A single dose of ciprofloxacin reduces the duration of diarrhea among service members deployed in Africa.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of the adjunction of a one-gram single dose of ciprofloxacin to a symptomatic treatment for the early treatment of uncomplicated diarrhea during military operations of the French service members in Africa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This phase IV, multicentric, randomized, open-label, controlled trial was conducted in Chad, Mali, and in Central African Republic. A total of 267 French service members having at least one loose stool in the previous 24 hours were enrolled from May 2015 to June 2016. Participants were randomized to receive ciprofloxacin 1 g and a symptomatic treatment (racecadotril 100 mg three times a day and ad libidum oral rehydration solution) or a symptomatic treatment alone. The primary outcome was the duration of the diarrhea. Secondary outcomes were evaluated at the 72-hour endpoint and included recovery status, number of loose stools, frequency and duration of associated symptoms and safety of treatments. RESULTS: Among 267 participants, 242 completed the trial. Participants receiving ciprofloxacin and a symptomatic treatment (n = 124) were significantly more likely to be cured at the endpoint than those who only received a symptomatic treatment (118): 94.4 % versus 74.6 % (OR = 5.7; 95 %CI: [2.4-13.6]; p < 10-3). The antibiotic therapy reduced the average diarrhea duration by 30 % (p = 10-4). Fever at inclusion was associated with a longer episode (HR = 0.61; 95 %CI: [0.41-0.89]; p = 0.012). No adverse event of medications was reported. CONCLUSION: A single dose of ciprofloxacin was effective and safe in treating uncomplicated diarrhea among service members in Africa.

Microaerophilic respiratory metabolism of Plasmodium falciparum mitochondrion as a drug target.

The Plasmodium falciparum mitochondrion is an organelle that presents structural and physiological characteristics different from mitochondria in other eukaryotes. Moreover, there are substantial differences in the properties of asexual and sexual mitochondria. One of the reasons is the adaptation of the parasite to different environments, in particular the great differences in oxygen tension between the host and the mosquito. In this review, we present a synthesis of the recent data on the ultrastructure, the genome and the physiology of the mitochondrion. We try to clarify the mitochondrial role in the intraerythrocytic environment and particularly focus on mitochondrial metabolic pathways that relate to oxidative phosphorylation, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle, de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis via dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and the particularities of the electron transport chain. In addition, we provide details on certain characteristics like the lack of pyruvate dehydrogenase, the existence of a rotenone-insensitive NADH-dehydrogenase, the possible existence of an alternative oxidase, and uncoupled proteins. Such unique particularities of parasite mitochondria could be promising targets for development of a new therapy. The elucidation of the role of this organelle in microaerophilic respiratory metabolism and the association of antimalarial drugs with hyperbaric oxygen therapy might provide new treatments for infection by P. falciparum.

sas1, an Arabidopsis mutant overaccumulating sodium in the shoot, shows deficiency in the control of the root radial transport of sodium.

A recessive mutation of Arabidopsis designated sas1 (for sodium overaccumulation in shoot) that was mapped to the bottom of chromosome III resulted in a two- to sevenfold overaccumulation of Na(+) in shoots compared with wild-type plants. sas1 is a pleiotropic mutation that also caused severe growth reduction. The impact of NaCl stress on growth was similar for sas1 and wild-type plants; however, with regard to survival, sas1 plants displayed increased sensitivity to NaCl and LiCl treatments compared with wild-type plants. sas1 mutants overaccumulated Na(+) and its toxic structural analog Li(+), but not K(+), Mg(2)+, or Ca(2)+. Sodium accumulated preferentially over K(+) in a similar manner for sas1 and wild-type plants. Sodium overaccumulation occurred in all of the aerial organs of intact sas1 plants but not in roots. Sodium-treated leaf fragments or calli displayed similar Na(+) accumulation levels for sas1 and wild-type tissues. This suggested that the sas1 mutation impaired Na(+) long-distance transport from roots to shoots. The transpiration stream was similar in sas1 and wild-type plants, whereas the Na(+) concentration in the xylem sap of sas1 plants was 5.5-fold higher than that of wild-type plants. These results suggest that the sas1 mutation disrupts control of the radial transport of Na(+) from the soil solution to the xylem vessels.