No abstract

No abstract

Malaria is one of the main infectious diseases in tropical developing countries and represents high morbidity and mortality rates nowadays. The principal etiological agent P. falciparum is transmitted through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. The issue has escalated due to the emergence of resistant strains to most of the antimalarials used for the treatment including Chloroquine, Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine, and recently Artemisinin derivatives, which has led to diminished effectiveness and by consequence increased the severity of epidemic outbreaks. Due to the lack of effective compounds to treat these drug-resistant strains, the discovery or development of novel anti-malaria drugs is important. In this context, one strategy has been to find inhibitors of enzymes, which play an important role for parasite survival. Today, promising results have been obtained in this regard, involving the entire P. falciparum metabolism. These inhibitors could serve as leads in the search of a new chemotherapy against malaria. This review focuses on the achievements in recent years with regard to inhibition of enzymes used as targets for drug design against malaria.

D rinking water is derived from two basic sources: surface waters, such as rivers and reservoirs, and groundwater. All water contains natural contaminants, particularly inorganic compounds that arise from the geological strata through which water flows and, to a varying extent, anthropogenic pollution by both microorganisms and chemicals. The quality of drinking water and possible associated health risks vary throughout the world were some regions show high levels of arsenic and fluoride, or contamination by pathogens [1]. There is a number of possible sources of man-made contaminants, some of which are more important than others. Agriculture is another source of chemical contamination. In this case, the most important contaminant is nitrate, which can cause methemoglobinaemia, or blue-baby syndrome, in bottle-fed infants under 3 months of age [2].Comarca Lagunera Region of Mexico is famed as the largest milk-producing area. The Laguna faces a serious problem of over-exploitation and contamination of its water sources. Located in a semidesert, it produces cotton, alfalfa, walnut, cattle and goats. Such economic activities, along with the large production of milk and beer, consume the aquifer reserves in the region. As a result, the remaining water supplies are contaminated with arsenic, nitrates and other contaminants [3], an important factor for health problems in hundreds of people in the local communities.