom against copperhead snake bites

Dr. Spencer Greene wants to make sure the standard treatment for copperhead snake bites, the most common venomous snake in greater Houston and southeast Texas, works, and if it doesn't, he wants to stop its use.

23 Mar 2015

Brain scans can predict therapeutic responses to talk therapy

UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that brain scans can predict which patients with clinical depression are most likely to benefit from a specific kind of talk therapy.

4 Feb 2015

Viewpoints: New uninsured numbers are outdated; chiropractors' unusual move into nutrition

The federal government released some very reliable estimates of how many people had health insurance in the first three months of 2014.

16 Sep 2014

Bee, snake, scorpion venom could form basis of new generation of cancer-fighting drugs

Bee, snake or scorpion venom could form the basis of a new generation of cancer-fighting drugs, scientists will report here today.

12 Aug 2014

Oral Cancer and Cody Kiser partner at upcoming Snake River Stampede Rodeo

While the world of rodeo has been the realm of sponsorship by the tobacco industry for decades, The Oral Cancer Foundation today takes a stand and introduces their new spokesperson, Cody Kiser; a rodeo cowboy who will be debuting his partnership with the foundation at the upcoming Snake River Stampede Rodeo in Nampa, ID.

16 Jul 2014

Researchers take another promising step toward developing universal antidote for snakebite

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Matthew Lewin of the California Academy of Sciences and Dr. Stephen P. Samuel of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland has taken another promising step toward developing a universal antidote for snakebite.

29 May 2014

Watch out for snakes as weather warms, warns UAB emergency medicine specialist

With the first warm weekend of spring, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital saw its first snakebite.

26 Apr 2014

Molecular function of "hairless" gene may contribute to pathogenesis of atrichia with papular lesions

It's not a hair-brained idea: A new research report appearing in the April 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal explains why people with a rare balding condition called "atrichia with papular lesions" lose their hair, and it identifies a strategy for reversing this hair loss.

1 Apr 2014

Nanosponge vaccine blocks adverse effects of alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA

Nanosponges that soak up a dangerous pore-forming toxin produced by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) could serve as a safe and effective vaccine against this toxin. This "nanosponge vaccine" enabled the immune systems of mice to block the adverse effects of the alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA-both within the bloodstream and on the skin. Nanoengineers from the University of California, San Diego described the safety and efficacy of this nanosponge vaccine in the December 1 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

2 Dec 2013

Advanced cytotoxins help bacteria survive antibiotics treatment

In spite of the fact that the first antibiotics were discovered almost a century ago, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, encephalitis and meningitis are still serious diseases for humans in the twenty-first century. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are more than 8 million new cases of tuberculosis per year on a global scale, and that more than 300,000 of these are due to multidrug-resistant strains that are not only difficult to treat, but are also emerging rapidly in regions such as Eastern Europe.

20 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: 'Unforced error' on marketplace website raises questions about administration's handling of health issues; Obama's 'desperate sales pitch;' GOP's faux concerns for exchanges

Anyone who supports the plan to cover Americans who couldn't get health insurance has to hope the administration quickly gets it right. But you can't help but wonder: Where was all this frantic effort in the three-and-a-half years from the time Obama signed the health law to the day the exchanges opened on Oct. 1?

From Quest Diagnostics 23 Oct 2013