Malaria hidden in a patient with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma and sickle-cell trait.

We report a case of an African patient with sickle cell trait who was diagnosed in Spain with B-cell lymphoma. Blood smears were negative for malaria, and no plasmodium antigens were detected in the blood. To treat his lymphoma, the patient underwent chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.

A plant-based system for rapid production of influenza vaccine antigens.

Background: Influenza virus is a globally important respiratory pathogen that causes a high degree of annual morbidity and mortality. Significant antigenic drift results in emergence of new, potentially pandemic, virus variants. The best prophylactic option for controlling emerging virus strains is to manufacture and administer pandemic vaccines in sufficient quantities and to do so in a timely manner without impacting the regular seasonal influenza vaccine capacity.

Ceacam1 separates graft-versus-host-disease from graft-versus-tumor activity after experimental allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Background: Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is a potentially curative therapy for a variety of hematologic diseases, but benefits, including graft-versus-tumor (GVT) activity are limited by graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). Carcinoembryonic antigen related cell adhesion molecule 1 (Ceacam1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein found on epithelium, T cells, and many tumors. It regulates a variety of physiologic and pathological processes such as tumor biology, leukocyte activation, and energy homeostasis.

Brain biomolecules oxidation in portacaval-shunted rats.

Background: Oxidative stress induced by a high ammonia concentration has been suggested to be implicated in the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Therefore, oxidative damage of brain biomolecules could contribute towards explaining the neurological and motor alterations observed in HE.

Methods: Portacaval-shunted (PCS) rats (n = 5) were used as an animal model of chronic HE.

Multi-targeted activity of maslinic acid as an antimalarial natural compound.

Most drugs against malaria that are available or under development target a single process of the parasite infective cycle, favouring the appearance of resistant mutants which are easily spread in areas under chemotherapeutic treatments. Maslinic acid (MA) is a low toxic natural pentacyclic triterpene for which a wide variety of biological and therapeutic activities have been reported. Previous work revealed that Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic cultures were inhibited by MA, which was able to hinder the maturation from ring to schizont stage and, as a consequence, prevent the release of merozoites and the subsequent invasion.

Parasitostatic effect of maslinic acid. II. Survival increase and immune protection in lethal Plasmodium yoelii-infected mice.

Background: The anti-malarial activity of maslinic acid (MA), a natural triterpene which has been previously shown to exert a parasitostatic action on Plasmodium falciparum cultures, was analysed in vivo by using the Plasmodium yoelii 17XL murine model.

Methods: ICR mice were infected with P. yoelii and treated with a single dose of MA by a intraperitoneal injection of MA (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) followed by identical dose administration for the following three days.

Age-at-death estimation by pulp/tooth area ratio in canines: study of a 20th-century Mexican sample of prisoners to test Cameriere's method.

Accurate age estimation has always been a problem for forensic scientists, and apposition of secondary dentine is often used as an indicator of age. Cameriere et al. studied the pulp/tooth area ratio by peri-apical X-ray images of the canines, to observe the apposition of secondary dentine.

Parasitostatic effect of maslinic acid. I. Growth arrest of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic stages.

Background: Natural products have played an important role as leads for the development of new drugs against malaria. Recent studies have shown that maslinic acid (MA), a natural triterpene obtained from olive pomace, which displays multiple biological and antimicrobial activities, also exerts inhibitory effects on the development of some Apicomplexan, including Eimeria, Toxoplasma and Neospora. To ascertain if MA displays anti-malarial activity, the main objective of this study was to asses the effect of MA on Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in vitro.

Physiologic responses during the six minute walk test in obese and non-obese COPD patients.

Although obesity is a common co-morbid condition in COPD, relatively little is known how it may affect functional exercise capacity. Accordingly, we compared physiologic responses during a 6 min walk test in 10 obese and 10 non-obese COPD patients matched by gender, age, and spirometric severity category. Patients first exercised on a treadmill to determine maximal exercise responses, then following a rest period they completed a 6 min walk test.

Stress response and cytoskeletal proteins involved in erythrocyte membrane remodeling upon Plasmodium falciparum invasion are differentially carbonylated in G6PD A- deficiency.

Multiple glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient alleles have reached polymorphic frequencies because of the protection they confer against malaria infection. A protection mechanism based on enhanced phagocytosis of parasitized G6PD-deficient erythrocytes that are oxidatively damaged is well accepted. Although an association of this phenotype with the impairment of the antioxidant defense in G6PD deficiency has been demonstrated, the dysfunctional pathway leading to membrane damage and modified exposure of the malaria-infected red cell to the host is not known.

Instrumentation for accelerated life tests of concentrator solar cells.

Concentrator photovoltaic is an emergent technology that may be a good economical and efficient alternative for the generation of electricity at a competitive cost. However, the reliability of these new solar cells and systems is still an open issue due to the high-irradiation level they are subjected to as well as the electrical and thermal stresses that they are expected to endure. To evaluate the reliability in a short period of time, accelerated aging tests are essential.

Validation and implementation of an algorithm for reporting the automated absolute neutrophil count from selected flagged specimens.

Samples that are flagged by automated cell counters and, therefore, require a time-consuming microscopic review cause unacceptable wait times for patients in hematology/oncology clinics. We used a set of 518 samples to validate that 5 flags on Sysmex XE/XT instruments (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan) could safely be ignored when the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was the primary clinical question. The R(2) between automated and manual ANCs was 96.

Population proteomics of the European Hake (Merluccius merluccius).

We report the novel use of proteomics to investigate protein variation among populations of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius). The liver and brain extracts of 18 hake (N = 36) captured in the Mediterranean Sea, Cantabrian Sea, and Atlantic Ocean were examined by 2D/DIGE and mass spectrometry. Significant differences in protein expression among populations were revealed by 84 spots obtained in the gels for the liver and 145 spots for the brain.

Combined proteomic approaches for the identification of specific amino acid residues modified by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal under physiological conditions.

Proteins modified by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) are cellular markers of oxidative stress in health and disease. HNE is generated by free radical chain reactions during oxidative stress as a major end-product of the oxidative fatty acid metabolism. Identification and quantitative analysis of HNE-modified proteins are readily performed by using specific antibodies raised against them.

Sliding set-points of immune responses for therapy of autoimmunity.

Although recent developments in the treatment of autoimmune disease have dramatically improved patient outcomes, these medications are not curative. Two studies in this issue demonstrate the feasibility of curing spontaneous autoimmunity in animal models via short-term enhancement of naturally arising regulatory T (T reg) cells, a subset of CD4+ T cells needed for maintaining self-tolerance. Importantly, these therapies seemed to generate a new equilibrium, or "set-point," at which self-tissue damage no longer occurred long after the drug was eliminated from the body.

Enzymatic vegetable organic extracts as soil biochemical biostimulants and atrazine extenders.

The purpose of this study was to gather information on the potential effects of organic biostimulants on soil activity and atrazine biodegradation. Carob germ enzymatic extract (CGEE) and wheat condensed distiller solubles enzymatic extract (WCDS-EE) have been obtained using an enzymatic process; their main organic components are soluble carbohydrates and proteins in the form of peptides and free amino acids. Their application to soil results in high biostimulation, rapidly increased dehydrogenase, phosphatase and glucosidase activities, and an observed atrazine extender capacity due to inhibition of its mineralization.

[Evaluation of pharmacodynamic target attainment with vancomycin treatment of bacteremia due to Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant].

Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the ability of standard vancomycin dosing strategies actually recommended to attain the pharmacodynamic target of an area under the curve of vancomycin serum concentration versus time from 0 to 24 hours (AUC(24h)) to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio greater than 400:1 for patients with a suspected or documented methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia by individual analysis and Monte Carlo simulation.

Material And Methods: The study included all patients admitted with suspected or proven MRSA infection during the years 2007-2008, and who were initially treated with vancomycin at a dose of 30 mg/kg/ day, and underwent pharmacokinetic monitoring. The area under the curve of vancomycin serum concentration versus time from 0 to 24 hours (AUC(24h)) was calculated as daily dose/ clearance total (D(24h)/CL).

Synchronous culture of Plasmodium falciparum at high parasitemia levels.

This protocol describes a method for preparing cultures of Plasmodium falciparum synchronized at any intraerythrocytic stage. Using this method, around 60% parasitized cells may be obtained. On the basis of Trager and Jensen's original continuous culture method, our approach relies on the use of fresh human blood not older than 2 weeks, a low hematocrit between 0.

Haemoglobin interference and increased sensitivity of fluorimetric assays for quantification of low-parasitaemia Plasmodium infected erythrocytes.

Background: Improvements on malarial diagnostic methods are currently needed for the correct detection in low-density Plasmodium falciparum infections. Microfluorimetric DNA-based assays have been previously used for evaluation of anti-malarial drug efficacy on Plasmodium infected erythrocytes. Several factors affecting the sensitivity of these methods have been evaluated, and tested for the detection and quantification of the parasite in low parasitaemia conditions.

Protection against free radicals (UVB irradiation) of a water-soluble enzymatic extract from rice bran. Study using human keratinocyte monolayer and reconstructed human epidermis.

The antioxidant capacity of a water-soluble enzymatic extract from rice bran (EERB) has been tested in two cell models: keratinocyte monolayers and human reconstructed epidermis. Cells were incubated in culture medium in presence of different amounts of EERB and were UVB irradiated. Cell population assessment (MTT assay) and MDA (malonaldehyde) production were evaluated.

Altered nucleotide receptor expression in a murine model of cerebral malaria.

In cerebral malaria, the most severe complication of malaria, both neurotransmission mechanisms and energy metabolism are affected. To understand how metabolic changes modify neurotransmission, we examined P2 receptor expression in a murine model of cerebral malaria. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments revealed that parasite deposition was greatest in the cerebellum, compared with other areas of the brain, suggesting a correlation between brain parasitemia and loss of control of movement.