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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Standardizing the measurement of parasite clearance in falciparum malaria: the parasite clearance estimator

TLDR
The parasite clearance estimator provides a consistent, reliable and accurate method to estimate the lag phase and malaria parasite clearance rate and could be used to detect early signs of emerging resistance to artemisinin derivatives and other compounds which affect ring-stage clearance.
Abstract
Background A significant reduction in parasite clearance rates following artesunate treatment of falciparum malaria, and increased failure rates following artemisinin combination treatments (ACT), signaled emergent artemisinin resistance in Western Cambodia. Accurate measurement of parasite clearance is therefore essential to assess the spread of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum. The slope of the log-parasitaemia versus time relationship is considered to be the most robust measure of anti-malarial effect. However, an initial lag phase of numerical instability often precedes a steady exponential decline in the parasite count after the start of anti-malarial treatment. This lag complicates the clearance estimation, introduces observer subjectivity, and may influence the accuracy and consistency of reported results.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

Spread of Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Elizabeth A. Ashley, +82 more
TL;DR: Prolonged courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies are currently efficacious in areas where standard 3-day treatments are failing, and the incidence of pretreatment and post-treatment gametocytemia was higher among patients with slow parasite clearance, suggesting greater potential for transmission.
Journal ArticleDOI

Genetic architecture of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

TL;DR: Analysis of the fine structure of the parasite population showed that the fd, arps10, mdr2 and crt polymorphisms are markers of a genetic background on which kelch13 mutations are particularly likely to arise and that they correlate with the contemporary geographical boundaries and population frequencies of artemisinin resistance.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

A new look at the statistical model identification

TL;DR: In this article, a new estimate minimum information theoretical criterion estimate (MAICE) is introduced for the purpose of statistical identification, which is free from the ambiguities inherent in the application of conventional hypothesis testing procedure.

ANew Look at the Statistical Model Identification

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the history of statistical hypothesis testing in time series analysis and pointed out that the hypothesis testing procedure is not adequately defined as the procedure for statistical model identification.
Journal ArticleDOI

Evidence of Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria in Western Cambodia

TL;DR: Artemisinins are potent and rapidly acting antimalarial drugs, and their widespread use for treating patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria raises the question of emerging drug resistance.
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Spread of Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum Malaria

Elizabeth A. Ashley, +82 more