Sevuparin strongly reduces hepcidin expression in cells, mice, and healthy human volunteers.

Hepcidin is an essential regulator of systemic iron availability mediating both iron uptake from the diet and its release from body stores. Abnormally high hepcidin levels resulting from inflammation in chronic diseases cause iron restriction with the onset of anemia. Restoring physiological levels of hepcidin could contribute to ameliorating anemia in these patients.

Evaluation of Au(III) complexes as Plasmodium falciparum aquaglyceroporin (PfAQP) inhibitors by in silico and in vitro methods.

The onset of resistance to artemisinin for malaria treatment has stimulated the quest for novel antimalarial drugs. Herein, the gold(III) coordination complexes Aubipy [Au(bipy)Cl] (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine), Auphen [Au(phen)Cl] (phen = phenanthroline), Auterpy [Au(terpy)Cl] (terpy = 2,2';6',2″-terpyridine), and corresponding hydrolyzed species, have been investigated as inhibitors of the Plasmodium falciparum aquaglyceroporin (PfAQP) protein by computational methods. Through an in-silico approach using an Umbrella Sampling protocol to sample how Aubipy, Auphen, and Auterpy permeate through the PfAQP, their permeability coefficients were estimated using the Inhomogeneous Solubility Diffusion (ISD) model with promising results.

An immuno-inflammatory profiling of asymptomatic individuals in a malaria endemic area in Uganda.

Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum leads to the destruction of red blood cells (RBCs). A better understanding of how naturally immune individuals control infections should be valuable for future vaccine studies. Antibodies against RBCs and RBC surface antigens were measured together with different inflammatory markers in healthy adults living in a malaria endemic area of Uganda and compared to Swedish healthy adults.

Tick exposure biomarkers: A One Health approach to new tick surveillance tools.

The spread of tick-borne disease (TBD) is escalating globally, driven by climate change and socio-economic shifts, underlining the urgency to improve surveillance, diagnostics, and control strategies. Ticks can transmit a range of pathogens increasing the risk of transmission of human and veterinary diseases such as Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, or Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Surveillance methods play a crucial role in monitoring the spread of tick-borne pathogens (TBP).

Autochthonous Human Babesiosis Caused by Babesia venatorum, the Netherlands.

Severe babesiosis with 9.8% parasitemia was diagnosed in a patient in the Netherlands who had previously undergone splenectomy. We confirmed Babesia venatorum using PCR and sequencing.

Acquisition of anti-phosphatidylserine IgM and IgG antibodies by infants and their mothers over time in Uganda.

Background: Production of anti-phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) antibodies has been associated with malaria and can aggravate pathology. How these autoantibodies develop during early childhood in a malaria context is not known. We examined levels of anti-PS IgG and IgM antibodies in a longitudinal cohort of mother-baby pairs during birth, in the infants at 2.

transmission based on merozoite surface protein 1 () and 2 () gene diversity and antibody responses in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria is a major contributor to the global malaria burden. The genetic diversity of malaria parasite populations as well as antibody responses of individuals in affected areas against antigens of the parasite can reveal the transmission intensity, a key information required to control the disease. This work was carried out to determine the allelic frequency of highly polymorphic genes and antibody responses against schizont crude antigens in an area of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Declining Antibody Affinity Over Time After Human Vaccination With a Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Vaccine Candidate.

Unlabelled: Maintaining high-affinity antibodies after vaccination may be important for long-lasting immunity to malaria, but data on induction and kinetics of affinity is lacking. In a phase 1 malaria vaccine trial, antibody affinity increased following a second vaccination but declined substantially over 12 months, suggesting poor maintenance of high-affinity antibodies.

Clinical Trials Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12607000552482.

How to Detect Antibodies Against in Human Blood Samples.

Background: Today only indirect fluorescent antibody assays (IFAs) are commercially available to detect antibodies against in humans. IFA is subjective and requires highly experienced staff. We have therefore developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based method for measuring anti- immunoglobulin G antibodies in human blood samples.

Head-to-head comparison of two loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) kits for diagnosis of malaria in a non-endemic setting.

Background: Light microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) have long been the recommended diagnostic methods for malaria. However, in recent years, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) techniques have been shown to offer superior performance, in particular concerning low-grade parasitaemia, by delivering higher sensitivity and specificity with low laboratory capacity requirements in little more than an hour. In this study, the diagnostic performance of two LAMP kits were assessed head-to-head, compared to highly sensitive quantitative real time PCR (qPCR), in a non-endemic setting.

Acquisition of complement fixing antibodies targeting merozoites in infants and their mothers in Uganda.

Background: Antibody-mediated complement fixation has previously been associated with protection against malaria in naturally acquired immunity. However, the process of early-life development of complement-fixing antibodies in infants, both in comparison to their respective mothers and to other immune parameters, remains less clear.

Results: We measured complement-fixing antibodies in newborns and their mothers in a malaria endemic area over 5 years follow-up and found that infants' complement-fixing antibody levels were highest at birth, decreased until six months, then increased progressively until they were similar to birth at five years.

Shows Equal Predilection for Human ABO Blood Types in an In Vitro Erythrocyte Preference Assay.

is spread to humans via ticks or blood transfusions. Severity of malaria is strongly correlated to the ABO blood group of the patient. is an intraerythrocytic parasite with many similarities to malaria, but the impact of ABO on the susceptibility to and progression of the infection in humans is unknown.

Anti-phosphatidylserine antibody levels are low in multigravid pregnant women in a malaria-endemic area in Nigeria, and do not correlate with anti-VAR2CSA antibodies.

Anemia is a common malaria-associated complication in pregnant women in endemic regions. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is exposed to the immune system during the massive destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) that accompany malaria, and antibodies against PS have been linked to anemia through destruction of uninfected RBCs. We determined levels of anti-PS IgG antibodies in pregnant women in Ibadan, Nigeria and correlated them to parameters of importance in development of anemia and immunity.

Conceptualizing safer sex in a new era: Risk perception and decision-making process among highly sexually active men who have sex with men.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV transmission have traditionally focused on condoms and abstinence from high risk sexual practices. Recently, additional methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and viral load sorting have been introduced.

Autoantibodies against red blood cell antigens are common in a malaria endemic area.

Plasmodium falciparum malaria can cause severe anemia. Even after treatment, hematocrit can decrease. The role of autoantibodies against erythrocytes is not clearly elucidated and how common they are, or what they are directed against, is still largely unknown.

Flow Cytometry Assay of Plasmodium Falciparum-Specific B-Cell Proportions.

Detection of P. falciparum-specific subpopulations of B-cells is important for studies of immunity in malaria. This protocol relies on the photostability and protein loading capacity of carboxylated quantum dots to detect a broad range of different P.

Osteopontin and malaria: no direct effect on parasite growth, but correlation with P. falciparum-specific B cells and BAFF in a malaria endemic area.

Background: The dysregulation of B cell activation is prevalent during naturally acquired immunity against malaria. Osteopontin (OPN), a protein produced by various cells including B cells, is a phosphorylated glycoprotein that participates in immune regulation and has been suggested to be involved in the immune response against malaria. Here we studied the longitudinal concentrations of OPN in infants and their mothers living in Uganda, and how OPN concentrations correlated with B cell subsets specific for P.

Naturally Acquired Antibodies against : Friend or Foe?

Antibodies are central to acquired immunity against malaria. elicits antibody responses against many of its protein components, but there is also formation of antibodies against different parts of the red blood cells, in which the parasites spend most of their time. In the absence of a decisive intervention such as a vaccine, people living in malaria endemic regions largely depend on naturally acquired antibodies for protection.

Direct contact between Plasmodium falciparum and human B-cells in a novel co-culture increases parasite growth and affects B-cell growth.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum parasites cause malaria and co-exist in humans together with B-cells for long periods of time. Immunity is only achieved after repeated exposure. There has been a lack of methods to mimic the in vivo co-occurrence, where cells and parasites can be grown together for many days, and it has been difficult with long time in vitro studies.

A Serosurvey of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus in Sweden: Different Populations and Geographical Locations.

New risk areas for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are emerging and the spread of disease and vaccine coverage is unclear in Sweden. We wanted to study the prevalence and levels of TBE-virus (TBEV) antibodies in southern Sweden, and to investigate whether there were individuals with undiagnosed TBE. Two cohorts of sera were collected: One group of anonymous individuals in rural areas (AIRA) in Skåne and one group of volunteers who often got tick-bites (tick-bitten individuals [TBI]).

Platelets inhibit erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum at physiological platelet:erythrocyte ratios.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of platelet:erythrocyte (P:E) ratios on Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte invasion.

Background: Recent reports have shown that platelets are directly involved in the immune response towards P. falciparum during erythrocyte invasion.

Sex, drugs and techno - a qualitative study on finding the balance between risk, safety and pleasure among men who have sex with men engaging in recreational and sexualised drug use.

Background: Recreational and sexual drug use among men who have sex with men may result in increased risk of poor health. The aim of this study was to better understand drug use and harm reduction techniques among Swedish men who have sex with men traveling to Berlin in order to improve the health of this population and inform public health strategies.

Methods: A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 15 Swedish men aged 23-44 with experience of drug use were recruited through network sampling.

A longitudinal study of plasma BAFF levels in mothers and their infants in Uganda, and correlations with subsets of B cells.

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease with approximately half of the world's population at risk. Young children and pregnant women are hit hardest by the disease. B cells and antibodies are part of an adaptive immune response protecting individuals continuously exposed to the parasite.