Clinical Toxinology in Australia, Europe, and Americas (eBook)

This handbook addresses various topics on clinical toxinology such as the epidemiology and management of snake and insect bites in Australia and different countries in Europe and the Americas. Chapters will be written by experts currently working in the subspecialty, many of whom have first-hand experience in the relevant research fields. In virtually all the topics, appropriate illustrations are provided to simplify comprehension including tables, figures and pictures.

Clinical toxinologic conditions are becoming increasingly frequent, more so than is generally recognized. The conditions comprise of clinical aspects such as the diagnosis, management, and prevention of snakebite envenoming, scorpion sting, mushroom toxins, plant toxins, and other natural toxins. Clinical toxinology also deals with the ecology, epidemiology, regional differences, and varieties of fauna accounting for different envenoming manifestations.

This reference work, part of the Toxinology handbook series, is designed to keep readers abreast with new knowledge and experience in toxinology regionally and globally. Toxinologists, researchers, scientists, and experts in this field from various working

areas considered it necessary to collect all the aspects of clinical toxinology in a single, handy handbook. This can be used by medical students, postgraduate students, general practitioners, specialists in internal medicine, critical care physicians, emergency physicians, and anesthetists worldwide.

Prof P. Gopalakrishnakone is a world leader in the characterization of the structure and function of animal and plant toxins and chemical poisons, which contain highly specific and biologically active components. He has contributed significantly to the body of knowledge regarding the anatomy of snake venom glands and the development of drug candidates from animal toxins. 

Prof Gopal pioneered the development of the NUS Venom and Toxin Research Programme, which has put NUS at the forefront of toxin research internationally.  The technology platform that has been built over the years under the Venom and Toxin Research Programme, coupled with its extensive library of protein and peptides, has enabled Prof Gopal and his team to complete the discovery process of lead candidates in time and to transfer valuable supplementary information to the next discovery steps involving profiling and optimization of lead candidates.  The objective is to characterize the venom components and natural toxins at a molecular level and identify promising compounds amenable to the development of novel human therapeutics.  Prof Gopal's lab has identified over twenty peptides with unique medical indications from venom-based proteins with some already under development as therapeutics.

Prof Gopal's research studies includes structure function studies (toxin detection, biosensors, antitoxins and neutralization factors), toxinogenomics and expression studies, antimicrobia

l peptides from venoms and toxins and PLA2 inhibitors as potential drug candidate for inflammatory diseases. The techniques he employs include quantum dots to toxinology, computational biology, microarrays and protein chips. He has patented analgesic peptide, anti inflammatory peptide as well as anti rheumatoid arthritis peptides. He is exploring various possibilities of delivery systems for these peptides to target sites and administration of these peptides orally, transdermally, ocular and injections.

Prof Gopal has over 100 international peer-reviewed papers in venom and toxin research, drug discovery, biosensors, and toxinogenomics.

His research awards include the Outstanding University Researcher Award from the National University of Singapore (1998); Ministerial Citation, NSTB Year 2000 Award in Singapore; and the Research Excellence Award from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore (2003). His awards in teaching include, Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2003/4 & NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award 2003/4. He also received the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2009/10 and the Annual Teaching Excellence Award, NUS FOR 2009/10. He is the President of International Society on Toxinology till 2012, and is a member of the editorial board of Toxicon, the official journal of the International Society on Toxinology.

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This handbook addresses various topics on clinical toxinology such as the epidemiology and management of snake and insect bites in Australia and different countries in Europe and the Americas. Chapters will be written by experts currently working in the subspecialty, many of whom have first-hand experience in the relevant research fields. In virtually all the topics, appropriate illustrations are provided to simplify comprehension including tables, figures and pictures. Clinical toxinologic conditions are becoming increasingly frequent, more so than is generally recognized. The conditions comprise of clinical aspects such as the diagnosis, management, and prevention of snakebite envenoming, scorpion sting, mushroom toxins, plant toxins, and other natural toxins. Clinical toxinology also deals with the ecology, epidemiology, regional differences, and varieties of fauna accounting for different envenoming manifestations. This reference work, part of the Toxinology handbook series, is designed to keep readers abreast with new knowledge and experience in toxinology regionally and globally. Toxinologists, researchers, scientists, and experts in this field from various working areas considered it necessary to collect all the aspects of clinical toxinology in a single, handy handbook. This can be used by medical students, postgraduate students, general practitioners, specialists in internal medicine, critical care physicians, emergency physicians, and anesthetists worldwide.