Oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in rats induced by poisonous pufferfish (Lagocephalus lagocephalus) meat

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of pufferfish (Lagocephalus lagocephalus) meat poisoning on hepatic functions of Wistar rats. For this purpose, groups of rats (Lcr, Lcu+b and Lcu-b) received diet supplemented with 10% of raw or cooked meat, respectively, with or without cooking water of L. lagocephalus while groups Mcr and Mcu+b received diet supplemented with 10% of raw or cooked meat of Liza aurata, which were used as a negative control. In Lcu+b group, ALT, AST and ALP rates (hepatic enzyme markers) decreased after two months of treatment, indicating liver damage. We also observed an increase of 54 and 65% of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in their livers respectively 48 hours and two months after treatment compared to controls. The catalase (CAT) activity in group Lcu+b decreased (p < 0.05) after two periods of treatment, whereas metallothionein (MT) level significantly increased and decreased, respectively after 48 hours and two months. In fact, in the histological analysis of the livers from Lcu+b treated group, we observed an increase in vacuolisation, necrosis, hepatocytes ballooning and sinusoids dilation. These results indicate that L. lagocephalus meat cooked with water produces hepatotoxicity and oxidative damage

Efficiency of natural clay and titania P25 composites in the decolouring of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions: dual adsorption and photocatalytic processes

In this paper, we use Tunisian clay materials as alternative low-cost adsorbents, as well as substrates to immobilise TiO2 for the decolouration of methylene blue (MB) dye solutions. The collected raw clay from the mine of Tamra was characterised by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). XRD patterns of the raw clay showed halloysite as the main phase (61%), with a lower content of kaolinite (39%). For MB adsorption, the experimental data were fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption equations. It was found that the studied clays alone were not very efficient at adsorbing MB dye molecules. The decolouration of MB was improved by adding a photocatalytic function to the clay, by adding various amounts of TiO2 nanopowder (20–80&nbsp;wt%) to the clay, imbuing it with photocatalytic capabilities. These combined effects of the phenomena of adsorption and photocatalysis for MB removal by the TiO2-doped clay resulted in a very satisfactory performance, even with the relatively low quantity of 20&nbsp;wt% added TiO2 photocatalyst. This gave 48.6% removal after only 30-min adsorption in the dark, increasing to 84.1% removal after a further 3&nbsp;h under UV light, through combined chemo-physical adsorption and photocatalytic decolouration phenomena

Investigation of genetic variability related to the in vitro floral hermaphrodism induction in Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

This paper reports on a molecular analysis study conducted on Date palm flowers from the Deglet Nour cultivar to investigate putative genetic variability related to the in vitro floral hermaphrodism induction. Natural male and female as well as hermaphrodite ones that were produced in vitro through the hormonal treatment of female flowers were submitted to ISSR-PCR analysis. Microsatellite based amplification (ISSR) was applied on genomic DNA from inflorescences taken at different periods of hormonal treatment corresponding to the various deviation stages to search for putative variations that may have occurred on the initial genome due to the application of plant growth regulators. Several amplification bands were purified, cloned, and sequenced. The results revealed that hormonal treatment entailed no detectable genetic variation in the treated Date palm flowers. Two of the selected and ISSR-PCR amplified DNA fragments showed however, possible links with flowering regulation. The findings indicate that these sequences are potential candidate gene markers that may enhance our understanding of flower development and sex identification in this species.Key words: Date palm, female inflorescences, hermaphrodite flowers, in vitro culture, ISSR, sex identification

Palygorskite genesis through silicate transformation in Tunisian continental Eocene deposits.

The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of Eocene continental sediments in south central Tunisia (Chebket Bouloufa and Jebel Hamri) and in north central Tunisia (Jebel Lessouda and Jebel Rhéouis), which contain considerable amounts of palygorskite, were studied. The clay fraction of the sediments also comprises illite, kaolinite, Mg smectite and Al smectite, together with carbonates (calcite and/or dolomite), quartz, gypsum and feldspars, all of which are present in extremely variable proportions. The textural characteristics of the samples containing most palygorskite, as well as the chemical composition of the fibres and the contents of certain trace and rare earth elements suggest that the genesis of this fibrous clay is intimately linked to the diagenetic transformation of illite, mixed-layered minerals and/or Al smectite, as has also been observed in contemporaneous deposits in Morocco.Peer reviewe

Elaboração e propriedades de membrana cerâmica de microfiltração de baixo custo com argila tunisina para tratamento de efluentes

This study focused on the development and preparation of a microfiltration membrane, based on a low-cost natural Tunisian clay powder, deposited on macro-porous ceramic support. The deposit was made through a dip-coating technique, followed by a drying process and sintering at 700 °C. Results revealed that the obtained membrane was characterized by a good adhesion between the membrane layer and the ceramic support, an average pore diameter of 0.34 mm, and a porosity of 39%. This membrane was applied in the treatment of wastewater generated by the wastewater treatment plant of Sfax, Tunisia. The performances in terms of permeate flux and efficiency were determined in order to reduce the pollutant content expressed in terms of turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and suspended matter (MES). Results showed an MES retention value of about 15%, and turbidity and BODretention rate of 99% and ~100%, respectively.Este estudo concentrou-se no desenvolvimento e na preparação de membrana de microfiltração, com base em pó de argila natural da Tunísia de baixo custo, depositado em suporte cerâmico macroporoso. O depósito foi aplicado pela técnica de dip-coating, seguida de processo de secagem e sinterização a 700 °C. Os resultados revelaram que a membrana obtida foi caracterizada por boa adesão entre a camada da membrana e o suporte cerâmico, diâmetro médio de poros de 0,34 μm e porosidade de 39%. Esta membrana foi aplicada no tratamento de efluente gerado pela estação de tratamento de esgoto de Sfax, Tunísia. Os desempenhos em termos de fluxo e eficiência do permeado foram determinados para reduzir o teor de poluentes expresso em termos de turbidez, demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO5) e matéria em suspensão (MES). Os resultados mostraram um valor de retenção de MES de cerca de 15% e turbidez e taxa de retenção de DBO de 99% e ~100%, respectivamente.This work has been partially supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain under project MAT2013-48426-C2-1R and the project Medyna “Maghreb-EU research staff exchange on geodynamics, geohazards, and applied geology in Northwest Africa”