Fangs are specialised long teeth that contain either a superficial groove (Gila monster, Beaded lizard, some colubrid snakes), along which the venom runs, or an enclosed canal (viperid, elapid and atractaspid), down which the venom flows inside the tooth. The fangs of viperid snakes are the most effective venom-delivery structures among vertebrates and have been the focus of scientific interest...

Snake venom serine proteinases affect many steps of the blood coagulation cascade. Each of them usually acts selectively on one coagulation factor. They are therefore potentially useful components to study the mechanisms of action, the regulation and the structure-function relationships of human serine proteinase coagulation factors. This strategy is illustrated for a plasminogen activator puri...

In our previous report, rosmarinic acid (RA) was revealed to be an antidote active compound in Argusia argentea (family: Boraginaceae). The plant is locally used in Okinawa in Japan as an antidote for poisoning from snake venom, Trimeresurus flavoviridis (habu). This article presents mechanistic evidence of RA's neutralization of the hemorrhagic effects of snake venom. Anti-hemorrhagic activity...

A new species, Bembidion (?Nipponobembidion) ruruysp. n., is described from the foot of Ruruy Volcano, Kunashir Island, Kuril Archipelago, Russia. It is only the second consubgener, being characterized by the reduced wings, the rounded elytral shoulders, and the backward position of the posterior supra-orbital pore. In this connection, the subgenus Nipponobembidion Habu & Baba, 1968 is rediagno...

Attempts were made to establish an authentic method for assay of the antilethal potency of Habu antivenine. In spite of its wide use the expression of the antivenine potency in •ganimal nimal unit•h is not reasonable. The expression of the antivenine potency as the relative potency is not valid either so far as a crude venom is used as test toxin, since the neutralization curves of various anti...