The Use of Antimalarial Drugs against Viral Infection

In recent decades, drugs used to treat malaria infection have been shown to be beneficial for many other diseases, including viral infections. In particular, they have received special attention due to the lack of effective antiviral drugs against new emerging viruses (i.e., HIV, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, Ebola virus, etc.) or against classic infections due to drug-resistant viral strains (i.e., human cytomegalovirus). Here, we reviewed the in vitro/in vivo and clinical studies conducted to evaluate the antiviral activities of four classes of antimalarial drugs: Artemisinin derivatives, aryl-aminoalcohols, aminoquinolines, and antimicrobial drugs

Sida acuta Burm. f.: a medicinal plant with numerous potencies

Sida acuta is shrub belonging to Malvaceae family. The plant is widely distributed in the subtropical regions where it is found in bushes, in farms and around habitations. Surveys conducted in indigenous places revealed that the plant had many traditional usages that varied from one region to another. The most cited illnesses are fever, headache and infections diseases. Indeed, many laboratory screening have been conducted to show the scientific rationale behind these usages and many compounds havebeen isolated from the plant. In the present review we listed the plant usages in folk medicine in some regions where the plant grows and we discussed on the confirmed in vitro activities after laboratoryscreenings. The review ended with the pharmacological properties of several compounds isolated from S. acuta principally alkaloids

Child mortality in a West African population protected with insecticide-treated curtains for a period of up to 6 years

Objectives To determine the impact of insecticide-treated curtains (ITC) on all-cause child mortality (6–59 months) over a period of six years. To determine whether initial reductions in child mortality following the implementation of ITC are sustained over the longer term or whether “delayed” mortality occurs. Methods A rural population of ca 100 000 living in an area with high, seasonal Plasmodium falciparum transmission was studied in Burkina Faso. Annual censuses were conducted from 1993 to 2000 to measure child mortality. ITC to cover doors, windows, and eaves were provided to half the population in 1994 with the remainder receiving ITC in 1996. Curtains were re-treated or, if necessary, replaced annually. Findings Over six years of implementation of ITC, no evidence of the shift in child mortality from younger to older children was observed. Estimates of the reduction in child mortality associated with ITC ranged from 19% to 24%. Conclusions In our population there was no evidence to suggest that initial reduction in child mortality associated with the introduction of insecticide-treated materials was subsequently compromised by a shift in child mortality to older-aged children. Estimates of the impact of ITC on child mortality in this population range from 19% to 24%. Keywords Malaria/epidemiology/mortality; Bedding and linens/utilization/statistics; Child, Preschool; Infant mortality; Plasmodium falciparum/immunology; Malaria, Falciparum/prevention and control/transmission; Anopheles; Mosquito control; Permethrin; Remission induction; Age factors; Regression analysis; Incidence; Survival rate; Randomized controlled trials; Burkina Faso/epidemiology (source: MeSH, NLM). Mots clés Paludisme/épidémiologie/mortalité; Literie et linge/utilisation/statistique; Enfant âge pré-scolaire; Mortalité nourrisson; Plasmodium falciparum/immunologie; Paludisme plasmodium falciparum/prévention et contrôle/transmission; Anophèles; Lutte contre moustique; Perméthrine; Traitement induction rémission; Facteur âge; Analyse régression; Incidence; Taux survie; Essai clinique randomisé; Burkina Faso/épidémiologie (source: MeSH, INSERM). Palabras clave Paludismo/epidemiología/mortalidad; Ropa de cama y ropa blanca/utilización/estadística; Infante; Mortalidad infantil; Plasmodium falciparum/inmunología; Paludismo falciparum/prevención y control/ transmisión; Anopheles; Control de mosquitos; Permetrina; Inducción de remisión; Factores de edad; Análisis de regresión; Incidencia; Tasa de supervivencia; Ensayos controlados aleatorios; Burkina Faso/epidemiología (fuente: DeCS, BIREME). Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2004;82:85-91

HCV and HIV co-infection in pregnant women attending St. Camille Medical Centre in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso

Five hundred and forty-seven pregnant women with less than 32 weeks of amenorrhoea, attending an antenatal clinic of St. Camille Medical Centre (SCMC) of Ouagadougou were enrolled for a hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV co-infection study. Fifty-eight (10.6%) were HIV positive and 18 (3.3%) were anti-HCV positive. Only seven pregnant women (i.e., 1.3%) had a documented HIV and HCV co-infection. HCV-RNA was found in 5 out of 18 (27.8%) patients, who had anti-HCV antibodies. The genotype analysis of these five patients showed that two were of 1b whereas three were of 2a genotype. Mother-to-infant transmission of the same HCV genotype (2a) was documented in only one case. High 1b prevalence has been reported in other parts of Africa, while 2a is the prevalent genotype (60%) in Burkina Faso. This genotype has a higher response rate to treatment. Serum transaminases were normal, also in presence of HCV-RNA. The higher than expected rate of co-infection in Burkina Faso seems to demonstrate a correlation between these two infections, which could influence the evolution of HIV and HCV diseases

Structure-based drug design, synthesis and biological assays of P. falciparum Atg3-Atg8 protein-protein interaction inhibitors

The proteins involved in the autophagy (Atg) pathway have recently been considered promising targets for the development of new antimalarial drugs. In particular, inhibitors of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) between Atg3 and Atg8 of Plasmodium falciparum retarded the blood- and liver-stages of parasite growth. In this paper, we used computational techniques to design a new class of peptidomimetics mimicking the Atg3 interaction motif, which were then synthesized by click-chemistry. Surface plasmon resonance has been employed to measure the ability of these compounds to inhibit the Atg3-Atg8 reciprocal protein-protein interaction. Moreover, P. falciparum growth inhibition in red blood cell cultures was evaluated as well as the cyto-toxicity of the compounds

How is childhood development of immunity to Plasmodium falciparum enhanced by certain antimalarial interventions?

The development of acquired protective immunity to Plasmodium falciparum infection in young African children is considered in the context of three current strategies for malaria prevention: insecticide-impregnated bed nets or curtains, anti-sporozoite vaccines and intermittent preventive therapy. Evidence is presented that each of these measures may permit attenuated P. falciparum blood-stage infections, which do not cause clinical malaria but can act as an effective blood-stage "vaccine". It is proposed that the extended serum half-life, and rarely considered liver-stage prophylaxis provided by the anti-folate combination sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine frequently lead to such attenuated infections in high transmission areas, and thus contribute to the sustained protection from malaria observed among children receiving the combination as intermittent preventative therapy or for parasite clearance in vaccine trials

Quantitative analysis of knowledge, attitude and practice of workers in chicken slaughter slabs toward food safety and hygiene in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: In low- and middle-income countries, chicken serves as a cheap source of protein and an income source for many households. It is particularly important in the capital, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where chicken is regularly consumed. However, hygiene standards are very low, posing a significant public health risk. Methods: To better understand the food safety situation, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the hygienic practices of 155 randomly selected chicken slaughter outlets and carcass shops with a semi-structured questionnaire. Results and discussion: Of the outlets visited, 59% are not licensed, and 63% are not regularly inspected, operating in the dominant, largely unregulated informal sector. More than 80% of the chickens are sourced from village production systems, but around 6% of the birds die during transport. The monetary loss due to chicken death during transportation is around four million USD annually. Market hygiene is poor; 86% of the holding pens have no hard floor and are not washed regularly. Almost all (92%) chickens are slaughtered on bare earth floors; bleeding, plucking, and evisceration are done on a wooden table that is rarely washed. On average, the same scalding water is used for 33 birds, seven scalded at a time. Most respondents (49%) thought that plucking and evisceration were the major cause of contamination of carcasses with foodborne pathogens. Most operators only washed their hands and knives with tap water at the beginning of the slaughtering process. Some shops use refrigerators and freezers to store carcasses before selling. However, they store carcasses with other foods like fish, beef and vegetables, facilitating further cross-contamination. There were rats (26%), cats (39%) and dogs (30%) present at outlets, roaming for food, especially roadside outlets. Training schemes on hygienic food handling practices were favoured by outlets as an approach to improve matters; however, improvements in food safety will be limited without significant upgrades in infrastructure and facilities. Slaughter slabs need a standard house with stable energy, adequate airflow, clean water, toilets, detergents and freezers. Also, they need equipment like knives, tables and dishes made of high-quality, easy-to-clean materials

Gene-metabolite annotation with shortest reactional distance enhances metabolite genome-wide association studies results

Metabolite genome-wide association studies (mGWAS) have advanced our understanding of the genetic control of metabolite levels. However, interpreting these associations remains challenging due to a lack of tools to annotate gene-metabolite pairs beyond the use of conservative statistical significance threshold. Here, we introduce the shortest reactional distance (SRD) metric, drawing from the comprehensive KEGG database, to enhance the biological interpretation of mGWAS results. We applied this approach to three independent mGWAS, including a case study on sickle cell disease patients. Our analysis reveals an enrichment of small SRD values in reported mGWAS pairs, with SRD values significantly correlating with mGWAS p values, even beyond the standard conservative thresholds. We demonstrate the utility of SRD annotation in identifying potential false negatives and inaccuracies within current metabolic pathway databases. Our findings highlight the SRD metric as an objective, quantitative and easy-to-compute annotation for gene-metabolite pairs, suitable to integrate statistical evidence to biological networks

Supporting interdisciplinary careers for sustainability

Universities and research centres around the world have made significant progress towards establishing collaborative, interdisciplinary initiatives in sustainability science. However, more needs to be done to support the career development of junior sustainability scholars whose work is often team based and outreach oriented

Detection and quantification of pesticide residues in tomatoes sold in urban markets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: “What people worry about, and what makes them sick and kills them, are not the same” is maxim for risk communication experts. In Burkina Faso, pesticides are used by vegetable producers to improve productivity. However, consumer concern over pesticide use is high. Of course, if over-used pesticides could have serious health consequences for producers and consumers and also cause ecological damage. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to detect and quantify the levels of residues of pesticides in tomatoes sold in urban markets of Ouagadougou. Two samples were collected from each vendor (n = 328 vendors) making a total of 656 tomato samples from 26 markets. Samples were subjected to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for detection and quantification of six pesticide residues commonly used in West Africa including acetamiprid, chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and permethrin. Results: Overall, 62.2% of tomato samples contained at least one pesticide residue including acetamiprid, chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin and DDT. Deltamethrin and permethrin were however not detected in any samples. The highest proportions of samples were contaminated with DDT (32.9, 95%CI: 27.9–38.3%), followed by acetamiprid (31.1, 95%CI: 26.2–36.5%), lambda-cyhalothrin (28.4, 95%CI: 23.6–33.6%) and chlorpyrifos (10.7, 95%CI, 7.6–14.6%). 21.3% of samples exceeded Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) including Acetamiprid (13.1%), DDT (7.3%), lambda-cyhalothrin (2.1%) and chlorpyrifos (0.3%); while 61.3% of sample exceeded European Union (EU) MRLs. Multiple pesticide residues (up to 4) were detected simultaneously in 27.7% of the total samples. Conclusion: The study suggests that producers and consumers may be exposed to pesticides that can be highly toxic to them and to the environment. We recommend further quantitative risk assessment for consumer exposure and identification of best procedures to reduce residues in vegetables. Meanwhile, monitoring and regulating pesticide use, with the promotion of good agricultural practices, are warranted to prevent consumers, producers and environmental exposure. However, given this may not be effective, promotion of consumer washing and peeling of vegetables may be warranted to at least empower consumers to protect themselves. Moreover, where resources are scarce they should be directed to the highest burden hazards and in Burkina Faso, these are not likely to be pesticides