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Query: UMLS:C0024530 (malaria)
 44,886 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It is now largely established that the immune and neuroendocrine systems cross-talk by using similar ligands and receptors. In this context, the thymus-hypothalamus/pituitary axis can be regarded as a paradigm of connectivity in both normal and pathological conditions. For example, cytokines and thymic hormones modulate hypothalamic-pituitary functions: (a) interleukin (IL)-1 seems to upregulate the production of corticotropin-releasing factor and by adrenocorticotropin by hypothalamic neurons and pituitary cells, respectively; (b) thymulin enhances LH secretion. Conversely, a great deal of data strongly indicate that the hypothalamic-pituitary axis plays a role in the control of thymus physiology. Growth hormone (GH) for example, enhances thymulin secretion by thymic epithelial cells (TEC), both in vivo and in vitro, also increasing extracellular matrix-mediated TEC/thymocyte interactions. Additionally, gap junction-mediated cell coupling among TEC is upregulated by ACTH. In a second vein, it was shown that GH injections in aging mice increased total thymocyte numbers and the percentage of CD3-bearing cells, as well concanavalin-A mitogenic response and IL-6 production. In addition to mutual effects, thymus-pituitary similarities for cytokine and hormone production have been demonstrated. Cytokines such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, interferon-gamma, transforming growth factor-beta and others can be produced by hypothalamic and/or pituitary cells. Conversely, hormones including GH, PRL, LH, oxytocin, vasopressin and somatostatin can be produced intrathymically. Moreover, receptors for various cytokines and hormones are expressed in both the thymus and the hypothalamus/pituitary axis. Lastly, it is noteworthy that a thymus-pituitary connectivity can also be seen under pathological situations. In this regard, an altered HPA axis has been reported in AIDS, human falciparum malaria and murine rabies, that also show a severe thymic atrophy.
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PMID:Immunoneuroendocrine connectivity: the paradigm of the thymus-hypothalamus/pituitary axis. 987 43

Mosquitoes are the most important arthropod disease vectors, transmitting a broad range of pathogens that cause diseases such as malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and yellow fever. Mosquitoes and other insects are able to mount powerful cellular and humoral immune responses against invading pathogens. To date, most studies have concentrated on the humoral response. In the current study we describe the hemocytes (blood cells) of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, by means of morphology, lectin binding, and enzyme activity and immunocytochemistry. Our light and electron microscopic studies suggest the presence of four distinct hemocyte types: granulocytes, oenocytoids, adipohemocytes, and thrombocytoids. We believe granulocytes and oenocytoids are true circulating hemocytes, but adipohemocytes and thrombocytoids are likely adhered to fixed tissues. Granulocytes, the most abundant cell type, have acid phosphatase and alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity, and bind the exogenous lectins WGA, HPA, and GNL. Phenoloxidase, an essential enzyme in the melanotic encapsulation immune response, was detected inside oenocytoids. This is, to our knowledge, the first report that has detected phenoloxidase inside mosquito hemocytes at the ultrastructural level. These results have begun to form a knowledge base for our ongoing studies on the function of Ae. aegypti hemocytes, and their involvement in controlling infections.
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PMID:Characterization of hemocytes from the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. 1202 90

What is already known on this topic. Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease, and cases of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria have increased among UK travellers over the past 20 years, although declining steadily in recent years. The HPA Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention (ACMP) UK Traveller guidelines recommend doxycycline, mefloquine, or combination atovaquone plus proguanil for prophylaxis in travellers to P. falciparum endemic regions, and with the exception of Lambeth Primary Care Trust, malaria chemoprophylaxis is not reimbursed by the NHS. There are limited data on the comparative effectiveness of the recommended malaria chemoprophylaxis drugs for P. falciparum. What this study adds. The effectiveness of combination atovaquone plus proguanil may provide greater protection against imported P. falciparum malaria in UK travellers as compared with doxycycline and mefloquine. More research is needed on the effectiveness of different chemoprophylactic regimens. Further work is required to ascertain whether ease of use and compliance may be important factors in the outcomes associated with malaria chemoprophylaxis.
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PMID:Effectiveness of malaria chemoprophylaxis against Plasmodium falciparum infection in UK travellers: retrospective observational data. 2054 Nov 42

A 26-year-old woman with 29 weeks gestation presented with headache, photophobia and fever. She had deranged liver function tests and low platelets on admission. Blood film, performed to look for haemolysis, revealed she had Plasmodium vivax malaria, despite not having travelled to an endemic malaria area for over 1 year. The diagnosis was confirmed on PCR test performed in the HPA malaria reference laboratory in London and she was treated with chloroquine. She delivered a healthy baby at 33+3 weeks gestation, and once the patient and the baby had both tested negative for glucose-6-phospate dehydrogenase deficiency, she was given primaquine to clear the hypnozoite phase in the liver. This case highlights the importance of an extended travel history in a patient with fever of unknown origin and the difficulties of treating non-falciparum malaria in pregnancy.
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PMID:Fever of unknown origin in pregnancy: the need for a full history. 2321 25