Nutrient composition of Algerian strawberry-tree fruits (Arbutus unedo L.)

Arbutus unedo L. (strawberry-tree fruit) is indigenous plant in North Africa with few published works about the composition of its fruits. For their valorization, morphological and chemical characterizations were carried out for two harvesting seasons of four different areas of Algeria. Materials and methods. Wild strawberry-tree fruits were collected in four different sites located in Tell Atlas, and two different seasons. Fruit size and shape, pH, titratable acidity, moisture, total available carbohydrate (TAC), soluble sugars, dietary fiber, protein, lipid, ash, fatty acids and mineral composition (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ni and Cd) were determined. Results and discussion. Fruit contents (in g kg−1) varied between 637.3 ± 33.8 to 741.3 ±12.0, 126.8 ± 11.1 to 189.3 ± 4.1, 22.6 ± 2.2 to 35.5 ± 2.1, 5.1 ± 0.3 to 8.8 ± 0.5 for moisture, TAC, protein and lipid, respectively. For iron, fruit weight and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), the contents varied between 7.01 ± 0.15 to 17.24 ± 0.74 mg kg−1 of fruit, 4.91 ± 1.58 to 6.76 ± 2.04 g and 56.34 ± 1.37 to 68.18 ± 0.14% of lipid, respectively. Conclusion. This study provides original data about the morphological and chemical composition of strawberry-tree fruits from Algeria. The results show that the fruits can be essentially a potential source of dietary fiber, PUFA and iron.The authors are grateful to the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for funding the study; to ALIMNOVA research group (UCMGR35/10A) for financial support and to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (Pest-OE/AGR/UI0690/2015) and L. Barros (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel TULP1 mutation causing leber congenital amaurosis or early onset retinal degeneration

PURPOSE: To report a large, consanguineous Algerian family affected with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) or early-onset retinal degeneration (EORD). METHODS: All accessible family members underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, and blood was obtained for DNA extraction. Homozygosity mapping was performed with markers flanking 12 loci associated with LCA. The 15 exons of TULP1 were sequenced. RESULTS: Seven of 30 examined family members were affected, including five with EORD and two with LCA. All patients had nystagmus, hemeralopia, mild myopia, and low visual acuity without photophobia. Fundus features were variable among EORD patients: typical spicular retinitis pigmentosa or clumped pigmented retinopathy with age-dependent macular involvement. A salt-and-pepper retinopathy with midperipheral retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy was present in the older patients with LCA, whereas the retina appeared virtually normal in the younger ones. Both scotopic and photopic electroretinograms were nondetectable. Fundus imaging revealed a perifoveal ring of increased fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in the proband, and optical coherence tomography disclosed a thinned retina, mainly due to photoreceptor loss. Linkage analysis identified a region of homozygosity on chromosome 6, region p21.3, and mutation screening revealed a novel 6-base in-frame duplication, in the TULP1 gene. CONCLUSIONS: Mutation in the TULP1 gene is a rare cause of LCA/EORD, with only 14 mutations reported so far. The observed intrafamilial phenotypic variability could be attributed to disease progression or possibly modifier alleles. This study provides the first description of FAF and quantitative reflectivity profiles in TULP1-related retinopathy