Recrudescence of Plasmodium malariae

Plasmodium malariae causes uncommon benign malaria found in the malaria endemic regions mostly of Sub-Saharan Africa. As Plasmodium malariae does not have a continued liver stage in humans the only way to have reinfection without reexposure is through recrudescence. However, reports of its recrudescence after antimalarials are rare with only a handful of case reports in the literature. Research in this field to date has not been able to establish definitively an emergence of resistance in Plasmodium malariae to commonly used antimalarials. In the presented case, patient had a recrudescence of P. malariae after full treatment with quinine and clindamycin. This recrudescence was treated with full course of chloroquine with clearance of parasite from blood immediately after treatment and at two months’ follow up. The recrudescence in this case cannot be explained by mechanisms explained in prior articles. We propose that the indolence of some of the Plasmodium malariae trophozoites in the blood can shield them from the effect of the toxic effects of antimalarials and enable them to produce recrudescence later. However, when recrudescence happens, this should not be considered a case of development of resistance and a course of chloroquine should be considered

Occurrence of a large cornet fish, Fistularia petimba in trawl catches of Veraval coast, Gujarat

A large cornet fish (Fistularia petimba) belonging to the family fistulariidae was collected on 3rd February 2009 from the Bidiya Fish Landing Centre, caught by trawler off Veraval coast at a depth of 60

Unusual heavy landings of the catfish Arius dussumieri in Rajapara Bay of Gujarat coast

Rajapara is one of the most important dolnet fishing centres in Saurashtra region and the landing centre is a small semicircular bay without any major concrete berthing facilities (Fig. 1). Though, a well constructed jetty is not present in this centre, fishing boats of 10 -14 m size operate and small canoes are used to unload the catch. About 240 dolnet units are under operation, of which 120 are four netters, 90 are three netters and the rest are two netters. Duration of each operation lasts for 4 to 5 h. Depth range of fishing ground is 24 to 40 m and it takes 4-5 h to reach the fishing area

On the recent cyclone lashed across Gujarat coast and its effect on marine flsheries sector

A heavy cyclonic wind crossed the coastal Gujarat on 9-6-'98 resulting in the destruction of life and property besides total disruptions of communication, electricity and water supply systems. The present report summarises the effect of this cyclone on the marine fishery sector of coastal Gujarat

Sudden emergence of fishery and some aspects of biology and population dynamics of Aluterus monoceros (Linnaeus, 1758) at Veraval

The sudden emergence of a fishery and selected aspects of biology and population dynamics of Aluterus monoceros landed by trawlers at Veraval was studied from January 2008 to December 2009. Total catch of 475 t recorded in September 2009, which increased to 7042 t in October dominated in the trawl landings with a contribution of 29.5%. However, in November and December, the catch decreased sharply to 1374 t and 94 t, respectively. The combined length-weight relationship was log W = -1.50 + 2.694 log L (r = 0.86) (n = 222) indicating allometric growth. Sex ratio was 1:1.05 (n = 129). Females attained sexual maturity at 50.2 cm total length. Zoobenthos, dominated by benthic invertebrates, cnidarians and worms, zooplankton dominated by copepods and nekton dominated by Acetes spp. and clupeid juveniles were the major food items of A. monoceros. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was Lt = 63.53 [1 – e - 0.22 (t + 0.077)]. Natural mortality, fishing mortality and exploitation ratio were 0.53, 0.58 and 0.52 respectivel

Stock assessment of Bombayduck Harpadon nehereus (Hamilton, 1822) from Gujarat coast using non-equilibrium production model

Bombayduck Harpadon nehereus, harvested mainly by dol nets (stationary bag nets), has been a prolific fishery in the northern region of Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Biomass and maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimates for the Bombayduck stock in the Saurashtra region were obtained from a non-equilibrium surplus production model approach utilising catch per unit effort (CPUE) time series derived from fish landing data. Fox model was found to be the most appropriate defining model and the results demonstrated that the stock is currently being overexploited

A 6 day course of liposomal amphotericin B in the treatment of infantile visceral leishmaniasis: the Italian experience

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate in a retrospective analysis the efficacy and safety of a 6 day course of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) in infantile cases of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (VL) diagnosed over a 10 year period in Italy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients included were diagnosed as having VL consecutively admitted from December 1992 to December 2001 at four main referral children's hospitals in Italy and treated with six intravenous doses of 3 mg/kg L-AmB given on days 1-5 and 10 (a total dose of 18 mg/kg). Demographic data, nutritional status, underlying diseases, clinical and laboratory findings, and therapy outcome were considered. RESULTS: A total of 164 HIV-negative children (median age 1.6 years; range 4 months to 14 years) were enrolled. All patients were initially cured by the given treatment, and did not present adverse events related to drug infusion. Seven patients (4.3%) had a clinical and parasitological relapse 3-15 months after therapy. All relapses were successfully retreated with 3 mg/kg L-AmB for 10 consecutive days (a total dose of 30 mg/kg). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the efficacy (>95%) and safety of the six dose L-AmB regimen and validates it as a first-line treatment for Mediterranean VL in children

Therapeutic Potential of a Novel Vitamin D3 Oxime Analogue, VD1-6, with CYP24A1 Enzyme Inhibitory Activity and Negligible Vitamin D Receptor Binding

Abstract: The regulation of vitamin D3 actions in humans occurs mainly through the Cytochrome P450 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1) enzyme activity. CYP24A1 hydroxylates both 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) and 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D3), which is the first step of vitamin D catabolism. An abnormal status of the upregulation of CYP24A1 occurs in many diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). CYP24A1 upregulation in CKD and diminished activation of vitamin D3 contribute to secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), progressive bone deterioration, and soft tissue and cardiovascular calcification. Previous studies have indicated that CYP24A1 inhibition may be an effective strategy to increase endogenous vitamin D activity and decrease SHPT. This study has designed and synthesized a novel C-24 O-methyloxime analogue of vitamin D3 (VD1-6) to have specific CYP24A1 inhibitory properties. VD1-6 did not bind to the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in concentrations up to 10-7 M, assessed by a VDR binding assay. The absence of VDR binding by VD1-6 was confirmed in human embryonic kidney HEK293T cultures through the lack of CYP24A1 induction. However, in silico docking experiments demonstrated that VD1-6 was predicted to have superior binding to CYP24A1, when compared to that of 1,25(OH)2D3. The inhibition of CYP24A1 by VD1-6 was also evident by the synergistic potentiation of 1,25(OH)2D3-mediated transcription and reduced 1,25(OH)2D3 catabolism over 24 h. A further indication of CYP24A1 inhibition by VD1-6 was the reduced accumulation of the 24,25(OH)D3, the first metabolite of 25(OH)D catabolism by CYP24A1. Our findings suggest the potent CYP24A1 inhibitory properties of VD1-6 and its potential for testing as an alternative therapeutic candidate for treating SHPT.Ali K. Alshabrawy, Yingjie Cui, Cyan Sylvester, Dongqing Yang, Emilio S. Petito, Kate R. Barratt, Rebecca K. Sawyer, Jessica K. Heatlie, Ruhi Polara, Matthew J. Sykes, Gerald J. Atkins, Shane M. Hickey, Michael D. Wiese, Andrea M. Stringer, Zhaopeng Liu, and Paul H. Anderso

Transperitoneal vs retroperitoneal minimally invasive partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes and functional follow-up in a large multi-institutional cohort (The RECORD 2 Project)

Background Aim of this study was to evaluate and compare perioperative outcomes of transperitoneal (TP) and retroperitoneal (TR) approaches in a multi-institutional cohort of minimally invasive partial nephrectomy (MI-PN). Material and methods All consecutive patients undergone MI-PN for clinical T1 renal tumors at 26 Italian centers (RECORd2 project) between 01/2013 and 12/2016 were evaluated, collecting the pre-, intra-, and postoperative data. The patients were then stratified according to the surgical approach, TP or RP. A 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching was performed to obtain homogeneous cohorts, considering the age, gender, baseline eGFR, surgical indication, clinical diameter, and PADUA score. Results 1669 patients treated with MI-PN were included in the study, 1256 and 413 undergoing TP and RP, respectively. After 1:1 PS matching according to the surgical access, 413 patients were selected from TP group to be compared with the 413 RP patients. Concerning intraoperative variables, no differences were found between the two groups in terms of surgical approach (lap/robot), extirpative technique (enucleation vs standard PN), hilar clamping, and ischemia time. Conversely, the TP group recorded a shorter median operative time in comparison with the RP group (115 vs 150 min), with a higher occurrence of intraoperative overall, 21 (5.0%) vs 9 (2.1%);p = 0.03, and surgical complications, 18 (4.3%) vs 7 (1.7%);p = 0.04. Concerning postoperative variables, the two groups resulted comparable in terms of complications, positive surgical margins and renal function, even if the RP group recorded a shorter median drainage duration and hospital length of stay (3 vs 2 for both variables),p < 0.0001. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that both TP and RP are feasible approaches when performing MI-PN, irrespectively from tumor location or surgical complexity. Notwithstanding longer operative times, RP seems to have a slighter intraoperative complication rate with earlier postoperative recovery when compared with TP

Mediterranean spotted fever: clinical and laboratory characteristics of 415 Sicilian children

BACKGROUND: Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an acute febrile, zoonotic disease caused by Rickettsia conorii and transmitted to humans by the brown dogtick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Nearly four hundred cases are reported every year (mainly from June to September) on the Italian island of Sicily. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with MSF and the efficacy of the drugs administered. METHODS: Our study was carried out on 415 children with MSF, during the period January 1997 – December 2004, at the "G. Di Cristina" Children's hospital in Palermo, Sicily, Italy. On admission patients' clinical history, physical and laboratory examination and indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) for Rickettsia conorii were performed. Diagnosis was considered confirmed if the patients had an MSF diagnostic score greater than or equal to 25 according to the Raoult's scoring system. All patients were treated with chloramphenicol or with macrolides (clarithromycin or azithromycin). RESULTS: Fever, rash and tache noire were present in 386 (93%), 392 (94.5%) and 263 (63.4%) cases respectively. Eighteen (4.6%) children showed atypical exanthema. Chloramphenicol and newer macrolides all appeared to be effective and safe therapies. CONCLUSION: Clinical features of 415 children with MSF were similar to those reported by other authors except for a lower incidence of headache, arthralgia and myalgia and a higher frequency of epato-splenomegaly. Concerning therapy, clarithromycin can be considered a valid alternative therapy to tetracyclines or chloramphenicol especially for children aged < eight years