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Biomedical subjects

F E Russell

Publications and source records attributed to F E Russell.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Prolonged defibrination after a bite from a 'nonvenomous' snake.

The distinction between venomous, potentially dangerous snakes and snakes considered to be harmless to humans is not always clear. A man was bitten by an assumed harmless pet snake, Rhabdophis subminatus (the red neck keelback), that had been obtained from a pet store. The patient experienced a severe coagulopathy with life-threatening hemorrhage unresponsive to transfusion. Since this snake frequently is sold legally in the United States, we wish to alert the medical community to its potential danger and to discuss the pathophysiological mechanism by which the coagulopathy was produced.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Effects of preparatory procedures on the venom from a rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus molossus), as determined by isoelectric focusing.

A study was made on the venom of a single specimen of the rattlesnake Crotalus molossus molossus, utilizing isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels, to determine what effects various commonly employed preparative procedures might have on the chemical properties of the venom. The procedures included storage at several temperatures, freezing and thawing, evaporation, desiccation and lyophilization. Results indicated that the numbers and relative positions of the protein bands were constant with each procedure. It was concluded that the various procedures did not cause enzymatic degradation or major shifts in the pI of the bands. The significance of the findings is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Introduction of the scorpion Centruroides exilicauda into California and its public health significance.

The bark scorpion, Centruroides exilicauda, formerly C. sculpturatus, is a native of Arizona and adjacent parts of New Mexico in the United States, and Baja California and Sonora in Mexico. A few specimens have been captured on the California side of the Colorado River. The general biology of this scorpion is discussed and the introduction of the arthropod into three California counties, probably in trailer paraphernalia and dune buggies, is described. Four probable stings by C. exilicauda in California and their public health significance are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Rattlesnake bites and surgical decompression: results using a laboratory model.

Studies were performed on the hind limbs of dogs and their anterolateral compartments to evaluate the effect of fasciotomy on tissue pressure and necrosis following pit viper envenomation. Venom from the southern Pacific rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis helleri, was injected into either the subcutaneous tissues, the intact anterolateral compartment or the anterolateral compartment following fasciectomy. Interstitial fluid pressure measurements, as well as limb girth and surface temperatures, were obtained over the first 48 hr following venom injection, after which time the compartment contents were examined microscopically. The results demonstrated intracompartment tissue pressure elevations only following intracompartment injections. Fasciectomy prior to injection did not prevent muscle necrosis, though it did reduce maximum compartment pressures. Clinically the limbs in each group could not be differentiated. Intracompartment pressure measurements were able to distinguish between muscle and subcutaneous envenomations by the differences in compartment pressures. These results demonstrate the value of tissue pressure measurements in the evaluation of patients envenomated by rattlesnakes. They also indicate the objectivity necessary to determine the need for surgical decompression.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The action of equinatoxin, a peptide from the venom of the sea anemone, Actinia equina, on the isolated lung.

On perfusion through isolated lungs from male Sprague-Dawley rats, equinatoxin caused a dose-dependent increase in the wet to dry weight ratio. Ratios were significantly elevated above control values at equinatoxin concentrations of 80-200 ng/ml. The increased ratios were accompanied by an increase in the permeability of the lung vasculature. When equinatoxin was perfused through isolated lungs at concentrations of 100 ng/ml or greater, significantly more [3H]polyethylene glycol (PEG; approximately 900 mol. wt) was retained in the extravascular space as compared to controls. Perfusion pressures of the lung were significantly elevated above controls at equinatoxin concentrations greater than 100 ng/ml. These effects of equinatoxin were not mediated by degranulation of mast cells, as preperfusion of the lung with 100 or 200 microM Na cromolyn or 1 microM lanthanum chloride did not modify the pulmonary response to equinatoxin. At concentrations of equinatoxin below 150 ng/ml the fluid movement appears to be restricted primarily to intracellular, or possibly interstitial, spaces, as no significant amounts of [3H]polyethylene glycol were recovered by tracheal lavage. At concentrations of equinatoxin equal to or greater than 150 ng/ml, significant amounts of PEG were washed from the trachea. As it is a potent inducer of pulmonary edema, equinatoxin may become an important probe to study fluid regulation in the lung.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Neutralization of croatalidae venom induced platelet aggregation by affinity chromatography isolated IgG to Crotalus viridis helleri venom.

IgG was isolated from commercial antivenin by affinity chromatography using Crotalus viridis helleri venom as an affinant. This purified IgG was demonstrated to be more effective than the commercial antivenin in preventing platelet aggregation induced by four separate crotalid venoms in vitro. Affinity chromatography appears to be an effective means for specific, polyvalent IgG isolation and purification.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Effects of scorpion and rattlesnake venoms on the canine pancreas following pancreaticoduodenal arterial injections.

Three scorpion venoms caused a transitory decrease in the rate of fluid secretion and increases in the concentration, in pancreatic juice, of total protein and individual enzymes. Protein and enzyme elevations 4-7 fold over the basal levels were produced by the venom of Tityus bahiensis and 6-7 fold by venoms from Tityus serrulatus and Buthus quinquestriatus. Although these increases were smaller than those stimulated by the C-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokin (OP-CCK; 8-9 fold), the secretory responses were of longer duration, so that the total output of protein caused by each of the three venoms was significantly greater than that observed with OP-CCK. Although electron microscopy revealed evidence of widespread degeneration of acinar cells at 1 hr and more extensive damage at 2 hr following injection of scorpion venom, no free protease was detected in pancreatic secretion collected during this period. The scorpion venoms also caused hypersecretion of viscid saliva. In contrast, rattlesnake venom, had no detectable effect on salivation, pancreatic secretion or morphology of the pancreas.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Preliminary studies on the venom of the colubrid snake Rhabdophis subminatus (red-necked keelback).

Following the bite by Rhabdophis subminatus, preliminary studies were instituted on its venom to determine the mechanism of the clinical poisoning. A method for milking these snakes is presented. The i.v. LD50 in mice was 1.29 mg/kg. Three peaks were obtained on Sephadex G-100 and although none were lethal by themselves, a combination of two of the peaks produced immediate death in mice. The venom had no phosphodiesterase, fibrinolytic or thrombin-like activities, but it did have some phospholipase activity. Further biochemical and pharmacological studies are in progress.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Stings by the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata in the Adriatic Sea.

The sea anemone Anemonia sulcata is the clinically most important Actinaria in the Adriatic Sea. Between 1965 and 1980, 55 patients stung by this cnidarian were seen at the Pula Medical Center in Istria, Yugoslavia. The majority of injuries were inflicted upon the upper extremities, chest, or abdomen. Pain and the appearance of small blanched papules surrounded by slightly reddened and edematous bases were the usually initiating manifestations. Linear lesions were sometimes seen. Vesicles, sometimes filled with serous fluid, localized discoloration, and the formation of bullae sometimes followed. Somnolence, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and lid edema were reported in some cases. The treatment of these injuries in the northern Adriatic Sea and elsewhere is discussed.

Bites and Stings↗
PubMed1982

Neuromuscular and lethal effects of phospholipase A from Vipera ammodytes venom.

Four homogeneous proteins having phospholipase A activity were separated and studied for their i.v. lethal effects in mice and nerve-muscle activity in the guinea pig diaphragm preparation. Fraction "j" had an LD50 of 0.30 mg/kg, with 3.6 microgram/ml of bath solution causing a decrease in the indirectly-elicited nerve-muscle contractions to 20% of control, without significantly changing the directly-elicited muscle contractions. Fraction "k2" had an LD50 of 0.021 mg/kg and caused a similar nerve or nerve-muscle block at 5 micrograms/ml of bath solution, without altering the directly-elicited contractions. Fraction "k1" had an LD50 of 0.58 mg/kg and produced less distinct but dose-related changes in the nerve or in nerve-muscle transmission, as well as weakening directly-elicited muscle contractions to within 60% of control. Fraction "I" had an LD50 of 3.6 mg/kg but high doses of the fraction were required to produce changes in diaphragm contractility. High doses (60 and 195 micrograms/ml) produced marked effects on both the directly- and indirectly-elicited contractions, suggesting that this fraction affects the muscle directly.

Animals↗