Biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, both as a graduate student at The Rockefeller University under the mentorship of Bruce Merrifield during the 1970s, and as an independent investigator at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) during the 1980s, devised effective and robust methods for the chemical synthesis of the peptide hormones glucagon and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), along with numerous analogues of these key biomolecules. Working separately from MGH’s powerhouse endocrine research laboratory, Mojsov developed a tool-kit of reliable assays that were indispensable to later in vitro and in vivo collaborative studies that established profound insulinotropic effects of this peptide family, findings that were subsequently harnessed clinically with blockbuster drugs directed at often-serious endocrine conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Significantly, Mojsov was the first to recognize the critical cleavage sites in preproglucagon that give rise to the biologically active species, a truncated form known as GLP-1 (7–37), and carried out the key experiments that proved her hypothesis. Despite being the first author on critical formative publications for the field, and being acknowledged, along with Joel Habener, as one of two co-inventors on the controlling United States patents, Mojsov’s foundational contributions were initially overlooked when GLP-1 biochemistry began to be the subject of major scientific prizes. Fortunately, Mojsov’s work has, within the past year, been better appreciated and deservedly lauded.

Migraine, a commonly occurring neurological disorder, disproportionately affects women during their reproductive years, and its symptoms are often intensified by hormonal fluctuations. This narrative review examines the impact of hormonal contraceptives, particularly combined oral contraceptives (COCs), on menstrual migraine (MM). This review assessed the impact of COCs on MM through a literature search in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus using keywords like “menstrual migraine”, “hormone therapy”, and “COCs”. The selection criteria were peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, written in English, and focused on MM treatment with COCs. Exclusion criteria were duplicates, editorials, irrelevant articles, and non-English studies. The literature reveals inconsistent results, with some studies reporting aggravation of migraine symptoms with COC use, whereas others indicate a decrease in the frequency and severity of attacks, especially with continuous use. Factors affecting these outcomes include patient age, menstrual cycle characteristics, and migraine type. It is crucial to choose contraceptives that suit individual patient profiles, considering the potential for increased migraine frequency or onset of migraine with aura in some women. Further studies are required to establish clear clinical guidelines. It is recommended to create personalized treatment plans that balance the effectiveness of migraine management with the overall health risks.

Envenomation caused by snakes, scorpions, and spiders represents a serious public health problem in Latin America. The antivenoms used for its treatment are produced by immunizing horses repeatedly with sublethal doses of animal venoms along with the adjuvant. However, venom availability is a bottleneck. Furthermore, toxin-neutralizing antibodies are only a few of the total produced with this classical method. Therefore, high doses of antivenom are required to achieve the neutralization power, which usually causes adverse reactions in the patient. With the aim of obtaining a higher proportion of toxin-neutralizing antibodies while reducing the dependency on venom availability, alternative immunization protocols have been explored using synthetic peptides with epitopes from clinically relevant toxins. The process to design an immunogenic peptide entitles: (a) choice of the medical relevant toxins in the venom; (b) identification of the epitopes in the selected toxins; (c) improvement of peptide immunogenicity; (d) immunogen synthesis; and e) in vitro and in vivo evaluation. The present article aims to review the advances in the design of immunogenic synthetic peptides for their application in antivenom production in Latin America during the 21st century. Epitopes have been identified from many clinically important toxins in Latin American snakes (snake venom metalloproteinases, snake venom serine proteases, crotamine, phospholipases A2, and three-finger toxins), scorpions (beta-mammal/insect toxin Ts1, alpha-mammal toxin Ts2, alpha-mammal toxin Ts3, toxin Ts4, and beta-mammal Tt1g neurotoxin), and spiders (dermonecrotic toxin and delta-ctenitoxin-Pn2a). Nevertheless, their application is still experimental, even though they are ideal for large-scale and low-cost antivenom production, factors that are necessary to meet national and regional demands.