Apoptosis, the cell’s natural mechanism for death, is a promising target for anticancer therapy. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways use caspases to carry out apoptosis through the cleavage of hundreds of proteins. In cancer, the apoptotic pathway is typically inhibited through a wide variety of means including overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins and under-expression of proapoptotic proteins. Many of these changes cause intrinsic resistance to the most common anticancer therapy, chemotherapy. Promising new anticancer therapies are plant-derived compounds that exhibit anticancer activity through activating the apoptotic pathway.

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/2/448/pdf

Apoptosis: A Target for Anticancer Therapy

There has been an explosion of descriptions of new species of Cryptosporidium during the last two decades This has been accompanied by confusion regarding the criteria for species designation, largely because of the lack of distinct morphologic differences and strict host specificity among Cryptosporidium spp A review of the biologic species concept, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), and current practices for Cryptosporidium species designation calls for the establishment of guidelines for naming Cryptosporidium species All reports of new Cryptosporidium species should include at least four basic components: oocyst morphology, natural host specificity, genetic characterizations, and compliance with the ICZN Altogether, 13 Cryptosporidium spp are currently recognized: C muris, C andersoni, C parvum, C hominis, C wrairi, C felis; and C cannis in mammals; C baileyi, C meleagridis, and C galli in birds; C serpentis and C saurophilum in reptiles; and C molnari in fish With the establishment of a framework for naming Cryptosporidium species and the availability of new taxonomic tools, there should be less confusion associated with the taxonomy of the genus Cryptosporidium The clarification of Cryptosporidium taxonomy is also useful for understanding the biology of Cryptosporidium spp, assessing the public health significance of Cryptosporidium spp in animals and the environment, characterizing transmission dynamics, and tracking infection and contamination sources

Cryptosporidium Taxonomy: Recent Advances and Implications for Public Health (Review)

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE) are severe helminthic zoonoses. Echinococcus multilocularis (causative agent of AE) is widely distributed in the northern hemisphere where it is typically maintained in a wild animal cycle including canids as definitive hosts and rodents as intermediate hosts. The species Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus ortleppi, Echinococcus canadensis and Echinococcus intermedius are the causative agents of CE with a worldwide distribution and a highly variable human disease burden in the different endemic areas depending upon human behavioural risk factors, the diversity and ecology of animal host assemblages and the genetic diversity within Echinococcus species which differ in their zoonotic potential and pathogenicity. Both AE and CE are regarded as neglected zoonoses, with a higher overall burden of disease for CE due to its global distribution and high regional prevalence, but a higher pathogenicity and case fatality rate for AE, especially in Asia. Over the past two decades, numerous studies have addressed the epidemiology and distribution of these Echinococcus species worldwide, resulting in better-defined boundaries of the endemic areas. This chapter presents the global distribution of Echinococcus species and human AE and CE in maps and summarizes the global data on host assemblages, transmission, prevalence in animal definitive hosts, incidence in people and molecular epidemiology.

/pdf/global-distribution-of-alveolar-and-cystic-echinococcosis-51b6ql1ua1.pdf

Global Distribution of Alveolar and Cystic Echinococcosis.

OFFARM 123 E reservorio principal de Toxoplasma gondii es el gato doméstico (Felis catus), que por medio de los ooquistes que elimina con las heces, disemina la infección en el medio ambiente pudiendo transmitirla a multitud de animales, al hombre o incluso a pájaros y peces. La infección causada por este parásito pasa, en el hombre sano, casi inadvertida, pero no sucede lo mismo en individuos inmunodeprimidos en los que puede llegar a provocar la muerte. También el contraer la toxoplasmosis durante el embarazo entraña para la mujer, y principalmente para su feto, daños que pueden ser fatales pudiendo ocasionar abortos espontáneos o daños irreversibles en el sistema nervioso central del neonato. A pesar de los riesgos tan elevados que supone el contraer la toxoplasmosis para estos grupos y de que un individuo se pueda infectar después de una trasfusión sanguínea, ésta no es una enfermedad de declaración obligatoria.

돼지의 Toxoplasmosis의 진료

Background: Toxoplasmosis is becoming a global health hazard as it infects 30–50% of the world human population. Clinically, the life-long presence of the parasite in tissues of a majority of infected individuals is usually considered asymptomatic. However, a number of studies show that this ‘asymptomatic infection’ may also lead to development of other human pathologies. Aims of the Study: The purpose of the study was to collect available geoepidemiological data on seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and search for its relationship with mortality and disability rates in different countries. Methods and Findings: Prevalence data published between 1995–2008 for women in child-bearing age were collected for 88 countries (29 European). The association between prevalence of toxoplasmosis and specific disease burden estimated with age-standardized Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) or with mortality, was calculated using General Linear Method with Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP), geolatitude and humidity as covariates, and also using nonparametric partial Kendall correlation test with GDP as a covariate. The prevalence of toxoplasmosis correlated with specific disease burden in particular countries explaining 23% of variability in disease burden in Europe. The analyses revealed that for example, DALY of 23 of 128 analyzed diseases and disease categories on the WHO list showed correlations (18 positive, 5 negative) with prevalence of toxoplasmosis and another 12 diseases showed positive trends (p,0.1). For several obtained significant correlations between the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and specific diseases/clinical entities, possible pathophysiological, biochemical and molecular explanations are presented. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis correlated with various disease burden. Statistical associations does not necessarily mean causality. The precautionary principle suggests however that possible role of toxoplasmosis as a triggering factor responsible for development of several clinical entities deserves much more attention and financial support both in everyday medical practice and future clinical research.

/pdf/toxoplasmosis-a-global-threat-correlation-of-latent-51kbfh1eag.pdf

Toxoplasmosis – A Global Threat. Correlation of Latent Toxoplasmosis with Specific Disease Burden in a Set of 88 Countries

Echinococcosis/hydatidosis in western Iran.

A study on intestinal helminthes of dogs, foxes and jackals in the western part of Iran.

Efficacy of biogenic selenium nanoparticles against Leishmania major: In vitro and in vivo studies

Characterization of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from human, sheep and camel in Iran

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic diseases worldwide. Although estimated that one third of the world's population are infected with Toxoplasma gondii, but the most common form of the disease is latent (asymptomatic). On the other hand, recent findings indicated that latent toxoplasmosis is not only unsafe for human, but also may play various roles in the etiology of different mental disorders. This paper reviews new findings about importance of latent toxoplasmosis (except in immunocompromised patients) in alterations of behavioral parameters and also its role in the etiology of schizophrenia and depressive disorders, obsessive–compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's diseases and Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, headache and or migraine, mental retardation and intelligence quotients, suicide attempt, risk of traffic accidents, sex ratio and some possible mechanisms of T. gondii that could contribute in the etiology of these alterations.

/pdf/latent-toxoplasmosis-and-human-2ssxnl3s9l.pdf

Abdolhossein Dalimi

Papers

Echinococcosis/hydatidosis in western Iran.

A study on intestinal helminthes of dogs, foxes and jackals in the western part of Iran.

Efficacy of biogenic selenium nanoparticles against Leishmania major: In vitro and in vivo studies

Characterization of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from human, sheep and camel in Iran

Latent Toxoplasmosis and Human