Search results for "NEGLECT"

Extracellular non-coding RNA signatures of the metacestode stage of Echinococcus multilocularis

2020

Extracellular RNAs (ex-RNAs) are secreted by cells through different means that may involve association with proteins, lipoproteins or extracellular vesicles (EV). In the context of parasitism, ex-RNAs represent new and exciting communication intermediaries with promising potential as novel biomarkers. In the last years, it was shown that helminth parasites secrete ex-RNAs, however, most work mainly focused on RNA secretion mediated by EV. Ex-RNA study is of special interest in those helminth infections that still lack biomarkers for early and/or follow-up diagnosis, such as echinococcosis, a neglected zoonotic disease caused by cestodes of the genus Echinococcus. In this work, we have char…

Genetic tools discriminate strains of Leishmania infantum isolated from  humans and dogs in Sicily, Italy

2020

Background Leishmaniasis is one of the most important vector-borne diseases and it represents a serious world health problem affecting millions of people. High levels of Leishmania infections, affecting both humans and animals, are recognized among Italian regions. Among these, Sicily has one of the highest prevalence of Leishmania infection. Methodology/Principal Findings Seventy-eight Leishmania strains isolated from human and animal samples across Sicily, were analyzed for the polymorphic k26-gene and genotypes were assigned according to the size of the PCR products. A multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) approach based on the analysis of 11 independent loci was used to investigate po…

Prevalence and intensity of neglected tropical diseases (schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths) amongst rural female pupils in Ugu district,…

2020

Background Inadequate water supply and sanitation adversely affects the health and socio-economic development of communities and places them at risk of contracting schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and STHs amongst female school-going pupils in Ugu district. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Ugu district amongst primary school pupils from 18 randomly selected schools in 2010. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the history and knowledge of bilharzia of 1057 pupils. One stool and 3 consecutive days of urine samples were co…

Evaluation of Immunofluorescence Antibody Test Used for the Diagnosis of Canine Leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean Basin: A Systematic Review and Met…

2015

With an expected sensitivity (Se) of 96% and specificity (Sp) of 98%, the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) is frequently used as a reference test to validate new diagnostic methods and estimate the canine leihmaniasis (CanL) true prevalence in the Mediterranean basin. To review the diagnostic accuracy of IFAT to diagnose CanL in this area with reference to its Se and Sp and elucidate the potential causes of their variations, a systematic review was conducted (31 studies for the 26-year period). Three IFAT validation methods stood out: the classical contingency table method, methods based on statistical models and those based on experimental studies. A variation in the IFAT Se and Sp …

Harnessing Big Data for Communicable Tropical and Sub-Tropical Disorders: Implications From a Systematic Review of the Literature

2018

aim: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), communicable tropical and sub-tropical diseases occur solely, or mainly in the tropics, thriving in hot, and humid conditions. Some of these disorders termed as neglected tropical diseases are par- ticularly overlooked. Communicable tropical/sub-tropical diseases represent a diverse group of communicable disorders occurring in 149 countries, favored by tropical and sub-tropical conditions, affecting more than one billion people and imposing a dramatic societal and economic burden. methods: A systematic review of the extant scholarly literature was carried out, searching in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search string used included prope…

Co-infection with Schistosoma haematobium and soil-transmitted helminths in rural South Africa

2017


 
 
 Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis are among the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases and may lead to severe consequences. We assessed the extent of co-infection between Schistosoma haematobium and the soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura in schoolgirls in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We also explored if S. haematobium can serve as a predictor for soil-transmitted helminths in this area. From 15 selected schools, 726 primary schoolgirls aged 10–12 years provided both urine and stool samples. The samples were examined for the presence of eggs using the urine sedimentation technique for S. …

Molecular characterization of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum in Switzerland and France with a new multilocus sequence typing scheme

2018

Syphilis is an important public health problem and an increasing incidence has been noted in recent years. Characterization of strain diversity through molecular data plays a critical role in the epidemiological understanding of this re-emergence. We here propose a new high-resolution multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme for Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA). We analyzed 30 complete and draft TPA genomes obtained directly from clinical samples or from rabbit propagated strains to identify suitable typing loci and tested the new scheme on 120 clinical samples collected in Switzerland and France. Our analyses yielded three loci with high discriminatory power: TP0136, TP0548, and TP…

2016

Background Non-fatal outcomes of disease and injury increasingly detract from the ability of the world's population to live in full health, a trend largely attributable to an epidemiological transition in many countries from causes affecting children, to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) more common in adults. For the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015), we estimated the incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for diseases and injuries at the global, regional, and national scale over the period of 1990 to 2015. Methods We estimated incidence and prevalence by age, sex, cause, year, and geography with a wide range of updated and standardi…

Trichuris trichiura egg extract proteome reveals potential diagnostic targets and immunomodulators.

2021

The proteomic analysis was performed at the proteomics facility of SCSIE, University of Valencia (Burjassot, Spain) that belongs to ProteoRed, PRB2-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain. We also thank Dr. Tatiana Corey, Dr. Amy Beierschmitt and Dr. Pompei Bolfa for their support during sample collection.

The Resilient Emotional Brain: A Scoping Review of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Limbic Structure and Function in Resilient Adults With a History …

2020

Childhood Maltreatment (CM) is one of the strongest predictors of adult mental illness, though not all adults with CM develop psychopathology. Here, we describe the structure and function of emotional brain regions that may contribute to resilient functioning after CM. We review studies that report medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala and hippocampus (‘limbic regions’) structure, function, and/or connections, in resilient (i.e., adults reporting CM without psychopathology) vs. vulnerable (i.e., adults reporting CM with psychopathology), or healthy adults (adults without CM with no psychopatology). We find that resilient adults have larger hippocampal grey and white matter volume, and i…