Reassessing therapeutic antibodies for neglected and tropical diseases.

In the past two decades there has been a significant expansion in the number of new therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that are approved by regulators. The discovery of these new medicines has been driven primarily by new approaches in inflammatory diseases and oncology, especially in immuno-oncology. Other recent successes have included new antibodies for use in viral diseases, including HIV.

Immunolocalization of the 29 kDa Schistosoma haematobium species-specific antigen: a potential diagnostic marker for urinary schistosomiasis.

Background: The 29 kDa Schistosoma haematobium species-specific antigen (ShSSA) is of remarkable interest in the diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis although it had not been fully characterized.

Method: To determine the biological importance of ShSSA in S. haematobium and pathogenesis of the disease, we immunolocalized ShSSA in schistosome eggshells, miracidia and adult worm sections using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT).

Parasitological monitoring of helminth control program in Northern Thailand.

Nan Province, located in northern Thailand, is hyperendemic for parasite infections; the helminthic infection rate in 1,010 schoolchildren was 60.0% in 2001. Mass anthelmintic chemotherapy has been conducted with schoolchildren, and selective treatment has been given to people in the community, from 2002.

Paragonimiasis prevalences in Saraburi Province, Thailand, measured 20 years apart.

Saraburi Province, Central Thailand has been a paragonimiasis-endemic area since 1956. This study compared the prevalences of human paragonimiasis in two villages near Chet Khot Waterfall, Kaeng Khoi District, investigated in 1984-1985 and 2005. The results from the 1980s showed 6.

Antibody isotype responses to paramyosin, a vaccine candidate for schistosomiasis, and their correlations with resistance and fibrosis in patients infected with Schistosoma japonicum in Leyte, The Philippines.

We examined whether antibody isotype responses to paramyosin (PM), a vaccine candidate for schistosomiasis, are associated with age-dependent resistance and pathology in liver fibrosis using human sera collected from 139 individuals infected with Schistosoma japonicum in Leyte, The Philippines. We report that IgA and IgG3 responses to PM showed a positive correlation with age and that the epitopes responsible were localized predominantly within the N-terminal half of PM. In addition, the IgG3 response to PM was associated with serum level of procollagen-III-peptide (P-III-P), an indicator of progression of liver fibrosis.

School-health-based parasite control initiatives: extending successful Japanese policies to Asia and Africa.

Japan controlled its major parasitic diseases by the 1970s. Based on this experience, the Government of Japan proposed the Global Parasite Control Initiative in 1998 and established three research and training centres around the world. The Asian Centre of International Parasite Control (ACIPAC) is the first such centre, and completed five years of activities focused on school-health-based parasite control in the Greater Mekong Subregion in 2005.

The Asian center of international parasite control (ACIPAC): five years of achievement. I. Introduction.

ACIPAC has made an effort to promote the concept of the school-based approach to malaria and STH control, mainly through human resource development, which could be eventually extended to any other health promotion program. Implementation of SSPP resulted in the establishment of national policies on parasite control and/or school health in some partner countries. It also provides a good opportunity for the formulation of partnerships among health and education sectors and international partners, although it did cause some problems concerning the enrollment of persons of authority from partner countries, and the staff of JICA resident offices as well.

In vitro susceptibility and genetic variations for chloroquine and mefloquine in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Thai-Myanmar border.

In vitro drug susceptibility to chloroquine (CQ) and mefloquine (MF) were assessed in 39 P. falciparum isolates from the Thai-Myanmar border area. To further characterize CQ- and MF-resistance profiles in this area, we also analyzed pfcrt K76T mutation that is critical for CQ resistance, and pfmdr1 polymorphism that has an association with MF resistance.

Keys to success for a school-based malaria control program in primary schools in Thailand.

School-based malaria control has been recognized as a new approach for the control of this disease in the Greater Mekong Subregion since 2000. We evaluated a school-based malaria control program near the western border of Thailand using a before-after intervention study. The major intervention activities included teacher training with specialized malaria teaching materials and participatory learning methods.

Global parasite control initiative of Japan (Hashimoto Initiative).

The Asian Centre of International Parasite Control (ACIPAC) was established in Bangkok in March 2000 as a JICA technical cooperation project in collaboration with the Mahidol University and the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Since then, ACIPAC carried out its activities with emphasis on the establishment of the concept of school health-based parasite control in the Great Mekong sub-region countries. In addition to contributing human resource development through its training courses on school-based malaria and STH control for programme managers and also through small-scale pilot projects implemented in partner countries, ACIPAC proposed that schoolchildren should be considered as health partners rather than simple recipients of health services including deworming programmes.

The current situation regarding the establishment of national ethical guidelines for biomedical research in Thailand and its neighboring countries.

This study discusses the establishment of ethical guidelines for ethical review for biomedical research performed in Thailand, and to some extent, in neighboring countries. There are differences, from country to country, at national and institutional levels regarding guidelines for ethical review committees. Only a handbook issued by Mahidol University describes guidelines for human genetic research and on research dealing with reproductive technology.

The use of flow cytometry as a diagnostic test for malaria parasites.

A total of 453 clinical blood samples were determined for malaria parasites by flow cytometric assay (FCM) and reagents from Sysmex Corporation, Japan. In this study, the FCM greatly simplified and accelerated parasite detection, with sensitivity of 91.26%, specificity 86.

Applicability of a monoclonal antibody-based dipstick in diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis in the Central Region of Ghana.

Summary We tested a rapid visually read monoclonal antibody (MoAb) based dipstick assay for specific diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis against microscopy and the use of haematuria and proteinuria in a schistosomiasis haematobia endemic area in the Central Region of Ghana. The study group consisted of 141 school children (83 males, 58 females) aged 8-19 years. A total of 129 of 141 (91.

Overview: from the horse experimentation by Prof. Akira Fujinami to paramyosin.

Professor Akira Fujinami demonstrated for the first time in the world that acquired immunity might be induced against macroparasites such as schistosomes. Since then, vaccination models have been developed using various species of animals, among which the attenuated vaccine model in the mouse has been utilized mostly to clarify immune effector mechanisms and define candidate vaccine molecules. However, further studies are necessary on immune responses to defined parasite molecules in humans, because some discrepancies in immune responses still exist between animals and humans, and apparently genetic influence should be taken into consideration in such studies on defined molecules.

A potential role of interleukin 18 in severe falciparum malaria.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that induces interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production from Th1 cells, NK cells and activated macrophages, particularly in the presence of IL-12. However, it is also shown that without help from IL-12, IL-18 is capable of inducing IL-4 and IL-13 production in T cells, NK cells, mast cells and basophils, and that administration of IL-18 in conjunction with an allergen increases serum IgE levels. In order to clarify the role of IL-18 in disease severity of falciparum malaria, we have examined serum levels of IL-18, IFN-gamma, and IgE for 96 patients with falciparum malaria [Trans.

Involvement of interleukin-18 in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Serum levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and immunoglobulin E (IgE) were determined for 96 patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria admitted to hospital, Bangkok, Thailand in the period 1998-2000. The patients were divided into 3 groups, i.e.

Risk factors of helminthiases among schoolchildren in southern Thailand.

School-age children are particularly at risk of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), which affects their growth and development. Hence, school-based helminthiasis control has been discussed and conducted as one of cost-effective ways in developing countries. A parasite control program is to be planned and conducted in an evidence based way as one of practical medical fields.

School-based helminthiases control: I. A baseline study of soil-transmitted helminthiases in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand.

A baseline study of soil-transmitted helminthiases was carried out in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, southern Thailand. The study sites were Wat Krou Chou Primary School and nearby villages in Sichon district, and Wat Thang Phoon Primary School and nearby villages in Chalerm Phrakiat District. Surveys of the schoolchildren's stools were conducted by the Kato-Katz technique.

Isolation and characterization of the stage-specific cytochrome b small subunit (CybS) of Ascaris suum complex II from the aerobic respiratory chain of larval mitochondria.

We recently reported that Ascaris suum mitochondria express stage-specific isoforms of complex II: the flavoprotein subunit and the small subunit of cytochrome b (CybS) of the larval complex II differ from those of adult enzyme, while two complex IIs share a common iron-sulfur cluster subunit (Ip). In the present study, A. suum larval complex II was highly purified to characterize the larval cytochrome b subunits in more detail.

Cytokine and chemokine responses in a cerebral malaria-susceptible or -resistant strain of mice to Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection: early chemokine expression in the brain.

A comparative study was carried out on cytokine and chemokine responses in a cerebral malaria (CM)-susceptible or -resistant strain of mice (C57BL/6 or BALB/c respectively) in Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. C57BL/6 mice died by 10 days after infection when parasitemia was approximately 15-20% with cerebral symptoms, while BALB/c mice survived until week 3 after infection. Although both strains showed T(h)1-skewed responses on day 4 after infection, significantly higher levels of IFN-gamma, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and NO were observed during the course of the infection in BALB/c, suggesting that T(h)1 responses are involved in the resistance.

Complex II from phototrophic purple bacterium Rhodoferax fermentans displays rhodoquinol-fumarate reductase activity.

It has long been accepted that bacterial quinol-fumarate reductase (QFR) generally uses a low-redox-potential naphthoquinone, menaquinone (MK), as the electron donor, whereas mitochondrial QFR from facultative and anaerobic eukaryotes uses a low-redox-potential benzoquinone, rhodoquinone (RQ), as the substrate. In the present study, we purified novel complex II from the RQ-containing phototrophic purple bacterium, Rhodoferax fermentans that exhibited high rhodoquinol-fumarate reductase activity in addition to succinate-ubiquinone reductase activity. SDS/PAGE indicated that the purified R.

Involvement of IL-2/IL-2R system activation by parasite antigen in polyclonal expansion of CD4(+)25(+) HTLV-1-infected T-cells in human carriers of both HTLV-1 and S. stercoralis.

The intermediate state of HTLV-1 infection, often found in individuals dually infected with Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis) and HTLV-1, is assumed to be a preleukemic state of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). To investigate the effects of S.