Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R D Powell

Publications and source records attributed to R D Powell.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Gametocytocidal and sporontocidal effects of primaquine and of sulfadiazine with pyrimethamine in a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum.

Studies with 3 volunteers were conducted to determine the effects of a combination of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine and the effects of primaquine upon mature gametocytes of a strain of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum-the Malayan (Camp.) strain. One volunteer was treated with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine; two other volunteers each received a single dose of 45 mg of primaquine base. The combination of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine, although active against blood schizonts, did not exert a marked sporontocidal effect against the Malayan (Camp.) strain. In sharp contrast, primaquine, although not effective as a blood schizontocide, exerted a marked gametocytocidal and sporontocidal effect against this strain.The findings emphasize the need for further studies of the sporontocidal and gametocytocidal effects of drugs, particularly primaquine, against chloroquine-resistant strains of P. falciparum and suggest that primaquine may come to play an important role in preventing the transmission of such strains.

Adult↗

The haemolytic effects of diaphenylsulfone (DDS) in normal subjects and in those with glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency.

The need to investigate further the phenomenon of sulfone-induced haemolysis is becoming greater as the use of sulfones may increase, particularly for malaria therapy in areas where Plasmodium falciparum is found to be resistant to chloroquine. The authors report on studies of the haemolytic effects of diaphenylsulfone (DDS) administered orally, in doses ranging from 25 mg to 300 mg daily for 21 days, to normal healthy men and to healthy Negro men with deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD). The latter proved more susceptible to diaphenylsulfone-induced haemolysis than did normal men. There was a direct relationship between the dose of diaphenylsulfone and the extent of haemolysis in both groups of men studied. Comparison of the haemolytic effects of diaphenylsulfone with those of the antimalarial drug primaquine revealed that, on a dose for weight basis, diaphenylsulfone is more haemolytic than primaquine in normal persons and less so in G-6-PD-deficient persons. A marked decrease in the content of reduced glutathione (GSH) in red cells, comparable to the changes in levels of erythrocytic GSH known to occur during primaquine-induced haemolysis, occurred just before and early during the acute haemolytic episode that resulted from administration of diaphenylsulfone to G-6-PD-deficient subjects; in contrast, levels of erythrocytic GSH increased early during the course of diaphenylsulfone-induced haemolysis in normal men.

Adult↗

The effects of diaphenylsulfone (DDS) against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

In view of the problems caused by the chloroquine-resistance of some strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the authors have investigated the effectiveness of diaphenylsulfone against two such resistant strains, from Malaya and Viet-Nam. They found that diaphenylsulfone given during acute attacks of malaria had a blood schizontocidal activity against the Malayan resistant strain but was not rapidly effective in terminating acute attacks in non-immune persons, and that, when the drug was given prophylactically in relatively small doses, it was substantially effective in preventing patency of mosquito-induced infection with the same strain. The protective effect of diaphenylsulfone is that of a clinical prophylactic or suppressive drug; it does not appear to be a true causal prophylactic. It was also found that the protective effect is vitiated by the concurrent administration of paraaminobenzoic acid.These studies indicate a need for further assessment of the antimalarial value of sulfones and sulfonamides, both alone and in combination with other drugs, for prevention and cure.

Adult↗