Do Artemisia annua and artemisinin have a hormetic effect?
“All things are poison and not without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison” Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, also known as Paracelsus (1493–1541).
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World Malaria Report 2016
The "World Malaria Report 2016" draws on data from 91 countries and areas with ongoing malaria transmission. The information is supplemented by data from national household surveys and databases held by other organizations.
This year's report tracks progress towards the 2020 malaria goals of the "Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030". It offers an in-depth analysis of trends in malaria control and elimination at global, regional and country levels.
Eltahir research group at MIT on African malaria
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I recommend the following recent publication for your reading on african malaria : Endo and Eltahir Malar J (2016) 15:578 DOI 10.1186/s12936-016-1633-7. The report is 'Environmental determinants of malaria transmission in African villages' by Noriko Endo and Elfatih A. B. Eltahir. You should also take a look at all the preceding publications of the Eltahir research group at MIT, which you can find if you look up the Eltahir research group on the web.
Caryophyllene: the Cinderella of essential oils
Preliminary note: In this document we will use indiscriminately the terms caryophyllene, alpha-caryophyllene, beta-caryophyllene, trans-caryopyllene, caryophyllene oxide, E-BCP
PCR genotyping: reliable or misleading?
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A press release from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute raised a lot of concern. Based on a scientific paper published in Nature
Magnus Manske, Olivo Miotto, Susana Campino, Sarah Auburn, Jacob Almagro-Garcia, Gareth Maslen, Jack O’Brien, Abdoulaye Djimde, Analysis of Plasmodium falciparum diversity in natural infections by deep sequencing. Nature 487, 375–379, 19 July 2012doi:10.1038/nature11174
Studies from 2009 already asked the same question
News from MESA: WHO Global Malaria Programme shares 'A word from the experts'
Interviews from world-renowned researchers that guide WHO’s malaria policies:
Fred Binka: "Countries have done a great job decreasing malaria cases and deaths, but we’re not out of the woods yet."
Read the interview here : http://www.who.int/malaria/mpac/interview-fred-binka/en/
The world's first malaria vaccine set to roll out in 2018
The World Health Organization confirmed on 17 November that the world’s first malaria vaccine will be rolled out in pilot projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Vaccinations will start in 2018.
The vaccine, known as RTS,S, acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent in Africa. Advanced clinical trials have shown RTS,S to provide partial protection against malaria in young children.
Artesunate enhances malaria transmission, Artemisia afra blocks it
It is generally or it was believed that quinine is prophylactic. But several papers have questionned this believe and a large scale clinical trial from India in 1918 demonstrated that it is not the case and that large quantities of quinine have been swallowed by a large number of people without providing protection against the infection nor significantly reducing transmission
G Waugh Scott. Quinine prophylaxis in malaria. Brit Med Journal, 1918, May 11th.
New: WHO toolkit for Integrated Vector Management in sub-Saharan Africa
WHO has just published its toolkit for Integrated Vector Management in sub-Saharan Africa. It is attached here for your perusal (and use!).
This toolkit for integrated vector management (IVM) is designed to help national and regional programme managers coordinate across sectors to design and run large IVM programmes. It is an extension of earlier guidance and teaching material provided by WHO: Handbook for integrated vector management , Monitoring and evaluation indicators for integrated vector management , Guidance on policy-making for integrated vector management and Core structure for training curricula on integrated vector management.
Discuss findings of malERA Refresh process
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Co-chairs from the malERA Refresh Panels will discuss the findings of the updated malaria eradication research agenda (malERA) consultative process at the ASTMH annual meeting in Atlanta, USA. The symposium 'malERA Refresh: Updating the Malaria Eradication Scientific Agenda' is scheduled for Wednesday, 16 November, 1:45, Marriott Imperial B.
Obliterated, erased. Bhy who? by WHO?
Several scientific papers have disappeared from internet.
For example the clinical trials with Artemisia annua in RD Congo from 2000 (attachment 1)
(M.S. Mueller , I.B. Karhagomba , H.M. Hirt , E. Wemakor. The potential of Artemisia annua L. as a locally produced remedy for malaria in the tropics: agricultural, chemical and clinical aspects. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 73 (2000) 487–493)
and clinical trials 2002 (attachment 2)
Artemisinin resistance in Africa.
THE KELCH PROPELLER HYPOTHESIS
MESA News: Call for applications for membership on the Technical Expert Group on Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation
The WHO Global Malaria Programme is currently calling for applications for membership on the Technical Expert Group on Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation. A total of 13 experts will be selected for an initial term of up to three years.
News from MESA: 2 vacancies at the James Cook University
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The James Cook University, Australia has two vacancies:
- Head of Academic Group and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor, Communicable Disease Control and Tropical Medicine
- Lecturer, Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Applications close: 13 November 2016
Artemisinin first discovered by the Serbs long before the Chinese
It was dicovered by a Yugoslav chemist called Milutin Stefanovic.
Promoting south-centred collaborations in vector-borne diseases
The below contribution was submitted to MalariaWorld by Dr. Gerry KilleenDear Colleagues,
Please find attached a concept note I have just posted on the extranet discussion board for the following UK-BBSRC funding mechanism to support networks in vector-borne disease (VBD) research: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/filter/networks-vector-borne-disease-rese...
If the idea of such a research networking platform, which is governed, managed and hosted by institutions in the developing countries most afflicted by VBDs appeals to you, please send an E-mail to GCRFNetVect@bbsrc.ac.uk , to request registration for their extranet networking web site. Once registered please visit the community discussion board to review this idea and any others you like. To access the attachments for each discussion item, click on the “Properties” icon. Then please reply with comments you feel we should take on board as we develop this idea further, and build towards a full expression of interest (EOI) submission. If you’d like to “like” it or add a “note”, that helps too but note that “tag” insertions are visible only to you.
Tannins in Artemisia: hidden treasure for prophylaxis
Proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins) are oligomeric and polymeric products of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. They are present in the fruits, bark, leaves and seeds of many plants, wine and teas, and are increasingly recognized as having beneficial effects on human health. They have attracted little interest in malaria research because in vitro they show no significant antimalarial activity.
Are drug makers generating their own antimicrobial drug resistances?
Submitted by Jean-Jacques Schul
Founder of IDAY-International.
As a reaction to recent articles Financial Times
If malaria funding is so precarious, why not use permanent improvements in southern Africa ?
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Malar J. 2016; 15: 419.
Published online 2016 Aug 18. doi: 10.1186/s12936-016-1470-8
PMCID: PMC4991067
Towards malaria elimination in the MOSASWA (Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland) region
Authors:
Devanand Moonasar, Rajendra Maharaj, Simon Kunene, Baltazar Candrinho, Francisco Saute, Nyasatu Ntshalintshali, and Natashia Morris corresponding author.
Medigo Infographic - Mortality and causes of death: 2015 and 2030
This infographic displays data from the World Health Organization’s “Projections of mortality and causes of death, 2015 and 2030”. The report details all deaths in 2015 by cause and makes predictions for 2030, giving an impression of how global health will develop over the next 14 years. Also featured is data from geoba.se showing how life expectancy will change between now and 2030.
All percentages shown have been calculated relative to projected changes in population growth.
Sri Lanka eliminates malaria with shift in strategy
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SciDev.Net article - 21-09-2016
When will we get off drugs and biocides ?
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In a recent article about the spread of resistance to ACT in SE Asia, the authors recommend new drugs and better drug strategies:
'FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2016 Sep 8. pii: fuw037. [Epub ahead of print]
The clinical impact of artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia and the potential for future spread.
Woodrow CJ1, White NJ2'.
Similarly, multiple resistance of Anopheline vectors is supposedly to be met with more careful selection of insecticides!
In memoriam: Anuj Nathalal Shah (1960-2016)
The article below was contributed by Nick Brown of A-Z Textile Mills Ltd.Anuj Shah was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the family company A to Z Textile Mills Limited in 1995. Although A to Z had been producing polyester netting for the local market since 1972, the re-start of the previously abandoned attempt to eradicate malaria had only just begun. “Net Gain – A new method for preventing malaria deaths” was only published (by IDRC and WHO) in 1996 and Anuj Shah was there from the very start of this new fight against malaria. Don de Savigny (Swiss TPH) and the late Tim Manchester (PSI) met Anuj in Arusha in 1997 and pointed out there would be a substantial market for high quality, large coloured nets and Anuj accepted the challenge. As Jane Miller, then working at PSI recalls, “Anuj was simply a visionary”.
Artemisia, allelopathy, tannins.
Allelopathy related to Artemisia plants has already been described 100 years ago (Bode, H. R. 1939. Über die Blattausscheidungen des Wermuts und ihre Wirkung auf andere Pflanzen. Planta 30:567-589). The work of H Bode was completed a few years later (GL Funke. Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants, 1943 5, 281-293). Eighteen species of plants, most of which were chosen at random, were sown beside a hedge of Artemisia absinthium; they were severely injured and in one case even killed by the chemical excretions of the latter within a distance of ± 100 cm.
New malaria test wins leading innovation award
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illumigene® Malaria, a novel, highly accurate test developed by Meridian Bioscience, has been awarded the coveted Journées Internationales de Biologie prize for Innovation in emergency treatment and point of care testing.
Message from Pedro Alonso, Director GMP: Welcoming Dr Fred Binka to WHO
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Dear partners,
I am delighted to welcome Dr Fred Binka as Coordinator of WHO’s Emergency Response to Artemisinin Resistance (ERAR) hub in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Bali, Tuberculosis, Diabetes and Artemisia
Most of us ignore that on Nov 3, 2015 a Convention was signed in Bali declaring the fight against the looming TB-Diabetes co-epidemic, one of the greatest global health challenges.
An estimated two billion people, or one third of all people worldwide, live with a tuberculosis (TB) infection, of whom 9.6 million people develop active TB disease annually. TB is the leading cause of death worldwide due to a single infectious pathogen, responsible for 1.5 million human deaths in 2014, and 95 percent of human TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Sun, shade or oven drying for Artemisia
It has traditionnally been accepted that drying of Artemisia annua should take place in the shade because drying in the sun would destroy many useful molecules. But recent papers have questionned this belief and have studied the effect of ultraviolet radiation on the accumulation or decrease of medicinal compounds in plants (WJ Zhang et al., Fitoterapia, 2009, 80, 207-18). A study in Turkey showed that UV-C radiation had remarkable promoting effects on the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the calli of a grape cultivar (E Cetin, Biological Research, 2014, 47 :37).
Remember to apply for APMEN positions!
Dear colleagues,
Time is running out to apply for an exciting position in the new APMEN office in Singapore. Applications are closing next week on Friday, 29 July.
We would like to encourage our colleagues within and outside of the Network to apply, and to join us in accelerating malaria elimination in the Asia-Pacific region.
The candidates who secure these positions will have the opportunity to be part of the fast-moving malaria elimination agenda. They will work together with the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) team at the heart of the new regional movement for an Asia-Pacific Free of Malaria by 2030. With 18 member countries and 37 international institutional partners – and still growing, working with us will expose you to an exciting range of contexts, contacts and opportunities.
If you think you or someone you know has the skills to lead or contribute to a dynamic partnership of program managers, academic, private sector partners to achieve this important common goal – please apply now via one of the links below:
If you have any questions about these roles, please feel free to contact the APMEN Secretariat at info@apmen.org.
We would be grateful if you would circulate these opportunities among your networks.
With best regards,
The APMEN Secretariat
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