ABSTRACT
Abstract Providing advice for travelers embarking on long-term trips poses a challenge in travel medicine. A long duration of risk exposure is associated with underuse of protective measures and poor adherence to chemoprophylaxis, increasing the chances of acquiring infections. Recently, in our clinic, we observed an increase in the number of travelers undertaking round-the-world trips. These individuals are typically aged around 32 years and quit their jobs to embark on one-to-two-year journeys. Their destinations include countries in two or more continents, invariably Southeast Asia and Indonesia, and mostly involve land travel and visiting rural areas. Such trips involve flexible plans, increasing the challenge, especially with regard to malaria prophylaxis. Advising round-the-world travelers is time-consuming because of the amount of information that must be provided to the traveler. Advisors must develop strategies to commit the traveler to his/her own health, and verify their learnings on disease-prevention measures. Contacting the advisor after the appointment or during the trip can be helpful to clarify unclear instructions or diagnosis made and prescriptions given abroad. Infectious diseases are among the most frequent problems affecting travelers, many of which are preventable by vaccines, medicines, and precautionary measures. The dissemination of counterfeit medicines, particularly antibiotics and antimalarial medicines, emphasizes the need for travelers to carry medicines that they may possibly need on their trip. Additional advice on altitude, scuba diving, and other possible risks may also be given. Considering the difficulties in advising this group, we present a review of the main recommendations on advising these travelers.
Subject(s)
Humans , Travel , Communicable Disease Control/methods , Travel Medicine/trends , Communicable Disease Control/trends , CounselingABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the potential prophylactic activity of traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria. Methods: A traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria from Odisha, India was evaluated for its potential prophylactic activity using in vitro hepatic cell lines assay and the murine malaria system Plasmodium yoelii yoelii/Anopheles stephensi. Results: The polyherbal extract inhibited the Plasmodium yoelii hepatic stages in vitro (IC50 0.74 mg/mL), a therapeutic index of 9.54. In mice treated with the aqueous extract (2 000 mg/kg/day), peak parasitaemia values were 81% lower in the experimental 2.35% ± 0.14% as compared to controls 12.62% ± 0.52% (P Conclusions: The observations provide a proof of concept for a traditional malaria prophylactic remedy used by tribal populations in India.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the potential prophylactic activity of traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria. Methods: A traditional polyherbal remedy against malaria from Odisha, India was evaluated for its potential prophylactic activity using in vitro hepatic cell lines assay and the murine malaria system Plasmodium yoelii yoelii/Anopheles stephensi. Results: The polyherbal extract inhibited the Plasmodium yoelii hepatic stages in vitro (IC
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to evaluate the fortuitons advantage of using gamma irradiation in the prophylaxis of transmissible malaria by blood transfusion, with mice as the experimental model. In the first step, when the infected blood with Plasmodium berghei was submitted to 2,500 rad and 5,000 rad, with or without metronidazol, there was no success, because the animals presented parasitaemia and died after inoculation of irradiated blood. However, there was partial success in the second step, when the infected blood received 10,000 and 15,000 rad, and was inoculated in mice, which showed infection, and presented a survival rate of 20% and 40%, respectively, with later negativation of blood infected by P. berghei.
O estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a eventual utilidade de raios gama na profilaxia da malária transmissível por transfusão de sangue, tendo sido, para isso, usados camundongos infectados pelo Plasmodium berghei. Na primeira fase, quando submetemos sangue deles retirado a 2.500 e 5.000rad, com associação ou não de metronidazol, não obtivemos sucesso, já que todos os animais antes sem a parasitose apresentaram parasitemia e morreram após inoculação do sangue irradiado. Porém, ocorreu êxito parcial na segunda fase, ao serem empregados 10.000 e 15.000rad, porquanto 20% e 40% dos roedores, respectivamente, embora tenham ficado infectados, sobreviveram, com posterior negativação quanto à presença do P. berghei.