Land use and cover changes and sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) assemblages in an emerging focus of leishmaniasis.

Land use and cover changes lead to fragmentation of the natural habitats of sand flies and modify the epidemiological profile of leishmaniasis. This process contributes to the infestation of adjacent rural settlements by vector sand fly species with different degrees of adaptation, promoting leishmaniasis outbreaks. This study aimed to assess land use and cover changes over a 12-year period and investigate the diversity and abundance of sand fly assemblages in the rural area of Codó, Maranhão State, Brazil.

Targeting P-selectin and interleukin-1β in mice with sickle cell disease: effects on vaso-occlusion, liver injury and organ iron deposition.

Continuous vaso-occlusive and inflammatory processes cause extensive end-organ damage in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), and there is little evidence that longterm hydroxyurea therapy prevents this. In initial trials, P-selectin blockade with crizanlizumab reduced SCD vaso-occlusive crisis frequency, and interleukin (IL)-1β inhibition in SCD patients, using canakinumab, lowered inflammatory markers. We used murine SCD models to examine the effects of acute and chronic blockade of Pselectin and of IL-1β on vaso-occlusive events, their inflammatory profile and organ health.

Molecular and cellular effects of in vivo chronic intravascular hemolysis and anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches.

Intravascular hemolysis (IVH) occurs in numerous inherited and acquired disorders, including sickle cell disease (SCD), malaria and sepsis. These diseases display unique symptoms, but often share complications, such as vasomotor dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Consequently, in vivo models are needed to study the effects of continuous intravascular hemolytic processes, independently of the molecular alteration or extrinsic factor that leads to erythrocyte destruction.