A Seropositive Nodular Rheumatoid Polyarthritis without Arthritis: Does It Exist?

The rheumatoid polyarthritis is the most frequent chronic polyarthritis. It affects essentially the woman between 40 and 60 years. Rheumatic subcutaneous nodules and tenosynovitis are usually associated with seropositive symptomatic rheumatoid polyarthritis. It is, however, rare that they constitute the essential clinical expression of the disease. In this case, it makes dispute another exceptional form of rheumatoid arthritis such as rheumatoid nodulosis. A 60-year-old woman was hospitalized for tumefaction of the dorsal face of the right hand evolving two months before. The clinical examination found subcutaneous nodules from which the exploration ended in rheumatoid nodules with tenosynovitis. The evolution after four years was favourable under corticosteroid therapy, methotrexate, and colchicine

Tunisian Toxoplasma gondii strains genotyping by the use of AK69 marker

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical manifestation due to infection by <it>Toxoplasma gondii </it>is closely linked to the infecting strain of the parasite. Several genetic markers are available to determinate its genotype but few of them are able to discriminate between the three predominant lineages, namely types I, II and III. The number of markers decreases when atypical, recombinant/mixed genotypes need to be identified.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>In our study, the contribution of sequence polymorphisms in the AK69 gene as typing markers for <it>T. gondii </it>was investigated for the first time in an epidemiological study. The coding region of the marker was amplified, sequenced and aligned for different <it>Toxoplasma </it>strains. The identified nucleotide polymorphism at 12 positions was able to highly discriminate between the different congenital toxoplasmosis Tunisian strains. Moreover the high detection sensitivity level of the marker enabled unambiguous identification of mixed/recombinant genotypes directly.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It can be, thus, very useful for direct typing in areas where such genotypes are frequently encountered, mainly in the African continent.</p

): 24-30 ISSN 1948-5182 (online)

Abstract AIM: To assess the role of the major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in the western part of North Africa. METHODS: A multicenter case control study was conducted in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria in collaboration with Pasteur Institutes in these countries. A total of 164 patients with HCC and 250 control subjects without hepatic diseases were included. Prevalences of HBsAg, anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) and diabetes were assessed. HCV and HBV genotyping were performed for anti-HCV and HBsAg positive patients. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 62 ± 10 years old for a 1.5 M:F sex ratio. Sixty percent of HCC patients were positive for anti-HCV and 17.9% for HBsAg. Diabetes was detected in 18% of cases. Odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 32.0 (15.8 -65.0), 7.2 (3.2 -16.1) and 8.0 (3.1 -20.0) for anti-HCV, HBsAg and diabetes respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that the three studied factors were independent. 1b HCV genotype and D HBV genotype were predominant in HCC patients. HCV was the only risk factor significantly associated with an excess of cirrhosis (90% vs 68% for all other risk factors collectively, P = 0.00168). Excessive alcohol consumption was reliably established for 19 (17.6%) cases among the 108 HCC patients for whom data is available. CONCLUSION: HCV and HBV infections and diabetes are the main determinants of HCC development in North Africa. An active surveillance and secondary prevention programs for patients with chronic hepatitis and nutrition-associated metabolic liver diseases are the most important steps to reduce the risk of HCC in the region

La Responsabilité Sociétale des Entreprises : un levier pour la durabilité écologique. Validation empirique pour la Méditerranée

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the study of the role of State intervention in the Mediterranean countries, and this in the promotion of the responsible approach. This doctoral work provides a general review of the study of the role of environmental factors in the context of sustainable qualified development. It discusses, among other things, changes in the perception of CSR policy in the Mediterranean region. In our study on CSR, we focus our research on both voluntary and obligatory approaches, following institutional constraints, and subject them to comparison. In doing so, we focus in particular on how the CSR concept has been strongly related to the notion of environmental sustainability. The first part of this work presents an exhaustive and critical review of the literature on responsible approaches. In the second part, which is essentially factual, we frame the empirical and institutional foundations of a green growth model. Estimation and validation are presented at the last chapter level. The results highlight the relationship between CSR and governance as regards sustainable growth and sustainable environmental-friendly growth, at the macroeconomic level.The results obtained allow us to confirm that firstly, CSR plays a positive role in order to improve the quality of the environment. Secondly, various approaches overlap and tie together to propose environmental-performance scenarios throughout the Mediterranean.Thirdly, it appears that the restrictive intervention of the state weakens CRE efficiency, added to this the impact on -CSR- of the disparity at the institutional level and between countries of different development level. Finally, according to the results obtained, we believe that the interaction between the will and the duty to carry out responsible actions could in turn constitute/ lead to a perfection in terms of ecological sustainability for Mediterranean-bordering countries.L’objet de cette thèse est de contribuer à l’étude du rôle de l’intervention de l’État dans les pays méditerranéens, et ce dans la promotion de la démarche responsable. Ce travail doctoral fournit une revue générale de l’étude du rôle des facteurs environnementaux dans le cadre du développement qualifié durable, il évoque, entre autres, les changements intervenus au niveau de la perception de la politique RSE, dans la région méditerranéenne. Dans l’étude que nous menons sur la RSE, nous focalisons notre recherche sur les démarches responsables aussi bien volontaires que celles menées obligatoirement, suite à des contraintes institutionnelles, et les soumettons à comparaison. Ce faisant, nous nous penchons en particulier sur la manière dont le concept RSE a été fortement relié à la notion de la durabilité environnementale. La première partie de ce travail présente une revue exhaustive et critique de la littérature sur les démarches responsables. Au niveau de la deuxième partie, essentiellement factuelle, nous cadrons les fondements empiriques et institutionnels d’un modèle de la croissance verte. L’estimation et la validation sont présentées au niveau de dernier chapitre. Les résultats obtenus nous amènent à affirmer, qu’en premier lieu, la RSE affecte positivement la qualité de l’environnement. En deuxième lieu, des démarches différentes se juxtaposent pour proposer des scénarios de la performance environnementale à l’échelle de la Méditerranée. En troisième lieu, il ressort que l’intervention contraignante de l’État fait perdre à la RSE son efficacité, à quoi s’ajoute l’impact - sur la RSE - de la disparité au niveau institutionnel et la différence du niveau de développement d’un pays à l’autre. En dernier lieu, nous pensons que l’interaction entre la volonté et l’obligation de mener des actions responsables pourrait être à l’origine d’une perfection en termes de durabilité écologique au niveau des pays riverains de la Méditerrané

The Corporate social responsibility : a lever for the ecological durability. Empirical Validation for the Mediterranean Sea

L’objet de cette thèse est de contribuer à l’étude du rôle de l’intervention de l’État dans les pays méditerranéens, et ce dans la promotion de la démarche responsable. Ce travail doctoral fournit une revue générale de l’étude du rôle des facteurs environnementaux dans le cadre du développement qualifié durable, il évoque, entre autres, les changements intervenus au niveau de la perception de la politique RSE, dans la région méditerranéenne. Dans l’étude que nous menons sur la RSE, nous focalisons notre recherche sur les démarches responsables aussi bien volontaires que celles menées obligatoirement, suite à des contraintes institutionnelles, et les soumettons à comparaison. Ce faisant, nous nous penchons en particulier sur la manière dont le concept RSE a été fortement relié à la notion de la durabilité environnementale. La première partie de ce travail présente une revue exhaustive et critique de la littérature sur les démarches responsables. Au niveau de la deuxième partie, essentiellement factuelle, nous cadrons les fondements empiriques et institutionnels d’un modèle de la croissance verte. L’estimation et la validation sont présentées au niveau de dernier chapitre. Les résultats obtenus nous amènent à affirmer, qu’en premier lieu, la RSE affecte positivement la qualité de l’environnement. En deuxième lieu, des démarches différentes se juxtaposent pour proposer des scénarios de la performance environnementale à l’échelle de la Méditerranée. En troisième lieu, il ressort que l’intervention contraignante de l’État fait perdre à la RSE son efficacité, à quoi s’ajoute l’impact - sur la RSE - de la disparité au niveau institutionnel et la différence du niveau de développement d’un pays à l’autre. En dernier lieu, nous pensons que l’interaction entre la volonté et l’obligation de mener des actions responsables pourrait être à l’origine d’une perfection en termes de durabilité écologique au niveau des pays riverains de la MéditerranéeThe purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the study of the role of State intervention in the Mediterranean countries, and this in the promotion of the responsible approach. This doctoral work provides a general review of the study of the role of environmental factors in the context of sustainable qualified development. It discusses, among other things, changes in the perception of CSR policy in the Mediterranean region. In our study on CSR, we focus our research on both voluntary and obligatory approaches, following institutional constraints, and subject them to comparison. In doing so, we focus in particular on how the CSR concept has been strongly related to the notion of environmental sustainability. The first part of this work presents an exhaustive and critical review of the literature on responsible approaches. In the second part, which is essentially factual, we frame the empirical and institutional foundations of a green growth model. Estimation and validation are presented at the last chapter level. The results highlight the relationship between CSR and governance as regards sustainable growth and sustainable environmental-friendly growth, at the macroeconomic level.The results obtained allow us to confirm that firstly, CSR plays a positive role in order to improve the quality of the environment. Secondly, various approaches overlap and tie together to propose environmental-performance scenarios throughout the Mediterranean.Thirdly, it appears that the restrictive intervention of the state weakens CRE efficiency, added to this the impact on -CSR- of the disparity at the institutional level and between countries of different development level. Finally, according to the results obtained, we believe that the interaction between the will and the duty to carry out responsible actions could in turn constitute/ lead to a perfection in terms of ecological sustainability for Mediterranean-bordering countries

Water Accounting for Food Security: Virtual Water and Water Productivity in the Case of Tunisian Olive Oil Value Chain

To achieve food security goals, water accounting seems to be one of the most powerful tools to deal with water scarcity management. Thus, indicators, such as virtual water and water productivity, can be considered complementary rather than competing indicators to assess water demand efficiency use. Water computation is, therefore, a crucial tool to understand the overall tendency of water consumption and to assist the decision makers in their decisional process about water efficiency use in different phases of production. In this perspective, this paper aims to evaluate water use throughout the value chain of the olive oil sector, which is the first strategic agro-industrial sector in Tunisia. This evaluation will be undertaken while taking into account various crucial issues concerning the main two production phases in terms of the importance of water consumption (agriculture and processing phase). In the agriculture phase, the rainfed and irrigated modes will be compared, and in the processing phase, three different processing systems will be evaluated. Thirty surveys with farmers and nine surveys with olive oil mill owners were undertaken in the arid region of Sfax: one of the most important olive oil producers in Tunisia. The results show the importance of the theoretical framework adopted in clarifying the state of water consumption in a strategic sector, such as the Tunisian olive oil sector. In addition, the different calculated indicators highlight the importance of the application of a whole technical package and a controlled and efficient use of water to improve the economic profitability and the necessity to revise the irrigated olive growing extensions’ policies under arid conditions. In addition, in the processing phase, the continuous-two phase system is emphasized as the most relevant system in terms of water efficiency use. This system is proposed to be encouraged by policy makers in future olive mill installations

Le rôle des réseaux d’acteurs dans la structuration du champ de l’ESS en Tunisie entre 2011 et 2016

International audienceThis study makes a contribution to research on the development of the SSE in Tunisia during a period of institutional and political transition. It uses a qualitative methodology combining two levels of analysis. First, the development of the SSE is studied looking at the indicators and process of construction. The authors then examine how SSE networks structure the development of the sector. They highlight the role of the institutional entrepreneur in creating new standards (drafting legislation and designing mechanisms for economic development). The article also shows that the whole set of relationships between SSE organisations, NGOs and government can be seen as social capital that is crucial in developing the SSE.El papel de las redes de actores en la estructuración del campo de la ESS en Túnez entre 2011 y 2016Esta investigación pretende ser una contribución al estudio de la estructuración de la ESS en un contexto de transición institucional y política en Túnez. Se apoya en un método cualitativo combinando dos niveles de análisis. En primer lugar, la construcción de este campo se estudia a través de sus indicadores y de su proceso de estructuración. Luego, las autoras se interesan en el papel estructurador de las redes de actores de la ESS. Destacan el papel del empresario institucional en la construcción de normas nuevas (proyecto de ley y concepción de los resortes del desarrollo económico). En el artículo, se muestra también que el conjunto de los vínculos entre las organizaciones de la ESS, las ONG y el estado puede conceptualizarse como un capital social desempeñando un papel crucial en la estructuración del campo de la ESS.Cette recherche se veut une contribution à l’étude de la structuration de l’ESS dans un contexte de transition institutionnelle et politique en Tunisie. Elle s’appuie sur une méthode qualitative combinant deux niveaux d’analyse. Tout d’abord, la construction de ce champ est étudiée sous l’angle de ses indicateurs et de son processus de structuration. Ensuite, les auteures s’intéressent au rôle structurant des réseaux d’acteurs de l’ESS. Elles mettent en exergue le rôle de l’entrepreneur institutionnel dans la construction de nouvelles normes (projet de loi et conception des leviers du développement économique). L’article montre également que l’ensemble des liens entre les organisations de l’ESS, les ONG et l’Etat, peut être conceptualisé comme un capital social qui jouerait un rôle déterminant dans la structuration du champ de l’ESS

Antibiosis and bmyB Gene Presence As Prevalent Traits for the Selection of Efficient Bacillus Biocontrol Agents against Crown Gall Disease

This study aimed to improve the screening method for the selection of Bacillus biocontrol agents against crown gall disease. The relationship between the strain biocontrol ability and their in vitro studied traits was investigated to identify the most important factors to be considered for the selection of effective biocontrol agents. In fact, previous selection procedure relying only on in vitro antibacterial activity was shown to be not suitable in some cases. A direct plant-protection strategy was performed to screen the 32 Bacillus biocontrol agent candidates. Moreover, potential in vitro biocontrol traits were investigated including biofilm formation, motility, hemolytic activity, detection of lipopeptide biosynthetic genes (sfp, ituC and bmyB) and production of antibacterial compounds. The obtained results indicated high correlations of the efficiency of the biocontrol with the reduction of gall weight (p = 0.000) and the antibacterial activity in vitro (p = 0.000). Moreover, there was strong correlations of the efficiency of the biocontrol (p = 0.004) and the reduction in gall weight (p = 0.000) with the presence of the bmyB gene. This gene directs the synthesis of the lipopeptide bacillomycin belonging to the iturinic family of lipopeptides. These results were also confirmed by the two-way hierarchical cluster analysis and the correspondence analysis showing the relatedness of these four variables. According to the obtained results a new screening procedure of Bacillus biocontrol agents against crown gall disease could be advanced consisting on two step selection procedure. The first consists on selecting strains with high antibacterial activity in vitro or those harbouring the bmyB gene. Further selection has to be performed on tomato plants in vivo. Moreover, based on the results of the biocontrol assay, five potent strains exhibiting high biocontrol abilities were selected. They were identified as Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. These strains were found to produce either surfactin or surfactin and iturin lipopeptides. In conclusion, our study presented a new and effective method to evaluate the biocontrol ability of antagonistic Bacillus strains against crown gall disease that could increase the efficiency of screening method of biocontrol agents. Besides, the selected strains could be used as novel biocontrol agents against pathogenic Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains

Le rôle des réseaux d’acteurs dans la structuration du champ de l’ESS en Tunisie entre 2011 et 2016

International audienceThis study makes a contribution to research on the development of the SSE in Tunisia during a period of institutional and political transition. It uses a qualitative methodology combining two levels of analysis. First, the development of the SSE is studied looking at the indicators and process of construction. The authors then examine how SSE networks structure the development of the sector. They highlight the role of the institutional entrepreneur in creating new standards (drafting legislation and designing mechanisms for economic development). The article also shows that the whole set of relationships between SSE organisations, NGOs and government can be seen as social capital that is crucial in developing the SSE.El papel de las redes de actores en la estructuración del campo de la ESS en Túnez entre 2011 y 2016Esta investigación pretende ser una contribución al estudio de la estructuración de la ESS en un contexto de transición institucional y política en Túnez. Se apoya en un método cualitativo combinando dos niveles de análisis. En primer lugar, la construcción de este campo se estudia a través de sus indicadores y de su proceso de estructuración. Luego, las autoras se interesan en el papel estructurador de las redes de actores de la ESS. Destacan el papel del empresario institucional en la construcción de normas nuevas (proyecto de ley y concepción de los resortes del desarrollo económico). En el artículo, se muestra también que el conjunto de los vínculos entre las organizaciones de la ESS, las ONG y el estado puede conceptualizarse como un capital social desempeñando un papel crucial en la estructuración del campo de la ESS.Cette recherche se veut une contribution à l’étude de la structuration de l’ESS dans un contexte de transition institutionnelle et politique en Tunisie. Elle s’appuie sur une méthode qualitative combinant deux niveaux d’analyse. Tout d’abord, la construction de ce champ est étudiée sous l’angle de ses indicateurs et de son processus de structuration. Ensuite, les auteures s’intéressent au rôle structurant des réseaux d’acteurs de l’ESS. Elles mettent en exergue le rôle de l’entrepreneur institutionnel dans la construction de nouvelles normes (projet de loi et conception des leviers du développement économique). L’article montre également que l’ensemble des liens entre les organisations de l’ESS, les ONG et l’Etat, peut être conceptualisé comme un capital social qui jouerait un rôle déterminant dans la structuration du champ de l’ESS