ABSTRACT
A statistical analysis of clinical, nutritional, and immunological data gathered in a previous study suggest that nutritional factors, and in particular, iron status, appeared to be of significance in mounting an effective immune response to Cryptosporidium infection in young children. The primary protective mechanism seemed to be cell-mediated; humoral immunity was intact in all the study subjects, however, CMI was initially impaired but improved over six weeks.
Subject(s)
Cryptosporidiosis/immunology , Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Nutritional Status , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/analysis , Cryptosporidiosis/blood , Cryptosporidium/immunology , Duodenum , Feces/chemistry , Female , Humans , Immunity, Cellular , Immunoglobulins/analysis , Infant , Intestinal Secretions/immunology , Iron/blood , Male , Philippines , Regression AnalysisABSTRACT
An ELISA was used to measure the Cryptosporidium-specific IgA, IgG, and IgM antibody levels in serum, stool, and duodenal fluid of 15 Filipino children. Antibody levels were measured on admission to the hospital, 1 week later, and at a 6 week follow-up examination. Delayed type hypersensitivity skin tests were used to assay cell mediated immunity (CMI), iron status was measured by serum iron tests and total iron binding capacity, and the degree of malnutrition was determined by clinical examination. Antibody response to Cryptosporidium was qualitatively and quantitatively strong and maintained over time. All subjects showed impaired CMI early with some reconstitution after 6 weeks. All subjects showed some degree of malnutrition and/or depleted iron status.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Protozoan/biosynthesis , Coccidia/immunology , Cryptosporidiosis/immunology , Cryptosporidium/immunology , Animals , Cryptosporidiosis/complications , Cryptosporidiosis/epidemiology , Duodenum/immunology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Feces/analysis , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Hypersensitivity, Delayed , Immunoglobulin A/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin M/biosynthesis , Infant , Iron/blood , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Nutrition Disorders/complications , Philippines/epidemiology , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Praziquantel undergoes extensive first-pass hepatic biotransformation, but there is little information on its disposition or toxicity when administered to patients with liver disease. To define the influence of liver disease on the pharmacokinetics of praziquantel, we administered it orally to 30 patients with proven Schistosoma japonicum infection whose liver disease was carefully assessed as being severe, moderate, or absent. Both the peak plasma concentration of praziquantel and the bioavailability (measured as the area under the plasma concentration time curve) were significantly greater in the two groups of patients with liver disease (P less than .005), as were the concentrations of the two identified metabolites of praziquantel. Mild side effects were associated with high peak concentrations of praziquantel, but a syndrome of severe abdominal pain followed by bloody diarrhea was not. Our results indicate that the side effects and bioavailability of praziquantel are increased in the presence of liver disease.
Subject(s)
Liver Diseases, Parasitic/metabolism , Praziquantel/pharmacokinetics , Schistosomiasis japonica/metabolism , Biological Availability , Female , Humans , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/drug therapy , Male , Praziquantel/adverse effects , Schistosomiasis japonica/drug therapyABSTRACT
The effectiveness of standard single-day praziquantel treatment (60 mg/kg) was prospectively evaluated in nine patients with seizures caused by cerebral Schistosoma japonicum infection. Eight patients were cured when discharged from the study, an average of 6 months after receiving praziquantel. They were seizure-free in the absence of anticonvulsants, their electroencephalograms were normal, and no major abnormalities could be detected on neurological examination. Serial computed tomography scanning revealed rapid dissipation of cerebral oedema and complete or near-complete resolution of mass lesions. No serious adverse effects of praziquantel were encountered. The ninth patient was not cured but improved greatly in the months after treatment. Thus, single-day treatment with praziquantel is safe and effective in cerebral schistosomiasis.
Subject(s)
Brain Diseases/drug therapy , Praziquantel/therapeutic use , Schistosomiasis japonica/drug therapy , Adult , Brain Diseases/complications , Brain Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Brain Edema/etiology , Drug Evaluation , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Schistosoma japonicum/isolation & purification , Schistosomiasis japonica/complications , Schistosomiasis japonica/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedABSTRACT
Em funçäo da crise mundial do petróleo e seus derivados, veio a aumentar consideravelmente o peso econômico da atividade de recapagem e recauchutagem de pneus, trazendo como conseqüência uma tendência de crescimento das condiçöes de risco a que estäo expostos os trabalhadores do setor. Fazendo um levantamento junto a diferentes empresas renovadoras de pneus, o presente trabalho objetivou a identificaçäo desses riscos, bem como a proposiçäo de medidas para o controle e prevençäo dos mesmos
