Status of a Unique Coastal Population of Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) in Romania.

A friend has made a excellent work.

Status of a Unique Coastal Population of Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) in Romania. (pdf-file)

Status av en unik population av Rutsnok (Natrix tessellata) i Rumänien. (Swedish summary)

Inhibitory Effect Of Snake Venom Toxin From On Hormone-Refractory Human Prostate Cancer Cell Growth

UroToday.com- Snake venom as therapeutic treatment of cancer?

This certainly sounds unusual, but Dr. Son and colleagues report on the effectiveness of the snake venom toxin (SVT) Vipera lebetina turanica in the inhibition of androgen-independent prostate cancer (AICAP) in the February 2007 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

The molecular focus of this report was on nuclear factor B (NF-B), an anti-apoptotic transcriptional factor that is constitutively activated in AICAP cell lines. The scientists showed that SVT inhibited growth of AICAP cells lines PC-3 and DU145 with IC50’s of 1.7 and 1.8ug/mL, respectively. This exceeded the IC50 in LNCaP, androgen-sensitive cells (9.1ug/mL). With increasing concentrations of SVT, the number of cells distributed in the S phase of the cell cycle decreased significantly compare with cells in other phases.

Full article on Medical News.

Threatened frogspecies seeking new home.

Article in Swedish.

Göteborgs-Posten

The Legalities and Philosophies of Venomous Herpetoculture

by Thomas Eimermacher

In many western societies, the keeping of venomous reptiles by private non-professional individuals is considered to be a controversial issue that warrants further analysis.
In the United States alone, a whole array of legal bills and ordinances are proposed, implemented and edited by the legislature every year. Most of the time, these legal measures aim to restrict or even to outlaw this practice. But why is this a recurring issue? Has the keeping of venomous reptiles suddenly become a problem in this society? Have there been an increasing number of incidents in which innocent bystanders and members of the public have somehow been threatened, endangered, or even harmed? Their argument is simple: Venomous animals are potentially dangerous, and should not be kept by the public, as they pose a danger to society. Seems logical, or does it? After all, why should anyone be allowed to keep deadly animals in their home? Why would anybody want to do so, anyway? In order to make an educated assessment of the situation, one needs to take an analytical approach and consider the facts upon which a subsequent decision must be based on.

Snake charmers on a melodious path of revival

By Azera Rahman, New Delhi, March 4 : Snake charming, one of the oldest professions of India and the ‘mystic’ factor that people all over the world are fascinated by, was dying a slow death until recently.

Armed with their ‘beens’ (flutes), these charmers sans their snakes are now hypnotising audiences with their tunes and inviting serpentine queues for their performances.

Full article: New Kerala