Neglected tropical diseases and mental health: a perspective on comorbidity

Mental health conditions will be the largest contributor to the global health burden by 2030. Our review suggests that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) predispose individuals to poor mental health. Factors predisposing to poor mental health include stigma and discrimination, exclusion from participating fully in society, reduced access to health and social services, lack of educational opportunities, exclusion from income-generation and employment opportunities, and restrictions in exercising civil and political rights. These characteristics are all features of NTDs, but the mental health of these sufferers has been ignored. This review raises an issue of concern and highlights the opportunities for research by psychiatrists and psychologists on NTDs.     

Newcastle disease vaccines

Newcastle disease (ND) is a worldwide problem with severe economic implications, affecting chickens, turkeys and other birds. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a member of the Paramyxoviridae group can cause disease of diverse severity in accordance with environmental factors. NDV strains are classified according to their virulence into three categories. The lentogenic strains are very mild and naturally inhabit healthy flocks. They can be used as live vaccines even for young chicks. Killed vaccines can be produced from the same viruses following inactivation. Mesogenic ND viruses, which cause mild or inapparent respiratory infections, have recently been banned in many countries even for killed vaccine production due to fears of disease emergence. Velogenic strains are the causative agents of the disease and can be used for the purpose of vaccine challenge test. Production and use of Newcastle disease vaccines are discussed in this review.     

Neglected tropical diseases in Uganda: the prospect and challenge of integrated control

So-called 'neglected tropical diseases' (NTDs) are becoming less neglected, with increasing political and financial commitments to their control. These recent developments were preceded by substantial advocacy for integrated control of different NTDs, on the premise that integration is both feasible and cost-effective. Although the approach is intuitively attractive, there are few countrywide experiences to confirm or refute this assertion. Using the example of Uganda, this article reviews the geographical and epidemiological bases for integration and assesses the potential opportunities for, and operational challenges of, integrating existing control activities for several of these diseases under an umbrella vertical programme.     

Innocuity testing of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines. I. Formaldehyde-inactivated alhydrogel vaccines

Conditions that contribute to efficient innocuity testing of formaldehyde (FA)-inactivated alhydrogel vaccines were investigated. Under our conditions good yields of 146S antigen were obtained if the antigen was eluted by potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and concentrated by ultrafiltration. Non-inactivated virus added to the vaccine and adsorbed overnight could be recovered if residual FA was removed from the vaccine by washing the gel thoroughly with Frenkel culture medium before the addition of the virus. It was shown that the presence of high concentrations of inactivated virus in the concentrated eluate could prevent the detection of small amounts infectious virus in intradermolingual tests in cattle. This interference phenomenon was not found if (more susceptible) monolayers of foetal calf thyroid cells were used for the detection of virus. Intensive pre-washing of the gel with Frenkel culture medium, elution with potassium phosphate, concentration by ultrafiltration and the use of thyroid cells for the final detection of surviving virus is therefore advised for safety testing.     

Neglected markers: altered serum proteome in murine models of disease

More than a decade ago our groups pioneered the analysis of serum proteins of laboratory animals with up-to-date proteomic techniques. We were, and still are, convinced that conforming animal procedures to the minimally invasive approaches typical of clinical biochemistry focuses attention on the actual conditions under which any finding arrived at on animal models of disease may eventually be applied to human patients for screening/diagnosis. We are also convinced that, besides the proteins present in trace level as a result of tissue leakage during disorders affecting specific peripheral organs, changes in the concentration of some of the major serum proteins as part of an acute-phase response may be taken as biological end-points during a number of experimental procedures. When reviewing literature data about proteomic investigations on plasma or serum of mice, we realized that not much work has been done in the direction we favor. In addition, we noticed that sometimes information about serum proteome has been coarsely treated and in a few cases even misunderstood/misused. In the following, we present current findings on serum/plasma proteome of the laboratory mouse not only under control conditions and during an experimentally induced acute-phase reaction, but also in a number of models of disease, mainly related to cancer and to metabolic disorders.     

Attenuated vaccines for tropical theileriosis, babesiosis and heartwater: the continuing necessity

Overwhelming evidence has accumulated of the effectiveness of immunization with live attenuated vaccines to control tick-borne diseases of livestock. Despite several disadvantages, vaccination with live attenuated organisms against tropical theileriosis, babesiosis and possibly heartwater constitutes one of the most cost-effective intervention strategies. Although great advances have been made through genomics and proteomics research, this has not yet translated into effective non-living vaccines. As a result, there is a continuing necessity to use available live vaccines in tick and tick-borne disease-control strategies adapted to conditions prevailing in many parts of the world.     

A global alliance against tropical disease

The tenth annual meeting of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Internal Centers for Tropical Disease Research was held, 7-9 May 2001, in Bethesda, MD, USA.     

植物糖生物学与糖链植物疫苗

植物糖生物学是研究植物与糖类互作机制、植物体内糖链与糖缀合物结构及生物学功能的科学,具体涉及糖信号、糖蛋白及其糖链功能、糖基转移酶及植物凝集素等研究方向。依据相关文献及实际研究经验,简要综述植物糖生物学的最新研究进展,其中重点介绍糖链植物疫苗并阐述其应用情况及作用机制。