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Biomedical subjects

V Lejon

Publications and source records attributed to V Lejon.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Detection of light subunit neurofilament and glial fibrillary acidic protein in cerebrospinal fluid of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-infected patients.

Light subunit neurofilament (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) concentrations were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 34 patients with human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), five serologically positive but parasitologically unconfirmed individuals, and four healthy controls without evidence of HAT. In patients with second stage HAT (n = 30), NFL levels were abnormally elevated in 10 cases and GFAP levels in five. The astrogliosis observed in HAT and experimental models of HAT is confirmed in our study by the presence of increased GFAP levels in the CSE The abnormal NFL CSF levels reflect structural damage of nerve cells in 33 % of the second-stage patients studied. To our knowledge, this is the first time neuronal damage in HAT patients is demonstrated by using biochemical markers of brain damage in the CSF.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A semi-quantitative ELISA for detection of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense specific antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of sleeping sickness patients.

A semi-quantitative ELISA, using variable surface glycoprotein of T.b. gambiense as antigen, was developed for the detection of antibodies of different immunoglobulin isotypes in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of sleeping sickness patients. Using the assay, the antibody profiles of paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples of 28 patients have been studied. Total concentrations of various Ig isotypes were determined as well. In serum and cerebrospinal fluid a drastic increase in IgG, basically IgG1, as well as in IgM levels was observed. The concentration of IgA remained relatively normal. The antitrypanosomal antibodies detected in serum and cerebrospinal fluid were mainly of the IgG (IgG1 and IgG3) and IgM isotypes. Measurement of immunoglobulin and trypanosome specific antibody concentrations in serum and CSF allows calculation of intrathecal antibody synthesis and is a possible tool for determining the clinical stage of sleeping sickness.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Human African trypanosomiasis: a latex agglutination field test for quantifying IgM in cerebrospinal fluid.

LATEX/IgM, a rapid agglutination test for the semi-quantitative detection of IgM in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with African trypanosomiasis, is described in this article. The lyophilized reagent has been designed for field use and remains stable at 45 degrees C for one year. The test has been evaluated on cerebrospinal fluid samples from trypanosome-infected and non-infected patients, by comparison with commercial latex agglutination, radial immunodiffusion, and nephelometry. All test systems yielded similar results.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1996

[Detection of blood antigens in Trypanosoma brucei brucei experimental infection in Boru, Lagoon cattle and Boro white zebus].

Borgu (n = 10), Lagoon (n = 10) and White Bororo zebu (n = 10) cattle were experimentally infected in Benin with a clone of Trypanosoma brucei brucei for evaluation of blood antigens using ELISA tests. None of the three non-inoculated control animals for each breed developed any infection. Borgu and Lagoon cattle developed a benign disease followed by spontaneous recovery, whereas White Bororo zebus developed a typical chronic disease, fatal within several months. Overall ELISA sensitivity to detect T. brucei antigens was 20.46%, clearly lower than that of the buffy coat method to detect parasites (40.24%). The sensitivity of ELISA tests differed greatly according to the type of animals and the dynamics of infection. It was highest in Borgu cattle. (44.44 %), which had high parasitaemias of short duration and lowest in White Bororo zebus (4.09%), which had low and intermittent parasitaemias. To increase the sensitivity of ELISA tests by decreasing the cut-off point of optical density (threshold of positivity) from 0.050 to 0.025 would highly compromise the test specificity. The false negatives at the beginning of the infection and false positives after spontaneous cure further compromise the validity of ELISA tests for diagnosis of active T. brucei infections.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in serum and CSF of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense sleeping sickness patients before and after treatment.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma were determined in 46 Trypanosoma brucei gambiense sleeping sickness patients in DR Congo, before and after treatment. According to their CSF cell number before treatment, patients were classified as early-stage (0-5 cells/microL), intermediate-stage (6-20 cells/microL) or late-stage patients (> 20 cells/microL). In serum, slightly higher IL-8 concentrations were found in early-stage patients compared to intermediate- or late-stage patients. These high IL-8 levels dropped after treatment. Higher IL-10 concentrations were detected in serum of patients in intermediate or late stage compared to early-stage patients. In both intermediate- and late-stage groups, serum IL-10 decreased after treatment. In CSF, elevated concentrations of IL-6, IL-8 and especially of IL-10 were observed in late-stage T. b. gambiense patients. After treatment, these concentrations dropped to levels similar to those of the other patients. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha was detected only in a few serum and CSF samples, which were scattered over the different patient groups. Interferon-gamma was detected in serum of 5 patients and remained undetectable in CSF.

Adolescent↗