Pathogenesis of cerebral malaria: new diagnostic tools, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches.

Cerebral malaria is a severe neuropathological complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. It results in high mortality and post-recovery neuro-cognitive disorders in children, even after appropriate treatment with effective anti-parasitic drugs. While the complete landscape of the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria still remains to be elucidated, numerous innovative approaches have been developed in recent years in order to improve the early detection of this neurological syndrome and, subsequently, the clinical care of affected patients. In this review, we briefly summarize the current understanding of cerebral malaria pathogenesis, compile the array of new biomarkers and tools available for diagnosis and research, and describe the emerging therapeutic approaches to tackle this pathology effectively

Genotype-phenotype correlation of β-thalassemia spectrum of mutations in an Indian population

Coexistence of thalassemia, hemoglobinopathies and malaria has interested geneticists over many decades. The present study represents such a population from the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Children and their siblings (n=38) were genotyped for β-thalassemia mutations and genotype-phenotype correlation was determined. The major genotype was IVS 1.5 mutation: 26% homozygous (n=10) and 37% (n=14) double heterozygous with other mutations or hemoglobinopathies. Sickle hemoglobin was the major associated hemoglobinopathy (n=12, 32%). Other mutations found were Cd 8/9, HbE and Cd 41/42. The study population did not contain any IVS 1.1 mutations which is the second major Indo- Asian genotype. Genotype-phenotype correlation revealed that genotypes of IVS 1.5, Cd 8/9 Cd 41/42 alone or in association, exhibit severe, moderate and mild severity of thalassemia, respectively. Identification of the mutation at an early age as a part of new born screening and early intervention may help reduce the thalassemia-related morbidity