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Through Postmodernism, issues in the global world have been through modernization and able to be seen from another perspective. Variety of films with theme of superheroes, such as Black Widow and Sri Asih, have attracted attention significantly. Both films can be a medium to translate messages and realities in current society. Therefore, this research focuses on the meaning of international issues through Black Widow and Sri Asih based on Postmodernism theory. The result shows that the meaning of social issues from both films are valid and well-suited with current reality. Furthermore, it describes hidden meanings which are also related to social issues, especially prominent issues that being concerned by international organizations. The conclusion of this research is the international world no longer depends on traditional media to see current international issues. Modern media such as films are possible to used as well to interpret the intended message.

Abstract Black widows, one of the few spiders that can sting humans with poison, are members of the spider genus Latrodectus and are well-known for the extraordinary potency of their neurotoxic venom. Latrodectism, a symptom marked by excruciating muscular pain, stomach pain, and diaphoresis after envenomation, is very typical. We described a black widow envenomation case that produced a significant reaction, including diaphoresis and excruciating pain throughout the left thigh that later spread to the lower leg, lower back, belly, and chest. Because of the patient’s description of the spider that bit him and his typical clinical state, it was assumed that Latrodectus envenomation was the cause of his symptoms. The patient received 3 days of observation in the ED while receiving opioid analgesic pain management and muscle relaxant treatment with diazepam. The patient's pain and symptoms were satisfactorily managed, and he was sent home. This case report will help further research be done in the area where it was reported to see if there are cases with similar presentations misdiagnosed as other illnesses. Finally, immediate pain relief is the most critical goal for all patients.

Black widows, one of the few spiders that can sting humans with poison, are members of the spider genus Latrodectus and are well-known for the extraordinary potency of their neurotoxic venom. Latrodectism, a symptom marked by excruciating muscular pain, stomach pain, and diaphoresis after envenomation, is very typical. We described a black widow envenomation case that produced a significant reaction, including diaphoresis and excruciating pain throughout the left thigh that later spread to the lower leg, lower back, belly, and chest. Because of the patient's description of the spider that bit him and his typical clinical state, it was assumed that Latrodectus envenomation was the cause of his symptoms. The patient received 3 days of observation in the ED while receiving opioid analgesic pain management and muscle relaxant treatment with diazepam. The patient's pain and symptoms were satisfactorily managed, and he was sent home. This case report will help further research be done in the area where it was reported to see if there are cases with similar presentations misdiagnosed as other illnesses. Finally, immediate pain relief is the most critical goal for all patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral hazard is well known to life insurance underwriters and medical directors to increase the risk of adverse consequences to insured individuals. The underwriting investigation of proposed insureds at time of policy issue is done to ensure no likely moral hazard exists. However, not all situations involving moral hazard may be identified at time of underwriting and policy issue, and may only be identified at time of claim. Three cases that were underwritten for life expectancies in legal matters are described here as examples of moral hazard identified at time of severe injury and/or death. All three of these cases involved a woman who manipulated her male partner into situations that increased the man's risk of severe injury and/or death to the woman's financial benefit. Such "black widows" made a great deal of effort over an extensive period of time to ensure that the moral hazard set up for their male partners resulted in a substantial financial windfall through litigation. The moral hazard set up by a black widow thus can be considered by the life insurance industry as sufficiently anti-selective and speculative to deny a claim at any time after policy issue., (Copyright © 2024 Journal of Insurance Medicine.)

Background: Rhabdomyolysis after spider bite has been reported in a small number of patients, and myocarditis in even fewer. However, arrhythmia associated with latrodectism in children has not been described in the literature to date.Case Summary: A girl presented approximately 4.5 h after being bitten on the left ankle by a black spider. Two unifocal premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were observed on the electrocardiogram. In laboratory tests, creatine kinase was elevated. On day 2, levels of troponin, pro-brain and natriuretic peptide were elevated. Electrocardiogram revealed inverted and biphasic T waves. Echocardiography revealed mild left ventricular dilation, mitral and aortic valve regurgitation. Holter electrocardiogram showed PVCs. Her laboratory and echocardiography findings completely normalized after discharge, and no arrhythmia was observed on the Holter electrocardiogram during outpatient follow-up.Conclusion: Although spider bites are uncommon, they can cause serious systemic effects. These patients should be evaluated for arrhythmia, rhabdomyolysis and myocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Spiders often use their webs as sensory mechanisms, obtaining from them such information as the location of prey, the presence of rival spiders, and the characteristics of potential mates. Examining how this information is transmitted through the web and received by spiders is a promising biological area of research that could provide insight into a spider's world and lead to new technologies that leverage these discoveries. In this paper, we develop a novel noncontact technique using two video cameras that is capable of analyzing vibrational signals transmitted through spiderwebs and validate this technique against the current standard of laser Doppler vibrometry. By combining the principles of stereo vision and video vibrometry, we can automatically extract three-dimensional vibrational information at any point in the spiderweb across time, and study how these signals propagate through the web. We show that this technique produces results comparable to those of standard laser vibrometry. From courtship rituals, to prey identification, to displays of rivalry, a spider's web vibrates with a symphony of information. Examining the modality of information being transmitted and how spiders interact with this information could lead to new understanding how spiders perceive the world around them through their webs, and new biological and engineering techniques that leverage this understanding. Spiders interact with their webs through a variety of body motions, including abdominal tremors, bounces, and limb jerks along threads of the web. These signals often create a large enough visual signature that the web vibrations can be analyzed using video vibrometry on high-speed video of the communication exchange. Using video vibrometry to examine these signals has numerous benefits over the conventional method of laser vibrometry, such as the ability to analyze three-dimensional vibrations and the ability to take measurements from anywhere in the web, including directly from the body of the spider itself. In this study, we developed a method of three-dimensional vibration analysis that combines video vibrometry with stereo vision, and verified this method against laser vibrometry on a black widow spiderweb that was experiencing rivalry signals from two female spiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The black widow spider (BWS) is a venomous spider whose bite can cause various clinical conditions that range from local damage to serious systemic complications, including death. Cases of myocarditis following a BWS bite are rare but they can be fatal on occasion. However, the prognostic significance of the bite and presentation of myocarditis is unknown. Our case involved a 50-year-old man who presented with myocarditis after being bitten by a BWS and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit for cardiac monitoring. During the hospital stay, he showed worsening signs on both the electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations despite therapeutic success. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance and coronary angiography investigations showed no significant alterations; blood and instrumental test results slowly improved, and the patient was discharged home after 12 days of hospitalization without complications. This case illustrates that acute myocarditis, although an infrequent complication of BWS bite, has the potential to be lethal. The correct diagnosis, which is not always easy to formulate, is important to identify those patients who can benefit from careful monitoring and specific therapies aimed at reducing the risk of life.

This article offers a visual discourse analysis of the Marvel comic superheroine Black Widow in the 2010 miniseries Black Widow–Deadly Origins, the 2016 Black Widow–S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Most Wanted series and issues 103 and 104 of Tales of Suspense from2018. Focusing on issues of gender and cultural representation, it identifies the Widow as a figuration of Russia through the tropes of the ballerina and the trauma patient. It shows how the comic books deploy the comic form to create visual narratives on the intersection of gender and trauma. Furthermore, it analyzes how the images of the Widow bring forward trauma and at the same time confirms symbols, images and ideas about Russia. To argue that the meaning of trauma embodied by the Black Widow is a symbol for Russia as such, the article contextualises the individual visual and textual narratives of current Black Widow iterations within the long history of the Black Widow figure as point to negotiate the relationship between the USA and Russia within the Marvel comic universe. Thereafter, it relates contemporary imaginations about Russia through the figure of the Black Widow to current and long-standing cultural ideas about the Russian country, history and its people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Black widow spider bites cause severe poisoning (latrodectism) with symptoms such as muscle spasm, rigidity, pain, vomiting, hypertension, and tachycardia. Although Latrodectus mactans (L. mactans) is the most well-known species to cause latrodectism, it has not been reported in Turkey. We report a poisoning case caused by Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (L. tredecimguttatus) spider a species known to be in Turkey for the first time in the literature. Case: A 35-year-old male patient presented with complaints of pain in the lower extremities and excessive sweating due to a spider bite. Discomfort, agitation, a sweaty appearance, tachycardia, and hypertensive attack were observed in the patient. Because black widow antivenom is not available in Turkey and because of the continuation of symptoms despite treatment for 12 hours in the emergency department, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he was given IV sedoanalgesia. Nicardipine infusion was administered to treat hypertension attack. The patient's symptoms improved on the fifth day. The dead spider that was brought in was identified by an expert biologist as L. tredecimguttatus. Conclusion: It should be considered that latrodectism due to L. tredecimguttatus spider bite may be resistant to emergent treatment and hospitalization may be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, 319 incidents of snake predation by spiders are reported based on a comprehensive global literature and social media survey. Snake-catching spiders have been documented from all continents except Antarctica. Snake predation by spiders has been most frequently documented in USA (51% of all incidents) and Australia (29%). The captured snakes are predominantly small-sized with an average body length of 25.9 ± 1.3 cm (median = 27 cm; range: 5.8-100 cm). Altogether >90 snake species from seven families have been documented to be captured by >40 spider species from 11 families. About 60% of the reported incidents were attributable to theridiids (≈0.6-1.1 cm body length), a spider family that uses strong tangle webs for prey capture. Especially the Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti Thorell, 1870), the African button spider (Latrodectus indistinctus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904), an Israeli widow spider (Latrodectus revivensis Shulov, 1948), and four species of North American widow spiders (Latrodectus geometricus C.L. Koch, 1841, Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935, Latrodectus mactans (Fabricius, 1775), and Latrodectus variolus Walckenaer, 1837) - equipped with a very potent vertebrate-specific toxin (α-latrotoxin) - have proven to be expert snake catchers. The use of vertebrates as a supplementary food source by spiders represents an opportunity to enlarge their food base, resulting in enhanced survival capability. Interestingly, the snakes captured by spiders also encompasses some species from the families Elapidae and Viperidae known to be highly toxic to humans and other vertebrates. Not only do spiders sometimes capture and kill snakes, quite often the tables are turned - that is, a larger number of arthropod-eating snake species (in particular nonvenomous species in the family Colubridae) include spiders in their diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work reports for the first time the presence of adult black widow spiders in winter in northeastern Patagonia. • Some of them even survived the winter, arriving alive the following spring. • All overwintering specimens inhabited abandoned anthropic materials (urban waste) in peri‑urban areas near the city of Puerto Madryn. Cases of araneism reported in the province of Chubut (Argentina) have tripled in the last two decades, and almost 80 % of them involve Latrodectus mirabilis (Holmberg) (Araneae: Theridiidae). According to descriptions of the life cycle of this species in Argentina, the low temperatures typical of autumn-winter cause the death of all adult spiders, so that no adult specimens of L. mirabilis are observed in winter. Field samplings, observations by the Grupo de Entomología Patagónica (GENTPAT, IPEEC CCT CENPAT CONICET), and citizen reports for more than 15 years suggested a similar cycle in northeastern Patagonia. However, for the last three consecutive years, we have recorded adult females in the field throughout the Patagonian winter. Some of these individuals even survived the winter and were alive the following spring. The purpose of this note is to report the field presence of adult female specimens of L. mirabilis in the outskirts of the city of Puerto Madryn (Chubut, Argentina) during the last three consecutive winters corresponding to the years 2021, 2022 and 2023; and to note that at least two of them survived the winter, arriving alive (and in good condition) the following spring. Given the medical importance of this spider, the publication of this information, the context of the findings, and their ecological implications will help to prevent its spread and reduce the likelihood of accidents. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From courtship rituals, to prey identification, to displays of rivalry, a spider’s web vibrates with a symphony of information. Examining the modality of information being transmitted and how spiders interact with this information could lead to new understanding how spiders perceive the world around them through their webs, and new biological and engineering techniques that leverage this understanding. Spiders interact with their webs through a variety of body motions, including abdominal tremors, bounces, and limb jerks along threads of the web. These signals often create a large enough visual signature that the web vibrations can be analyzed using video vibrometry on high-speed video of the communication exchange. Using video vibrometry to examine these signals has numerous benefits over the conventional method of laser vibrometry, such as the ability to analyze three-dimensional vibrations and the ability to take measurements from anywhere in the web, including directly from the body of the spider itself. In this study, we developed a method of three-dimensional vibration analysis that combines video vibrometry with stereo vision, and verified this method against laser vibrometry on a black widow spiderweb that was experiencing rivalry signals from two female spiders.

The black widow spider (BWS) is a venomous spider whose bite can cause various clinical conditions that range from local damage to serious systemic complications, including death. Cases of myocarditis following a BWS bite are rare but they can be fatal on occasion. However, the prognostic significance of the bite and presentation of myocarditis is unknown. Our case involved a 50-year-old man who presented with myocarditis after being bitten by a BWS and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit for cardiac monitoring. During the hospital stay, he showed worsening signs on both the electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations despite therapeutic success. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance and coronary angiography investigations showed no significant alterations; blood and instrumental test results slowly improved, and the patient was discharged home after 12 days of hospitalization without complications. This case illustrates that acute myocarditis, although an infrequent complication of BWS bite, has the potential to be lethal. The correct diagnosis, which is not always easy to formulate, is important to identify those patients who can benefit from careful monitoring and specific therapies aimed at reducing the risk of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latrodectus envenomations are common throughout the United States and the world. While many envenomations can result in catecholamine release with resultant hypertension and tachycardia, myocarditis is very rare. We describe a case of a 22- year-old male who sustained a Latrodectus envenomation complicated by cardiomyopathy. [West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(5):521-523.]

Spider silks are thought to have antimicrobial properties that prevent rapid degradation. Despite its biomedical potential, little research has focused on antimicrobial properties of spider silks. We tested the antimicrobial properties of gluey gumfoot capture threads of the western black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935, both for whole threads and after separating viscid silk from water soluble glue components using a water wash. Capture threads, unlike dry dragline silk, have a glue coating that may promote different interactions of bacteria with the material. Antimicrobial activity was assessed in an aqueous Escherichia coli cell culture and growth of colonies was counted over 24 hours. In contrast with previous research, mostly on dry dragline silk, we found an increase in bacterial growth for whole gumfoot thread treatment, but no effect of the solid and water-soluble components individually. These results suggest that better and proper procedures are needed for testing antimicrobials in silks, with controlled experiments using just one type of silk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Black widow spider (Latrodectus spp) envenomation represents the most medically significant spider envenomation in the United States, prompting more than 2500 calls to poison centers annually. The female spider, which is responsible for symptomatic envenomations, is classically described as a shiny black spider with a red hourglass-shaped marking on the ventral abdomen. Clinical features of envenomation include painful muscle cramping, abdominal pain, and autonomic disturbances, such as tachycardia, hypertension, and diaphoresis. "Latrodectus facies" or "facies latrodectismica" is an additional distinctive but rarely described clinical finding characterized by periorbital edema, lacrimation, and blepharospasm.Case Report: A 6-year-old female developed the typical clinical features of Latrodectus envenomation after being found in bed with a Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) with no ventral marking. She initially improved with opioid analgesia, but 6 h later her symptoms worsened again, and concurrent with this worsening she developed Latrodectus facies. She received additional opioid analgesia and all her symptoms resolved within 24 h. Her mother provided informed and written consent for the acquisition and publication of the facial photographs presented. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: A high degree of clinical suspicion is necessary to correctly diagnose Latrodectus envenomation, especially when the spider escapes unnoticed or in young children in whom the bite is not witnessed. To our knowledge, Latrodectus facies has not been reported previously in a young child, and recognition of this finding will aid clinicians in limiting unnecessary interventions and administering appropriate therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spider genus Latrodectus, commonly called "widow spider," is found all over the world. Its venom contains α-latrotoxin, which leads to a massive presynaptic release of acetylcholine so, after a person has been bitten, crampy muscle spasms usually occur within an hour. There is a lack of information about spider bites and envenomation during pregnancy, so we performed a systematic review of the literature using the following MeSH-terms: "black widow spider pregnancy"; "black widow spider" AND "pregnancy"; "black widow spider pregnant"; "black widow spider AND pregnant". The only restriction was the language: we included in the review articles in English, Italian, Spanish or French. The literature search yielded 26 results, but after the revision of the full texts, we identified 5 manuscripts to include in the review. They were American studies, published between 1979 and 2011. 28.25 years was the mean age of women when they were bitten, the gestational age ranged from 4 to 40 weeks, the left thigh, the right knee and the right breast were the most common sites of the bites. The most common symptoms were: spasms, local erythema, abdominal cramps, hypertension, anxiety, muscle rigidity. Patients were usually treated with benzodiazepines to allay the anxiety, with calcium gluconate, and in a limited number of cases (6.9%) with antivenin after a skin test to avoid anaphylactic reactions. No notable obstetric effects followed the bite: only in one case the authors described the onset of contractions and cervical dilatation which promptly arrested after treatment. Black widow spider bites have the potential to cause significant maternal morbidity and mortality. Acute risks to the fetus appear to be negligible in the short term if an appropriate therapy is promptly administered to the mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]