A assessment of influences of pentaflouropropyloxydihydroartemisinin (BB.103) and mefloquine on functions of the nervous system of rats. The results showed that: BB.103 with doses 50mg/kg x 5 days (1 and 2 times), and mefloquine doses 50mg/kg x 5 days were found not to influence conditional reflex of rats. The changes of speed of establishment of reflex, speed of establishment of stable reflex, time of consolidation of reflex were found to be unstatically significant as compared to the control. BB.103 with doses 100mg/kg x 5 days (1 and 2 times), and mefloquine doses 100mg/kg x 5 days was found to influence the time of establishment of conditional reflex of rats. The changes were statically significant compared with control group
Mefloquine ; Nervous System ; Rats ; drugs ; animals ; Artemisinins

Study on the situation of drug resistance of P.falciparum and efficacy of anti-resistance outline at A Luoi hospital, Thua Thien - Hue province in patients with ages of 6-65 years old during 1998-1999. Results: single dose of artesunate (4 mg/kg) and mefloquine (15 mg/kg) had good effect, the average time for fever free was 41.3 hours, parasite free was less than 48 hours. The resistance of RII, RIII has not occurred. The side effects were inconsiderable
Malaria ; artesunate ; Mefloquine ; therapeutics ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Malaria, Falciparum

We experienced a case of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytemia successfully treated with primaquine in a twenty seven-years old woman. The patient had been admitted due to general malaise after diagosis and treatment of P. falciparum at Tanzania one month ago. On microscopic examination, P. falciparum gametocytemia was seen and treated with mefloquine for one week but gametocytemia was not disappeared. After primaquine treatment for two weeks, she was successfully treated.
Female ; Humans ; Mefloquine ; Plasmodium falciparum* ; Plasmodium* ; Primaquine* ; Tanzania

Primary cilia have critical roles in coordinating multiple cellular signaling pathways. Dysregulation of primary cilia is implicated in various ciliopathies. To identify specific regulators of autophagy, we screened chemical libraries and identified mefloquine, an anti-malaria medicine, as a potent regulator of primary cilia in human retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. Not only ciliated cells but also primary cilium length was increased in mefloquine-treated RPE cells. Treatment with mefloquine strongly induced the elongation of primary cilia by blocking disassembly of primary cilium. In addition, we found that autophagy was increased in mefloquine-treated cells by enhancing autophagic flux. Both chemical and genetic inhibition of autophagy suppressed ciliogenesis in mefloquine-treated RPE cells. Taken together, these results suggest that autophagy induced by mefloquine positively regulates the elongation of primary cilia in RPE cells.
Autophagy* ; Cilia* ; Humans ; Mefloquine ; Retinaldehyde ; Small Molecule Libraries

Mefloquine is a common anti-malarial agent used for the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria. Here we report a case of a 39-year-old, otherwise healthy woman from South Korea, who had developed visual and auditory hallucination with sleep disturbance after oral administration of mefloquine before traveling to an endemic region. To our knowledge, this would be the first reported case of mefloquine-induced psychosis in South Korea to date. This report underlines the importance of awareness and detection of neuropsychiatric side effects of mefloquine.
Administration, Oral ; Female ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Malaria ; Mefloquine ; Psychotic Disorders ; Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: Mefloquine is widely used for a chemoprophylactic agent against malaria, however, there is a tendency to avoid mefloquine as preventive medicine due to its side effects. Therefore, we carried out this study to provide travelers with safety information regarding consumption of mefloquine through a prospective research for adverse reactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study had been estimated for the relationship between administration of mefloquine and symptoms of which person had been prescribed of mefloquine at the International Clinic of National Medical Center from May 1, 2006 to October 30, 2006 by phone interviews every three days prior to departure and 4 times every week following a return from the travel. RESULTS: Adverse reactions had been reported in 73 (18.6%) persons among 393 travelers who had taken mefloquine with the figure of 38 (52.1%) males, 35 (47.9%) females and 98 (24.9%) occurrences of adverse reactions. The most common adverse reaction was febrile sensation. Most (96%) of adverse reactions had been detected in 3 weeks after being taken mefloquine and there was no difference between sex and age. Most of travelers who had complained the symptoms got better spontaneously or through the symptomatic treatment. Some travelers had taken other medicines and had gotten several vaccinations concurrently. Only 3 cases that took medicine for hypothyroidism were related to adverse reactions of mefloquine (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There were adverse reactions which were reported in 18.6% of travelers after taking mefloquine and malraria hasn't occurred. So mefloquine is considered as a primary preventive agent against malaria.
Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Malaria ; Male ; Mefloquine* ; Preventive Medicine ; Prospective Studies ; Sensation ; Vaccination

BACKGROUND: Mefloquine is widely used for a chemoprophylactic agent against malaria, however, there is a tendency to avoid mefloquine as preventive medicine due to its side effects. Therefore, we carried out this study to provide travelers with safety information regarding consumption of mefloquine through a prospective research for adverse reactions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study had been estimated for the relationship between administration of mefloquine and symptoms of which person had been prescribed of mefloquine at the International Clinic of National Medical Center from May 1, 2006 to October 30, 2006 by phone interviews every three days prior to departure and 4 times every week following a return from the travel. RESULTS: Adverse reactions had been reported in 73 (18.6%) persons among 393 travelers who had taken mefloquine with the figure of 38 (52.1%) males, 35 (47.9%) females and 98 (24.9%) occurrences of adverse reactions. The most common adverse reaction was febrile sensation. Most (96%) of adverse reactions had been detected in 3 weeks after being taken mefloquine and there was no difference between sex and age. Most of travelers who had complained the symptoms got better spontaneously or through the symptomatic treatment. Some travelers had taken other medicines and had gotten several vaccinations concurrently. Only 3 cases that took medicine for hypothyroidism were related to adverse reactions of mefloquine (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There were adverse reactions which were reported in 18.6% of travelers after taking mefloquine and malraria hasn't occurred. So mefloquine is considered as a primary preventive agent against malaria.
Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Malaria ; Male ; Mefloquine* ; Preventive Medicine ; Prospective Studies ; Sensation ; Vaccination

The susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine and halofantrine was investigated in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea between March 1995 and September 1996, when chloroquine resistance was widely present in the country. The standard World Health Organization in vitro microtest methodology was used in the study. Of the 30 isolates tested for chloroquine susceptibility all were resistant to chloroquine with median IC50 of 1.15 mumol/l (range 0.54 to 4.24), indicating a high prevalence and degree of resistance. Three isolates each for quinine (3/31) and halofantrine (3/28) showed resistance at concentrations of 51.2 mumol/l and 10 nM respectively, while all 31 isolates tested for mefloquine were fully susceptible. The comparative analysis of median IC50 values between isolates resistant and susceptible to chloroquine showed chloroquine-resistant isolates to be less susceptible to quinine and halofantrine while fully susceptible to mefloquine. It seems that the evolution of chloroquine resistance together with increased use of quinine treatment of P. falciparum malaria may increase the risk of emergence of quinine resistance and possibly of halofantrine resistance as well. The development of mefloquine resistance, however, is independent of chloroquine resistance.
Antimalarials - pharmacology ; Chloroquine - pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Mefloquine - pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Papua New Guinea

Vaccination against yellow fever is recommended for travelers to areas where yellow fever has been reported, and they should be vaccinated 10 days before the travel at an approved center for the vaccination. When traveling to areas where chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum has not been reported, once-a-week use of chloroquine alone is recommended, but when traveling to areas where chloroquineresistant P. falciparum has been reported, other agents such as mefloquine, doxycycline, atovaquone/proguanil and primaquine should be chosen. Other recommended immunizations are typhoid vaccine and hepatitis A/B vaccine. Traveler's diarrhea is one of the major health problems in terms of frequency, but antimicrobial prophylaxis is not routinely recommended.
Chloroquine ; Communicable Diseases* ; Diarrhea ; Doxycycline ; Hepatitis ; Immunization ; Malaria ; Mefloquine ; Primaquine ; Travel Medicine ; Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines ; Vaccination ; Yellow Fever

BACKGROUND: In mammals, the master circadian pacemaker is localized in an area of the ventral hypothalamus known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Previous studies have shown that pacemaker neurons in the SCN are highly coupled to one another, and this coupling is crucial for intrinsic self-sustainability of the SCN central clock, which is distinguished from peripheral oscillators. One plausible mechanism underlying the intercellular communication may involve direct electrical connections mediated by gap junctions. METHODS: We examined the effect of mefloquine, a neuronal gap junction blocker, on circadian Period 2 (Per2) gene oscillation in SCN slice cultures prepared from Per2::luciferase (PER2::LUC) knock-in mice using a real-time bioluminescence measurement system. RESULTS: Administration of mefloquine causes instability in the pulse period and a slight reduction of amplitude in cyclic PER2::LUC expression. Blockade of gap junctions uncouples PER2::LUC-expressing cells, in terms of phase transition, which weakens synchrony among individual cellular rhythms. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that neuronal gap junctions play an important role in synchronizing the central pacemaker neurons and contribute to the distinct self-sustainability of the SCN master clock.
Animals ; Circadian Rhythm ; Electrical Synapses ; Gap Junctions* ; Hypothalamus ; Luminescent Measurements ; Mammals ; Mefloquine* ; Mice* ; Neurons ; Phase Transition ; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus*