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M Blaze

Publications and source records attributed to M Blaze.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Trends in imported childhood malaria in the UK: 1999-2003.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of imported malaria in children in the UK. METHODS: Surveillance data on children with imported malaria, collected through an enhanced surveillance network set up by the Malaria Reference Laboratory (London, UK), diagnosed between January 1999 and December 2003 were analysed. RESULTS: Over the 5-year study period, 9238 cases were reported to the Malaria Reference Laboratory, and children accounted for 1456 (14.8%) cases. The number of imported paediatric malaria cases fell from 326 in 1999 to 241 in 2003. Malarial infection occurred in children of all ages and the number of patients increased gradually with age. Visiting family and relatives was the most common reason for travel (59.5%), with only 7.2% travelling to an area endemic to malaria on holiday. Most infections (88.4%) were acquired in Africa, and mainly in Nigeria (49.7%). Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 81.7% of all cases, followed by P. vivax (11.1%). The number of both P. falciparum and P. vivax cases fell gradually from 262 and 45 cases in 1999 to 196 and 20 cases in 2003, respectively. Malaria prophylaxis was taken by 39% of 500 children with malaria who had travelled to a country endemic to malaria. The proportion of children with malaria who had taken malaria prophylaxis decreased steadily from 53% in 1999 to 29% in 2003. Two (0.14%) children died compared with 62 (0.76%) adults over the 5-year study period (p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of malaria has started to decline, a considerable number of children are still diagnosed with malaria in the UK. In addition, the proportion of children with malaria who had taken malaria prophylaxis is falling. Although it is reassuring to note the low mortality, there is an urgent need to improve preventive measures among families travelling to high-risk countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Rational selection of structurally diverse natural product scaffolds with favorable ADME properties for drug discovery.

Natural product analogs are significant sources for therapeutic agents. To capitalize efficiently on the effective features of naturally occurring substances, a natural product-based library production platform has been devised at Aurigene for drug lead discovery. This approach combines the attractive biological and physicochemical properties of natural product scaffolds, provided by eons of natural selection, with the chemical diversity available from parallel synthetic methods. Virtual property analysis, using computational methods described here, guides the selection of a set of natural product scaffolds that are both structurally diverse and likely to have favorable pharmacokinetic properties. The experimental characterization of several in vitro ADME properties of twenty of these scaffolds, and of a small set of designed congeners based upon one scaffold, is also described. These data confirm that most of the scaffolds and the designed library members have properties favorable to their utilization for creating libraries of lead-like molecules.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1998

Malaria imported into the United Kingdom in 1996.

Virtually all malaria infections seen in the United Kingdom (UK) in recent years have been contracted overseas and imported into the UK, apart from two cases in 1976 due to imported infected mosquitoes and occasional cases of congenital or of transfusion

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Malaria imported into the United Kingdom in 1992 and 1993.

A total of 1,629 cases of malaria were reported in the United Kingdom in 1992, and 1,922 cases in 1993, fewer than the peak of 2,332 reached in 1991. Of the 3,551 cases of malaria reported during 1992 and 1993, 74 were reported from Scotland, 45 from Wales, and 13 from Northern Ireland. Fourteen people died of falciparum malaria in the two years, 12 of whom contracted the disease in Africa and two in India. Preventive measures were inadequately followed by 12 of the 14 patients who died, eight of whom took no prophylaxis at all, and diagnosis was delayed in the other two. Over a third of the malaria cases were immigrants from endemic areas who had settled in the United Kingdom and who travelled to visit friends and relations. This was the commonest reason for travel given by cases, and correlates with a marked rise in falciparum malaria in settled immigrants from West Africa.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Malaria imported into the United Kingdom 1989 and 1990.

Imported malaria cases reported to the Malaria Reference Laboratory as occurring in the United Kingdom have remained at around 2,000 cases annually for the past seven years. However, there has been a steady increase in falciparum malaria which now accounts for 52% of the cases, with mixed infections that include P. falciparum providing another 2% of the 4083 cases reported in the two years 1989-90. Compared with 1986, there has been a substantial increase in P. falciparum of African origin and a fall in Asian P. vivax. Eight people died. Except for one case who had had a previous splenectomy, either the fatal cases had taken no prophylaxis or diagnosis was very late, usually on a mistaken assumption that the patient had influenza. The future is likely to see continuing preponderance of P. falciparum infections, with an increasing problem of multiple drug resistance.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1988

Malaria in Britain: 1977-86.

The incidence of malaria in Britain as reported to the Malaria Reference Laboratory during the past decade has increased by 51%, from 1529 to 2309 cases, and infection with Plasmodium falciparum has increased from one fifth to one third of all cases. The case fatality rate for P falciparum infections declined from 2.7% to 0.5%. Of the 67 persons who died, 54 were of British origin, nine of Asian descent, and four African. Sixteen had taken chemoprophylaxis; of these, nine had taken pyrimethamine alone. The pattern of infection shows that resident ethnic minority groups, temporary residents from west Africa, and tourists who visit Kenya are particularly at high risk. The calculated attack rates suggest that men, children, and young adults are at greater risk of malaria than women and older people. Rates are highest in immigrants who have settled in Britain who visit relatives: 316 and 331 per 100,000 for Africa and Asia respectively, 120 and 39 in tourists to those same regions, and 228 and 38 in business travellers to those regions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Malaria prophylaxis: survey of the response of British travellers to prophylactic advice.

A cohort study was conducted to determine the compliance of travellers with chemoprophylactic advice given over the telephone by the malaria reference advisory service. Travellers who visited their general practitioner first for advice about malaria prophylaxis were often advised to consult a specialist service themselves. Compliance fell in travellers who were given complicated information and those who received conflicting advice when they contacted other advisory services. After returning to Britain 48% of the travellers reported that they were fully compliant with prophylactic advice; over a third of the travellers studied did not maintain prophylaxis on their return.

Humans↗
PubMed1980

Late dropouts from group psychotherapy.

In five outpatient groups totalling 42 patients, over one-third of the patients quit group treatment between six and twelve months. Interviews suggest that efforts at development of greater intimacy precipitated leaving. In two groups this created a wave effect, with further quitting of two or three additional patients. Therapists' lack of awareness of potential for late dropping out may have contributed to this.

Humans↗