Liver changes in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria: histopathology, apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa B expression.

BACKGROUND: Liver involvement in severe Plasmodium falciparum infection is commonly a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among humans. The clinical presentation of jaundice often reflects a certain degree of liver damage. This study investigated the liver pathology of severe P. falciparum malaria as well as the regulation and occurrence of apoptosis in cellular components of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver tissues. METHODS: The liver tissues used in the study came from patients who died from P. falciparum malaria with hyperbilirubinaemia (total bilirubin (TB)≥ 51.3 µmol/L or 3 mg/dl) (12 cases), P. falciparum malaria without hyperbilirubinaemia (TB<51.3 µmol/L) (10 cases); and patients who died due to accidents, whose liver histology was normal (the control group) (10 cases). The histopathology of the liver tissue was studied by routine histology method. Caspase-3 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 expressions were determined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The severity of liver histopathology, occurrence of apoptosis and NF-κB p65 activation in P. falciparum malaria were associated with higher TB level. Significant correlations were found between NF-κB p65 expression and apoptosis in Kupffer cells and lymphocytes in the portal tracts. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperplastic Kupffer cells and portal tract inflammation are two main features found in the liver tissues of severe P. falciparum malaria cases. In addition, NF-κB is associated with Kupffer cells and lymphocyte apoptosis in severe P. falciparum malaria.

Distribution of C14-labelled arteether in kidneys and livers of experimental mice after intramuscular injection.

To study the distribution and localization of oil-soluble arteether in experimental mice, we injected C14-labelled arteether (20 microCi/kg body weight) intramuscularly and measured radioactivity in the blood, kidney, and liver. The labelled arteether distributed and localized more to the kidney (819,180.4 +/- 34,134 dpm/cm3) than the liver (288,628.9 +/- 54,954 dpm/cm3) 4 hours post-injection. The main localization of labelled arteether was in the kidney cortex rather than the medulla (p < 0.05). However, the distribution of radioactivity was homogeneous in the liver. The terminal half-life of labelled arteether in the blood was 1.8 hours. The blood:kidney:liver ratio was 1:5:2. These findings show that labelled arteether was distributed quickly and localized in the cytoplasmic cortex of the kidney and homogeneously in the liver.

Typing of dengue viruses in clinical specimens from central Thailand.

Typing of dengue viruses was done for clinical specimens from a total of 136 patients (children under 15-years-old) suspected of having dengue virus infections and who had been admitted to Pathum Thani Provincial Hospital during the period May 1999 to April 2000. Altogether, 44 strains were isolated (isolation rate: 32.4%), consisting of 18 DEN-1, 18 DEN-2, 7 DEN-3 and 1 DEN-4. The isolation rate decreased according to the number of days after the onset of disease, from day 4 to day 8.

Rapid Wright's stain for the detection of imported Leishmania tropica.

Leishmania tropica (cutaneous leishmaniasis) can be detected easily, rapidly, and conveniently by the examination of a skin ulcer smear that is stained with a modified method of Wright staining of blood (ie that used for routine hematological examinations).