HUMAN FETAL HEARTSThe studies show that it is simply the spongy inner tissuein the fetal heart that gets stretched out to become a finenetwork of conductive tissue in adult birds and mammals.And this knowledge can be put to use in the future. “Ourknowledge about the reptilian heart and the evolutionarybackground to our conductive tissue can provide us witha better understanding of how the heart works in theearly months of fetal life in humans, when many womenmiscarry, and where heart disorders are thought to be theleading cause of spontaneous abortion,” says ProfessorTobias Wang.Science DailySeptember 2012Young Irwin ‘A Chip Off The Old Block’Eight-year-old Robert Irwin’s first time feeding freshwatercrocs at his late father’s zoo shows he’s a chip off the oldblock, his mother says.The son of crocodile hunter Steve Irwin led a public feedingdemonstration on Tuesday at the family’s Australia Zoo onthe Sunshine Coast.Terri Irwin, Robert’s mum, says he’s becoming more likehis dad every day.“I’m so proud of Robert. He’s growing up to be a chip offthe old block,” she said.“You’ll see how Robert and Bindi are continuing his legacy,”Mrs Irwin said.news.com.auOctober 2012Snake Venom Compounds May Aid PainReliefOne of the world’s most venomous snakes, the blackmamba, could hold the key to developing new painkillers.The black mamba is the longest venomous snake in Africaand is known for its aggression.French scientists discovered that compounds from thesnake’s venom provided pain relief as strong as morphine,but without the adverse effects, when injected into mice.The findings could lead to the development of drugs thatmimic the snake venom protein to alleviate pain, saidAustralian venom expert Professor Richard Lewis from theUniversity of Queensland.Prof Lewis studies the toxin of the marine cone snail, whichhas been developed into an analgesic, Prialt.He said the French study showed the venom compounds,when injected into mice, were unique because they actedon two pain pathways - the peripheral and central nervoussystems.Black Mamba(Dendroaspis polylepis)Steve Irwin’s son Robert has performed a crocodile feedingdemonstration at Australia ZooThe demonstration shows Robert is a step closer to feedingsaltwater crocs, Ms Irwin said, something his father wasrenowned for.It comes just before the premiere of Steve Irwin’s WildlifeWarriors series on Network Ten (Saturday, 7.30pm (AEST),which will be Robert’s first time on television.The show features the weird, wonderful and downrightbizarre day-to-day zoo life, as well as the Irwin familyvisiting Australian wildlife sanctuaries.26The research has also revealed another biological pathwayto target pain, known as acid-sensing ion channels.“These targets could allow drug companies to developsmall molecule mimics of this mamba toxin,” he told AAP.Prof Lewis said it would be interesting to see how manydifferent types of pain the new approach could potentiallytreat.RMIT molecular biologist Professor Peter McIntyre said itwas important to emphasise that new drugs related to thediscovery were a long way from being developed.But he said the research was a proof of principle of how itcould be done.
This could be through finding another way to block theparticular pain pathway identified, or modifying the toxinitself for use as a therapeutic, he said.The research was published in the journal Nature.MICHELLE HENDERSONAAP National Medical WriterOctober 2012Young Researcher On the Trail of HerbalSnakebite AntidoteA PhD student at the University of Copenhagen hasdrawn on nature’s own pharmacy to help improve thetreatment of snakebites in Africa.Marianne Molander from the University of Copenhagen’sFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences has been workingwithin a Danish team that has examined various plantsnative to the African continent in a bid to find locallyavailable herbal antidotes.“Snake venom antidotes are expensive, it’s often a longway to the nearest doctor and it can be difficult to storethe medicine properly in the warm climate. As a resultmany local people rely on natural resources for treatingpotentially fatal bites,” says pharmacist and PhD studentMarianne Molander.The Danish researchers are now investigating Africanplants that have proven effective in treating snakebite.Armed with the results of their research they are set toprovide guidance in the use of plants in remote areaswhere local people have limited access to Westernmedicine: “We have particularly focused on the snakespecies Bitis arietans, which is widespread south of theSahara. All snake venoms consist of a unique cocktailof enzymes, which results in rapid tissue death. Alongwith our African partners, we are currently testing plantsthat act as venom antidotes in remote regions of Africa.A hundred plants from Mali, 27 from South Africa and 13from the Democratic Republic of Congo are now underthe microscope,” says Marianne Molander, PhD studentin drug design and pharmacology at the University ofCopenhagen.SNAKE VENOM AS MEDICINE100,000 people worldwide die each year from snakebites.Three times as many suffer permanent injuries, disabilityor amputations as a result of a bite to an arm or leg. Theproblem is greatest in tropical developing countries, whereagricultural workers, women and children are the mostlikely victims. Although a million people in Africa are bittenby snakes each year -- only half receive treatment.But snake venom is not all bad. There are many instanceswhere venom can be developed into drugs used, forexample, in the treatment of hypertension, heart failureand diabetic kidney disease. The drug Aggrastat, which isused for chest pain, was developed using a peptide froman African viper.HERBAL HEALING IN AFRICAHistorically plants have always been a major source ofdrugs. A quarter of all new medicinal products registeredworldwide, come from plants or other natural resources.This impressive potential has its origins in the fact thatplants have evolved to contain substances that preventthem being eaten or attacked by diseases. Thesebiologically active defence compounds can sometimesbe useful for developing new drugs. And Africa’s poor usenature as their medicine cabinet.“In Africa where much of the population can’t affordmedicine, there is a tradition of seeking out healers andalternative therapists, before turning to conventionalmedicine. Eighty percent visit the healer before they goto the hospital. Traditional herbal medicine is based oncenturies of traditions and achievement, so the localshamans and medicine men are often a good place tostart when you are looking for active substances with realpharmaceutical effects,” says Marianne Molander.BACKGROUND: SNAKES OF THE WORLDThe world’s 3.000 or so species of snake are divided into18 families. The bulk of Earth’s snake population belongto six families: Colubridae (colubrid snakes), Boidae(boas) Pythonidae (pythons) Hydrophiidae (sea snakes),Elapidae (elapid snakes) and Viperidae (vipers).Most of the poisonous snakes that are dangerous tohumans belong to the last two families. Sea snakes areextremely toxic, but rarely bite.Science DailySeptember 2012Large Croc Forces Qld Beach ClosureA large crocodile has forced the closure of a far northQueensland beach.Around 50 people had to be called out of the water whenthe four-metre saltwater crocodile was spotted swimmingwithin 100 metres of the shore at Ellis Beach, north ofCairns, on Sunday afternoon.The beach was closed for several hours.Ellis Beach is just a few kilometres from Kewarra Beach,where a crocodile killed a fisherman’s dog in front ofhorrified onlookers last month.A three-metre crocodile was found beheaded a few daysafter the Kewarra Beach attack.Last week authorities removed a 2.7-metre crocodile fromKewarra Beach.27
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