Impact of two plastic-derived chemicals, the Bisphenol A and the di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, exposure on the marine toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum

The effects of two plastic-derived chemicals: Bisphenol A (BPA) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were assessed on abundance and physiological responses of the marine toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrim pacificum. During 7 days experiment, A. pacificum was exposed to different levels of BPA and DEHP (separately and in mixture). The responses were evaluated and compared with controls. Results showed that A. pacificum was highly sensitive to this contaminants comparing to other phytoplankton species. BPA and DEHP caused the decrease of the biomass (1.2 to 50 times lower relative to the controls), as well as the perturbation of the photosystem and the photosynthetic activity. Nevertheless, our results show a recovery of contaminated cells activity depending on exposure time and BPA and DEHP contamination. This could be related to an adaptation to induced stress or a degradation of BPA and DEHP in the medium

A frequency questionnaire to estimate free-living physical activity among Tunisian preadolescent and adolescent children

Objective: To develop a child- and adolescent-appropriate physical activity frequency questionnaire (PAFQ) in Tunisia, North Africa. Design: A PAFQ was developed from a physical activity (PA) inventory that comprised major activity components (at home, preparing meals, school time, transport, non-sport leisure, sports, prayer and sleeping time). Then, type and duration of each activity undertaken during the past week were estimated. Total energy expenditure (TEE) estimated by the PAFQ was compared with data derived from two criterion methods: heart-rate monitoring (HRM) and a 24 h PA recall (24h-R), both collected during a 3 d period including one weekday and two weekend days. Setting: Two elementary schools and two high schools of the most developed and urbanized area, Greater Tunis. Subjects: One hundred and forty-two volunteer children and adolescents aged 10-19 years. Results: The PAFQ strongly was correlated with both HRM (r = 0.70; 95% CI 0.62, 0.76) and 24h-R (r = 0.81; 95% CI 0.77, 0.84). It featured acceptable agreement with both criterion measures, slightly underestimating TEE compared with 24h-R (-2.8%, mean of individual differences -272.7 kJ/d; 95% CI -490.6, -57.4 kJ/d) and moderately overestimating it compared with HRM (+11.3%, mean of individual differences +1106.2 kJ/d; 95% CI 845.8, 1366.6 kJ/d). Reliability ranged from moderate to good (weighted kappa coefficients from 0.47 to 0.78 and intra-class correlation coefficients between 0.79 and 0.86 for energy expenditure by PA categories), indicating strong agreement between the two assessments. Conclusions: This PAFQ could be useful in the description and surveillance of PA patterns or for the evaluation of population-based interventions directed at promoting PA in Tunisian children and adolescents

Gender inequalities in diet quality and their socioeconomic patterning in a nutrition transition context in the Middle East and North Africa: a cross-sectional study in Tunisia

BackgroundIn a context of nutrition transition and major shifts in lifestyle and diet, the Middle East and North Africa features a marked gender excess adiposity gap detrimental to women. In this setting, where gender issues are especially acute, we investigated gender differences in dietary intake with a focus on diet quality, and how the differences varied with the area of residence and socio-demographic characteristics.MethodsThe study was conducted in 2009-2010 in the Greater Tunis region (Tunisia), as a case study of an advanced nutrition transition context in the region. A cross-sectional survey used a random, stratified, clustered sample of households: 1689 women and 930 men aged 20-49years were analyzed. Dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day food record. Nutrient content was derived from a specific Tunisian food composition database. We analysed the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) and sub-scores (variety, adequacy, moderation and balance). A score of DQI-I>60 defined good diet quality. Inequality measures were women vs. men differences in means for interval variables and odds-ratios (OR) for DQI-I>60. Their variation with socio-demographic characteristics was estimated using models featuring gender x covariate interactions.ResultsMean energy intake/day was 230015kcal for women vs. 2859 +/- 32kcal for men. By 1000g/kcal/d women consumed more fruits and sweets but less red meat and soft drinks than men. Women had a higher mean moderation sub-score than men (+1.8[1.4, 2.2], P60 (45.2% vs. 55.7%, OR=0.7[0.5, 0.8], P<0.0001). Adjusted gender differences in DQI-I decreased with age but were higher in larger households and extreme categories of education (no-schooling and university) vs. the middle categories.Conclusion In this nutrition transition context with only average diet quality, it was somewhat lower for women. Socioeconomic patterning of gender contrasts was mild. Beyond, that women had lower adequacy and variety scores but better moderation is a possible pathway for gender specific prevention messages

Occurrence of epibenthic dinoflagellates in relation to biotic substrates and to environmental factors in Southern Mediterranean (Bizerte Bay and Lagoon, Tunisia): An emphasis on the harmful Ostreopsis spp., Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis

Harmful events associated with epibenthic dinoflagellates, have been reported more frequently over the last decades. Occurrence of potentially toxic benthic dinoflagellates, on the leaves of two magnoliophytes (Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltei) and thalli of the macroalgae (Ulva rigida), was monitored over one year (From May 2015 to April 2016) in the Bizerte Bay and Lagoon (North of Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea). The investigated lagoon is known to be highly anthropized. This is the first report on the seasonal distribution of epibenthic dinoflagellates hosted by natural substrates, from two contrasted, adjacent coastal Mediterranean ecosystems. The environmental factors promoting the development of the harmful epibenthic dinoflagellates Ostreopsis spp., Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis were investigated. The highest cell densities were reached by Ostreopsis spp. (1.9 × 103 cells g−1 FW, in October 2015), P. lima (1.6 × 103 cells g−1 FW, in June 2015) and C. monotis (1.1 × 103 cells g−1 FW, in May 2015). C. nodosa and Z. noltei were the most favorable host macrophytes for C. monotis (in station L2) and Ostreopsis spp. (in station L3), respectively. Positive correlations were recorded between Ostreopsis spp. and temperature. Densities of the epibenthic dinoflagellates varied according to the collection site, and a great disparity was observed between the Bay and the Lagoon. Maximum concentrations were recorded on C. nodosa leaves from the Bizerte Bay, while low epiphytic cell abundances were associated with macrophytes sampled from the Bizerte Lagoon. The observed differences in dinoflagellate abundances between the two ecosystems (Bay-Lagoon) seemed not related to the nutrients, but rather to the poor environmental conditions in the lagoon.This work was supported by the LAGUNOTOX project funded byFondation TOTAL. Thanks to the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour leDéveloppement) and to the LMI COSYS-Med (Laboratoire MixteInternational Contaminants et Ecosystèmes Marins SudMéditerranéens) for funding Hela Ben Gharbia’s Ph.D. We would alsolike to thank the Tunisian National Institute of Agronomy for providingall necessary means forfield trips, and Zeineb Hentati for her help during sampling. Many thanks to Dr. Dorra Ben Gharbia for English improvement and to both anonymous reviewers for their precious help[CG] Appendix AScopu

Intra-household double burden of malnutrition in a North African nutrition transition context : magnitude and associated factors of child anaemia with mother excess adiposity

Objective: In the Middle East and North Africa region, the nutrition transition has resulted in drastic increases in excess adiposity, particularly among women, while some types of undernutrition remain prevalent, especially among pre-school children. We assessed the magnitude, nature and associated factors of the within-household co-occurrence of anaemia in children and excess adiposity in mothers. Design: Cross-sectional survey using stratified two-stage random cluster sampling to survey households with women aged 20-49 years. BMI >= 25.0 kg/m(2) defined overweight and BMI >= 30.0 kg/m(2) obesity, while anaemia for children was defined as Hb < 110 g/l. The associations between child anaemia and mother excess adiposity, and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were estimated by multinomial regression. Setting: Greater Tunis area, Tunisia, in 2009-2010. Subjects: Children aged 6-59 months living with their 20-49-year-old mothers (437 child-mother pairs). Results: The most prevalent double burden of malnutrition in child-mother pairs by far was the anaemic child and overweight mother (24.4 %; 95% CI 20.1, 29.3%). A significant proportion of pairs were anaemic child and obese mother (14.4%; 95% CI 11.0, 18.5 %). The co-occurrence of anaemia in child and excess adiposity in mother was neither synergetic nor antagonistic (P=0.59 and 0.40 for anaemia-overweight and anaemia-obesity, respectively). This double burden was more frequent among child-mother pairs with younger children, with mothers of higher parity and higher energy intakes. Conclusions: The high prevalence of anaemic child and overweight or obese mother requires special attention e.g. through interventions which simultaneously target both types of malnutrition within the same household

Occurrence of epibenthic dinoflagellates in relation to biotic substrates and to environmental factors in Southern Mediterranean (Bizerte Bay and Lagoon, Tunisia) : an emphasis on the harmful Ostreopsis spp., Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis

Harmful events associated with epibenthic dinoflagellates, have been reported more frequently over the last decades. Occurrence of potentially toxic benthic dinoflagellates, on the leaves of two magnoliophytes (Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltei) and thalli of the macroalgae (Ulva rigida), was monitored over one year (From May 2015 to April 2016) in the Bizerte Bay and Lagoon (North of Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea). The investigated lagoon is known to be highly anthropized. This is the first report on the seasonal distribution of epibenthic dinoflagellates hosted by natural substrates, from two contrasted, adjacent coastal Mediterranean ecosystems. The environmental factors promoting the development of the harmful epibenthic dinoflagellates Ostreopsis spp., Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis were investigated. The highest cell densities were reached by Ostreopsis spp. (1.9 x 10(3) cells g(-1) FW, in October 2015), P. lima (1.6 x 10(3) cells g(-1) FW, in June 2015) and C. monotis (1.1 x 10(3) cells g(-1) FW, in May 2015). C. nodosa and Z. noltei were the most favorable host macrophytes for C. monotis (in station L2) and Ostreopsis spp. (in station L3), respectively. Positive correlations were recorded between Ostreopsis spp. and temperature. Densities of the epibenthic dinoflagellates varied according to the collection site, and a great disparity was observed between the Bay and the Lagoon. Maximum concentrations were recorded on C. nodosa leaves from the Bizerte Bay, while low epiphytic cell abundances were associated with macrophytes sampled from the Bizerte Lagoon. The observed differences in dinoflagellate abundances between the two ecosystems (Bay-Lagoon) seemed not related to the nutrients, but rather to the poor environmental conditions in the lagoon