What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Sent on Thursday, 2012 March 15
Search: kinetoplastids OR kinetoplastid OR Kinetoplastida OR "trypanosoma brucei" OR leishmania OR brucei OR leishmaniasis OR "African trypanosomiasis"

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PubMed Results

Items 1 - 6 of 6

1.	Front Microbiol. 2012;3:74. Epub 2012 Mar 12. Characteristics of "Tip-DCs and MDSCs" and Their Potential Role in Leishmaniasis. Schmid M, Wege AK, Ritter U. Source Institute of Immunology, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany. Abstract Since the first description of dendritic cells (DCs) by Steinman and Cohn (1973), the myeloid lineage of leukocytes was investigated intensively. Nowadays it is obvious that myeloid cells, especially DCs, are crucial for the adaptive and innate immune response against intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania major parasites. Based on the overlapping expression of molecules that were commonly used to classify myeloid cells, it becomes difficult to denominate those cell types precisely. Of note, most of these markers used for myeloid cell identification are expressed on a broad range of myeloid cells, and should therefore be handled with care if used for subtyping of myeloid cells. In this mini-review we aim to discuss the relative impact of DCs that release TNF and nitric oxide (Tip-DCs) and myeloid cells with suppressive capacities (myeloid-derived suppressor cells, MDSCs) in infectious diseases such as experimental leishmaniasis. In our point of view it cannot be excluded that the novel subsets that were denominated as "Tip-DCs" and "MDSCs" might not be classical "subsets" but rather represent myeloid cells in a transient maturation stage expressing different genes, in response to the surrounding environment.
	PMID: 22416241 [PubMed - in process]

2.	Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2012 Mar;107(2):238-45. Kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 exacerbates infection with Leishmania amazonensis in murine macrophages. Lacerda DI, Cysne-Finkelstein L, Nunes MP, De-Luca PM, Genestra Mda S, Leon LL, Berrêdo-Pinho M, Mendonça-Lima L, Matos DC, Medeiros MA, Mendonça SC. Source Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, 21040-360. Abstract In Leishmania amazonensis, kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (KMP-11) expression increases during metacyclogenesis and is higher in amastigotes than in promastigotes, suggesting a role for this protein in the infection of the mammalian host. We show that the addition of KMP-11 exacerbates L. amazonensis infection in peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice by increasing interleukin (IL)-10 secretion and arginase activity while reducing nitric oxide (NO) production. The doses of KMP-11, the IL-10 levels and the intracellular amastigote loads were strongly, positively and significantly correlated. The increase in parasite load induced by KMP-11 was inhibited by anti-KMP-11 or anti-IL-10 neutralising antibodies, but not by isotype controls. The neutralising antibodies, but not the isotype controls, were also able to significantly decrease the parasite load in macrophages cultured without the addition of KMP-11, demonstrating that KMP-11-induced exacerbation of the infection is not dependent on the addition of exogenous KMP-11 and that the protein naturally expressed by the parasite is able to promote it. In this study, the exacerbating effect of KMP-11 on macrophage infection with Leishmania is for the first time demonstrated, implicating it as a virulence factor in L. amazonensis. The stimulation of IL-10 production and arginase activity and the inhibition of NO synthesis are likely involved in this effect.
	PMID: 22415264 [PubMed - in process]

3.	Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2012 Mar;107(2):163-9. The distribution pattern of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the peridomiciles of a sector with canine and human visceral leishmaniasis transmission in the municipality of Dracena, São Paulo, Brazil. Rangel O, Sampaio SM, Ciaravolo RM, Holcman MM. Source Superintendência de Controle de Endemias, Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo, Campinas, SP, Brasil. Abstract The specimen distribution pattern of a species can be used to characterise a population of interest and also provides area-specific guidance for pest management and control. In the municipality of Dracena, in the state of São Paulo, we analysed 5,889 Lutzomyia longipalpis specimens collected from the peridomiciles of 14 houses in a sector where American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) is transmitted to humans and dogs. The goal was to analyse the dispersion and a theoretical fitting of the species occurrence probability. From January-December 2005, samples were collected once per week using CDC light traps that operated for 12-h periods. Each collection was considered a sub-sample and was evaluated monthly. The standardised Morisita index was used as a measure of dispersion. Adherence tests were performed for the log-series distribution. The number of traps was used to adjust the octave plots. The quantity of Lu. longipalpis in the sector was highly aggregated for each month of the year, adhering to a log-series distribution for 11 of the 12 months analysed. A sex-stratified analysis demonstrated a pattern of aggregated dispersion adjusted for each month of the year. The classes and frequencies of the traps in octaves can be employed as indicators for entomological surveillance and AVL control.
	PMID: 22415253 [PubMed - in process]

4.	Curr Med Chem. 2012 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print] The Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants as Drugs or Leads Against Protozoan Neglected Diseases - Part II. Schmidt TJ, Khalid SA, Romanha AJ, Alves TM, Biavatti MW, Brun R, Da Costa FB, de Castro SL, Ferreira VF, de Lacerda MV, Lago JH, Leon LL, Lopes NP, das Neves Amorim RC, Niehues M, Ogungbe IV, Pohlit AM, Scotti MT, Setzer WN, Soeiro MD, Steindel M, Tempone AG. Source Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, University of Münster, Hittorfstrasse 56, D-48149 Münster, Germany. thomschm@uni-muenster.de. Abstract Infections with protozoan parasites are a major cause of disease and mortality in many tropical countries of the world. Diseases caused by species of the genera Trypanosoma (Human African Trypanosomiasis and Chagas Disease) and Leishmania (various forms of Leishmaniasis) are among the seventeen "Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) defined by the WHO. Furthermore, malaria (caused by various Plasmodium species) can be considered a neglected disease in certain countries and with regard to availability and affordability of the antimalarials. Living organisms, especially plants, provide an innumerable number of molecules with potential for the treatment of many serious diseases. The current review attempts to give an overview on the potential of such plant-derived natural products as antiprotozoal leads and/or drugs in the fight against NTDs. In part I, a general description of the diseases, the current state of therapy and need for new therapeuticals, assay methods and strategies applied in the search for new plant derived natural products against these diseases and an overview on natural products of terpenoid origin with antiprotozoal potential were given. The present part II compiles the current knowledge on natural products with antiprotozoal activity that are derived from the shikimate pathway (lignans, coumarins, caffeic acid derivatives), quinones of various structural classes, compounds formed via the polyketide pathways (flavonoids and related compounds, chromenes and related benzopyrans and benzofurans, xanthones, acetogenins from Annonaceae and polyacetylenes) as well as the diverse classes of alkaloids. In total, both parts compile the literature on almost 900 different plant-derived natural products and their activity data, taken from over 800 references. These data, as the result of enormous efforts of numerous research groups world-wide, illustrate that plant secondarymetabolites represent an immensely rich source of chemical diversity with an extremely high potential to yield a wealth of lead structures towards new therapies for NTDs. Only a small percentage, however, of the roughly 200,000 plant species on earth have been studied chemically and only a small percentage of these plants or their constituents has been investigated for antiprotozoal activity. The repository of plant-derived natural products hence deserves to be investigated even more intensely than it has been up to present.
	PMID: 22414104 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

5.	Curr Med Chem. 2012 Mar 13. [Epub ahead of print] The Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants as Drugs or Leads Against Protozoan Neglected Diseases - Part I. Schmidt TJ, Khalid SA, Romanha AJ, Alves TM, Biavatti MW, Brun R, Da Costa FB, de Castro SL, Ferreira VF, de Lacerda MV, Lago JH, Leon LL, Lopes NP, das Neves Amorim RC, Niehues M, Ogungbe IV, Pohlit AM, Scotti MT, Setzer WN, Soeiro MD, Steindel M, Tempone AG. Source Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, University of Münster, Hittorfstrasse 56, D-48149 Münster, Germany. thomschm@uni-muenster.de. Abstract Infections with protozoan parasites are a major cause of disease and mortality in many tropical countries of the world. Diseases caused by species of the genera Trypanosoma (Human African Trypanosomiasis and Chagas Disease) and Leishmania (various forms of Leishmaniasis) are among the seventeen "Neglected Tropical Diseases" (NTDs) defined as such by WHO due to the neglect of financial investment into research and development of new drugs by a large part of pharmaceutical industry and neglect of public awareness in high income countries. Another major tropical protozoan disease is malaria (caused by various Plasmodium species), which -although not mentioned currently by the WHO as a neglected disease- still represents a major problem, especially to people living under poor circumstances in tropical countries. Malaria causes by far the highest number of deaths of all protozoan infections and is often (as in this review) included in the NTDs. The mentioned diseases threaten many millions of lives world-wide and they are mostly associated with poor socioeconomic and hygienic environment. Existing therapies suffer from various shortcomings, namely, a high degree of toxicity and unwanted effects, lack of availability and/or problematic application under the life conditions of affected populations. Development of new, safe and affordable drugs is therefore an urgent need. Nature has provided an innumerable number of drugs for the treatment of many serious diseases. Among the natural sources for new bioactive chemicals, plants are still predominant. Their secondary metabolism yields an immeasurable wealth of chemical structures which has been and will continue to be a source of new drugs, directly in their native form and after optimization by synthetic medicinal chemistry. The current review, published in two parts, attempts to give an overview on the potential of such plant-derived natural products as antiprotozoal leads and/or drugs in the fight against NTDs.
	PMID: 22414103 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

6.	J Travel Med. 2012 Mar;19(2):124-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2011.00572.x. Epub 2011 Dec 8. Successful Treatment of Imported Mucosal Leishmania infantum Leishmaniasis With Miltefosine After Severe Hypokalemia Under Meglumine Antimoniate Treatment. Neumayr AL, Walter C, Stoeckle M, Braendle N, Glatz K, Blum JA. Source Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland Department of Periodontology, Endodontology and Cariology, School of Dentistry, University of Basel, Switzerland Clinic of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology Department for Pathology, Institute for Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Abstract Old World mucosal leishmaniasis is a rare but regularly reported disease in Southern Europe. We report the case of a 64-year-old woman who developed severe hypokalemia under meglumine antimoniate treatment and was successfully treated under second line therapy with miltefosine. © 2011 International Society of Travel Medicine.
	PMID: 22414039 [PubMed - in process]