Holy medicine: Patron saints of wounds due to animal bites.

The cult (system of religious beliefs and rituals) of saints in Western Europe appeared in the 3rd century CE and gained momentum from the 4th to the 6th centuries. Its importance for European society in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages was undeniable; holy medicine was the only hope for sick people because the number of physicians was insufficient, and usually physicians were helpless in the face of most of the ailments that plagued society at that time. The number of saints had increased over the years, and people sought medical help from them through prayer and other religious practices. Some saints "specialized" in the treatment of various wounds, including skin diseases. Our research revealed many saints who were patrons of wounds and skin. They can be collected in three groups: patron saints against snakebites and dog bites; patron saints of the treatment of wounds, ulcers, burns, and frostbite; and patron saints against spreadable diseases such as ergotism, leprosy, and scabies. The large number of saints who were patrons against snakebites and dog bites shows the relevance and importance of the problem. In our research, we tried to find out whether the cult of saints led to the development of hospitals for the treatment of skin diseases like ergotism in the hospital of Brother St. Anthony or only in miracles of healing emphasizing the power of faith in the cure of diseases.

Counteraction of Bothrops snake venoms by Combretum leprosum root extract and arjunolic acid.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Serotherapy against snakebite is often unavailable in some regions over Brazil, where people make use of plants from folk medicine to deal with ophidic accidents. About 10% of Combretum species have some ethnopharmacological use, including treatment of snakebites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the ability of the extract of Combretum leprosum and its component arjunolic acid to reduce some in vivo and in vitro effects of Bothrops jararacussu and Bothrops jararaca venoms. The protocols investigated include phospholipase, proteolytic, collagenase, hyaluronidase, procoagulant, hemorrhagic, edematogenic, myotoxic and lethal activities induced by these venoms in Swiss mice. RESULTS: Oral pre-treatment with arjunolic acid reduced the Bothrops jararacussu lethality in up to 75%, while preincubation prevented the death of all the animals. Hemoconcentration effect of Bothrops jararacussu venom was confirmed two hours after i.p. injection, while preincubation with arjunolic acid preserved the hematocrit levels. Both Combretum leprosum extract and arjunolic acid abolished the myotoxic action of Bothrops jararacussu venom. Preincubation of Bothrops jararacussu venom with the extract or arjunolic acid prevented the increase of plasma creatine kinase activity in mice. The hemorrhagic activity of Bothrops jararaca crude venom was reduced down to about 90% and completely inhibited by preincubation with 10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg Combretum leprosum extract, respectively, while the preincubation and the pretreatment with 30 mg/kg of arjunolic acid reduced the venom hemorrhagic activity down to about 12% and 58%, respectively. The preincubation of the venom with both extract and 30 mg/kg arjunolic acid significantly reduced the bleeding amount induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom. The extract of Combretum leprosum decreased the edema formation induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom both in preincubation and pretreatment, but not in posttreatment. Similarly, arjunolic acid preincubated with the venom abolished edema formation, while pre- and posttreatment have been partially effective. Some enzymatic activities of Bothrops jararacussu and Bothrops jararaca venoms, i.e. phospholipase A2, collagenase, proteolytic and hyaluronidase activities, were to some extent inhibited by the extract and arjunolic acid in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our results show that Combretum leprosum extract can inhibit different activities of two important Brazilian snake venoms, giving support for its popular use in folk medicine in the management of venomous snakebites.

Exotic pathology of the hand and foot. A pictorial review.

In this article, the imaging findings of the most frequently encountered import pathology of the hand and foot are reviewed, including leprosy, loiasis, snake bites or penetration of spines of sea urchins in the hand and foot. Our objective is to familiarize the radiologist of the Western countries with these diseases, which are still prevalent in developing areas. Due to the rising traveling to foreign countries and continuous immigration, it is important that these disorders be considered in the differential diagnosis in a specific population of asylum-seekers, economic refugees and any other group of persons traveling around the globe. Imaging findings on conventional radiography will be emphasized.

Acidente por surucucu (Lachesis muta muta) em Belém-Pará: relato de caso / Snakebite by the bushmaster (Lachesis muta muta) in Belém-Pará: a case report

Objetivo: relatar um caso de envenenamento por Lachesis, atendido no Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto de Belém-Pará, ano de 2006. Relato do caso: paciente masculino, 19 anos, picado no antebraço direito, quando alimentava o animal; admitido e internado no Hospital apresentando edema discreto no antebraço direito, dor intensa no local, náuseas e vômitos, que coincidiam com cólicas abdominais paroxísticas, além de sudorese, visão turva, discreta epistaxe e diarréia; a freqüência cardíaca, ao início, com 108 batimentos por minuto, chegando a 62 após a soroterapia e pressão arterial em 130/80 mmHg; tempo de sangria em 4 min 15 seg, tempo de coagulação acima de 15 min, tempo de protrombina acima de 1 minuto. Como tratamento, foi realizado pré-medicação e soroterapia com 10 ampolas de soro antibotrópico-laquético. Após o anti-veneno o paciente evoluiu com melhora clínica; continuou assintomático até receber alta, curado. Considerações Finais: o envenenamento laquético é episódio raro, principalmente, entre profissionais que manipulam o animal. A descrição do caso é alertar os que manipulam serpentes peçonhentas, para redobrarem os cuidados e a atenção em seu ambiente de trabalho.

Objetive: report a case of snake envenomation by Lachesis, admitted at João de Barros Barreto University Hospital, in Belém, state of Pará, in 2006. Case Report: man, 19 years old, was bitten in the right foreann while was ft!eding the animal; he was hospitalized presenting mild edema in the right forearm, severe and localized ache, nauseas and vomiting, concomitant paroxistics abdominal colics, moreover blurred vision, mild epistaxis and diarrhea; At the first physical exam the heart beat was 108 bpm, and afier serotherapy got 62 bpm, the blood pressure was 130/80 mmHg, Bleeding time was 4 min 15 seg, Coagulation time was over than 15 min, Prothrombin time was aver than 1 minute. The treatment consisted of pre-medicationand serotherapy using 10 ampoules of bothropiclaquetic antivenom. Afier the serotherapy, the patient improved clinically and remained asymptomatic until he was sent home, cured. Final considerations: the snake envenomation by Lachesis is arare fact, mainly within professionals whose handle with those animals. This report intent to alert those whom handle poisoning snake and improve the attention at workplace.

Prevención y control de enfermedades transmisibles: manual para el personal de salud del primer nivel de atención / Prevention and control of communicable diseases

Contiene: 1. Enfermedades transmitidas por agua contaminada; 2. Enfermedades relacionadas con el comportamiento sexual; 3. Enfermedades producidas por contacto con animales; 4. Enfermedades transmitidas por mosquitos; 5. Enfermedades infecciosas crónicas

Acute renal failure due to intravascular hemolysis in the North Indian patients.

Acute renal failure due to intravascular hemolysis is a common clinical problem in North Indian patients. It constituted 21.5 percent of 325 patients dialyzed for acute renal failure over an 11-year period at Chandigarh. Thirty patients had developed acute intravascular hemolysis in association with erythrocyte glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PD) deficiency, 17 due to copper sulphate intoxication and 8 due to envenomation by snakes. Less frequent causes were insect stings, incompatible blood transfusion, intake of anti-leprosy drug--dapsone in non-G-6PD-deficient patients, and mercuric chloride toxicity in two patients each; naphthalene poisoning in one; and uncertain causes in six patients. Renal histology was available in 55 patients. Acute tubular necrosis was seen in 54 and bilateral diffuse cortical necrosis in one patient. Fifty patients (71.43 percent) survived and 20(28.6 percent) diet. G-6PD erythrocyte deficiency, which is present in 4.5 percent of the North Indian population, was the most frequent cause of acute renal failure in this group.