Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Jule is the second complete long-terminal-repeat (LTR) Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposon identified to date in vertebrates. Jule, first isolated from the poeciliid fish Xiphophorus maculatus, is 4.8 kb in length, is flanked by two 202-bp LTRs, and encodes Gag (structural core protein) and Pol (protease, reverse transcriptase, RNase H, and integrase, in that order) but no envelope. There are three to four copies of Jule per haploid genome in X. maculatus. Two of them are located in a subtelomeric region of the sex chromosomes, where they are associated with the Xmrk receptor tyrosine kinase genes, of which oncogenic versions are responsible for the formation of hereditary melanoma in Xiphophorus. One almost intact copy of Jule was found in the first intron of the X-chromosomal allele of the Xmrk proto-oncogene, and a second, more corrupted copy is present only 56 nt downstream of the polyadenylation signal of the Xmrk oncogene. Jule-related elements were detected by Southern blot hybridization with less than 10 copies per haploid genome in numerous other poeciliids, as well as in more divergent fishes, including the medakafish Oryzias latipes and the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Database searches also identified Jule-related sequences in the zebrafish Danio rerio and in both genome project pufferfishes, Fugu rubripes and Tetraodon nigroviridis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Jule is the first member of the Mag family of Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposons described to date in vertebrates. This family includes the silkworm Mag and sea urchin SURL retrotransposons, as well as sequences from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Additional related elements were identified in the genomes of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae and the nematode Ascaris lumbricoides. Phylogeny of Mag-related elements suggested that the Mag family of retrotransposons is polyphyletic and is constituted of several ancient lineages that diverged before their host genomes more than 600 MYA.
 ...
PMID:Jule from the fish Xiphophorus is the first complete vertebrate Ty3/Gypsy retrotransposon from the Mag family. 1115 69

Infections with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are characterized by cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes to the venular endothelium of several organs. Video microscopy studies have shown that at the end of the asexual life of P. falciparum, the residual body containing haemozoin is released to the extracellular environment along with merozoites, leaving behind an infected erythrocyte "ghost". It is possible that these infected erythrocyte "ghosts" could remain sequestered within the blood vessels of patients infected with P. falciparum even after merozoites have been released from infected erythrocytes. In this study an in vitro cytoadherence assay was developed to show that infected erythrocyte "ghosts" can interact with C32 melanoma cells. Adherent infected erythrocyte "ghosts" contain some of the subcellular compartments of the malaria-infected red blood cell such as the tubo-vesicular membrane network and remnants of the parasitophorous vacuolar membrane, but lack haemozoin.
 ...
PMID:Cytoadherence of the malaria-infected erythrocyte membrane to C32 melanoma cells after merozoites are released from parasitized infected cells. 1135 73

Chloroquine is a drug with over 60 years of safe clinical use in the treatment of malaria. The multiple mechanisms of chloroquine action have appeared to be useful in the therapy of many miscellaneous disorders well beyond its original antimalarial purposes. This paper is focused on the application of chloroquine for the treatment of malaria, porphyria cutanea tarda, rheumatoid arthritis, palindromic rheumatism and lupus. The possibility of the use of chloroquine in the therapy of other disorders such as diabetes mellitus, AIDS, hyperlipidemia, sarcoidosis, hypercalcemia, and melanoma is reviewed. Mechanisms of action of the drug as well as side effects on metabolism are discussed in view of recent discoveries.
 ...
PMID:[Chloroquine--miscellaneous properties of the antimalarial drug]. 1210 61

Human activity has contributed to climate change. The relationship between climate and child health has not been well investigated. This review discusses the role of climate change on child health and suggests 3 ways in which this relationship may manifest. First, environmental changes associated with anthropogenic greenhouse gases can lead to respiratory diseases, sunburn, melanoma, and immunosuppression. Second, climate change may directly cause heat stroke, drowning, gastrointestinal diseases, and psychosocial maldevelopment. Third, ecologic alterations triggered by climate change can increase rates of malnutrition, allergies and exposure to mycotoxins, vector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue, encephalitides, Lyme disease), and emerging infectious diseases. Further climate change is likely, given global industrial and political realities. Proactive and preventive physician action, research focused on the differential effects of climate change on subpopulations including children, and policy advocacy on the individual and federal levels could contain climate change and inform appropriate prevention and response.
 ...
PMID:The impact of climate change on child health. 1254 Feb 54

alpha-Galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) is a glycolipid that stimulates natural killer T cells to produce both T helper (Th) 1 and Th2 cytokines. This property enables alpha-GalCer to ameliorate a wide variety of infectious, neoplastic, and autoimmune diseases; however, its effectiveness against any one disease is limited by the opposing activities of the induced Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Here, we report that a synthetic C-glycoside analogue of alpha-GalCer, alpha-C-galactosylceramide (alpha-C-GalCer), acts as natural killer T cell ligand in vivo, and stimulates an enhanced Th1-type response in mice. In two disease models requiring Th1-type responses for control, namely malaria and melanoma metastases, alpha-C-GalCer exhibited a 1,000-fold more potent antimalaria activity and a 100-fold more potent antimetastatic activity than alpha-GalCer. Moreover, alpha-C-GalCer consistently stimulated prolonged production of the Th1 cytokines interferon-gamma and interleukin (IL)-12, and decreased production of the Th2 cytokine IL-4 compared with alpha-GalCer. Finally, alpha-C-GalCer's enhanced therapeutic activity required the presence of IL-12, which was needed to stimulate natural killer cells for optimal interferon-gamma production, but did not affect IL-4. Overall, our results suggest that alpha-C-GalCer may one day be an excellent therapeutic option for diseases resolved by Th1-type responses.
 ...
PMID:Superior protection against malaria and melanoma metastases by a C-glycoside analogue of the natural killer T cell ligand alpha-Galactosylceramide. 1465 17

Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has demonstrated selective cytotoxicity against a number of specific tumor types, a variety of infectious agents such as HIV, malaria and bacteria, and the inflammatory process in general. Biological activity was first demonstrated in melanoma cell lines and was confirmed in mice bearing human melanoma xenografts. These in vivo studies also established a favorable safety margin for betulinic acid, as systemic side effects were not observed at any dose. Recently, considerable in vitro evidence has demonstrated that betulinic acid is effective against small- and non-small-cell lung, ovarian, cervical, and head and neck carcinomas. Published data suggest that betulinic acid induces apoptosis in sensitive cells in a p53- and CD95-independent fashion. While the precise molecular target and mechanism of action remain elusive and are the focus of a number of ongoing research programs, accumulated experimental evidence indicates that betulinic acid functions through a mitochondrial-mediated pathway. Supplemental reports suggest that the generation of reactive oxygen species, inhibition of topoisomerase I, activation of the MAP kinase cascade, inhibition of angiogenesis, and modulation of pro-growth transcriptional activators and aminopeptidase N activity may play a role in betulinic acid-induced apoptosis. These potential mechanisms of action may enable betulinic acid to be effective in cells resistant to other chemotherapeutic agents. Arguments supporting the role of this agent in the treatment of cancers and other infectious conditions will be reviewed.
 ...
PMID:Betulinic acid: a promising anticancer candidate. 1505 42

QS-21A is one of the most promising new adjuvants for immune response potentiation and dose-sparing in vaccine therapy, given its exceedingly high level of potency and its favorable toxicity profile. Melanoma, breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, HIV-1, and malaria are among the numerous maladies targeted in more than 80 recent and ongoing clinical trials involving QS-21A as a critical component for immune response augmentation in microgram doses. Herein is reported the first synthesis and structure verification of QS-21Aapi, applying novel glycosylation methodologies in the convergent modular construction of this rare and potent natural product immunostimulant.
 ...
PMID:Synthesis of the potent immunostimulatory adjuvant QS-21A. 1575 24

Artesunate (ART) is a derivative of artemisinin, the active principle of the Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. Artesunate is approved for the treatment of multidrug-resistant malaria and has an excellent safety profile. It has been shown that Artesunate, apart from its anti-malarial activity, has cytotoxic effects on a number of human cancer cell lines, including leukemia, colon cancer and melanoma. We report on the first long-term treatment of two cancer patients with ART in combination with standard chemotherapy. These patients with metastatic uveal melanoma were treated on a compassionate-use basis, after standard chemotherapy alone was ineffective in stopping tumor growth. The therapy-regimen was well tolerated with no additional side effects other than those caused by standard chemotherapy alone. One patient experienced a temporary response after the addition of ART to Fotemustine while the disease was progressing under therapy with Fotemustine alone. The second patient first experienced a stabilization of the disease after the addition of ART to Dacarbazine, followed by objective regressions of splenic and lung metastases. This patient is still alive 47 months after first diagnosis of stage IV uveal melanoma, a situation with a median survival of 2-5 months. Despite the small number of treated patients, ART might be a promising adjuvant drug for the treatment of melanoma and possibly other tumors in combination with standard chemotherapy. Its good tolerability and lack of serious side effects will facilitate prospective randomized trials in the near future.
 ...
PMID:Artesunate in the treatment of metastatic uveal melanoma--first experiences. 1627 63

Eighteen plants originating from Ivory Coast were selected by ethnobotanical survey as plants commonly used by traditional healers for the treatment of malaria. Extracts of these plants were tested on two strains of Plasmodium falciparum: FcM29-Cameroon (chloroquine-resistant strain) and a Nigerian chloroquine-sensitive strain. The powdered plants were used to prepare three kinds of extracts: by decoction in water, in ethanol (95%) and in pentane. A radioactive micromethod allowed the evaluation of the antiplasmodial in vitro activity of the extracts on P. falciparum. Concentrations inhibiting 50% of the parasite growth (IC50) ranged from 18 microg/ml to more than 500 microg/ml for aqueous and ethanol extracts and from 4.3 microg/ml to more than 500 microg/ml for pentane extracts. Cytotoxicity was estimated on A375 melanoma cells and a cytotoxicity/antiplasmodial index (CAR) was calculated for each extract, ranging from 1 to 10. The pentane extracts of Cola caricaefolia and Uvaria afzelii, which revealed the strongest antiplasmodial activity had CAR values of about 10.
 ...
PMID:Antiplasmodial activity and cytotoxicity of plants used in West African traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria. 1636 5

QS-21 is one of the most promising new adjuvants for immune response potentiation and dose-sparing in vaccine therapy given its exceedingly high level of potency and its favorable toxicity profile. Melanoma, breast cancer, small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, HIV-1, and malaria are among the numerous maladies targeted in more than 80 recent and ongoing vaccine therapy clinical trials involving QS-21 as a critical adjuvant component for immune response augmentation. QS-21 is a natural product immunostimulatory adjuvant, eliciting both T-cell- and antibody-mediated immune responses with microgram doses. Herein is reported the synthesis of QS-21A(api) in a highly modular strategy, applying novel glycosylation methodologies to a convergent construction of the potent saponin immunostimulant. The chemical synthesis of QS-21 offers unique opportunities to probe its mode of biological action through the preparation of otherwise unattainable nonnatural saponin analogues.
 ...
PMID:Synthetic studies of complex immunostimulants from Quillaja saponaria: synthesis of the potent clinical immunoadjuvant QS-21Aapi. 1695 31


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next >>