Multiple-bead assay for the differential serodiagnosis of neglected human cestodiases: Neurocysticercosis and cystic echinococcosis

Background Neurocysticercosis (NCC), and cystic echinococcosis (CE) are two neglected diseases caused by cestodes, co-endemic in many areas of the world. Imaging studies and serological tests are used in the diagnosis of both parasitic diseases, but cross-reactions may confound the results of the latter. The novel multiplex bead-based assay with recombinant antigens has been reported to increases the diagnostic accuracy of serological techniques. Methodology We set-up an immunoassay based on the multiplex bead-based platform (MBA), using the rT24H (against Cysticercus cellulosae, causing cysticercosis) and r2B2t (against Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, causing CE) recombinant antigens, for simultaneous and differential diagnosis of these infections. The antigens were tested on 356 sera from 151 patients with CE, 126 patients with NCC, and 79 individuals negative for both diseases. Specificity was calculated including sera from healthy donors, other neurological diseases and the respective NCC or CE sera counterpart. The diagnostic accuracy of this assay was compared with two commercial ELISA tests, Novalisa and Ridascreen, widely used in the routine diagnosis of cysticercosis and CE, respectively. Main findings For the diagnosis of NCC, sensitivity ranged from 57.94–63.49% for the rT24H-MBA, and 40.48–46.03% for Novalisa ELISA depending on exclusion or inclusion of sera having equivocal results on ELISA from the analysis; specificities ranged from 90.87–91.30% and 70.43–76.96%, respectively. AUC values of the ROC curve were 0.783 (rT24H) and 0.619 (Novalisa) (p-value < 0.001). For the diagnosis of CE, the sensitivity of the r2B2t-MBA ranged from 68.87–69.77% and of Ridascreen ELISA from 50.00–57.62%; specificities from 92.47–92.68% and from 74.15–80.98%, respectively. AUC values were 0.717 and 0.760, respectively. Conclusions/Significance Overall, the recombinant antigens tested with the bead-based technology showed better diagnostic accuracy than the commercial assays, particularly for the diagnosis of NCC. The possibility of testing the same serum sample simultaneously for the presence of antibodies against both antigens is an added value particularly in seroprevalence studies for cysticercosis linked to control programs in endemic areas where these two parasites coexist.

An Approach to Information Management as a Subsidy of Global Health Actions

In the information age, it is urgent to work in a collaborative network, as well as the identification of researchers in specific areas in the globalized world. In this time, half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services, and more than one billion are threatened by neglected diseases. Information management helps in the identifying, extracting, and treating. In Brazil, the Lattes platform is the main curriculum repository for scientists and professionals in the different areas of scientific knowledge. After processing, 105 specialists were identified. Scientific articles published on Dengue, Zika virus, and Chikungunya are 11,743. The computational tool ScriptLattes proved to be efficient to extract, identify, and recover data from the curricula present in the Lattes database, contributing to the management of scientific knowledge in public health. Thus, Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya infection data extracted from the platform generate information to assist in the knowledge management and decision makers for public health.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Food Research, Vol. 10 No. 6

Journal of Food Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal are greatly appreciated. Journal of Food Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please contact us for the application form at: [email protected] Reviewers for Volume 10, Number 6 Antonello Santini, University of Napoli &quot;Federico II&quot;, Italy Corina-aurelia Zugravu, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Romania Elke Rauscher-Gabernig, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Austria Elsa M Goncalves, Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agr&aacute;ria (INIA), Portugal Jose Maria Zubeldia, Clinical Regulatory Consultant for the HIV &amp; Hepatitis C initiative at Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Spain Lucas Massaro Sousa, IFP Energies Nouvelles, France Meena Somanchi, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Sefat E Khuda, Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, United States Xingjun Li, Academy of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, China

Synthesis of novel aminoquinolines with potential leishmanicidal and antimalarial biological activity / Síntese de novas aminoquinolinas com potencial actividade biológica leishmanicida e antimalárica

Leishmaniasis is a disease transmitted by different parasite species of the genus Leishmania, while malaria, by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium sp. These diseases affect tropical and subtropical regions, where about half of the world's population live. However, leishmaniasis and malaria are considered neglected diseases because these regions are poor, and consequently have precarious essential sanitation networks. In response to the lack of vaccines and effective medical measures, some natural and synthetic medicines are used as forms of treatment, such as quinoline derivatives necessary to treat malaria. Even so, the parasites have shown resistance to forms of treatment, which makes needed the constant development of new drugs with potential against them. Quinoline derivatives, chloroquine analogues, have potential activity for the diseases of interest, while anilines are molecules used in nucleophilic reactions on different substrates. Therefore, the work consisted of exploring the synthesis between these two compounds through subsequent reactions involving the formation of intermediates that resulted in the products of interest. Twelve novel derivatives with potential leishmanicidal and antimalarial biological activity were synthesized. The molecules produced were purified and rightly characterized by several methods, such as mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Carbon (13C) and Hydrogen (1H). Also, were obtained the melting points of the synthesized molecules. Finally, all products were sent for biological tests against the parasites, getting highly effective results for the protozoa responsible for leishmaniasis.

The first case of canine visceral leishmaniasis in the southern region of Santa Catarina, an emerging focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil: regional report or reflection of the reality of a country?

Visceral leishmaniasis is among the most neglected diseases in the world and especially affects poor populations of some developing or underdeveloped countries, with human disease being a factor in the occurrence of thousands of deaths every year. Visceral leishmaniasis affect domestic dogs, main reservoirs of the Leishmania parasite in urban environments. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis in two non-endemic municipalities located in southern Santa Catarina, as well as to identify the main risk factors for infection in dogs. A cross-sectional study was carried out with dogs living in two Zoonoses Control Centers located in the cities of Tubarão and Criciúma. Blood samples were collected and analyzed by real-time PCR for detection of Leishmania infection. Clinical examination and evaluation of the characteristics of the canine population were also carried out. A total of 107 dogs were evaluated, of which 19% were positive for Leishmania, and 85% of the positive cases were asymptomatic. In conclusion, we highlight the detection of cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis in two cities that had not yet reported cases. The high rate of positive asymptomatic animals suggests the maintenance of the parasite in the environment.

Analysis of the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors for epilepsy in the countries of the African continent

Relevance . Epilepsy is a common neurological disease in tropical countries, especially in Africa. Its prevalence in African countries is almost twice as high as in Asia, Europe and North America. Objective: to investigate the characteristics of the spread and risk factors of epilepsy in the countries of the African continent. Materials and Methods : Based on WHO data, an epidemiological analysis of the prevalence and structure of mortality from epilepsy among the inhabitants of continental Africa was carried out. The African continent was clustered into five different regions with conventionally homogeneous sociocultural, climatic and geographic and environmental conditions and, as a consequence, similar dynamics of endemic diseases and infections. Demographic data, etiological factors, risk factors such as infectious diseases (including neglected diseases) with neurological consequences in the form of deaths from epilepsy were compared in five centers in the region. Mathematical and statistical processing of the results was carried out using the SPSS-19 statistical package (SPSS Inc., USA). Results and Discussion . Analysis of socio-demographic characteristics made it possible to establish that mortality from epilepsy is higher: in the countries of the African continent south of the Sahara in comparison with northern Africa; in women compared to men; in the age group younger than 14 compared to older groups and also in countries of subregions with an unsatisfactory state of national health systems and a low level of socio-economic situation in general. Conclusion . State programs aimed at reducing various factors of injury, violence, the prevalence of maternal mortality and hunger, the frequency of suicide among the population can help reduce the prevalence and mortality from epilepsy. In addition, a significant number of risk factors for epilepsy in African countries are virulent and potentially preventable. First of all, these include: neurocysticercosis, schistosomiasis, HIV infection and various forms of meningitis. Health care interventions to prevent these diseases can also significantly reduce the prevalence of epilepsy.

Physical Disabilities and Individual Vulnerability: Perspectives in Hyperendemic Municipalities for Leprosy

Introduction: Epidemiological, operational and socio-demographic data on leprosy, as well as its direct and indirect impact on the affected person, his/her family, and community, are included in the group of neglected diseases. Objective: To analyze the association between the occurrence of physical disabilities in leprosy cases and individual vulnerability in hyperendemic municipalities. Methodology: population-based cross-sectional study of leprosy cases reported from 2001 to 2014 in two municipalities of Piauí/Brazil. Interviews and descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to study eventual associations. Results: Of the 603 cases evaluated, the most frequent were female (52%), brown (46%), with low schooling, married/united (50%) and retired (28%). A significant proportion of cases was multibacillary (46%), Virchowian clinical form (14%), reactional episodes (20%), disability degree I or II (70%). The explanatory variables for the presence of some degree of physical disability were gender, age group, perceived health, operational classification, clinical form, and hypertension (p<0.05). Conclusion: The physical disabilities caused by leprosy involve, in addition to dermatoneurological damage, psychological damage resulting from the strong stigma they produce. This result reinforces the need for differentiated care and nursing in disability prevention, physical rehabilitation and psychological follow-up to ensure comprehensive care.

A novel high-content phenotypic screen to identify inhibitors of mitochondrial DNA maintenance in trypanosomes

Kinetoplastid parasites cause diverse neglected diseases in humans and livestock, with an urgent need for new treatments. Survival of kinetoplastids depends on their uniquely structured mitochondrial genome (kDNA), the eponymous kinetoplast. Here we report development of a high-content screen for pharmacologically induced kDNA loss, based on specific staining of parasites and automated image analysis. As proof-of-concept we screened a diverse set of ∼14,000 small molecules and exemplify a validated hit as a novel kDNA-targeting compound.

Applications of Metabolities Extracted from Macroalgae to Fight Neglected Diseases in Brazil

Microorganisms provoke neglected diseases. However, social factors intensified those affected by them. Macroalgae are photosynthetic beings that live in oceans. They are divided into three categories: green, red, and brown algae. These groups are known for having metabolites with various applications in biotechnology and natural products chemistry. The present work aimed to discuss, through bibliographic review, the applications of substances extracted from macroalgae to the treatment of forgotten diseases in Brazil. This research concludes that literature has studies focused on the presence and absence of these compounds, namely its qualitative aspects, in which pharmacological, pharmacodynamic, and reaction mechanisms fields of these bioactive constituents are described.