Publications by authors named "Ngampo S"

Article Synopsis
  • Arginase serum levels are elevated in patients with human African trypanosomiasis but normalize after treatment.
  • Arginase breaks down l-arginine into l-ornithine, which is crucial for the growth of the parasite causing the disease.
  • Decreased l-arginine can weaken immune responses, suggesting that arginase levels could serve as a marker for how effective the treatment is.
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Gambian (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense) human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) evolves from the hemolymphatic stage 1, treated with pentamidine, to the meningoencephalitic stage 2, often treated with melarsoprol. This arseniate may provoke a deadly reactive encephalopathy. It is therefore crucial to diagnose precisely the stages of HAT, especially when clinical and biological examinations are doubtful.

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Objectives: In human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness), staging of disease and treatment follow-up relies on white cell count in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). As B lymphocytes (CD19 positive cells) are not found in the CSF of healthy individuals but occur in neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, B lymphocyte count may be useful for field diagnosis/staging and therapeutic follow-up in HAT.

Methods: Seventy-one HAT patients were diagnosed and 50 were followed-up 6-24 months after treatment.

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Objective: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine whether 7 days of intravenous eflornithine (100 mg/kg every 6 h) was as effective as the standard 14-day regimen in the treatment of late-stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense trypanosomiasis.

Methods: A total of 321 patients (274 new cases, 47 relapsing cases) were randomized at four participating centres in Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda to one of these treatment regimens and followed up for 2 years.

Results: Six patients died during treatment, one of whom was on the 7-day regimen, whereas the other five had been on the 14-day regimen (P = 0.

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In a multiclinic trial in Brazzaville, Congo, 14 patients with late-stage Trypanosoma brucei gambiense trypanosomiasis were treated with eflornithine. All cases had previously been treated with one or several courses of melarsoprol. Eflornithine treatment consisted of 400 mg/kg/day intravenously for 14 days followed by 300 mg/kg/day orally for 21 days.

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