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At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

A longitudinal study of antibodies to the Plasmodium falciparum antigen Pf155/RESA and immunity to malaria infection in adult Liberians.

118 adult Liberians from 2 villages were studied prospectively for one year with monthly blood examinations for malaria parasites. The crude parasite rate was 41.5% and the crude gametocyte rate was 6.1%. The inoculation rate varied between 0.075 in the dry season and almost 0.4 in the rainy season, which is in accordance with other data from holoendemic areas. 47.5% (56) had a titre to the Pf155/RESA antigen less than or equal to 1/50 ('low responders') and 52.5% (62) had a titre of greater than or equal to 1/250 ('high responders'). The response was not age-dependent in this adult population, which may suggest that genetic factors are determining whether the individual become a high or low responder. Antibodies against the Pf155/RESA antigen were measured in 2 surveys 8 months apart, and the mean antibody response to Pf155/RESA and its EENV sequence was constant without seasonal variation. Pf155/RESA high responders had lower parasite densities during all 3 seasons surveyed, and Pf155/RESA high responders, with high antibody reactivity against the (EENV)6 sequence from the 3' repeat region of Pf155/RESA, had significantly lower parasite densities in the rainy season of 1987. The data suggest that high titres of antibodies to the Pf155/RESA antigen, and especially to its EENV sequence, might play a role in protective immunity in adults.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

A silent mutation in HLA-DPB1*0101 and its evolutionary implications.

A novel HLA-DPB1 allele (DPB1*/A6) has been identified in West Africa, and the occurrence of the recently reported allele DPB1*4001 (DPB1*BRI-5) in Negroid populations has been confirmed DPB1*WA6 differs from DPB1*0101 by a silent nucleotide exchange at codon position 43 only. It constitutes, thereby, a link to DPB1*1101, *1501, and *2601 and suggests and evolutionary relationship with these alleles. Carrying the same silent mutation, DPB1*1101, *1501, and *2601 may, by recombinations, have evolved from DPB1*WA6. An apparently older evolutionary branch arose directly from DPB1*0101 and comprises the closely related alleles DPB1*2701 and DPB1*4001 reported only from individuals of African descent.

Alleles↗
PubMed1990

Application of the verbal autopsy during a clinical trial.

During a community-based treatment trial of onchocerciasis with ivermectin, verbal autopsies were employed as one method to assess the safety of the drug. The verbal autopsy questionnaire was designed to determine causes of death and mortality differentials in the treated population. During the 8 months of surveillance here reported, 25 individuals died, yet only 9 of these deaths were certified. Seven of the deaths occurred to individuals who had been treated with ivermectin and the majority of the deaths occurred to children under 5, who were excluded from treatment. The verbal autopsy method was evaluated and validated by comparing the verbal autopsy diagnosis of cause of death to death certificate diagnosis, when available. In addition, verbal autopsies were retrospectively performed for all deaths which had occurred at the hospital during the 6 months preceding the start of the study, if these deaths were traceable to households in the surveillance population. We found that in 80% of the adult deaths, the verbal autopsy and death certificate diagnoses of underlying cause of death agreed. The verbal autopsy was less accurate in diagnosing child deaths which we attribute to the design of the verbal autopsy (being to detect potential drug related deaths in adults) and to the delay between death and interview. We conclude that verbal autopsies are an important addition to surveillance systems in remote areas where the absence or inadequacy of health information systems does not allow a thorough follow-up of all subjects in drug studies.

Autopsy↗
PubMed2005

Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy: neuropsychological and behavioural outcome.

Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (BMEI) is a rare syndrome of idiopathic generalized epilepsies with onset below 3 years of age. It has been reported that BMEI is associated with a good prognosis, however, recently some studies suggest less favourable neuropsychological outcome. We report a long-term follow-up of seven patients with BMEI. Seizure outcome and neuropsychological, cognitive, and behavioural evolution were discussed for each of them. At the end of follow-up, 86% of children showed neuropsychological and intellectual disorders: two children had mental retardation, three patients achieved a borderline IQ and one normal but low IQ. All but one displayed neuropsychological disabilities including fine motor skill deficits, attention deficits, and language impairment and learning disorders. Our clinical data and the previous reports suggest that the early onset of the seizures may be one of the main factors of the illness giving rise to a less favourable outcome. Additional interacting factors such as delayed start of treatment, and efficacy of the drugs may play an important role, too. We believe that BMEI does not exert, different from some epileptic encephalopathies, a quick destroying effect but may interfere with the growth of developing functions, which results in long-term neuropsychological disabilities.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2004

West African crystalline maculopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To report new observations in West African crystalline maculopathy. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational case series. PARTICIPANTS: Three patients drawn from a private retina practice. METHODS: Review of clinical charts and photographic studies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Distribution of intraretinal crystals and changes after laser photocoagulation, and history of ingesting foods typical in a West African diet but atypical for an American diet. RESULTS: All patients were older than 50 years, had diabetic retinopathy, ate green vegetables not found in American diets, and showed no deleterious effects of the crystals. Kola nut ingestion in 2 patients was remote and sparse, and was unknown in a third patient. The first 2 affected patients originating outside the Ibo tribe of Nigeria are reported. The pattern of retinal crystals can be changed, and the quantity of crystals reduced, by laser photocoagulation of associated diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: West African crystalline retinopathy is distinguishable from other causes of crystalline retinopathy. It may reflect a component of the West African diet, seems to have diabetic retinopathy as a promoting factor via breakdown of the blood-retina barrier, and can be modified by laser photocoagulation of diabetic retinopathy. Increased awareness of the condition will allow physicians seeing West African immigrants to make the diagnosis and treat the patients appropriately.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Malnutrition: trials and triumphs.

Severe malnutrition is uncommon but often fatal, particularly in very young infants or when oedema is present. Another major contributor to mortality is undiagnosed infection. Three pilot studies have recently been performed in severely malnourished patients in therapeutic feeding centres in sub-Saharan Africa. In each, a practical management problem was addressed and a potential solution tested. Three conclusions were reached: young breastfeeding infants were best managed using a supplemented suckling technique; routine antibiotics from admission reduced mortality; and in adults with oedematous malnutrition, therapeutic diets with a lower-than-usual protein:energy ratio were effective in reducing mortality and permitting catch-up weight gain.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Radioallergosorbent and indirect fluorescent antibody tests in immunodiagnosis of schistosomiasis.

Radioallergosorbent tests for specific IgE antibodies to Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni were positive in 82 and 72%, respectively, of sera from 136 African schistosomiasis patients. 99% of sera from controls (5 free of parasitic disease, 75 infested with hookworm, Ascaris, Trichuris, and/or Onchocerca) were negative. When titres in indirect fluorescent antibody tests were set at the same level of specificity only 38% of patients' sera were positive. A cut-off at a higher concentration increased sensitivity to 65% but lowered specificity (10% controls positive).

Adolescent↗