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

The short-term in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in the asexual erythrocytic stage and the in vitro activities of eight standard antimalarial drugs were assessed and compared by using RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% nonimmune human serum, 10% autologous or homologous acute-phase serum, or 0.5% Albumax I (lipid-enriched bovine serum albumin). In general, parasite growth was maximal with autologous (or homologous) serum, followed by Albumax I and nonimmune serum. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) varied widely, depending on the serum or serum substitute. The comparison of IC50s between assays with autologous and nonimmune sera showed that monodesethylamodiaquine, halofantrine, pyrimethamine, and cycloguanil had similar IC50s. Although the IC50s of chloroquine, monodesethylamodiaquine, and dihydroartemisinin were similar with Albumax I and autologous sera, the IC50s of all test compounds obtained with Albumax I differed considerably from the corresponding values obtained with nonimmune serum. Our results suggest that Albumax I and autologous and homologous sera from symptomatic, malaria-infected patients may be useful alternative sources of serum for in vitro culture of P. falciparum isolates in the field. However, autologous sera and Albumax I do not seem to be suitable for the standardization of isotopic in vitro assays for all antimalarial drugs.
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PMID:In vitro culture and drug sensitivity assay of Plasmodium falciparum with nonserum substitute and acute-phase sera. 998 35

The ionophore properties of cationomycin and monensin were studied on human erythrocytes by measuring Na+ influx by 23Na NMR and concomitant K+ efflux by potentiometry in the presence of increasing amounts of serum. Both ion currents (Na+ or K+) decreased linearly with the reciprocal of serum amount. The serum effects on ion currents were stronger with cationomycin than with monensin. Assuming this decreased transport activity was due to drug binding to serum proteins, a partition coefficient between the protein and the membrane phase was determined for each ionophore by using a novel model. This partition coefficient is about 30 times higher for cationomycin than for monensin; the same result was obtained with purified human serum albumin, indicating that albumin may be the major ionophore binding protein of serum. In parallel, we also measured IC50 for 50% in vitro growth inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum, the agent of malaria. In the presence of increasing serum concentrations, the antimalarial activity was decreased for both ionophores. Serum effect was less severe for monensin than for cationomycin, in agreement with the weaker interaction of monensin with proteins as shown from the partition coefficient values. A correlation was established between the ion transport currents (sodium and potassium) and the IC50 measured on P. falciparum in the presence of the various concentrations of serum. The relative value of the ion transport currents (expressed as percentage of control in absence of serum) can be indicative of the ionophore unbound fraction in the medium.
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PMID:Cationomycin and monensin partition between serum proteins and erythrocyte membrane: consequences for Na+ and K+ transport and antimalarial activities. 1006 60

Respiration, oxidative phosphorylation, calcium uptake, and the mitochondrial membrane potential of trophozoites of the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei were assayed in situ after permeabilization with digitonin. ADP promoted an oligomycin-sensitive transition from resting to phosphorylating respiration. Respiration was sensitive to antimycin A and cyanide. The capacity of trophozoites to sustain oxidative phosphorylation was additionally supported by the detection of an oligomycin-sensitive decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential induced by ADP. Phosphorylation of ADP could be obtained in permeabilized trophozoites in the presence of succinate, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, glutamate, malate, dihydroorotate, alpha-glycerophosphate, and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine. Ca(2+) uptake caused membrane depolarization compatible with the existence of an electrogenically mediated Ca(2+) transport system in these mitochondria. An uncoupling effect of fatty acids was partly reversed by bovine serum albumin, ATP, or GTP and not affected by atractyloside, ADP, glutamate, or malonate. Evidence for the presence of a mitochondrial uncoupling protein in P. berghei was also obtained by using antibodies raised against plant uncoupling mitochondrial protein. Together these results provide the first direct biochemical evidence of mitochondrial function in ATP synthesis and Ca(2+) transport in a malaria parasite and suggest the presence of an H(+) conductance in trophozoites similar to that produced by a mitochondrial uncoupling protein.
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PMID:Oxidative phosphorylation, Ca(2+) transport, and fatty acid-induced uncoupling in malaria parasites mitochondria. 1073 23

We have previously reported a strategy for production in Escherichia coli of recombinant immunogens fused to a hydrophobic tag to improve their capacity to associate with an adjuvant formulation [Andersson et al., J. Immunol. Methods 222 (1999) 171]. Here, we describe a further development of the previous strategy and present significant improvements. In the novel system, the target immunogen is produced with an N-terminal affinity tag suitable for affinity purification, and a C-terminal hydrophobic tag, which should enable association through hydrophobic interactions of the immunogen with an adjuvant system, here being immunostimulating complexes (iscoms). Two different hydrophobic tags were evaluated: (i) a tag denoted M, derived from the membrane-spanning region of Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SpA), and (ii) a tag denoted MI consisting of the transmembrane region of hemagglutinin from influenza A virus. Furthermore, two alternative affinity tags were evaluated; the serum albumin-binding protein ABP, derived from streptococcal protein G, and the divalent IgG-binding ZZ-domains derived from SpA. A malaria peptide M5, derived from the central repeat region of the Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage antigen Pf155/RESA, served as model immunogen in this study. Four different fusion proteins, ABP-M5-M, ABP-M5-MI, ZZ-M5-M and ZZ-M5-MI, were thus produced, affinity purified and evaluated in iscom-incorporation experiments. All of the fusion proteins were found in the iscom fractions in analytical ultracentrifugation, indicating iscom incorporation. This was further supported by electron microscopy analysis showing that iscoms were formed. In addition, these iscom preparations were demonstrated to induce M5-specific antibody responses upon immunisation of mice, confirming the successful incorporation into iscoms. The novel system for hydrophobic tagging of immunogens, with optional affinity and hydrophobic tags, gave expression levels that were increased ten to fifty-fold, as compared to the earlier reported system. We believe that the presented strategy would be a convenient way to achieve efficient adjuvant association for recombinant immunogens.
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PMID:Improved systems for hydrophobic tagging of recombinant immunogens for efficient iscom incorporation. 1075 48

In a prospective study spanning 12 1/2 years (July 1983 to December 1995), 272 children with nephrotic syndrome seen at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria, were followed up and reviewed at the end of the study period. The demographic, clinical and laboratory features, response to treatment and prognosis were documented. Nephrotic syndrome made up 1.34% of all paediatric admissions. There were 164 males and 108 females giving a male to female ratio of 1.5:1. The ages ranged from 2 to 16 years, with a mean of 7.9 +/- 3.4 years and peak age of 5-7 years. The major clinical features were generalized oedema (100%), hypertension (23%), fever (20%), oliguria (10%) and cough (7%). Haematuria was present in 26%, mean serum albumin was 16 +/- 5, 1 gm/L, serum cholesterol 9.53 +/- 1.6 mmol/L Malaria parasitaemia was present in 38.7% and 9 patients (3.3%) had sickle cell disease (SS). Treatment with diuretics, pooled plasma, prednisolone or cyclophosphamide in various combination achieved 63.9% remission. Mortality was 5.5% being mainly due to chronic renal failure, hypertension and infections. The study calls for more trials in the use of steroids and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of childhood nephrotic syndrome in the tropics.
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PMID:Childhood nephrotic syndrome in Enugu, Nigeria. 1107 Jul 50

Specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to mefloquine conjugated to bovine serum albumin (mefloquine-BSA) were produced by hybridoma technology. The mefloquine-BSA was synthesized by converting mefloquine into hemisuccinate followed by convalently linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and coupling with N,N' disuccinimidyl carbonate (DSC). The conjugate was purified by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration using 0.01 M PBS pH 7.2. An average of 19.34 molecules of mefloquine were conjugated to each molecule of protein determined by differential UV absorption spectra of hapten and protein carrier. Sixteen monoclones producing antibody specific to mefloquine were screened by indirect ELISA using homologous antigens. The specificity of MAbs was determined by reacting with BSA and the structurally related antimalarial drug, quinine. Three, three, five and two MAbs belonged to IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3, respectively. Most of the MAbs slightly reacted with quinine-BSA due to the closely related structure of mefloquine to quinine. The selected MAb designated 11F9(G5)G9 which showed no cross reaction with quinine-BSA gave high reactivity with blood samples from malaria patients previously treated with mefloquine when compared to normal blood by indirect ELISA. The preliminary results indicated that such specific MAb could be used as antibody probe for detection of mefloquine in biological fluids.
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PMID:Characterization of specific monoclonal antibodies for detection of mefloquine in body fluids. 1128 97

Malaria is clinically manifested only when the human malaria parasites in the genus Plasmodium enter the obligatory intraerythrocytic life cycle. Elucidation for the roles of the serum, the key nutrient, and its components is then deemed essential for thorough understanding of the proliferation of Plasmodium cells at the erythrocytic stage. Fractionation and analysis of serum and its components was performed by chromatography, solvent extraction, and subsequent reconstitution experiments. Only fractions containing serum albumin (SA) from the serum and purified intact bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed comparable growth promoting activity with human serum (HS). Delipidated BSA can only effect parasite growth after reconstitution with lipids extracted from intact BSA. Fatty acid (FA) species in the neutral lipid fraction from intact BSA proved likewise when reconstituted with delipidated BSA. Furthermore, the involved FA species have to come in a pair of one saturated and one unsaturated, with palmitic and oleic acids as the best combination. The results were further substantiated by morphological analysis as well as biochemical analysis of the DNA synthesis during the intraerythrocytic development. This study can be a basis to explore the molecular mechanism of lipid traffic within the parasitized red blood cell (RBC), which can be an important adjunct to the development of drugs for malaria therapy.
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PMID:Serum factors governing intraerythrocytic development and cell cycle progression of Plasmodium falciparum. 1142 77

Respiration, membrane potential, and oxidative phosphorylation of mitochondria of Plasmodium yoelii yoelii trophozoites were assayed in situ after permeabilization with digitonin. ADP induced an oligomycin-sensitive transition from resting to phosphorylating respiration in the presence of oxidizable substrates. A functional respiratory chain was demonstrated. In addition, the ability of the parasite to oxidize exogenous NADH, as well as the insensitivity of respiration to rotenone and its sensitivity to flavone, suggested the presence of an alternative NADH-quinone (NADH-Q) oxidoreductase. Rotenone-insensitive respiration and membrane potential generation in the presence of malate suggested the presence of a malate-quinone oxidoreductase. These results are in agreement with the presence of genes in P. yoelii encoding for proteins with homology to NADH-Q oxidoreductases of bacteria, plant, fungi, and protozoa and malate-quinone oxidoreductases of bacteria. The complete inhibition of respiration by antimycin A and cyanide excluded the presence of an alternative oxidase as described in other parasites. An uncoupling effect of fatty acids was partly reversed by bovine serum albumin and GTP but was unaffected by carboxyatractyloside. These results provide the first biochemical evidence of the presence of an alternative NADH-Q oxidoreductase and a malate-quinone oxidoreductase and confirm the operation of oxidative phosphorylation in malaria parasites.
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PMID:Oxidative phosphorylation and rotenone-insensitive malate- and NADH-quinone oxidoreductases in Plasmodium yoelii yoelii mitochondria in situ. 1456 63

In this article problems in multi-scale industrial fermentation processes are discussed. The problems are generated virtually, by using computer simulation on three different scales--the molecular scale (genetics), the cellular scale (metabolic regulation), and the reactor engineering scale. Inter-scale observation and operation are deemed to be crucial in the optimization of bioprocesses. Bioreaction engineering based on metabolic flux analysis and control is further elucidated. Optimization methodology for study of multi-scale problems in a fermentation process, based on correlation of data, and the scale-up technique for regulation of several bioprocess parameters are generalized by investigation of two typical fermentation processes. A novel bioreactor system was designed to monitor mass flux (for example substrates and (by-)products) in a fermentation process. It was successfully applied to the optimization and scale-up of an industrial fermentation process for penicillin, erythromycin, chlortetracyclin, inosine, and guanosine, and for production of recombinant human serum albumin and a malaria vaccine by use of the Pichia expression system. Substantial improvement of industrial fermentation productivity was achieved.
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PMID:A multi-scale study of industrial fermentation processes and their optimization. 1521 5

It is currently accepted that malaria-parasitized red blood cells (pRBC) are eliminated, like senescent erythrocytes, phagocytically by macrophages in the red pulp of the spleen. Here, however, we show that self-healing Plasmodium chabaudi malaria activates spleen closure in C57BL/6 mice. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that spleen closing was manifested by elimination of entry into the red pulp of 3-microm polystyrol particles, pRBC, and nonparasitized red blood cells but not of bovine serum albumin. This spleen closure did not reflect a reduction in the number of phagocytic cells, as shown by flow cytometry, whereas marginal zone macrophages (MZM) were lost and red pulp macrophages entered the white pulp. Splenic trapping of pBRC was strongly reduced in the absence of MZM and marginal metallophilic macrophages (MMM), as it is in noninfected mice with a disrupted lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbetaR(-/-)), and it was still significantly reduced when the number of MZM and MMM was diminished, as in tumor necrosis factor alpha-deficient (TNF-alpha(-/-)) mice. Moreover, mice deficient in TNF-alpha, tumor necrosis factor receptor I (TNFRI(-/-)), and LTbetaR exhibited progressive impairment in malaria-induced spleen closing. Treatment of C57BL/6 mice with TNF-alpha induced loss of MZM and spleen closing by about 20%. Our data indicate that TNF/TNFRI signaling is involved in regulating malaria-induced spleen closure, which is maximal during crisis, when parasitemia declines more than 100-fold. Consequently, the vast majority of pRBC cannot be destroyed by the spleen during crisis, suggesting that the known sophisticated sequestration system of Plasmodium parasites did not evolve to avoid splenic clearance.
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PMID:Massive destruction of malaria-parasitized red blood cells despite spleen closure. 1617 10


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