Kyste thymique cervical

Objectifs : Le kyste thymique est une tumeur congénitale rare. Souvent asymptomatique, elle atteint généralement les enfants âgés de moins de 10 ans. Siégeant au niveau du cou, cette tumeur pose essentiellement le problème de diagnostic différentiel clinique. Son traitement est chirurgical avec un excellent pronostic et un très faible risque de récidive locale. Nous rapportons un cas de kyste thymique cervical et nous rappelons la pathogénie et les diagnostics différentiels.Mots clés : kyste thymique, cou, histologiePurpose of study: The thymic cyst is a rare congenital tumor. Usually asymptomatic, this tumor is generally seen in childhood under the age of ten. In the neck, the preoperative diagnosis of this tumor is difficult and is rarely made. The treatment of choice is surgical excision. The long-term prognosis is excellent with a low rate of local recurrence. We report a new case of cervical thymic cyst and review the pathogenesis and the differential diagnosis.Keywords: Thymic cyst, neck, histology

Production and characterization of biochar from three-phase olive mill waste through slow pyrolysis

Abstract The influence of temperature and heating rate on the yield and properties of biochar derived from pyrolysis of solid olive mill waste (pomace) was investigated. Three pyrolysis temperatures (430 ± 10 °C, 480 ± 10 °C and 530 ± 10 °C) and 3 heating rates (25 °C min−1, 35 °C min−1 and 45 °C min−1) were studied. The biochar production was carried out using a vertical downdraft gasifier. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature, and/or the heating rate, the biochar yield lowered, the C content and biochar aromaticity increased and the surface functional groups were reduced. The highest biochar yield was obtained by low pyrolysis temperature (430 ± 10 °C) and low heating rate (25 °C min−1). This biochar is characterized by a high heating value (31 MJ/kg) that makes it a possible fuel candidate and, in the meantime, due to its high concentration in C (70.2%–84.1%), low electrical conductivity (0.28 dS m−1–0.47 dS m−1) and the lack of phytotoxicity it is suitable for amendment in agricultural soils and for long term carbon sequestration

Effects of different harvesting seasons on antioxidant activity and phenolic content of prickly pear cladode juice

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of two distinct cladode genotypes under three sampling dates (spring, summer, and winter). The juice extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica (spineless) and Opuntia megacantha (spiny) genotypes was analyzed for their phenolics content and antioxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP methods. The composition of major phenolics substances of cladode juice harvested in March was determined by HPLC analysis. The average of the total phenolics content ranged from 455.65 to 542.70 μg GAE mL−1. The antioxidant activity varied from 1.78 to 4.10 μmol TE mL−1 by DPPH assay, 12.78–23.10 μmol TE mL−1 by ABTS assay and 1.74–3.33 μmol TE mL−1 by FRAP assay. Higher values of antioxidant activity and polyphenols content were registered in summer. O. ficus-indica recorded significantly higher values for the parameters compared to O. megacantha. Keywords: Prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica, Opuntia megacantha, Cladode juice, Antioxidant activity, Polyphenol

Study of pomological traits and physico-chemical quality of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes grown in Italy

Pomegranate is considered a functional food but several local accessions and cultivars are widespread in different countries. The characterization of local germoplasm allows to identify genotypes that possess the highest nutraceutical value compared to standard cultivars (cvs.) and that are well-adapted to local climatic conditions and could be used in the breeding programs. The aim of this study was the characterization of pomological and physico-chemical traits as well as antioxidant system in local pomegranate accessions (‘Mondrone Dolce’, ‘San Pietro’, ‘Granato’ and ‘Roce’), comparing to an Italian (‘Dente di Cavallo’) and international cvs. (‘Wonderful’). A high variability of the pomological traits resulted among the cultivars. ‘Wonderful’ showed the highest value of anthocyanins (554.99 ± 0.05 mg C3gE L−1), total phenols (1494.00 ± 116.20 mg GAE L−1) and antioxidant activity (EC50values 21.21 ± 0.05 µL mL−1), whereas ‘Granato’ had the highest values among local accessions. Furthermore, the antioxidant enzymes activities varied with genotypes. Principal component analysis revealed great differences in all investigated parameters among pomegranate genotypes. ‘Mondrone Dolce’, ‘San Pietro’ and ‘Dente di Cavallo’ showed similar pomological and nutraceutical traits compared to ‘Granato’ and ‘Roce’. Conversely, ‘Wonderful’, due to its peculiar traits, revealed significant differences with respect to other genotypes