Controlling scabies in madrasahs (Islamic religious schools) in Bangladesh.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of a scabies control programme in reducing the prevalence of scabies in urban Bangladesh madrasahs, where the condition is extremely common.

Study Design: A controlled trial involving four intervention madrasahs (total students 2359) and four control madrasahs (total students 2465) in Dhaka Metropolitan Area.

Methods: A baseline scabies sample survey was carried out on 40 and 44 students of four intervention and four control madrasahs, respectively.

The clinical application of surface pH measurements to longitudinally assess white spot enamel lesions.

Objectives: Means of objectively assessing white spot enamel lesions (WSEL) are critical for determining their potential activity and monitoring the success of preventive treatments. The aim of this study was to determine whether surface pH measurements of WSEL changed during a preventive course of care designed to remineralize the lesions.

Methods: Eight healthy subjects (1 male and 7 females) with at least one WSEL were recruited (19-64 years).

Roxithromycin potentiates the effects of chloroquine and mefloquine on multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in vitro.

Chloroquine (CQ) and mefloquine (MQ) are no longer potent antimalarial drugs due to the emergence of resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Combination therapy has become the standard for many regimes in overcoming drug resistance. Roxithromycin (ROM), a known p-glycoprotein inhibitor, is reported to have antimalarial activity and it is hoped it will potentiate the effects of both CQ/MQ and reverse CQ/MQ-resistance.

Fluoxetine potentiates chloroquine and mefloquine effect on multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in vitro.

Fluoxetine (FLX), a P-glycoprotein inhibitor with antimalarial activity, is promising candidate for reversing chloroquine/mefloquine (CQ/MQ) resistance. The Dd2 strain of CQ- and MQ-resistant Plasmodium falciparum was synchronized and assayed with various concentrations of CQ/MQ individually and in combination with FLX or verapamil (VPL). Our results indicated the 50% inhibitory concentration values of CQ and MQ were greatly lowered when FLX was used simultaneously.