The impact of intermittent fasting during Ramadan on psychomotor and cognitive skills in adolescent athletes

IntroductionIntermittent fasting (IF) represents a dietary intervention similar to caloric restriction, characterized by the strategic limitation of food consumption. Among the diverse array of practices for IF, Ramadan IF (RIF), a religious observance in Islam, mandates that healthy adult Muslims abstain from both food and drinks during daylight hours. In sports, researchers have extensively studied IF effects on health, including sleep and physical performance, but its impact on cognitive functions during RIF remains understudied. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the influence of RIF on psychomotor and cognitive performance among young female athletes.MethodsTo achieve this purpose, a cohort of 23 female handball players, aged 17.2 ± 0.5 years, participated in a series of six testing sessions: one conducted prior to Ramadan (R0), and others during the first (R1), second (R2), third (R3), and fourth (R4) weeks of Ramadan, followed by a session in the week after Ramadan (R5). Each session involved assessments using a Simple Reaction Time Test (SRT), Choice Reaction Time Test (CRT), Vigilance Test (VT), and Mental Rotation Test (MRT). Additionally, dietary intake, body composition, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were evaluated during these periods.Results and discussionThe obtained data illustrated that there was a decrease in SRT, CRT, VT, and MRT performances during R1 in comparison to R0 (all p < .001). This reduction was also observed in R2, R3, R4, and R5. Notably, during the fourth week of Ramadan (R4), these cognitive and psychomotor parameters were significantly lower than during the earlier weeks (R1, R2, R3; all p < .001). Furthermore, a gradual decrease in total PSQI scores, sleep quality, and sleep duration was observed throughout the Ramadan period, reaching the lowest levels during R4. These findings illustrate that RIF has a significantly detrimental impact on neuromuscular and cognitive abilities as well as sleep quality in young female athletes. The study also highlights a fluctuating pattern in cognitive function across the four weeks of Ramadan, with the most pronounced decline observed during the final week of fasting illustrating the importance of conducting similar studies on normal individuals from both genders with larger sample size

Antioxidant activity of extract of <i style="">Rhus oxyacantha</i> root cortex

246-249In the present study, the root extract of Rhus oxyacantha contained 25.33 mg of catechin equivalent per mg of fresh wt and was found rich in proanthocyanidins compared to vine shoot, grape pips and leaves. The chromatographic analysis of the extract suggested the presence of (+) catechin, (-) epicatechin -3-O-gallate as well as proanthocyanidinic oligomers and polymers. Root cortex inhibited the ascorbic acid oxidation by dioxygen. It also prevented DDT-induced thymocytes death in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggested antioxidant property of root extract of Rhus oxyacantha which could be ascribed to its free radical scavenging nature

Primary Paratesticular Leiomyosarcoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Paratesticular soft tissue sarcomas are very rare malignant mesenchymal tumors. With only few cases reported in the literature, data regarding diagnostic and management of these tumors are limited. We reported a case of primary paratesticular leiomyosarcoma in a 72-year-old man complaining of a progressively growing painless right scrotal mass. The patient underwent radical inguinal right orchiectomy and adjuvant 3D conformal radiotherapy to the tumor bed including the surgical scar. The prescription dose was 54 Gy, and no pelvic irradiation was performed. He remained free of recurrence for the last 16 months

Adaptation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the University Student Engagement Inventory (A-USEI) among Sport and Physical Education Students

The present study validated the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI) in the Arabic language (A) by assessing its factor structure, construct validity, reliability, and concurrent validity. A total of 864 Tunisian Physical Education and Sport students provided data which was used to perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, using samples comprising 366 (aged 19–25 years) and 498 (aged 19–26 years) students, respectively. The A-USEI, grade-point average (GPA), and Physical Education Grit (PE–Grit) scales were completed via online surveys. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the A-USEI had three dimensions. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the second-order model was more suitable than the first-order multi-factor model. Using the indicators for the second-order model, the three factors showed good reliability, with their average variance extracted (AVE) values reflecting sufficient validity. The correlation analyses between the two scales’ scores and the A-USEI scores showed a moderate correlation, confirming the adapted scale’s concurrent validity. The study concludes that A-USEI is a valid tool for assessing student engagement among Arabic students. In addition, the practical implications and directions for future research are discussed

Post-operative radiotherapy of conjunctival malignancies: A series of 24 cases

Objective: To assess the results of post-operative radiation therapy in the management of incompletely resected conjunctival malignancies. Methods: In this retrospective case series, we reviewed the clinical records of all cases of conjunctival tumors treated with post-operative radiotherapy in the radiation oncology department of Salah Azaïz Institute of Tunis, from January 1990 to December 2015. We focused on clinico-pathological characteristics, treatment modalities and patients’ outcome. Results: Twenty four patients were enrolled in our study: 19 men and 5 women. The mean age of our patients was 54 years (range: 20 to 84). The mean basal diameter of the tumor was 11 mm (range 6 to 20 mm). The mean tumor thickness was 4 mm (range 1 to 15 mm). The most frequent histological type was squamous cell carcinoma in 23 cases. One patient had a malignant conjunctival fibrohistiocytoma. Radiation therapy was post-operative for positive or narrow surgical margins in all cases. Eighteen patients were treated with kilovoltage radiation therapy (KVRT). The mean delivered dose to the tumor bed was 64 Gy (range: 60 to 70 Gy). Four patients were treated with an association of KVRT and Strontium 90 plaque brachytherapy. Two patients were treated only with Strontium 90 plaque brachytherapy (2 fractions of 17 Gy). After a median follow-up of 110 months, 19 patients were alive with no evidence of local recurrence in 17 patients. Two patients had a local recurrence and were referred to surgery. Two patients were lost to follow up. The 5-year relapse free survival rate was 90.9%. Radiation-induced side effects were conjunctivitis, cataract, eye watering and glaucoma. Conclusion: Post-operative radiation therapy allows good local control with acceptable toxicities in conjunctival malignancies. Management of these tumors needs a broad collaboration between ophthalmologists and radiation oncologists, to allow a conservative treatment with the lowest rates of local recurrence

Once-a-day fractionated total-body irradiation: A regimen tailored to local logistics in allogeneic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

AimThe objective of the study was to estimate the cumulative incidence (CI) of relapse, relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in ALL patients after a once-a-day fractionated TBI (F-TBI) regimen with 9.9 Gy. The secondary objectives were evaluation of short and long-term toxicity and non-relapse mortality (NRM).BackgroundTotal body irradiation (TBI), as a part of the conditioning regimen before allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), allows disease control by eradicating residual blast cells in the transplant recipient.Materials and methodsRetrospective study conducted in patients with ALL who received between March 2003 and December 2013 a conditioning regimen with F-TBI and chemotherapy. Irradiation was delivered with 3.3 Gy once-a-day for three consecutive days.ResultsEighty-seven patients were included. The median age was 19 years (range: 5–49 years). The 3-year CI of relapse was 30%. The estimated 3-year RFS and OS were 54% and 58%, respectively. Cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) grade II–IV and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 31% and 40%, respectively. Interstitial pneumonitis was observed in 2 patients. The 3-year CI of NRM was 16%. In multivariate analysis, cGVHD was associated with a lower CI of relapse (RR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.07–0.95, p = 0.04). High-risk cytogenetics was associated with a lower RFS (RR = 2, 95 CI: 1.04–3.84, p = 0.03). Grade II-IV aGVHD was an independent predictor of higher CI of NRM (RR = 6.7, 95% CI: 1.4–31.7, p = 0.02).ConclusionsOnce-a-day F-TBI regimen is effective, safe and practical in patients who underwent ASCT for ALL

Uncovering Cognitive Distortions in Adolescents: Cultural Adaptation and Calibration of an Arabic Version of the “How I Think Questionnaire”

Azaiez F, Tannoubi A, Selmi T, et al. Uncovering Cognitive Distortions in Adolescents: Cultural Adaptation and Calibration of an Arabic Version of the “How I Think Questionnaire”. Psych. 2023;5(4):1256-1269.This study adapted and validated the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q), intending to develop an Arabic version of the measure. The study assessed the (a) factorial structure of the Arabic version of the How I Think Questionnaire (A-HIT-Q), (b) construct validity evidence of the A-HIT-Q based on the internal structure of the scale, and (c) criterion validity evidence, highlighting how the cognitive distortions measure relates to some key theoretical variables such as depression. This study involved 762 Tunisian students aged 15–22 years, using a non-probabilistic sampling method. The students were boys (n = 297) and girls (n = 465). They completed self-report forms on Arabic-HIT-Q, depression (HADS), sleep (ISI), and physical activity participation, adhering to all relevant ethical considerations. Exploratory analysis revealed four factors which accounted for 73.46% of the variations in the distortion measure. Reliability analysis showed good internal consistency (α = 0.915) and temporal stability (r = 0.879). Criterion validity evidence showed cognitive distortion (as measured with the A-HIT-Q) was significantly associated with physical activity participation, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. However, no significant relationship has been observed between cognitive distortion, age, gender, and study levels. The evidence gathered supports the utility of the A-HIT-Q. Thus, the instrument demonstrates high efficacy in assessing the levels of cognitive distortions among adolescent students residing in Arabic-speaking regions

A regionally based precision medicine implementation initiative in North Africa:The PerMediNA consortium

International audiencePrecision Medicine is being increasingly used in the developed world to improve health care. While several Precision Medicine (PM) initiatives have been launched worldwide, their implementations have proven to be more challenging particularly in low- and middle-income countries. To address this issue, the “Personalized Medicine in North Africa” initiative (PerMediNA) was launched in three North African countries namely Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. PerMediNA is coordinated by Institut Pasteur de Tunis together with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with the support of Institut Pasteur in France. The project is carried out along with Institut Pasteur d’Algérie and Institut Pasteur du Maroc in collaboration with national and international leading institutions in the field of PM including Institut Gustave Roussy in Paris. PerMediNA aims to assess the readiness level of PM implementation in North Africa, to strengthen PM infrastructure, to provide workforce training, to generate genomic data on North African populations, to implement cost effective, affordable and sustainable genetic testing for cancer patients and to inform policy makers on how to translate research knowledge into health products and services. Gender equity and involvement of young scientists in this implementation process are other key goals of the PerMediNA project.In this paper, we are describing PerMediNA as the first PM implementation initiative in North Africa. Such initiatives contribute significantly in shortening existing health disparities and inequities between developed and developing countries and accelerate access to innovative treatments for global health