Anti-microsporidial effect of thymoquinone on Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in vitro

Objective: To evaluate the anti-microsporidial effects of the active component of Nigella sativa seeds, thymoquinone, against Encephalitozoon intestinalis using an in vitro model. Methods: Anti-microsporidial effect of thymoquinone against Encephalitozoon intestinalis was evaluated by using various concentrations of thymoquinone (0, 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 35, and 40 μM) and sterile dimethyl sulfoxide. Real time PCR was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of thymoquinone on the life cycle of Encephalitozoon intestinalis. Results: The cytotoxic effect of thymoquinone on HEK293 cell line was observed with 30, 35, and 40 μM concentrations of thymoquinone after 24, 48, and 72 hours of incubation. It was observed that 10, 15, 20, and 30 μM concentrations of thymoquinone decreased the spore density compared with the control; however, it was significant only at 30 μM. Conclusions: Thymoquinone shows potent anti-microsporidial effects against Encephalitozoon intestinalis in the in vitro model;however, the toxic concentrations of thymoquinone are also toxic to the host cells.

A Review of Quercus infectoria (Olivier) Galls as a Resource for Anti-parasitic Agents: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

@#Parasitic diseases represent one of the causes for significant global economic, environmental and public health impacts. The efficacy of currently available anti-parasitic drugs has been threatened by the emergence of single drug- or multidrug-resistant parasite populations, vector threats and high cost of drug development. Therefore, the discovery of more potent anti-parasitic drugs coming from medicinal plants such as Quercus infectoria is seen as a major approach to tackle the problem. A systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy of Q. infectoria in treating parasitic diseases both in vitro and in vivo due to the lack of such reviews on the anti-parasitic activities of this plant. This review consisted of intensive searches from three databases including PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. Articles were selected throughout the years, limited to English language and fully documented. A total of 454 potential articles were identified, but only four articles were accepted to be evaluated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Although there were insufficient pieces of evidence to account for the efficacy of Q. infectoria against the parasites, this plant appears to have anti-leishmanial, anti-blastocystis and anti-amoebic activities. More studies in vitro and in vivo are warranted to further validate the anti-parasitic efficacy of Q. infectoria.

Resultados académicos en Farmacología de estudiantes de Enfermería Universidad Kmpa Vita. Uíge, Angola / Academic results in Pharmacology obtained by Nursing students. Kimpa Vita University. Uíge, Angola

Introducción: Los conocimientos en Farmacología tienen un lugar destacado en el ejercicio de la Enfermería. Es imprescindible que el estudiante de Enfermería en lo académico pueda asimilar todos los aspectos de la Farmacología durante la formación universitaria. Objetivo: Describir los resultados académicos en Farmacología de los estudiantes de Enfermería de la Universidad Kimpa Vita de Uíge en Angola. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de los estudiantes de tercero, cuarto y quinto años de Licenciatura en Enfermería. La Farmacología se impartió por el programa de estudio de 2008 de Cuba, y se utilizó el sistema de evaluación establecido en Angola. Se revisaron las actas de examen y se aplicó una pregunta de respuesta simple para evaluar el nivel de conocimientos en el tema fármacos antimicrobianos y antiparasitarios. Resultados: Los resultados en Farmacología I fueron fundamentalmente:suficiente (74,83 por ciento), y en Farmacologia II: suficiente (61,57 por ciento) y bien (34,01 por ciento). Los resultados del tema evaluado fueron principalmente en los estudiantes de tercer año: suspensos (41,75 por ciento), cuarto año: suficiente (45,10 por ciento), y en quinto año: suficiente (32,58 por ciento) y bien (37,08 por ciento). Conclusiones: Los resultados en Farmacología se obtienen por el progreso en los métodos de estudio, la atencion individualizada al estudiante y la integración de sus contenidos en las disciplinas propias de la profesión(AU)

Introduction: The knowledge of Pharmacology has a significant importance in the practice of Nursing. It is indispensable that the Nursing student achieves the assimilation of knowledge of all the aspects of Pharmacology from the academic point of view during the university formation. Objectives: To describe the academic results in Pharmacology obtained by Nursing students of the Kimpa Vita University of Uíge in Angola. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out with third, fourth and fifth year Nursing students. Pharmacology was taught according to the Cuban curriculum of 2008, and the evaluation system established in Angola was used. Official documents were reviewed, and a question with a simple answer was applied to evaluate the level of knowledge of antimicrobial and anti-parasitic drugs. Results: The results in Pharmacology I were mainly satisfactory (74.83 percent); and in Pharmacology II they were satisfactory (61.57 percent) and good (34.01 percent). The results of the evaluation related to the topics were: third-year students: failed (41.75 percent); fourth-year students: satisfactory (45.10 percent), and fifth-year ones: satisfactory (32.58 percent and good (37, 08 percent). Conclusions: The results in Pharmacology are achieved by the progress in the study methods, the individualized attention to the student, and the integration of their contents to the disciplines related to the profession(AU)

Evaluation of Boldine Activity against Intracellular Amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis

Leishmaniasis is a neglected and endemic disease that affects poorest population mainly in developing countries. A lack of adequate and definitive chemotherapeutic agents to fight against this infection has led to the investigation of numerous compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro activity of boldine against Leishmania amazonensis murine cell infection. Boldine ((S)-2,9-dihydroxy-1,10-dimethoxy-aporphine) is an aporphine alkaloid found abundantly in the leaves/bark of boldo (Peumus boldus Molina), a widely distributed tree native to Chile. The in vitro system consisted of murine macrophage infection with amastigotes of L. amazonensis treated with different concentrations from 50 to 600 μg/ml of boldine for 24 hr. Intracellular parasite destruction was assessed by morphological examination and boldine cytotoxicity to macrophages was tested by the MTT viability assay. When cells were treated with 100 μg/ml of boldine the reduction of parasite infection was 81% compared with untreated cultures cells. Interestingly, boldine-treatment caused a concentration-dependent decrease of macrophage infection that culminated with 96% of reduction when cells were submitted to 600 μg/ml of boldine. Cell cultures exposed to 100 μg/ml of boldine and 300 μg/ml of Glucantime® during 24 hr showed a significant reduction of 50% in parasitized cells compared with cell cultures exposed just to Glucantime®. The study showed that treatment with boldine produces a better effect than treatment with the reference antimonial drug, glucantime, in L. amazonensis infected macrophage. Our results suggest that boldine is a potentially useful agent for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Parasitic infections in HIV infected individuals: Diagnostic & therapeutic challenges.

After 30 years of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, parasites have been one of the most common opportunistic infections (OIs) and one of the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality associated with HIV-infected patients. Due to severe immunosuppression, enteric parasitic pathogens in general are emerging and are OIs capable of causing diarrhoeal disease associated with HIV. Of these, Cryptosporidium parvum and Isospora belli are the two most common intestinal protozoan parasites and pose a public health problem in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. These are the only two enteric protozoan parasites that remain in the case definition of AIDS till today. Leismaniasis, strongyloidiasis and toxoplasmosis are the three main opportunistic causes of systemic involvements reported in HIV-infected patients. Of these, toxoplasmosis is the most important parasitic infection associated with the central nervous system. Due to its complexity in nature, toxoplasmosis is the only parasitic disease capable of not only causing focal but also disseminated forms and it has been included in AIDS-defining illnesses (ADI) ever since. With the introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), cryptosporidiosis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, and toxoplasmosis are among parasitic diseases reported in association with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). This review addresses various aspects of parasitic infections in term of clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with HIV-infection.

Saponinas esteroidales de la planta Agave brittoniana (Agavaceae) con actividad contra el parásito Trichomona vaginalis

Steroidal saponins from the plant Agave brittoniana with activity against the parasite Trichomona vaginalis. The genus Agave (Agavaceae), includes more than 300 species; around 16 of them show an homogeneous distribution throughout Cuba. Agave brittoniana (ssp. brachypus), is an endemic subspecies that grows in the central region of the country and its leaves are traditionally used in the treatment of parasitic diseases. The parasite Trichomonas vaginalis causes the disease known as trichomoniasis, that infects the genital tract. To test in vitro the plant against Trichomona vaginalis, the dried and powdered leaves were extracted three times with ethanol-water (7 : 3) by maceration at room temperature. The solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the extract was suspended in distilled water, defatted with n-hexane, and extracted with water-saturated n-butanol. After solvent removal, a portion of the n-butanol extract was hydrolyzed. After extraction with ethyl acetate the hydrolysis products were compared with authentic sapogenins samples using thin layer chromatography (TLC). Most of the sapogenins (yuccagenin and diosgenin) were isolated and their structures were confirmed. using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The n-butanol extract was subjected to a separation process through column chromatography to obtain five fractions. After multiple separation processes by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the most active one produced one refined fraction that contained two saponins with the same aglycone (diosgenin) and one yuccagenin based saponin. Best results of the activity were obtained with the yuccagenin derived glycoside. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (4): 16451652. Epub 2008 December 12.

El género Agave, familia Agavaceae, tiene más de 300 especies, con aproximadamente 16 distribuidas en toda Cuba. Una de ellas, el Agave brittoniana Trel. (ssp. brachypus), es una subespecie endémica y sus hojas son tradicionalmente utilizadas en el tratamiento de enfermedades parasitarias. Se realizaron estudios "in vitro" de la actividad de productos de esta planta frente a Trichomona vaginalis. Las hojas secas y pulverizadas fueron extraídas tres veces con una mezcla de etanol-agua (7: 3) mediante maceración a temperatura ambiente. El disolvente fue evaporado a presión reducida y el extracto fue suspendido en agua destilada, desengrasado con n-hexano, y extraído con n-butanol saturado con agua. Luego de una extracción con acetato de etilo, los productos de la hidrólisis fueron comparados con patrones de sapogeninas mediante la cromatografía de capa fina (CCD). Aislamos las sapogeninas mayoritarias (yuccagenina y diosgenina) y confirmamos sus estructuras utilizando técnicas de resonancia magnética nuclear. Por otra parte, el extracto n-butanólico fue sometido a un proceso de separación biodirigido mediante cromatografía de columna, obteniéndose cinco fracciones. Después de múltiples separaciones, la más activa rindió una fracción purificada con dos sapogeninas con el mismo aglicón (diosgenina) y un glicósido de yucagenina. Los mejores resultados de esta actividad fueron obtenidos con el glicósido derivado de la yucagenina.

A comparison of intravenous and rectal metronidazole in acute nonperforated appendicitis

A prosective randomized study was conducted between January 1990 and December 1991 to compare the effectiveness of intravenous metronidazole and rectal metronidazole in acute nonperforated appendicitis. There were 92 patients entered in the study, and 70 were considered evaluable. Each patient was administered either metronidazole 1 gm IV (Group I) or metronidazole 1 gm suppository (Group II). No postoperative metronidazole was given. A standard operative protocol was followed. Follow up was done up to one month after the operation. There was only one postoperative infection that occurred, a wound infection, for an overall incidence of 1.43%. The wound infection occurred in Group II (1/36), with an incidence of 2.78% there were no infection in Group I (0/34). There was no significant difference in infection rate between the two groups. The duration of operation and the pathologic classification of the appendix did not influence the development of postoperative infection. A single dose of metronidazole is effective in reducing the infection rate in acute nonperforated appendicitis. The rectal administration of metronidazole in the form of suppository is as effective as the intravenous route.

Th17 in the Immunity Against Parasitic Infection / 中国寄生虫学与寄生虫病杂志

Th17 lymphocytes have been recently identified as a novel subset of CD4+ cells. It has been defined that IL-17,the main product of Th17, plays an important role in immunity against parasitic infection. There is a two-way influence between Th17 and cytokine network: on one hand Th17 consummates cytokine network, on the other hand many cytokines regulate Th17's activity in parasitic infection. In the anti-parasitic infection process, Th17 cells protect host or promote inflammation, even cause immune pathogenesis in different cases, which comprise host's immune state, the burden of parasitic infection, as well as the treatment.