Biochemical composition, nutritional value and socio-economic impacts of the invasive crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 in central Mediterranean Sea

The Atlantic crab Callinectes sapidus was recently recorded in Tunisia and presents an invasive behavior. This study aims to evaluate its socio-economic impacts on small-scale fisheries and to analyze variations in chemical composition, fatty acids profile, and nutritive value according to sex and edible tissues. Socio-economic surveys via face-to-face revealed a decline in fishermen’s income from 15% to even 70% (damages on fishing nets and catches). Muscles yield of Callinectes sapidus ranged between 36.07±2.84% and 42.83±6.53% respectively for females and males. All the analyzed tissues contained high protein contents (> 23%) and particularly cephalothorax muscles reaching 27.05±0.16%. This new exotic food can be recommended in low fat diets since it contained less than 5% of total fats. The fatty acid profile was dominated by the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for both sexes and all the analyzed tissues. Eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid were the most abundant PUFA in all tissues ranging respectively from 9.31% to 15.64%, from 8.74% to 13.78% and between 6.81% and 9.21%. All the nutritional indexes of lipids indicated that this crab could be beneficial for human health. In addition, it constitutes a new marine resource with high economic opportunity

Acute and delayed effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the postural control of elite judokas: focus on mobility and dynamic balance performance

Background Ramadan intermittent fasting (RIF) induces significant physiologic changes, including alterations in sleep patterns, energy intake, and hydration status, which may affect athletic performance. Given the importance of postural control in judo, understanding the impact of RIF on mobility and dynamic balance is crucial for optimizing performance and injury prevention. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the acute and delayed effects of RIF on postural control in elite judokas, with a specific focus on mobility and dynamic balance performance . Methods Ten elite judokas (23.5 ± 2.3 years, 172.6 ± 7.4 cm, and 71.6 ± 3.9 kg) completed three morning test sessions assessing postural mobility and dynamic balance using the walk across (WA) and limit of stability (LoS) tests. Assessments were conducted before Ramadan (BR), during the third week of fasting (DR), and 3 weeks after Ramadan (AR). Anthropometric measures and daily energy intake were also recorded. Results Significant reductions in total daily energy intake, body mass, and body mass index were observed at DR compared to BR and AR ( p < 0.05). In the WA test, step length, and movement speed significantly decreased during DR ( p < 0.001), while step width remained unchanged. In the LoS test, reaction time and sway velocity increased ( p < 0.001), while directional control decreased ( p < 0.001) at DR compared to BR and AR. No significant differences were found for maximum excursion across conditions. Conclusion RIF transiently impaired both mobility and dynamic postural control in elite judokas, likely due to a combination of sleep disturbances, reduced energy intake, and dehydration. These impairments resolved 3 weeks after Ramadan. Coaches and athletes should consider targeted nutritional and sleep strategies to mitigate these temporary declines in postural stability during fasting periods

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance.

Investment in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing in Africa over the past year has led to a major increase in the number of sequences that have been generated and used to track the pandemic on the continent, a number that now exceeds 100,000 genomes. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries that are able to sequence domestically and highlight that local sequencing enables faster turnaround times and more-regular routine surveillance. Despite limitations of low testing proportions, findings from this genomic surveillance study underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic and illuminate the distinct dispersal dynamics of variants of concern-particularly Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron-on the continent. Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve while the continent faces many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Purification of Pesticide-Contaminated Water Using Activated Carbon from Prickly Pear Seeds for Environmentally Friendly Reuse in a Circular Economy

This study proposes an innovative approach based on the concept of the circular economy. It involves treating deltamethrin-contaminated water using an activated carbon (AC) adsorption technique based on a highly adsorbent plant waste derived from prickly pear seeds (PPSs). Activated carbon was prepared from PPS via a simple pyrolysis process preceded by chemical impregnation with phosphoric acid. Thus, a whole range of physicochemical tests were carried out, including iodine number (QI2), methylene blue number (QMB), Bohem dosage, pHZC, Brunauer&ndash;Emmett&ndash;Teller analysis (BET), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The QI2 and QMB were, respectively, 963.5 (mg g&minus;1) and 8.3 (mg g&minus;1). The pHzc of activated carbon was 2.5, and the surface area BET was 1161.3 m2 g&minus;1. Adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic studies of pesticides using activated carbon were established. The obtained results revealed that the adsorption of the pesticide by the activated carbon appeared to be chemisorption with an adsorption capacity of 1.13 mg g&minus;1. The adsorption capacity increased with increasing temperature, which explains an endothermic adsorption interaction. These results are in agreement with the results found using the density functional theory (DFT) and showed that activated carbon has an interesting adsorption power, which makes it as efficient as commercial activated carbon and predisposes it to the depollution of aqueous solutions contaminated with pesticides

Application of the GIS based multi-criteria decision analysis and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in the flood susceptibility mapping (Tunisia)

International audienceFlooding is considered as the most dangerous natural catastrophe in the world. This paper develops a spatial multi-criteria decision production prototype for the evaluation of flooding susceptibility for the city of Tunis. Eight criterions were considered in order to identify and assess the spatial distribution of hazardous zones and were integrated in the Geographical Information System (ArcGIS). The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is a mathematical technique for flood hazard modeling and decision support based on the weight and rank of each flood factor in order to calculate Flood Hazard Index (FHI) to generate a flood susceptibility map. This was classified from very low to very high classes flood potential. Five classes are observed: 2.85% (very low), 7.5% (low), 17.95% (moderate), 20.63% (high), and 51.06% (very high). FHI was coupled with a sensitivity analysis to derive the Flood Hazard Index with sensitivity (FHIS). This index evaluates the effect of each criteria which allows for better assessment of the role of each parameter in flood susceptibility. The results of this study provide a basis to limit the impacts of flood and protect urban zone against inundation