Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) result from immune self-tolerance loss, causing tissue damage. Standard treatments targeting late-stage inflammation often have serious side effects. Artemisinin, known for its antimalarial properties, shows potential immunomodulatory effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Med Infect Dis
May 2025
Background: Recent setbacks in malaria control in Comoros demand a reassessment of its evolving epidemiology.
Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021 data, we analyzed malaria trends from 2010 to 2021, stratified by sex. We quantified the contributions of demographic and epidemiological factors to these trends and identified risk factors for malaria-related disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
Parasit Vectors
May 2025
Background: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of mass drug administration (MDA) on malaria transmission in low-endemic malaria areas.
Methods: Mass drug administration of artemisinin-piperaquine (AP) + primaquine (PMQ) was targeted to 17,438 individuals in the Agua Grande region of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP). The participants were allocated to either a three-round MDA (3-MDA) group or to a two-round MDA (2-MDA) group.
Introduction: The incidence of diabetes is rising annually, significantly impacting public health and imposing a substantial economic burden on society. Ophiopogonin D (Op D) exhibits certain hypoglycemic effects; however, its mechanisms remain unclear.
Methods: β-cell dedifferentiation, distinct from β-cell apoptosis, is a pathogenic mechanism we aim to explore regarding Op D's regulatory effects.
This study investigated the protective effects of Garcinia biflavonoid 1 (GB1) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis and its underlying mechanisms. Using wild-type (WT) and NLRP3 knockout (Nlrp3) mice, we demonstrated that GB1 administration significantly ameliorated colitis symptoms, as evidenced by improved body weight, disease activity index (DAI) scores, colon length, and histological damage in WT mice. Mechanistically, GB1 downregulated pro-inflammatory mediators (IL-6, NF-κB, and CD11b) while attenuating the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components (ASC, Caspase-1, and IL-1β).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Pharmacol
July 2024
Background: Fu-zi decoction (FZD) has a long history of application for treating Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a classic formulation. However, its underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to decipher the potential mechanism of FZD in treating RA, with a specific focus on receptor activator of nuclear factor κB/receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANK/RANKL) signaling pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: H1N1 is one of the major subtypes of influenza A virus (IAV) that causes seasonal influenza, posing a serious threat to human health. A traditional Chinese medicine combination called Qingxing granules (QX) is utilized clinically to treat epidemic influenza. However, its chemical components are complex, and the potential pharmacological mechanisms are still unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a lethal disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function. Currently, lung transplantation remains the only available treatment for PF. However, both artemisinin (ART) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) possess potential antifibrotic properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biol Drug Des
December 2023
Pouzolzia zeylanica (L.) Benn. is a Chinese herbal medicine widely used for its anti-inflammatory and pus-removal properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
May 2023
Lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in hepatocytes are features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Garcinia biflavonoid 1a (GB1a) is a natural product capable of hepatic protection. In this study, the effect of GB1a on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and regulation of the accumulation in HepG2 cells and mouse primary hepatocytes (MPHs) was investigated, and its regulatory mechanism was further explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKnowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surveys on malaria and antimalarial mass drug administration (MDA) have not received much attention in the Union of the Comoros. This study is a household-based cross-sectional survey using a multi-stage sampling technique aiming at investigating KAP toward malaria and antimalarial MDA with artemisinin-piperaquine among heads of households on Grande Comore Island, the largest island of the Comoros. A predefined structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic characteristics and questions about malaria and antimalarial MDA was administered to 1,368 randomly selected heads of households from 10 malaria-endemic villages on Grande Comore Island.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOpen Forum Infect Dis
March 2023
Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) is a powerful tool for malaria control, but the medicines to use, dosing, number of rounds, and potential selection of drug resistance remain open questions.
Methods: Two monthly rounds of artemisinin-piperaquine (AP), each comprising 2 daily doses, were administered across the 7 districts of Grande Comore Island. In 3 districts, low-dose primaquine (PMQ) was also given on the first day of each monthly round.
We conducted a study on the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2018 to verify the safety and efficacy of the artemisinin-piperaquine (AP) mass drug administration (MDA) campaign in regions with moderate to high mixed malaria transmission. Based on the natural topography of the Trobriand Islands, 44,855 residents from 92 villages on the islands were enrolled and divided into the main and outer islands. Three rounds of MDA were conducted using grid-based management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
November 2022
: Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquito vectors, commonly found in tropical regions, and characterized by high morbidity and mortality. It causes a heavy disease burden in Sao Tome and Principe (STP), an island country in West Africa which at one time had a high incidence of malaria. : This study aims to analyze the trend of disease burden of malaria in STP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Drug Resist
November 2022
Introduction: Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) act as first-line antimalarial drugs and play a crucial role in the successful control of malaria. However, the recent emergence of resistance of to ACTs in South East Asia is of particular concern. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify the genetic determinants of and understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning such resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Complement Med Ther
October 2022
Background: The WHO recommends artemisinin-based combination regimens for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. One such combination is artemisinin-piperaquine tablets (ATQ). ATQ has outstanding advantages in anti-malarial, such as good efficacy, fewer side effects, easy promotion and application in deprived regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Pharmacol
September 2022
Vanillic acid, a phenolic compound mainly obtained from the foot of Pennell, has been demonstrated to possess a cardiovascular-protective effect in previous studies. However, there is lack of research on vanillic acid protecting cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress injury by mediating mitophagy. In the present study, oxidative stress injury in the H9c2 cell line was induced by HO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malaria significantly rebounded in 2018 in the Comoros; this created an urgent need to conduct clinical trials to investigate the effectiveness of artemisinin and its derivatives.
Methods: An open-label, non-randomised controlled trial of artemisinin-piperaquine (AP) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) was conducted in Grande Comore island from June 2019 to January 2020. A total of 238 uncomplicated falciparum malaria cases were enrolled and divided 1:1 into two treatments.
Background: cerebral malaria (CM) is an important complication of malaria with a high mortality rate. Artesunate is recommended as the first-line artemisinin compound treatment for severe malaria. Due to the difficulty of obtaining brain tissue samples clinically, the use of animals to research host responses to CM parasite infections is necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Novel Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is closely associated with cytokines storms. The Chinese medicinal herb Artemisia annua L. (A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe WHO recommends Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs) as the first-line treatment for malaria. This meta-analysis aims to analyze the effects of artemisinin and its derivatives as well as non-artemisinin drugs on the gametophytes in the host during the treatment of falciparum malaria. Fourteen studies were included in this analysis, and the artemisinin combination drugs involved were: artemether-lumefantrine (AL), artemisinin (AST), artemether-benflumetol (AB), dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine + trimethoprim + primaquine (CV8), amodiaquine + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (ASP), pyronaridine-phosphate + dihydroartemisinin (PP-DHA), dihydroartemisinin (DHA), and mefloquine + artesunate (MA), with 1702 patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Med (Lausanne)
September 2021
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease. The intake of African Garcinia Kola nuts has been reported as a therapy for diarrhea and dysentery in the African population. However, the mechanism of action through which Garcinia Kola nuts act to ameliorates UC remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMass drug administration with artemisinin-piperaquine (AP-MDA) is being considered for elimination of residual foci of malaria in Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe. Three monthly rounds of AP-MDA were implemented from July to October 2019. Four zones were selected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
July 2021
Malaria, one of the most serious parasitic diseases, kills thousands of people every year, especially in Africa. São Tomé and Príncipe are known to have stable transmission of malaria. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticides and long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) are considered as an effective malaria control interventions in these places.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we report a novel high-throughput and instant-mixing droplet microfluidic system that can prepare uniformly mixed monodisperse droplets at a flow rate of mL/min designed for rapid mixing between multiple solutions and the preparation of micro-/nanoparticles. The system is composed of a magneton micromixer and a T-junction microfluidic device. The magneton micromixer rapidly mixes multiple solutions uniformly through the rotation of the magneton, and the mixed solution is sheared into monodisperse droplets by the silicone oil in the T-junction microfluidic device.
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