Formulation and evaluation of topical halofuginone gel using a novel ex vivo model

Purpose: To formulate and study the kinetics of delivery and retention of three  halofuginone (HF) gels via different wall layers of an ex vivo model mimicking  urethral tissue.Methods: Three HF hydrogels (a, b and c) of the same concentration (0.03 % w/v) incorporating different levels of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC), were prepared. The viscosity of the different gels was studied at 37 °C and at room temperature. The release of HF from these hydrogels and its diffusion into urethral tissue were evaluated using a new ex vivo model mimicking human urethral tissue. The amount of HF was determined by HPLC method.Results: The release of HF increased with increasing viscosity and duration of contact. Gel c showed the best drug release after 2 h of diffusion, with 65.7 % HF in the wall of the ureter. The model showed a uniform distribution of the drug throughout the ureter tissue. In comparison, HF was not detected in the receiver compartment until 2 h.Conclusion: Topical HF gel application is a suitable solution for the potential treatment of urethral stricture and/or recurrence. The formulation and  characterization of the ureter model should facilitate the development of new therapeutics for urethral diseases.Keywords: Halofuginone gel, Urethra, Wall diffusion, Urethral stenosi

Micro adénome à prolactine à l’âge de la ménopause

L'adénome à prolactine est rare chez la femme âgée. Le tableau clinique peut être confondu avec les manifestations de la ménopause, rendant son diagnostic parfois difficile. Nous rapportons une observation sur les particularités d'un micro adénome à prolactine survenant chez une femme âgée de 57 ans, qui a présenté une aménorrhée secondaire sans bouffées de chaleur associée à une galactorrhée évoluant depuis 2 ans. L’examen physique confirme la galactorrhée et la biologie montre une hyperprolactinémie à 2735 mUI /L, FSH = 15,1 UI/L et LH = 4,1UI/L. L’IRM hypophysaire montre un adénome gauche de 8mm. L'évolution sous traitement dopaminergique était marqué par la reprise transitoire des cycles et apparition de bouffées de chaleur, normalisation de la prolactinémie et diminution de la taille de l'adénome.Mots clés: Prolactinome, péri ménopause, agoniste dopaminergiqueEnglish Title: Prolactin-secreting microadenoma in menopausal womenEnglish AbstractProlactin-secreting adenoma is rare in elderly women. Patient’s clinical picture may be confused with that of menopause, making diagnosis sometimes difficult. We report the case of a 57-year old woman with a 2-year history of secondary amenorrhea without hot flushes associated with galactorrhea in order to highlight the peculiarities of prolactin-secreting microadenomas. Physical examination confirmed the diagnosis of galactorrhoea and biology showed hyperprolactinemia at mIU/L, FSH = 15.1 IU/L and LH = 4,1 IU/L. Pituitary MRI showed left adenoma measuring 8 mm. Patient’s evolution under dopaminergic treatment was marked by the recovery, for a transitional period, of mestrual cycles and the occurrence of hot flushes, normalization of prolactin levels and reduction of adenoma size.Keywords: Prolactinoma, perimenopause, dopaminergic agonis

Etude sur le diabète aigu cétosique inaugural dans un hôpital du Centre-Est Tunisien

La cétose est une complication aiguë du diabète qui consiste en une accumulation de corps cétoniques sanguins. Malgré la haute prévalence du diabète cétosique décrite, il existe très peu d’informations concernant l’épidémiologie de cette complication inaugurale du diabète en Tunisie. L’objectif était de déterminer les caractéristiques épidémiologiques et clinico-biologiques des cétoses inaugurales dans un hôpital du Centre-Est tunisien. Il s’agit d’une étude rétrospective, transversale et exhaustive, à propos de patients admis pour une cétose inaugurale sur une période allant de janvier 2010 à août 2016. La population d’étude a été divisée en 2 groupes selon la présence ou pas d’une auto-immunité anti pancréatique: groupe DAI (diabète de type 1 auto-immun) regroupe tous les patients avec une auto-immunité, et le groupe DNAI (diabète cétosique non auto-immuns) sans auto-immunité. Il s’agit de 391 patients, de sex ratio 266 hommes/125 femmes, d’âge moyen de 34±14,33 ans. La prédominance masculine était nette: 68% dans la population générale. L’âge de la cétose était significativement plus précoce dans le groupe DAI. Un facteur précipitant la cétose était retrouvé chez 77,7% de la population globale d’étude, significativement plus fréquent dans le groupe DAI que dans le groupe DNAI. Le facteur le plus retrouvé était les infections virales. Les Anticorps anti thyroïdiens étaient significativement importants dans le groupe DAI. La cétose est un facteur de décompensation inaugurale fréquent du diabète en Tunisie. La population la plus importante a été décrite chez l’adulte jeune masculin, avec l’absence d’une auto-immunité, et un profil clinique du diabète de type 2

Pacifica: Poetry International: Revolutions in Tunisian Poetry

A collection of contemporary poetry from Tunisia, including poems in translation with their French and Arabic original texts

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

Effets des nanoparticules sur l'angiogenèse et l'organisation astrocytaire, destinés au traitement des gliomes

PARIS7-Bibliothèque centrale (751132105) / SudocSudocFranceF

Quantum well width and barrier thickness effects on the perpendicular transport in polar and non-polar oriented AlGaN/GaN Resonant Tunneling Diodes

International audienceIn this study, we theoretically investigated the electronic properties of resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) grown along the polar and non-polar orientations by using the self-consistent solution of the coupled Schrödinger and Poisson equations. Based on the transfer matrix formalism, the effects of the geometrical parameters on the current-voltage characteristics of Al0.2Ga0.8N/GaN RTDs we analyzed by varying GaN well width and Al0.2Ga0.8N/GaN barrier thicknesses. The results show that the characteristics of polar and nonpolar Al0.2Ga0.8 N/GaN RTD strongly depend on the barrier and well size; showing a strong decrease in peak and valley current density and a large PVR enhancement when increasing well and barrier thickness. To bring interesting RTD electrical characteristics, a comparison between the polar and non-polar Al0.2 Ga0.8N/GaN RTD was performed. non-polar oriented RTDs show better electronic characteristics, including higher peak current density (Jpeak), smaller peak voltage (Vpeak), and greater pic-to-valley ratio (PVR), than polar ones

Picoeukaryotic diversity in the Gulf of Gabès: variability patterns and relationships to nutrients and water masses

17 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01857Marine picoeukaryotes show high phylogenetic diversity worldwide, notably in oligotrophic waters. In the Gulf of Gabès (south-eastern Mediterranean), characterized by oligotrophic conditions and a complex water mass circulation, information on picoeukaryotic diversity is still lacking. In this study, we investigated the diversity and spatial variability of picoeukaryotic assemblages in relation to nutrient availability, physical parameters and water masses in 3 cruises carried out in the Gulf of Gabès in June of 2008, April of 2009 and November of 2009. High-throughput sequencing revealed a dominance of sequences from non photosynthetic picoeukaryotes, mostly represented by the presumably parasitic marine alveolate MALV-II (33.20%) and the bacterivorous Bicosoecida (13.56%). Differences in picoeukaryotic assemblages were higher between coastal and open-sea stations, and depth in the water column also affected community differences, with surface (5 m), intermediate (25-100 m) and mesopelagic (>200 m) samples forming separate groups. A clear temporal variability was also evident, particularly for communities collected from the surface layer and open-sea stations. Co-inertia analysis revealed that picoeukaryotic groups were more affected by salinity in deep waters, whereas at the surface, they were dependent on nutrients and temperature. During the November cruise, samples that shared similar water mass properties generally clustered together. The Levantine water mass, observed for the first time in this area, was characterized by the presence of Acantharia and Polycystinea. Our study highlights the role of physical and chemical features, such as water mass origin, the wide continental shelf and trophic status, in determining the diversity of marine picoeukaryotesThis study was partially supported by the European funded project ‘Improving National Capacities in Observation and Management of Marine Environment in Tunisia’ (INCOMMET, 295009)Peer Reviewe

Nanotoxicological study of polyol-made cobalt-zinc ferrite nanoparticles in rabbit

International audienceThe increasing use of engineered nanomaterials in commercial manufacturing and consumer products presents an important toxicological concern. Superparamagnetic zinc-cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (SFN) emerge as a promising tool for early cancer diagnostics and targeted therapy. However, toxicity and biological activities of SFN should be evaluated in vitro and in vivo in animal before any clinical application. In this study we aim to synthesize and characterize such objects using polyol process in order to assess its nanotoxicological profile in vitro as well as in vivo. The produced particles consist of a cobalt-zinc ferrite phase corresponding to the Zn 0.8 Co 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 composition. They are isotropic in shape single crystals of 8 nm in size. The thermal variation of their dc-magnetization confirms their superparamagnetic behavior. In vitro, acute exposure (4 h) to them (100 g mL −1) induced an important decrease of healthy Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) viability. In vivo investigation in New-Zealand rabbits revealed that they lead to tissue toxicities; in lungs, liver and kidneys. Our investigations report, for the first time as far as we know, that SFN exhibit harmful properties in human cells and mammals

Diabète de type 1 post-traumatique chez un soldat de l’armée

L'influence du stress comme facteur précipitant l'apparition du diabète de type 1 est un sujet largement étudié dans la littérature. La relation entre les traumatismes physiques et psychologiques et le diabète ont été un sujet rarement étudié en milieu militaire. Le diabète post-traumatique reste toujours un sujet controversé. Nous rapportons le cas d'un soldat tunisien, sans antécédents personnels ou familiaux d’auto-immunité, qui a été diagnostiqué pour un diabète de type 1 au décours d’une agression physique lors de conflits sociaux entre les forces de l’ordre et les citoyens