Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production

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  Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production Abstract Variability in the antibody response of horses used for snake antivenom manufacture is well recognized, yet its statistical structure and implications for industrial productivity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we quantified antivenom antibody titers by ELISA in a cohort of 14 horses immunized with venoms from the clinically most important snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. To integrate antibody levels with plasma availability, we calculated the Cumulative Plasma Productivity (CPP) by converting individual plasma volumes into titer-corrected equivalents and sequentially pooling these volumes according to their corrected contribution. Distributional analysis revealed right-skewed, heavy-tailed patterns better approximated by a log-normal model than by a strict Pareto (power-law) form, with approximately 20–3...

Scorpion Sting: A Reason for Failed Local Anesthetic Action (CASE REPORT)

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Abstract

Failed action of local anesthetics can be due to technical errors, but resistance to local anesthetic agents can also be a reason. Scorpion venom has the potential to cause antibodies to local anesthetics and genetic mutations in the receptors resulting in local anesthesia resistance. We would like to report two cases with a history of scorpion stings in the past where resistance to local anesthetic agents was seen. Local anesthesia resistance can be manifested as inadequate block or block failure. In such cases, the anesthesiologist should keep a history of scorpion bite in mind in areas where scorpion sting is common. Eliciting the history of scorpion bites should be a part of the routine preoperative protocol in areas where scorpion bites are frequent.

Dalal KS, Chellam S, Toal PV, Panse S. Scorpion Sting: A Reason for Failed Local Anesthetic Action. Res Inno in Anesth 2023; 8 (2):57-59. 

https://www.riajournal.com/abstractArticleContentBrowse/JRIA/41/8/2/34782/abstractArticle/Article