MyMedR

Fulltext Social sciences research in neglected tropical diseases 1: the ongoing neglect in the neglected tropical diseases

Allotey P, Reidpath DD, Pokhrel S

Health Res Policy Syst, 2010 Oct 21;8:32.

PMID: 20961461 DOI: 10.1186/1478-4505-8-32

Centuries of scientific advances and developments in biomedical sciences have brought us a long way to understanding and managing disease processes, by reducing them to simplified cause-effect models. For most of the infectious diseases known today, we have the methods and technology to identify the causative agent, understand the mechanism by which pathology is induced and develop the treatment (drugs, vaccines, medical or surgical procedures) to cure, manage or control.Disease, however, occurs within a context of lives fraught with complexity. For any given infectious disease, who gets it, when, why, the duration, the severity, the outcome, the sequelae, are bound by a complex interplay of factors related as much to the individual as it is to the physical, social, cultural, political and economic environments. Furthermore each of these factors is in a dynamic state of change, evolving over time as they interact with each other. Simple solutions to infectious diseases are therefore rarely sustainable solutions. Sustainability would require the development of interdisciplinary sciences that allow us to acknowledge, understand and address these complexities as they occur, rather than rely solely on a form of science based on reducing the management of disease to simple paradigms.In this review we examine the current global health responses to the 'neglected' tropical diseases, which have been prioritised on the basis of an acknowledgment of the complexity of the poverty-disease cycle. However research and interventions for neglected tropical diseases, largely neglect the social and ecological contextual, factors that make these diseases persist in the target populations, continuing instead to focus on the simple biomedical interventions. We highlight the gaps in the approaches and explore the potential of enhanced interdisciplinary work in the development of long term solutions to disease control.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Fulltext Retrospective study of Aeromonas infection in a Malaysian urban area: a 10-year experience

Lee WS, Puthucheary SD

Singapore Med J, 2001 Feb;42(2):057-60.

PMID: 11358191

To describe the patterns of isolation of Aeromonas spp. and the resulting spectrum of infection, intestinal and extra-intestinal,from infants and children in an urban area in a hot and humid country from SoutheastAsia.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Tropical myositis in Malaya

ROBIN GC

J Trop Med Hyg, 1961 Nov;64:288-91.

PMID: 14492859

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Nutrition and tropical diseases: educational aspects in Malaysia

Rampal L

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1983 Mar;14(1):78-81.

PMID: 6612430

This report highlights some of the educational aspects on nutrition and tropical diseases. Health conditions in most of the countries in this region has improved but not at the same pace as the progress in medical sciences. The slow progress in tackling this problem has been partly due to the failure of understanding psycho-social, cultural and economic patterns. Many of the health workers and educators who are involved in the control of tropical diseases emphasize on practice rather than research. Due emphasis should be given to training and research in health education involving not only the professionals and auxiliary staff but also political leaders, policy makers and community leaders at grassroot level.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Ige, parasites, and allergy

Kok A, Robinson MJ

Lancet, 1976 Sep 18;2(7986):633.

PMID: 61371

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Fulltext Role of the SEAMEO TROPMED Network in health human resources development. Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization. Tropical Medicine and Public Health

Chongsuphajaisiddhi T, Salazar N

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1998 Jun;29(2):299-310.

PMID: 9886117

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is a chartered international organization for the promotion of regional cooperation in education, science, technology and culture. The Regional Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network (TROPMED) operates through four specialized Centers in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, with a coordinating unit, the TROPMED Central Office in Bangkok, Thailand. In line with the overall mission of SEAMEO, the role of TROPMED is to promote health and to prevent or control disease, thus improving the quality of life of people in the Asia-Pacific Region. Toward this end, SEAMEO TROPMED serves to facilitate the strengthening of national and institutional capabilities in research and training through postgraduate academic programs; short-term training courses; scientific fora; publications and information dissemination and as such, has been in the mainstream of health human resources development since its inception in 1967. To date, a total of 3,353 TROPMED alumni have benefited from training in 26 regular course offerings; of these, 1,596 were females and 1,757, males. From 1991 to 1995, a total of 434 key health personnel have attended short-term training courses, with increasing attendance from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. TROPMED's effectiveness comes from the collective strength of and the spirit of cooperation among its host institutions and partners. Faced with a health scenario of both developing and developed economies, SEAMEO TROPMED aims to further its role as an international forum for health development thus, addressing the need for effective strategies for health sector reform and advocacy of relevant health, environmental and development policies through its various programs and activities.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine/education*

The institute for medical research, Kuala Lumpur

Sandosham AA

Med J Malaya, 1971 Dec;26(2):75-6.

PMID: 4260863

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Medical education problems in tropical countries

Sandosham AA

Med J Malaya, 1968 Dec;23(2):83-5.

PMID: 4240825

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Intradermal tests with Dirofilaria immitis extract in eosinophilic lung (tropical eosinophilia)

Danaraj TJ, Schacher JF

Am J Trop Med Hyg, 1959;8:640-643.

The intradermal test using as antigen a 1 per cent saline extract of Dirofilaria immitis powder was performed in Singapore on 69 persons with eosinophilic lung, 32 with mild eosinophilia, 49 with filariasis, 75 normal Asians, and 66 normal Britishers. The test was positive in 100 per cent of the cases of eosinophilic lung, 73.5 per cent of the filariasis group, 59.4 per cent of cases of mild eosinophilia, 53.3 per cent of normal Asians, and 4.5 per cent of the Britishers. The filarial complement fixation test using a 1 per cent alcoholic extract of the same antigen gave a positive rate of 100 per cent in the eosinophilic lung group, whereas only 24.5 per cent of the filariasis patients gave a positive reaction. Skin sensitivity to D. immitis antigen persisted in the cases of eosinophilic lung even when the previously positive serologic reactions had become negative following treatment with diethylcarbamazine. Therefore, the intradermal test cannot be useful in the diagnosis of either filariasis or eosinophilic lung in Singapore. In view of the skin sensitivity to a filarial antigen demonstrated in patients suffering from eosinophilic lung, the etiologic possibility of an infection by a species of filarial worm found normally in nonhuman hosts is discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

The geographical distribution of endomyocardial fibrosis

Shaper AG

Pathol Microbiol (Basel), 1970;35(1):26-35.

PMID: 5472024

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Low and declining attack rates of imported typhoid fever in the Netherlands 1997-2014, in spite of a restricted vaccination policy

Suryapranata FS, Prins M, Sonder GJ

BMC Infect Dis, 2016 12 01;16(1):731.

PMID: 27905890

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever mainly occurs in (sub) tropical regions where sanitary conditions remain poor. In other regions it occurs mainly among returning travelers or their direct contacts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current Dutch guidelines for typhoid vaccination.

METHOD: Crude annual attack rates (AR) per 100,000 Dutch travelers were calculated during the period 1997 to 2014 by dividing the number of typhoid fever cases by the estimated total number of travelers to a specific country or region. Regions of exposure and possible risk factors were evaluated.

RESULTS: During the study period 607 cases of typhoid fever were reported. Most cases were imported from Asia (60%). Almost half of the cases were ethnically related to typhoid risk regions and 37% were cases visiting friends and relatives. The overall ARs for travelers to all regions declined significantly. Countries with the highest ARs were India (29 per 100,000), Indonesia (8 per 100,000), and Morocco (10 per 100,000). There was a significant decline in ARs among travelers to popular travel destinations such as Morocco, Turkey, and Indonesia. ARs among travelers to intermediate-risk areas according to the Dutch guidelines such as Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa remained very low, despite the restricted vaccination policy for these areas compared to many other guidelines.

CONCLUSION: The overall AR of typhoid fever among travelers returning to the Netherlands is very low and has declined in the past 20 years. The Dutch vaccination policy not to vaccinate short-term travelers to Latin-America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Thailand and Malaysia seems to be justified, because the ARs for these destinations remain very low. These results suggest that further restriction of the Dutch vaccination policy is justified.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Filariasis in a rubber plantation in Negeri Sembilan, West Malaysia

Ramachandran CP, Dondero TJ, Mullin SW, Sivanandam S, Stevens S

Med J Malaya, 1971 Jun;25(4):273-7.

PMID: 4261299

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Fulltext Health research in Malaysia: overview and future directions

Jegathesan M, Suleiman AB

Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 1992 Dec;23(4):570-1.

PMID: 1298063

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Fulltext Yellow fever vaccination in Malaya by subcutaneous injection and multiple puncture. Haemagglutinin-inhibiting antibody responses in persons with and without pre-existing antibody

Gordon Smith CE, McMahon DA, Turner LH

Bull World Health Organ, 1963;29:75-80.

PMID: 14043754

In view of the risk of introduction of yellow fever into South-East Asia, comparative studies have been made of yellow fever vaccination in Malayan volunteers with a high prevalence of antibody to related viruses and in volunteers without related antibody. In a previous paper the neutralizing antibody responses of these volunteers were reported. The present paper describes the haemagglutinin-inhibiting (HI) antibody responses of the same groups of volunteers and discusses the relationship of these responses to the neutralizing antibody responses.The HI responses to yellow fever following vaccination closely paralleled the neutralizing antibody responses whether vaccination was subcutaneous or by multiple puncture. Volunteers with a high level of YF HI antibody due to infection with other group B viruses were found to be less likely to show a significant YF HI response than those without antibody. 90% of HI responses could be detected by the 21st day after vaccination.As with neutralizing antibody responses, volunteers given vaccine doses of 50-500 mouse intracerebral LD(50) subcutaneously gave greater responses than those given higher doses.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Background, history, growth & advance of social paediatrics in Kuala Lumpur

WYLDE EM

Med J Malaya, 1961 Sep;16:14-31.

PMID: 14008613

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Tropical medicine and industrial development

Waddy BB

J Trop Med Hyg, 1974 Apr;77(4):s:19-21.

PMID: 4841357

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine*

Southeast Asian tropical medicine and parasitology network

Waikagul J

Parasitol Int, 2006;55 Suppl:S297-300.

PMID: 16326132

The SEAMEO TROPMED Network is a regional cooperative network established in 1967 for education, training and research in tropical medicine and public health under the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization. The Network operates through four Regional Centers with respective areas of specialization and host institutions: Community Nutrition/Tropmed Indonesia; Microbiology, Parasitology and Entomology/Tropmed Malaysia; Public Health/Tropmed Philippines; and Tropical Medicine/Tropmed Thailand. To train health workers, to support research on endemic and newly emerging diseases, and to advocate relevant health policies are the main functions of these centers. SEAMEO TROPMED Network in collaboration with the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University and other institutions has regularly organized the Seminar on Food-borne Parasitic Zoonoses every 3-5 years over the past 15 years. The Faculty of Tropical Medicine has organized the annual Joint International Tropical Medicine Meeting since 1996. Full papers of the presentations at these two meetings have been published as supplementary issues to the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, an in-house journal of SEAMEO TROPMED Network. Recently, the Parasitology Association of ASEAN Countries has rotated the hosting of the ASEAN Congress of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine. These institutional and conference networks will enable closer links, to promote the health of people in the Southeast Asian region.

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine/education*

Mosquito reduction and the consequent eradication of malaria

Watson M

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1913;7:59-70.

Malaya in full text]

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Notes on beri-beri

Wellington AR

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 1909;2(5):226-243.

DOI: 10.1016/S0035-9203(09)90072-4

Matched MeSH terms: Tropical Medicine

Rhinitis-chronica-tropica: clinical, radiological, histopathological, therapeutic and ethnological studies on Chinese, Indians, Malays and 'others'