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

An open, randomized comparison of artemether-benflumetol (CGP 56 697; Novartis) with artesunate-mefloquine was conducted in 617 patients with acute uncomplicated multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria on the western border of Thailand. Both treatments rapidly and reliably cleared fever and parasitemia, and there was no significant difference in the initial therapeutic response parameters. Parasite genotyping was used to distinguish recrudescences from new infections. The 63-day cure rate for artesunate-mefloquine (94%) was significantly higher than the cure rate for artemether-benflumetol (81%) (P < 0.001). Both regimens were well tolerated. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sleep disorders, and other neurological side effects were between two and four times more common in the artesunate-mefloquine group than in the artemether-benflumetol group (P < 0.001). Artemether-benflumetol is effective and very well tolerated in the treatment of multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria. A higher dose than that used in the present study may improve efficacy.
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PMID:Randomized comparison of artemether-benflumetol and artesunate-mefloquine in treatment of multidrug-resistant falciparum malaria. 944 73

Mefloquine is one of the drugs approved by the FDA for malaria chemoprophylaxis. Mefloquine is also approved for the treatment of malaria and is widely used for this purpose in combination with artesunate. However, the clinical utility of the compound has been compromised by reports of adverse neurological effects in some patients. In the present study, the potential neurological effects of mefloquine were investigated with six 7-week-old female rats given a single oral dose of the compound. Potential mefloquine-induced neurological effects were monitored using a standard functional observational battery, automated open field tests, automated spontaneous activity monitoring, a beam traverse task, and histopathology. Plasma mefloquine concentrations were determined 72 h after dosing by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Mefloquine induced dose-related changes in endpoints associated with spontaneous activity and impairment of motor function and caused degeneration of specific brain stem nuclei (nucleus gracilis). Increased spontaneous motor activity was observed only during the rats' normal sleeping phase, suggesting a correlate to mefloquine-induced sleep disorders. The threshold dose for many of these effects was 187 mg/kg of body weight. This dose yielded plasma mefloquine concentrations after 72 h that are similar to those observed in humans after the treatment dose. Collectively, these data suggest that there may be a biological basis for some of the clinical neurological effects associated with mefloquine.
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PMID:Mefloquine induces dose-related neurological effects in a rat model. 1649 67

The occurrence of coinfections in human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) patients was investigated using a retrospective data of hospital records at the National Sleeping Sickness Referral Hospital in Alupe, Kenya. A total of 31 patients, 19 males and 12 females, were diagnosed with HAT between the years 2000 and 2009. The observed co-infections included malaria (100%), helminthosis (64.5%), typhoid (22.5%), urinary tract infections (16.1%), HIV (12.9%), and tuberculosis (3.2%). The species of helminthes observed included Ancylostoma duodenale (38.7%), Ascaris lumbricoides (45.7%), Strongyloides stercoralis (9.7%), and Taenia spp. (3.2%). The patients were also infected with Entamoeba spp. (32.3%) and Trichomonas hominis (22.6%) protozoan parasites. The main clinical signs observed at the point of admission included headache (74.2%), fever (48.4%), sleep disorders (45.2%), and general body pain (41.9%). The HAT patients were treated with suramin (early stage, 9/31) and melarsoprol (late stage, 22/31). In conclusion, the study has shown that HAT patients have multiple co-infections which may influence the disease pathogenesis and complicate management of HAT.
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PMID:Prevalence and types of coinfections in sleeping sickness patients in kenya (2000/2009). 2191 84