A Review of miRNA Regulation in Japanese Encephalitis (JEV) Virus Infection.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease that causes neuronal damage and inflammation of microglia, and in severe cases, it can be fatal. JE infection can resist cellular immune responses and survive in host cells. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infects macrophages and peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence among patients enrolled at the opioid substitution therapy center in Bihar: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aim: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a major public health challenge in Indian settings due to its huge population and easy transmissibility of HCV among individuals who inject drugs (PWID, which is increasing in India). The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), India has started the Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers to improve the health status of opioid dependent PWID and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among them. We conducted a cross-sectional study to find out the HCV sero-positive status and associated determinants in patients attending the OST centre in the ICMR-RMRIMS, Patna.

Revealing a Novel Antigen Repressor of Differentiation Kinase 2 for Diagnosis of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in India.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the major global health concerns due to its association with morbidity and mortality. All available diagnostic tools have been, until now, unable to provide a very specific and cost-effective mode of detection for VL globally. Therefore, the design of robust, specific, and commercially translatable diagnostic tests is urgently required.

AmBisome Monotherapy and Combination AmBisome-Miltefosine Therapy for the Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Patients Coinfected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in India: A Randomized Open-Label, Parallel-Arm, Phase 3 Trial.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) presents an increasingly important patient cohort in areas where both infections are endemic. Evidence for treatment is sparce, with no high-quality studies from the Indian subcontinent.

Methods: This is a randomized, open-label, parallel-arm, phase 3 trial conducted within a single hospital in Patna, India.

Improved kala-azar case management through implementation of health facility-based sentinel sites surveillance system in Bihar, India.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar (KA), is a neglected vector-borne disease, targeted for elimination, but several affected blocks of Bihar are posing challenges with the high incidence of cases, and moreover, the disease is spreading in newer areas. High-quality kala-azar surveillance in India, always pose great concern. The complete and accurate patient level data is critical for the current kala-azar management information system (KMIS).

Development and Clinical Evaluation of Serum and Urine-Based Lateral Flow Tests for Diagnosis of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a fatal parasitic infection, is categorized as being neglected among tropical diseases. The use of conventional tissue aspiration for diagnosis is not possible in every setting. The immunochromatography-based lateral flow assay (LFA) has attracted attention for a long time due to its ability to give results within a few minutes, mainly in resource-poor settings.

A Novel Antigen, Otubain Cysteine Peptidase of Leishmania donovani, for the Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis and for Monitoring Treatment Response.

Tests for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are not uniformly effective for all endemic regions. In a serological assay, a novel antigen, otubain cysteine peptidase, compared with rK39, showed comparable sensitivity with Indian VL serum samples and prominently increased sensitivity with Brazilian samples, as well as improved monitoring of the treatment response.

Acute uveitis: A rare adverse effect of miltefosine in the treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis is a skin disorder occurring in 5-10% of visceral leishmaniasis patients after treatment with miltefosine,the first-line drug for this skin disorder. We reported a case of acute anterior uveitis,a rare adverse effect, experienced by a patient treated with miltefosine for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis. This adverse effect developed after 15 days of miltefosine consumption, and the patient himself discontinued the treatment.

Evaluation of Cysteine Protease C of Leishmania donovani in Comparison with Glycoprotein 63 and Elongation Factor 1α for Diagnosis of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis and for Posttreatment Follow-Up Response.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a threat in many developing countries. Much effort has been put to eliminating this disease, for which serodiagnosis remains the mainstay for VL control programs. New and improved antigens as diagnostic candidates are required, though, as the available antigens fail to demonstrate equal optimum performance in all areas of endemicity.

Long-term incidence of relapse and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis after three different visceral leishmaniasis treatment regimens in Bihar, India.

Background: Few prospective data exist on incidence of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) relapse after different treatment regimens.

Methodology/principal Findings: A Phase IV trial included 1761 VL patients treated between 2012-2014 with single dose AmBisome (SDA; N = 891), miltefosine-paromomycin (Milt-PM; n = 512), or AmBisome-miltefosine (AmB-Milt; n = 358). Follow-up for PKDL and VL relapse was scheduled for 6, 12 and 24 months after treatment, lasting until 2017.

Conversion of asymptomatic infection to symptomatic visceral leishmaniasis: A study of possible immunological markers.

Introduction: Presence of asymptomatic individuals in endemic areas is common. The possible biomarkers in asymptomatic individuals once they get exposed to infection as well as following conversion to symptomatic disease are yet to be identified.We identified asymptomatic Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) infection amongst rK39+sorted direct agglutination test positive (DAT+) endemic healthy population and confirmed it by quantitative PCR(qPCR).

Field effectiveness of new visceral leishmaniasis regimens after 1 year following treatment within public health facilities in Bihar, India.

Background: An earlier open label, prospective, non-randomized, non-comparative, multi-centric study conducted within public health facilities in Bihar, India (CTRI/2012/08/002891) measured the field effectiveness of three new treatment regimens for visceral leishmaniasis (VL): single dose AmBisome (SDA), and combination therapies of AmBisome and miltefosine (AmB+Milt) and miltefosine and paromomycin (Milt+PM) up to 6 months follow-up. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) recommended an extended follow up at 12 months post-treatment of the original study cohort to quantify late relapses.

Methods: The 1,761 patients enrolled in the original study with the three new regimens were contacted and traced between 10 and 36 months following completion of treatment to determine their health status and any occurrence of VL relapse.

A multicentric evaluation of dipstick test for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the leading infectious diseases affecting developing countries. Colloidal gold-based diagnostic tests are rapid tools to detect blood/serum antibodies for VL diagnosis. Lack of uniformity in the performance of these tests in different endemic regions is a hurdle in early disease diagnosis.

The usefulness of trained field workers in diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and clinico-epidemiological profile in highly endemic areas of Bihar.

Background: Surveillance of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is critical to the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In this study we assessed the feasibility of using trained field workers for detecting suspected PKDL cases.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a multistage sampling technique was conducted in the Araria district of Bihar.

Iron oxide nanoparticles based antiviral activity of H1N1 influenza A virus.

Influenza virus is a common human pathogenic agent that has caused serious respiratory illness and death over the past century and in recent year. Treatment options against pandemic influenza strain A/H1N1 are very limited and unsatisfactory. Therefore we have developed iron oxide nanoparticles (IO-NPs) with particle size in the range of 10-15 nm against pandemic influenza strain A/H1N1/Eastern India/66/PR8-H1N1.

Identification of Clinical Immunological Determinants in Asymptomatic VL and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis Patients.

Background: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) caused by protozoa belonging to the genus usually have anthroponotic mode of transmission and is issue of great public health importance in Indian subcontinent. Asymptomatic cases of VL and PKDL are subject of keen interest to find their role in the transmission of VL in epidemic areas. We evaluated the immunological cytokine determinants expressed in most clinical suspects of asymptomatic VL and PKDL (IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α).

The potential HLA Class I-restricted epitopes derived from LeIF and TSA of Leishmania donovani evoke anti-leishmania CD8+ T lymphocyte response.

To explore new protective measure against visceral leishmaniasis, reverse vaccinology approach was employed to identify key immunogenic regions which can mediate long-term immunity. In-depth computational analysis revealed nine promiscuous epitopes which can possibly be presented by 46 human leukocyte antigen, thereby broadening the worldwide population up to 94.16%.

Noninvasive Sweat-Based Diagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis and Post Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis.

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the foremost barriers in the control of this disease, as demonstration of the parasite by splenic/bone marrow aspiration is relatively difficult and requires expertise and laboratory support. The aim of the present study was to find a noninvasive diagnostic approach using the existing recombinant kinesine-39 (rK-39) immunochromatographic nitrocellulose strips test (ICT) with a human sweat specimen for the diagnosis of VL. The investigation was carried out on specimens (blood, sweat, and urine) collected from 58 confirmed VL, 50 confirmed post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), 36 healthy control, and 35 patients from other diseases.

Visceral leishmaniasis: A novel nuclear envelope protein 'nucleoporins-93 (NUP-93)' from Leishmania donovani prompts macrophage signaling for T-cell activation towards host protective immune response.

The shift of macrophage and T-cell repertoires towards proinflammatory cytokine signalling ensures the generation of host-protective machinery that is otherwise compromised in cases of the intracellular Leishmania parasite. Different groups have attempted to restore host protective immunity. These vaccine candidates showed good responses and protective effects in murine models, but they generally failed during human trials.

CD8 but not CD8 cells positive to CD56 dominantly express KIR and are cytotoxic during visceral leishmaniasis.

This study reports a structural and functional heterogeneity of CD8CD56NKT cells, which usually decrease quantitatively during visceral leishmaniasis. Based on fluorescence intensity of CD8 receptors on CD56NKT cells, two populations of CD8CD56NKT cells have been identified. These cells were recognized as CD8CD56NKT and CD8CD56NKT cells.