Search

Introduction Most organized mosquito control strategies require public support of one kind or another, and the extent of people's cooperation can determine the success or failure of the entire campaign[1]. [...], A study of community awareness of mosquitos and related subjects in the residential areas of two Tanzanian cities (Dar es Salaam and Tanga) showed that residents were well aware of mosquitos. Almost all claimed to use some form of domestic mosquito control product for their personal protection, and many spend a significant portion of the household income on this. The problems or nuisance-biting and malaria transmission are usually not separated and are considered to be the result of poor environmental hygiene, for which both residents and local authorities are responsible. Although Culex mosquitos are not a primary target of the Urban Malaria Control Project (UMCP), the persistence of nuisance-biting has made residents sceptical and dissatisfied with insecticide spraying. The residents' priorities are evidently not the same as those of the health authorities, yet mutual cooperation, is essential. In order to maintain community support, campaigns aimed at malaria vectors should consider the need for additional measures to control Culex mosquitos, such as those now being tried by the UMCP. Mosquito breeding sites are non-specifically associated with rubbish and standing water of an kinds, and so the actions that the community considers necessary for mosquito source reduction tend to be poorly targeted. Residents do not recognize that some sources produce malaria mosquitos while others produce nuisance mosquitos. The environmental anti-mosquito measures currently promoted by health education and other forms of propaganda are also poorly targeted. While some of them are directed at important Culex breeding sites, others are aimed at sites of little importance for mosquitos of any kind. Almost no attention is paid to the most productive breeding sites for Anopheles malaria vectors.

Preventive chemotherapy is the public health strategy recommended by the WHO against a set of neglected tropical diseases that includes four groups of helminth infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis) and one chlamydial (trachoma) infection. This article presents the characteristics of preventive chemotherapy interventions directed against each disease targeted by this strategy and provides an update on the status of their implementation worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are elevated in renal failure and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several uremic complications. Their formation is closely associated with oxidative stress. The recent observation that nitric oxide (NO) has an antioxidant effect led us to examine the possible role of NO in the generation of AGEs.Methods: We examined the effect of NO donors, 2, 2'-(hydroxynitrosohydrazono)bis-ethanamine (NOC18) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP), on the in vitro formation of pentosidine, which was used as a surrogate marker for AGEs. Bovine serum albumin was incubated under air at 37 degrees C in a medium containing either several AGE precursors or uremic plasma. To elucidate further the mechanism of the NO effect on AGE formation, we examined the generation of free radicals and carbonyls in pentose-driven pentosidine formation.Results: NO donors significantly inhibit the formation of pentosidine in a dose-dependent manner. The effect is abolished by the addition of a NO scavenging agent, 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5, 5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO). The inhibitory effect results from NO but not from the NO donor molecule. It is best explained by the ability of NO to scavenge carbon-centered radicals, hydroxyl radical, and carbonyl compounds.Conclusions: NO inhibits pentosidine formation by scavenging free radicals and by inhibiting carbonyl compound formation. NO might be implicated in the atherogenic and inflammatory effects of AGEs: Reduced NO production and increased oxidative stress associated with atherosclerotic lesions may accelerate AGE formation and, thus, exacerbate endothelial dysfunction and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in uremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of transplantation technology has improved the prognosis of transplantation surgery; however, the negative impact of immunosuppressive drugs has increased the number of patients with cancer after transplantation. Recently, minimally invasive surgery has become more common for cancer treatment. We report our experience of performing laparoscopic sigmoid colon resection for a patient with a history of two renal transplantations and peritoneal dialysis. A 42-year-old male patient who developed purpura nephropathy underwent renal transplantation at ages eight and 34 years. He had been on peritoneal dialysis for five years before the second transplantation. The patient was referred to our department with the chief complaint of sudden abdominal pain. After an examination of imaging, we obtained a diagnosis of sigmoid colon cancer. Despite a history of peritoneal dialysis, laparoscopic sigmoid colon resection was successfully performed without complications after confirming that there were no adhesions in the abdominal cavity. The left lower port position had to be adjusted because the transplanted kidney protruded into the left iliac fossa. No postoperative complications and graft loss occurred. In this case, laparoscopic surgery was effective in lowering the risk of damage to the transplanted kidney and safely performing the procedure. The number of colorectal cancer cases in renal transplant patients is expected to increase, and some of these patients will have a history of peritoneal dialysis, which may make surgery more difficult. The successful outcome of this case highlights that laparoscopic surgery could be viable for patients with such a complex medical history., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Tomita et al.)

Limited data are available on athlete's heart for rugby athletes. This study aimed to investigate cardiac structure and its relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness in young Japanese rugby athletes. A prospective cross-sectional study using echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was conducted on 114 male collegiate rugby players. There was a higher prevalence of increased left ventricular (LV), atrial, and aortic dimensions in the young athletes than that in previously published reports, whereas the wall thickness was within the normal range. Anthropometry and CPET analyses indicated that the forwards and backs presented muscular and endurance phenotypes, respectively. Indexed LV and aortic dimensions were significantly larger in the backs than in the forwards, and the dimensions significantly correlated with oxygen uptake measured by CPET. On the four-tiered classification for LV hypertrophy, abnormal LV geometry was found in 16% of the athletes. Notably, the resting systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in athletes with concentric abnormal geometry than in the other geometry groups, regardless of their field positions. Japanese young athletes may exhibit unique phenotypes of cardiac remodeling in association with their fitness characteristics. The four-tiered LV geometry classification potentially offers information regarding the subclinical cardiovascular risks of young athletes.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major public health problem globally and in the Pacific Region. The Global Programme to Eliminate LF has made great progress but LF is persistent and resurgent in some Pacific countries and territories. Samoa remains endemic for LF despite elimination efforts through multiple two-drug mass drug administrations (MDA) since 1965, including renewed elimination efforts started in 1999 under the Pacific Programme for Elimination of LF (PacELF). Despite eight rounds of national and two rounds of subnational MDA under PacELF, Samoa failed transmission assessment surveys (TAS) in all three evaluation units in 2017. In 2018, Samoa was the first to distribute countrywide triple-drug MDA using ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine (DEC), and albendazole. This paper provides a review of MDAs and historical survey results from 1998 to 2017 in Samoa and highlights lessons learnt from LF elimination efforts, including challenges and potential ways to overcome them to successfully achieve elimination., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The Western Pacific Region is the largest and most diverse region in the world, made up of 37 countries and territories in the Pacific, Oceania and parts of Asia, with a population of more than 1.9 billion people stretching over an area from China and Mongolia in the north to New Zealand in the south. In 1999, 22 countries and territories in the Pacific joined together and launched the Pacific Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis. Shortly after, the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2000. In 2004, 12 countries in the Asia subregion of the Western Pacific Region and Southeast Asian Region joined and developed the Mekong-Plus Strategic Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis. Since then, significant efforts have been made by all endemic countries, with annual mass drug administration (MDA) as a principal strategy, through strong partnership with the WHO and other donors and partners. As a result, by the end of 2019, 10 of 22 endemic countries in the region, including 8 of 16 countries in the Pacific and 2 countries in the Asia subregion, achieved WHO validation for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem. All the other countries are either progressing with post-MDA surveillance or accelerating efforts by adoption of the new triple drug therapy strategy and enhancement of MDA campaigns to tackle persistent transmission. Some 85% of the originally endemic implementation units have stopped MDA and the number of people requiring MDA for LF in the Western Pacific Region was reduced by 72% from 2000 to 2018. This paper reviews the progress, key success factors and remaining challenges and indicates the way forward to achieve LF elimination in the Western Pacific Region., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.)

Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a major public health problem in the Pacific Region, including in Fiji. Through transmission by the mosquito vector Aedes , Fiji has suffered the burden of remaining endemic with LF despite efforts at elimination prior to 1999. In the year 1999, Fiji agreed to take part in the Pacific Programme for Elimination of LF (PacELF) and the Global Programme to Eliminate LF., Methods: This study reviewed and collated past data on LF in Fiji between 1997 and 2007. Sources included published papers as well as unpublished PacELF and WHO program meeting and survey reports. Records were held at Fiji's Department of Health and Medical Services, James Cook University and the WHO office in Suva, Fiji., Results: Baseline surveys between 1997 and 2002 showed that Fiji was highly endemic for LF with an estimated 16.6% of the population antigen positive and 6.3% microfilaria positive at that time. Five rounds of annual mass drug administration (MDA) using albendazole and diethylcarbamazine commenced in 2002. Programmatic coverage reported was 58-70% per year, but an independent coverage survey in 2006 in Northern Division after the fifth MDA suggested that actual coverage may have been higher. Monitoring of the program consisted of antigen prevalence surveys in all ages with sentinel and spot check surveys carried out in 2002 (pre MDA), 2004, and 2005, together with knowledge, attitude, and practice surveys. The stop-MDA survey (C survey) in 2007 was a nationwide stratified cluster survey of all ages according to PacELF guidelines, designed to sample by administrative division to identify areas still needing MDA. The national antigen prevalence in 2007 was reduced by more than a third to 9.5%, ranging from 0.9% in Western Division to 15.4% in Eastern Division, while microfilaria prevalence was reduced by almost four-fifths to 1.4%. Having not reached the target threshold of 1% prevalence in all ages, Fiji wisely decided to continue MDA after 2007 but to move from nationwide implementation to four (later five) separate evaluation units with independent timelines using global guidelines, building on program experience to put more emphasis on increasing coverage through prioritized communication strategies, community participation, and morbidity alleviation., Conclusion: Fiji conducted nationwide MDA for LF annually between 2002 and 2006, monitored by extensive surveys of prevalence, knowledge, and coverage. From a high baseline prevalence in all divisions, large reductions in overall and age-specific prevalence were achieved, especially in the prevalence of microfilariae, but the threshold for stopping MDA was not reached. Fiji has a large rural and geographically widespread population, program management was not consistent over this period, and coverage achieved was likely not optimal in all areas. After learning from these many challenges and activities, Fiji was able to build on the progress achieved and the heterogeneity observed in prevalence to realign towards a more stratified and improved program after 2007. The information presented here will assist the country to progress towards validating elimination in subsequent years., Competing Interests: Competing interestsAuthors declare that they have no competing interests., (© World Health Organization 2020.)

Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease which is targeted for elimination as a public health problem worldwide. Niue is a small self-governing South Pacific island nation with approximately 1600 residents that was formerly LF endemic. Here, we review the progress made towards eliminating LF in Niue since 1999., Methods: This study has reviewed all the available literature relating to LF in Niue to assess surveillance efforts and the elimination of transmission. Reviewed documentation included both published and unpublished works including historical reports of LF, WHO PacELF records, and Niue Country Reports of the national LF elimination program., Findings: Niue conducted mapping of baseline LF endemicity by testing the total present and consenting population for LF antigen with immunochromatographic test (ICT) in 1999, when circulating filarial antigen prevalence was 3.1% (n = 1794). Five nationwide annual mass drug administration (MDA) rounds with albendazole (400 mg) and diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) were undertaken from 2000 to 2004, with coverage reported from distribution records ranging from 78 to 99% of the eligible population, which excluded pregnant women and children under 2 years of age. A further whole population survey using ICT in 2001 found 1.3% positive (n = 1630). In 2004, antigen prevalence had reduced to 0.2% (n = 1285). A similar post-MDA survey in 2009 indicated antigen prevalence to be 0.5% (n = 1378). Seven positive cases were re-tested and re-treated every six months until negative., Conclusions: After five rounds of MDA, Niue had reduced the LF antigen population prevalence in all ages from 3.1% to below 1% and maintained this prevalence for a further  five years. Due to Niue's small population, surveillance was done by whole population surveys. Niue's results support the WHO recommended strategy that five to six rounds of annual MDA with effective population coverage can successfully interrupt the transmission of LF. Niue received official acknowledgement of the validation of elimination of LF as a public health problem by the WHO Director-General and WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) Regional Director at the 67th session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific held in Manila in October 2016., Competing Interests: The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated.This was a secondary data analysis reviewing de-identified data.Manuscript does not contain data from any individually identifiable person.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: Vanuatu was formerly highly endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF), caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. After a baseline survey showing 4.8% antigen prevalence in 1998, the country conducted nationwide (in one implementation unit) annual mass drug administration (MDA) with albendazole and diethylcarbamazine citrate from 2000 to 2004 and achieved prevalence of 0.2% by 2006 in a representative nationwide cluster survey among all age groups., Methods: Post MDA surveillance was conducted from 2006 to 2012. After MDA, the country was divided for surveillance into three evaluation units (EUs) formed by grouping provinces according to baseline prevalence: EU1: Torba, Sanma and Malampa; EU2: Penama; EU3: Shefa and Tafea. The study compiled all past data and information on surveys in Vanuatu from the country programme. This paper reviews the surveillance activities done after stopping MDA to validate the interruption of transmission and elimination of LF as a public health problem., Results: Post-MDA surveillance consisting of at least three transmission assessment surveys (TAS) in each of the three EUs was conducted between 2006 and 2012. Sentinel and spot check surveys identified a few villages with persistent high prevalence; all antigen positive cases in these sites were treated and additional targeted MDA conducted for 3 years in 13 villages in one area of concern. All three EUs passed all TAS in 2007, 2010 and 2012 respectively, with no positives found except in EU2 (Penama province) in 2012 when 2 children tested positive for circulating filariasis antigen. Assessment of the burden of chronic filariasis morbidity found 95 cases in 2003 and 32 remaining cases in 2007, all aged over 60 years., Conclusions: Vanuatu has achieved validation of elimination of LF as a public health problem. Post-validation surveillance is still recommended especially in formerly highly endemic areas.

Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. The filarial worms affect the lymphatic system which leads to abnormal enlargement of body parts, chronic pain, disability, and social discrimination. In 1999, a commitment was made to eliminate LF from the Pacific Region by 2010. The Pacific Program to Eliminate LF began, with Vanuatu being one of the 16 endemic countries included in this program., Methods: In 1997/1998 a LF prevalence baseline survey was conducted to determine the need for mass drug administration (MDA) in Vanuatu. In 1999, the Vanuatu Lymphatic Filariasis Control Program was established, and nationwide MDA was implemented from 2000 to 2004. LF prevalence was collected during the MDA through sentinel site and spot check surveys, and after 5 years of MDA. MDA implementation methods included health worker training, social mobilization, and culturally appropriate health promotion strategies., Results: LF prevalence at baseline was 4.79%; after MDA this declined to 0.16% in 2005/2006. Average MDA coverage ranged from 75.5-81.5% across 5 years. All three evaluation units surveyed in 2005/2006 were below the 1% threshold required to stop MDA., Conclusions: The LF Control Program between 1997 and 2006 was successful in reducing LF prevalence to <1%. High MDA coverage was a critical component of this success. This period of the Vanuatu LF Control Program played an important role in helping to eliminate LF in Vanuatu.

A novel antioxidant capacity assay for lipophilic compounds was developed using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The assay is based on antioxidant's scavenging ability against the tert-butoxyl radical generated photolytically from di-tert-butyl peroxide in ethyl acetate, and named the tert-butoxyl-based antioxidant capacity (BAC) assay. The radical was trapped by spin trap, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide, and EPR signal intensity of the spin adduct was used as a quantitative marker of radical levels. Signal intensity decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of an antioxidant that competitively reacts with the radical, which was utilized to evaluate BAC values. The BAC method enabled the accurate estimation of antioxidant capacity for lipophilic materials that may counteract lipid peroxidation in biological membranes. The BAC values for quercetin and caffeic acid are 0.639 ± 0.020 and 0.118 ± 0.012 trolox equivalents, respectively, which are much smaller than values obtained by other aqueous methods such as H-ORAC and ORAC-EPR. Thus, antioxidants present in a non-aqueous environment should be evaluated using a non-aqueous system. In combination with in situ ascorbate reduction, the BAC method was capable of accurately determining the antioxidant capacity of water-insoluble materials that may be reduced in living cells.

Lymphatic filariasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases. It is estimated that 120 million people are currently infected in 73 countries where filariasis is endemic. Lymphatic filariasis is a leading cause of chronic disability worldwide, including of 15 million people who have lymphoedema (elephantiasis) and 25 million men who have hydrocoele.

Background: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused by Wuchereria bancrofti is present at high prevalence in some parts of Papua New Guinea. However, there has been no rigorous data-based representative assessment of nationwide prevalence of LF. The LF programme has been daunted by the scope of the problem, and progress on mass drug administration (MDA) has been slow and lacking in resources., Methods: A systematic literature review identified LF surveys in Papua New Guinea between 1980 and 2011. Results were extracted by location, time period and test used (blood slide, immunochromatographic test (ICT) or Og4C3 ELISA) and combined by district. Three criteria schemes based on the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis guidelines, with modifications, were developed to classify and prioritize districts by prevalence level. Results of repeated surveys in the same sites were used to investigate the impact of MDA on LF prevalence over the time period., Results: There were 312 distinct survey sites identified in 80 of the 89 districts over the 31-year period. The overall LF prevalence in the sites tested was estimated at 18.5 to 27.5% by blood slide for microfilariae (Mf), 10.1% to 12.9% by ICT and 45.4% to 48.8% by Og4C3. Biases in site selection towards areas with LF, and change in type of assay used, affected the prevalence estimates, but overall decline in prevalence over the time period was observed. Depending on the criteria used, 34 to 36 districts (population 2.7 to 2.9 million) were classed as high endemic (≥5% prevalence), 15 to 25 districts (1.7 to 1.9 million) as low endemic (<5%) and 20 to 31 (1.3 to 2.2 million) as non-endemic. Nine districts (0.7 million) had no information. The strong impact of MDA, especially on microfilaria (Mf) prevalence, was noted in sites with repeat surveys., Conclusions: This analytical review of past surveys of LF in Papua New Guinea enables better estimation of the national burden, identifies gaps in knowledge, quantifies and locates the population at risk, and can be used to predict the likely impact of MDA and/or vector control. Better targeting of districts by level of prevalence will strengthen the control programme, facilitate monitoring of the disease trend and increase the likelihood of reaching the target of LF elimination by 2020.

American Samoa began a territory-wide mass drug administration (MDA) program with diethylcarbamazine and albendazole in 2000 after baseline surveys indicated that 16.5% of 2,989 residents were infected with Wuchereria bancrofti based on tests for circulating filarial antigen. Follow-up surveys were conducted in 2001, 2003, and 2006, using convenience samples of residents of sentinel villages. Antigenemia prevalence in 2001 (11.5%) and 2003 (13.5%) showed no change. After the 2003 sentinel assessment, improvements were made in the social mobilization and drug distribution strategies. In 2006, after a total of 5 years of MDA and 3 years of improved MDA participation, the antigenemia prevalence dropped from 11.5% (2001) to 0.95% (2006) (P < 0.0001). In 2006, antigenemia prevalence was greater in males (1.5%) than females (0.4%) (P = 0.04). The decline in antigenemia prevalence shows the effectiveness of MDA and changes made in social mobilization and drug distribution.

Japan successfully eliminated lymphatic filariasis and other parasitic diseases through community-driven, integrated nationwide campaigns undertaken during the 1960s and 1970s. The campaigns also created a cadre of experienced clinicians, scientists and public health workers with excellent technical and operational knowledge and a positive attitude towards filariasis elimination. These factors, and the humanitarian desire to improve health in neighbouring nations, influenced Japan to support filariasis control efforts overseas, starting in the 1970s and continuing through to the inception of the Pacific Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (PacELF) in 1999. The unique community-driven, self-help approach of Japan to disease control and health improvement profoundly influenced the activities of PacELF. PacELF is demonstrating that the successful national disease-elimination model in Japan can be extended to the regional level.

A regional programme to combat lymphatic filariasis in the Pacific islands is showing great promise as it reaches its halfway point. The Pacific Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (PacELF), established in 1999, aims to eliminate the disease from the Pacific by 2010 - ten years ahead of the global target. Set up with support from Australia, and now funded primarily by Japan and underpinned by the Word Health Organization, PacELF is providing evidence that Pacific nations can work cooperatively to rid the region of one of its worst scourges, in addition to discovering techniques and new tools that should be of use in other regions.

Formation of 8-nitroguanosine may be characterized as nucleic acid modification induced by nitric oxide (NO). We show here that 8-nitroguanosine is a highly redox-active nucleic acid derivative that strongly stimulated superoxide generation from various NADPH-dependent reductases, including cytochrome P450 reductase and all isoforms of NO synthase. This reaction involves these reductases in a redox cycling reaction via single-electron reduction of 8-nitroguanosine to form 8-nitroguanosine anion radical. One electron is then transferred from this radical to molecular oxygen. 8-Nitroguanosine formed in vivo may function as a potent redox cofactor that intensifies oxyradical generation by various NADPH/reductase-like enzymes and thus participates in diverse physiological and pathological events.

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) catalyzes a nitration reaction to form nitrotyrosine in the presence of high nitrite, the metabolite of NO. Human leukocyte was shown to cause phenolic nitration using released MPO as a catalyst in the presence of nitrite. It opposes our previous finding that inhibition of MPO was essential for phenol nitration in human leukocyte study. To clarify the role of MPO, we utilized MPO-deficient human leukocytes and MPO-knockout mice. Even in the absence of exogenously added nitrite, high nitration product was observed in MPO-deficient leukocytes. In liver subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury, a significantly higher amount of nitrotyrosine was produced in MPO-knockout mice than in normal mice. These results clearly demonstrate that MPO inhibits the accumulation of nitration products in vivo. Further experiments showed that MPO could degrade nitrotyrosine in the presence of glutathione. Thus, MPO-induced degradation of nitration products may cause the underestimation of the nitration product generated in vivo. We conclude that MPO may act predominantly to scavenge nitrotyrosine under physiological nitrite condition, and protect against injurious effect of nitrotyrosine.

For many diseases, mediation of pathogenesis by nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested. In this study, we explored NO-induced viral pathogenesis with a focus on nucleic acid damage as evidenced by 8-nitroguanosine formation in vivo. Wild-type mice and littermate mice deficient in inducible NO synthase (iNOS) were infected with influenza or Sendai virus. Formation of 8-nitroguanosine in virus-infected lungs was assessed immunohistochemically with an antibody specific for 8-nitroguanosine. Extensive nitration of RNA either treated with peroxynitrite or obtained from cultured RAW 264 cells expressing iNOS was readily detected by this antibody. Strong 8-nitroguanosine immunostaining was evident primarily in the cytosol of bronchial and bronchiolar epithelial cells of virus-infected wild-type mice but not iNOS-deficient mice. This staining colocalized with iNOS immunostaining in the lung. 8- Nitroguanosine staining disappeared after addition of exogenous authentic 8-nitroguanosine during the antibody reaction and after pretreatment of tissues with sodium hydrosulfite, which reduces 8-nitroguanosine to 8-aminoguanosine. NO was generated in excess in lungs of wild-type mice but was eliminated in iNOS-deficient mice after virus infection; this result also correlated well with formation of 8-nitroguanosine and 3-nitrotyrosine. One consequence of the lack of iNOS expression was marked improvement in histopathological changes in the lung and the lethality of the infection without effects on cytokine responses and viral clearance. It is intriguing that 8-nitroguanosine markedly stimulated superoxide generation from cytochrome P450 reductase and iNOS in vitro. The present data constitute a demonstration of 8-nitroguanosine formation in vivo and suggest a potential role for NO-induced nitrative stress in viral pathogenesis.

The implication of advanced glycation end products (AGE) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and of diabetic and uremic complications has stimulated a search for AGE inhibitors. This study evaluates the AGE inhibitory potential of several well-tolerated hypotensive drugs. Olmesartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AIIR) antagonist, as well as temocaprilat, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, unlike nifedipine, a calcium blocker, inhibit in vitro the formation of two AGE, pentosidine and N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine (CML), during incubation of nonuremic diabetic, nondiabetic uremic, or diabetic uremic plasma or of BSA fortified with arabinose. This effect is shared by all tested AIIR antagonists and ACE inhibitors. On an equimolar basis, they are more efficient than aminoguanidine or pyridoxamine. Unlike the latter two compounds, they do not trap reactive carbonyl precursors for AGE, but impact on the production of reactive carbonyl precursors for AGE by chelating transition metals and inhibiting various oxidative steps, including carbon-centered and hydroxyl radicals, at both the pre- and post-Amadori steps. Their effect is paralleled by a lowered production of reactive carbonyl precursors. Finally, they do not bind pyridoxal, unlike aminoguanidine. Altogether, this study demonstrates for the first time that widely used hypotensive agents, AIIR antagonists and ACE inhibitors, significantly attenuate AGE production. This study provides a new framework for the assessment of families of AGE-lowering compounds according to their mechanisms of action.

Three species of Freycinetia (Pandanaceae) (F. reineckei, F. storkii, and F. hombronii) were tested for oviposition preference of Ochlerotatus samoanus, a vector of filariasis in Samoa. Laboratory tests indicated that F. reineckei was preferred by this mosquito for oviposition. Eggs were preferentially deposited on a peeled or a moist dried leaf. The percentage hatch was highest when eggs were kept moist for longer than 4 days before submersion. Hatching was complete in less than 6 h. These studies allowed us to successfully rear Oc. samoanus in the laboratory, facilitating future studies on the biology and control of this important vector.

The Pacific Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis is a regional, mass drug administration-based campaign in 22 countries and territories with the aim of eliminating filariasis transmission and alleviating the suffering caused by Wuchereria bancrofti. The challenges to filariasis elimination campaigns based on mass drug-administration alone are reviewed in this article. These challenges together with the previous successes of mosquito control campaigns in eliminating filariasis from regions in the Pacific argue for inclusion of entomology components in the control of filariasis and the monitoring of filariasis elimination programs.