Natural hemagglutinin activity against vertebrate erythrocytes is present in the hemolymph of the cockroach Blabarus craniifer. The hemagglutinin titer against rabbit erythrocytes is high, whereas sheep and horse red cells agglutinate weakly. Hemagglutinin activity was depressed by the complement inhibitor, cobra venom factor. Cockroach hemagglutinin is heat-labile; all activity is destroyed by...

"Process Re-engineering" is a concept that has been in operation in the manufacturing industry for a number of years. Often, it involves moving an organisation or industry away from its traditionally functional base to process based structures. It is however a relatively new concept in the UK construction industry. This paper will explore the concept of process re-engineering, evaluate its oppo...

Snake bite was known as one of the most important public health concerns world wild. Respiratory and cardiac problems and destruction of endothelium system occurs as a result of snake bite. Some proteins and peptides in snake venom have potential for drug discovery studies. According to the important role of cell adhesion and angiogenesis in cancer development, identification of new therapeutic...

The effects of tourniquet application were prospectively studied in 36 hospitalized patients who developed neurotoxic symptoms after bites by the Philippine cobra (Naja naja philippinensis). Tourniquets had been applied in 94% of cases and delayed the onset of symptoms. Four patients were asymptomatic prior to the release of their tourniquet and in 11 patients symptoms worsened precipitously. M...

of factor B from mixtures of normal human serum (NHS) and plasma from a patient with membranoproliferative nephritis (MPP), either by heating or by immune equivalence absorption, blocks C3 breakdown by C3NeF. Addition of purified factor B to these mixtures restores the anticomplementary effect. When purified factor B is added to mixtures of MPP and purified C3, breakdown also occurs. Associated...

Many medicinal plants have been recommended for the treatment of snakebites. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of dried seed powder of Tamarindus indica were tested for their antioxidant and inhibitory activity of toxic enzymes like PLA2 and proteinases of Naja naja venom. Compared with alcoholic extracts the methanolic extract, displayed a significant inhibitory effect on the tested enzyme activi...

Paul Scherrer Institut is developing a high-resolution multi-physics core solver for VVER analysis. This work presents the preliminary stages of development, specifically coupling 3D pin-by-pin neutronic nTRACER to sub-channel thermal-hydraulic code COBRA-TF single assembly steady state calculations. The scheme and modifications performed in codes are described details. results coupled nTRACER/...

Snake venoms are a very abundant source of nerve growth factors (NGF). NGFs of Elapidae showing 65% sequence homology with mouse or human NGF, while the Viperidae NGF shows N-glycosylation (Asn-21) typical of these mammalian NGFs. Snake NGF-induced neurite outgrowth (neurotropic activity) was measured in the past by using PC12 cell or dorsal root ganglion bioassays. The present study was aimed ...

A high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated protein fraction was isolated from cobra venom. It consists of mucin-like glycoproteins (designated as cobra venom mucin) in noncovalent association with several lower molecular weight proteins and glycoproteins. The mucin was purified by CsBr density gradient centrifugation under dissociative conditions. The purified venom mucin comprised about 85%...

Properdin factor D,1 a 23,500 tool wt euglobulin (6), interacts with properdin factor B and cobra venom factor (CoVF) to generate the CoVF-dependent C3 convertase which cleaves C3 (7) and activates the terminal complement components, C5-C9 (8). Fluid phase C3b, the major cleavage fragment of C3, interacts with factors B and D in a manner analogous to CoVF to form a fluid phase C3b-dependent C3 ...