Combination of Praziquantel and Aspirin Minimizes Liver Pathology of Hamster Opisthorchis viverrini Infection Associated Cholangiocarcinoma.

Opisthorchiasis is one of the major risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in northeastern Thailand. An effective drug for killing this parasite is praziquantel. Recently, several reports have shown that with frequent use, praziquantel may itself be a CCA risk and can cause liver cell damage from an immunopathological response after parasite death.

DNA barcode identification of freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae from Thailand.

Freshwater snails in the family Bithyniidae are the first intermediate host for Southeast Asian liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini), the causative agent of opisthorchiasis. Unfortunately, the subtle morphological characters that differentiate species in this group are not easily discerned by non-specialists. This is a serious matter because the identification of bithyniid species is a fundamental prerequisite for better understanding of the epidemiology of this disease.

Species-specific primers designed from RAPD products for Bithynia funiculata, the first intermediate host of liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini, in North Thailand.

Bithynia funiculata is the first intermediate host of the human liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini in northern Thailand but its identification through morphological analysis is often problematic due to the shortage of gastropod taxonomists. As a consequence, we focused on the development of species-specific primers for use as an identification tool. Our work involved recovery of a 502-base pair (bp) amplicon of unknown function through species-specific primers whose effectiveness was tested by analyzing specimens of B.

A simple PCR condition for detection of a single cyst of Acanthamoeba species.

Acanthamoeba is a free-living protozoan with a worldwide distribution in a variety of natural and artificial habitats. It has even been found in contact lens solution. Acanthamoeba spp.

Curcumin induces a nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2-driven response against oxidative and nitrative stress after praziquantel treatment in liver fluke-infected hamsters.

Praziquantel has been used for the treatment of liver fluke infection, but an oxidative/nitrative stress may occur after a short-term treatment and participate in side effects. In an attempt to reduce the adverse effects, we administered curcumin, an anti-inflammatory agent, to Opisthorchis viverrini-infected hamsters treated with praziquantel. At 12h after treatment, curcumin decreased eosinophil infiltration and increased mononuclear cell infiltration in parallel with nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 expression at the transcriptional and protein levels.

Purification and characterization of Heteroscorpine-1 (HS-1) toxin from Heterometrus laoticus scorpion venom.

Crude venom from Thai giant scorpion, Heterometrus laoticus, most commonly found in the northeastern area of Thailand, was evaluated for PD50 (paralytic dose 50) activities from abdominal injection to cricket (Gryllus sp.) and activities against various kinds of microorganisms. It exhibited good results in disc diffusion assay for Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

Population genetic data on D1S80, D17S5, ApoB, COL2A1 and Ig-JH in Northeastern Thais.

Allele frequency distributions at five VNTR loci namely; D1S80, D17S5, ApoB, COL2A1 and Ig-JH were examined in Northeastern Thais. The number of alleles at each locus were 19, 13, 14, 6 and 8 with the heterozygous frequencies of 0.814, 0.