Inaccurate communication in health sciences: The case of 'partial artemisinin resistance' for the treatment of malaria.

Background: Accurate scientific terminology is crucial in health sciences to avoid misinterpretations. The use of 'artemisinin resistance' to describe delayed parasite clearance may be inaccurately equated with full resistance, as is typically the case when 'resistance' is used with other pathogens, leading to potential confusion. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced 'partial artemisinin resistance' to more accurately reflect the delayed parasite clearance observed with artemisinin-based therapies.

Dissemination and outcome reporting bias in clinical malaria intervention trials: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Dissemination and outcome reporting biases are a significant problem in clinical research, with far-reaching implications for both scientific understanding and clinical decision-making. This study investigates the prevalence of dissemination- and outcome reporting biases in registered interventional malaria research.

Methods: All malaria interventional trials registered on ClinicalTrials.

Repurposing of anti-malarial drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis: realistic strategy or fanciful dead end?

Background: Drug repurposing offers a strategic alternative to the development of novel compounds, leveraging the known safety and pharmacokinetic profiles of medications, such as linezolid and levofloxacin for tuberculosis (TB). Anti-malarial drugs, including quinolones and artemisinins, are already applied to other diseases and infections and could be promising for TB treatment.

Methods: This review included studies on the activity of anti-malarial drugs, specifically quinolones and artemisinins, against Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), summarizing results from in vitro, in vivo (animal models) studies, and clinical trials.

Overcoming publication and dissemination bias in infectious diseases clinical trials.

Non-timely reporting, selective reporting, or non-reporting of clinical trial results are prevalent and serious issues. WHO mandates that summary results be available in registries within 12 months of study completion and published in full text within 24 months. However, only a limited number of clinical trials in infectious diseases, including those done during the COVID-19 pandemic, have their results posted on ClinicalTrials.

A novel and simple heat-based method eliminates the highly detrimental effect of xylene deparaffinization on acid-fast stains.

Objectives: Histopathology is an important method for diagnosing extrapulmonary tuberculosis, yet tissue sections are often negative for mycobacteria after use of acid-fast stain (AFS). This study investigated the mechanism of AFS use and the detrimental effect of histologic processing-in particular, xylene deparaffinization-on AFS and mycobacterial detection.

Methods: The target of the fluorescent Auramine O (AuO) AFS was investigated using triple staining with DNA- and RNA-specific dyes.

A simple heat-based alternative method for deparaffinization of histological sections significantly improves acid-fast staining results for Mycobacteria in tissue.

Histopathology is the study of how disease alters human and animal tissue and is based on the microscopic examination of stained tissue sections. To maintain tissue integrity, preserving it from degradation, it is initially fixed, primarily with formalin, before being treated with alcohol and organic solvents, allowing the infiltration of paraffin wax. The tissue can then be embedded in a mold and sectioned, usually at a thickness between 3 and 5 μm, before staining with dyes or antibodies to demonstrate specific components.

On the potential for discontinuing atovaquone-proguanil (AP) ad-hoc post-exposure and other abbreviated AP-regimens: Pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and perspectives.

According to current guidelines, atovaquone-proguanil (AP) malaria chemoprophylaxis should be taken once daily starting one day before travel and continued for seven days post-exposure. However, drug-sparing regimens, including discontinuing AP after leaving malaria-endemic areas are cost-saving and probably more attractive to travelers, and may thus enhance adherence. AP has causal prophylactic effects, killing malaria parasites during the hepatic stage.

Antimalarial treatment in infants.

Introduction: Malaria in infants is common in high-transmission settings, especially in infants >6 months. Infants undergo physiological changes impacting pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-malarial drugs and, consequently, the safety and efficacy of malaria treatment. Yet, treatment guidelines and evidence on pharmacological interventions for malaria often fail to address this vulnerable age group.

Discontinuing atovaquone/proguanil prophylaxis ad-hoc post-exposure and during-travel dose-sparing prophylactic regimens against P. falciparum malaria: An update with pointers for future research.

Background: Atovaquone/proguanil (AP) is a highly effective malaria chemoprophylaxis combination. According to current guidelines, AP is taken once daily during, and continued for seven days post exposure. A systematic review by Savelkoel et al.

Fluid therapy for severe malaria.

Fluid therapy is an important supportive measure for patients with severe malaria. Patients with severe malaria usually have normal cardiac index, vascular resistance, and blood pressure and a small degree of hypovolaemia due to dehydration. Cell hypoxia, reduced kidney function, and acidosis result from microcirculatory compromise and malarial anaemia, which reduce tissue oxygenation, not hypovolaemia.

A comparison of different scores for diagnosis and mortality prediction of adults with sepsis in Low-and-Middlencome Countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Clinical scores for sepsis have been primarily developed for, and applied in High-Income Countries. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the performance of the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), and Universal Vital Assessment (UVA) scores for diagnosis and prediction of mortality in patients with suspected infection in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries.

Methods: PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched until May 18, 2021.

Point-of-care ultrasound to assess volume status and pulmonary oedema in malaria patients.

Purpose: Fluid management is challenging in malaria patients given the risks associated with intravascular fluid depletion and iatrogenic fluid overload leading to pulmonary oedema. Given the limitations of the physical examination in guiding fluid therapy, we evaluated point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and lungs as a novel tool to assess volume status and detect early oedema in malaria patients.

Methods: To assess the correlation between IVC and lung ultrasound (LUS) indices and clinical signs of hypovolaemia and pulmonary oedema, respectively, concurrent clinical and sonographic examinations were performed in an observational study of 48 malaria patients and 62 healthy participants across age groups in Gabon.

Self-diagnosis and self-treatment of Plasmodium spp. infection by travellers (1989-2019): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Standby emergency self-treatment (SBET) is often recommended as an anti-malaria strategy for travellers to low-risk endemic areas. This self-treatment enables competent malaria therapy, if medical assistance is unavailable. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends performing reliable diagnostic tests before starting antimalarial treatment.

Can dengue virus be sexually transmitted?

It has been well documented that Zika virus (ZIKV) can be sexually transmitted. Dengue virus (DENV) shows many similarities with ZIKV; both belong to the genus Flavivirus and share the same main vector route of transmission. Moreover, they share overall architectural features on a molecular level, with a highly similar structure and distinctive insertions, deletions and mutations of their respective E proteins, and it has been suggested that they use a common pathophysiological pathway.