Envenomation and the bite rate by venomous snakes in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the period (2015–2018)

Snakebite being medical emergency and known cause for increased mortality needs assessment and treatment on high-priority bases, even in patients of snakebite who appear fine initially. The current retrospective study presents the snake bites in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2018 reported by General Administration of Statistics and Information, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data presented in the current study, was extracted, analyzed, and reported after getting ethical approval from institutional committee. Totally, 14,679 cases of snakebites were reported during the four-year study period, with a higher prevalence in males (80%) in their productive age. Most patients were within the age group between 25 and 44 followed by 44 to 64 years. The majority of snakebite affected inhabitants were reported from farms of the rural areas, commonly during night hours of spring and summer seasons when snakes are very active. Only 36 (0.24%) patients out of 14,679 were reported dead and 14,643 (99.63%) were discharged after the treatment. Awareness among the general public should be encouraged and early diagnosis and usage of proper snake antivenoms could be life-saving. The delay in appropriate treatment can lead to significant morbidity and mortality.     

Resolving the pathogenicity factors of a novel opportunistic fungus Schizophyllum commune at molecular level

Molecular Biology Reports - Schizophyllum commune is a well-known mushroom forming fungi which is an edible one due to its nutritive value. It exhibits a special wood degrading mechanism to grow in...     

Reproductive biology of the horned viper,Cerastes cerastes gasperettii in the central region of Saudi Arabia

The reproductive biology of the horned viper, Cerastes cerastes gasperettii, in Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia was investigated over a period of one year. Study of reproductive cycle of male and female C. c. gasperettii revealed that the breeding season is relatively short (April and May). Thereafter females laid eggs by mid of July and hatching probably had taken place by the end of September. No activity was observed during winter, this may indicate just a single clutch per year. Relative testis weight to body weight was drastically increased (X¯ = 0.88%) during the peak of reproductive activity (May) where maximal expansion of seminiferous tubules was also attained during April and May (X¯ = 209 μm and 191 μm, respectively). Likewise, the ovarian activity was the highest during May where ovarian parameters were greater in terms of relative ovarian weight to body weight and ova diameter being 0.46% and 2.29 mm, respectively. Fat body weight was increased drastically just before the peak of reproductive activity then started to decline during June. It could be concluded that the harsh desert conditions and similar environments certainly affect reproductive activity of Saudi Arabian reptiles including snakes.     

Possible recovery from an acute envenomation in male rats with LD50 of Echis coloratus crude venom: I-A seven days hematological follow-up study

The effect of an acute LD₅₀ dose of Echis coloratus crude venom in male albino rats was tested on blood parameters: white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), platelets count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), also serum glucose, total protein, triglycerides with alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) enzyme activities. The effect of the LD₅₀ dose was monitored over a period of seven days, with time intervals of 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 72 h. All of the tested parameters show fluctuations with time and with tendency to regain normal control level after 12 h. At 12–24 h it seems to be crucial for the process of physiological recovery, in spite of the irreversible damage and tissue distraction. The process of physiological adaptation and recovery from the lethal destructive venom effect seems to stabilize after one week, leaving the animal alive with several biochemical altered metabolisms and disturbed physiological profile.     

Food habits of the Arabian skink,Scincus hemprichii Wiegmann, 1837, (Sauria: Scincidae), in the Southwest Saudi Arabia

Food and feeding habits of the Arabian skink, Scincus hemprichii were investigated in Jazan province, southwest of Saudi Arabia. S. hemprichii individuals fed during eleven months of the year. The mass of food in the stomachs indicated that a high degree of foraging success occurred during the warm spring while the lowest was during winter with January as an exception to feeding by the lizard. Analysis of the contents of 60 stomachs revealed that the diet of S. hemprichii in the study area consisted of arthropods, with two species of beetles of the family Dermestidae (Dermestis vulpinus and Dermestis maculates) and three type of dipteran larvae, accounting for 76% of the total volume of the food items. Specimens collected during January had empty stomachs.     

Ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis in a rare desert amphisbaenian Diplometopon zarudnyi

Spermiogenesis, in particular the head differentiation of Diplometopon zarudnyi, was studied at the ultrastructural level by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The process includes acrosomal vesicle development, nuclear elongation, chromatin condensation and exclusion of excess cytoplasm. In stage I, the proacrosomal vesicle occurs next to a shallow fossa of the nucleus, and a dense acrosomal granule forms beneath it. This step commences with an acrosome vesicle forming from Golgi transport vesicles; simultaneously, the nucleus begins to move eccentrically. In stage II, the round proacrosomal vesicle is flattened by projection of the nuclear fossa, and the dense acrosomal granule diffuses into the vesicle as the fibrous layer forms the subacrosomal cone. Circular manchettes surrounded by mitochondria develop around the nucleus, and the chromatin coagulates into small granules. The movement of the nucleus causes rearrangement of the cytoplasm. The nucleus has uniform diffuse chromatin with small indices of heterochromatin. The subacrosome space develops early, enlarges during elongation, and accumulates a thick layer of dark staining granules. In stage III, the front of the elongating nucleus protrudes out of the spermatid and is covered by the flat acrosome; coarse granules replace the small ones within the nucleus. One endonuclear canal is present where the perforatorium resides. In stage IV, the chromatin concentrates to dense homogeneous phase. The circular manchette is reorganized longitudinally. The Sertoli process covers the acrosome and the residues of the cytoplasmic lobes are removed. In stage V, the sperm head matures.     

Temperature effects on oxygen consumption of two nocturnal geckos,Ptyodactylus hasselquistii (Donndorff) andBunopus tuberculatus (Blanford) (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Saudi Arabia

Summary Oxygen consumption rates of the lizardsPtyodactylus hasselquistii (adult and subadults) andBunopus tuberculatus (adult) were determined in relation to ambient temperatures ranging from 10 to 35°C using a double-chamber, volumetric closed system. The metabolic rate-temperature curves for both species were triphasic and similar in shape, but O₂ consumption differed between species.The low thermal dependence at temperatures between 15 and 25°C, common to both species, was correlated with the lizards' dual mode of thermoregulatory activity and ecology.     

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlie the Anti-Tumor Activities Exerted by Walterinnesia aegyptia Venom Combined with Silica Nanoparticles against Multiple Myeloma Cancer Cell Types

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal disease of plasma cells that remains incurable despite the advent of several novel therapeutics. In this study, we aimed to delineate the impact of snake venom extracted from Walterinnesia aegyptia (WEV) alone or in combination with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NP) on primary MM cells isolated from patients diagnosed with MM as well as on two MM cell lines, U266 and RPMI 8226. The IC₅₀ values of WEV and WEV+NP that significantly decreased MM cell viability without affecting the viability of normal peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined to be 25 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml, respectively. Although both WEV (25 ng/ml) and WEV+NP (10 ng/ml) decreased the CD54 surface expression without affecting the expression of CXCR4 (CXCL12 receptor) on MM cells, they significantly reduced the ability of CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) to induce actin cytoskeleton rearrangement and the subsequent reduction in chemotaxis. It has been established that the binding of CXCL12 to its receptor CXCR4 activates multiple intracellular signal transduction pathways that regulate MM cell chemotaxis, adhesion, and proliferation. We found that WEV and WEV+NP clearly decreased the CXCL12/CXCR4-mediated activation of AKT, ERK, NFκB and Rho-A using western blot analysis; abrogated the CXCL12-mediated proliferation of MM cells using the CFSE assay; and induced apoptosis in MM cell as determined by PI/annexin V double staining followed by flow cytometry analysis. Monitoring the expression of B-cell CCL/Lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family members and their role in apoptosis induction after treatment with WEV or WEV+NP revealed that the combination of WEV with NP robustly decreased the expression of the anti-apoptotic effectors Bcl-2, Bcl_XL and Mcl-1; conversely increased the expression of the pro-apoptotic effectors Bak, Bax and Bim; and altered the mitochondrial membrane potential in MM cells. Taken together, our data reveal the biological effects of WEV and WEV+NP and the underlying mechanisms against myeloma cancer cells.     

Snake bite envenomation in Riyadh province of Saudi Arabia over the period (2005–2010)

The present investigation is a retrospective review of snake bites in Riyadh province over the period (2005–2010). A total of 1019 cases of bites admitted to the Ministry of Health medical centers in Riyadh province were analyzed on the basis of age, sex, time of bite and its site on the body, outcome of treatment, antiserum dose and type of snake. Bites occurred throughout the six years with the highest frequency in 2005 and least in 2006 where most of the bite cases were mild and all evolved to cure except four patients who died following the administration of antivenom during 24 h after snake bite. Most of the patients were males (81.7%) and the most attacked age was within the range of 11–30 years (51.5%). All the bites were mainly in the exposed limbs and the most frequently bitten anatomical regions were the lower limbs (427 cases, 41.9%), principally the feet. The study incriminates Cerastes cerastes gasperettii in most of the bites indicating it as the snake of medical importance in Riyadh province. Also, the study indicates low degree of threat in spite of high rate of snake bites as a result of the availability of the medical facilities and the antivenin use in medical centers in Riyadh province.