Nonparenchymal Cell And Hepatocyte Interaction in Antimalarial Activity
Timothy R. Billiar, Ronald D. Curran in Hepatocyte and Kupffer Cell Interactions, 2017
One of the major parasitic diseases of man and animals is malaria. The name “malaria” (or “bad air”) derives from the original association of the disease with the bad air of marshlands. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infection caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Presently, about half the population of the world lives in areas where malaria is endemic. It is estimated that there are around 100 million clinical cases annually, and malaria is assumed to be responsible for at least 1 million deaths per year.1 The clinical pattern of the disease is related to its multiplication of blood stage parasites, and is manifested by repeated episodes of chills, fever, anemia, and splenomegaly. The most severe complication is the cerebral syndrome due to P. falciparum,2 shown in some reports to be responsible for up to 80% of fatal falciparum cases.1 The infectious agent was discovered in 1880 by Laveran.3 Grassi4 and Ross5 identified that malaria is transmitted via a bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The preerythrocytic stages of malaria were discovered in 1948.6,7 Today, four Plasmodium species (P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovalae, P. vivax) are known to infect humans.
Unexplained Fever In Infectious Diseases: Section 2: Commonly Encountered Aerobic, Facultative Anaerobic, And Strict Anaerobic Bacteria, Spirochetes, And Parasites
Benedict Isaac, Serge Kernbaum, Michael Burke in Unexplained Fever, 2019
Infection by certain parasites may create problems of unexplained fever. Some infestations due to protozoa and worms may evolve with fever and they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of many illnesses. Of particular importance in the medical history, are animal contact, ingestion of infected food, socioeconomic status, and transfusions. Parasitic diseases are relatively easily confirmed by detection of ova and/or parasites in stool specimen or by serologic tests. Eosinophilia is frequent and is an important ancillary test in diagnosis. Once diagnosed, we have at our disposal several effective therapeutic agents. Many of the protozoan and helminthic diseases are discussed in Chapters 7 and 18. Here, we shall comment only on some diseases not fully discussed elsewhere.
The Challenge of Parasite Control
Eric S. Loker, Bruce V. Hofkin in Parasitology, 2023
In more developed parts of the world, strategies used to reduce contact between parasites and their human hosts have essentially eliminated many parasitic diseases. Mosquito control, for instance, has lifted the scourge of malaria in Europe and North America. Adequate sanitation in tandem with clean food and water supplies has made food and waterborne disease uncommon. Yet in less developed regions, poor infrastructure, a lack of will on the part of governments and extreme poverty often collude to make even basic sanitation nothing more than a distant dream (Figure 9.1). Additionally, although certain diseases such as malaria attract considerable attention and research funding, many parasitic diseases tend to receive relatively low priority in the public health community. Many of these diseases, often collectively called neglected tropical diseases (Table 9.1), are at least in theory preventable, if only the underlying socioeconomic factors could be appropriately addressed.
Characteristics of participants and decliners from a randomized controlled trial on physical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective register-based cross-sectional study
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology, 2023
T Thomsen, BA Esbensen, ML Hetland, M Aadahl
In Denmark, all hospital contacts, including administrative information, are registered in the Danish NPR by type and contact date. The NPR records primary and secondary diagnoses and treatment procedures using the ICD-10. We extracted information on morbidity as primary and secondary diagnoses. However, as we initially had identified our target population of patients with RA through DANBIO, we excluded the ICD-10 classification codes for RA (M05_0, M05_9, M06_0, M06_9) from 2003 up to 2013, which was the year for commencement of the JR-SB study recruitment. We were interested in the presence of specific diseases in the RA population as suggested by previous research about morbidity in patients with RA (23). Therefore, comorbidity was classified into seven major ICD-10 classification groups of disease: (i) cancer; (ii) endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases; (iii) mental and behavioural disorders; (iv) diseases of the circulatory system; (v) diseases of the respiratory system; (vi) diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue; and (vii) infectious and parasitic diseases. From the NPR, we also extracted information on the number of days of hospital admission from 2003 to 2013 in all patients with RA.
Design, synthesis, and antiprotozoal evaluation of new 2,4-bis[(substituted-aminomethyl)phenyl]quinoline, 1,3-bis[(substituted-aminomethyl)phenyl]isoquinoline and 2,4-bis[(substituted-aminomethyl)phenyl]quinazoline derivatives
Published in Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 2020
Jean Guillon, Anita Cohen, Clotilde Boudot, Alessandra Valle, Vittoria Milano, Rabindra Nath Das, Aurore Guédin, Stéphane Moreau, Luisa Ronga, Solène Savrimoutou, Maxime Demourgues, Elodie Reviriego, Sandra Rubio, Sandie Ferriez, Patrice Agnamey, Cécile Pauc, Serge Moukha, Pascale Dozolme, Sophie Da Nascimento, Pierre Laumaillé, Anne Bouchut, Nadine Azas, Jean-Louis Mergny, Catherine Mullié, Pascal Sonnet, Bertrand Courtioux
Furthermore, another neglected disease caused by Trypanosomatidae parasites of the Trypanosoma genus is the human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, almost invariably fatal unless treated. This infection is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tsetse fly. Brain involvement causes various neurological disturbances, including sleep disorders, progression to coma and, ultimately, death. There are two clinical forms: the slowly progressing form (gambiense HAT), caused by infection with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (currently 98% of cases), and the faster progressing form (rhodesiense HAT), caused by infection with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. As a neglected tropical disease targeted by the WHO for elimination, a historically low number of cases (<1000) was reported in 2018. The recent approval of a new medicine (fexinidazole) for the treatment of gambiense HAT has opened new possibilities for the management of cases and thus led to recent WHO interim guidelines for this treatment27. A veterinary form of this parasitic disease exists. Named Nagana, it is caused by Trypanosoma brucei brucei which contaminates African livestock, thus having a significant economic impact.
An audit of inpatient stool ova and parasite (O&P) testing in a multi-hospital health system
Published in Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 2020
Mohammad Qasim Khan, Nicole Gentile, Ying Zhou, Becky A. Smith, Richard B. Thomson, Eugene F. Yen
We conclude that the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic disease in hospitalized patients is very low and that current patterns of superfluous stool O&P testing burden both patients and the institution. In addition, we agree that the highest yield of inpatient O&P exams is within the first 3 days of admission and posit that a single examination may be sufficient for diagnosis. The IDSA’s recommendations to test individuals with diarrhea for more than 7 days, especially if immunocompromised, in addition to the ‘3-day rule’ proposed by multiple groups, are not inclusive of all the risk factors for parasitic disease. To this end, our study adds to the literature by identifying the history of smoking, prior parasitic disease, HIV-positive status, travel to an endemic area, and institutionalization as significant risk factors of a positive O&P exam. Furthermore, we found that restricting in-patient stool O&P testing to patients with these significant risk factors can reduce the number of tests conducted and by extension, costs, and expended labor time, by up to 51%, while successfully identifying all positive specimens. Thus, we propose that laboratory criteria for ova and parasite testing be amended to necessitate the presence of at least one of the aforementioned risk factors, in addition to symptom duration greater than 7 days and specimen collection within 3 days of admission.
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