Chemokine and Chemokine Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Tunisian Hemodialysis Patients with HCV Infection

Introduction: Our aim was to investigate the possibility of a significant relationship between chemokines and chemokine receptor genes polymorphisms and the spontaneous clearance or the persistence of HCV infection. Methods: A total of 96 hemodialysis (HD) patients infected with HCV were classified into two groups: G1 included 73 patients with persistently positive HCV-RNA and G2 included 23 HD patients who have spontaneously eliminated the virus. The control group consisted of 170 healthy blood donors. All subjects were genotyped for CCR5 Δ32, CCR5 (-59029) A/G, CCR2 (64Ile) and MCP-1(-2518) A/G gene polymorphisms. Results: Our results showed statistically significant increased frequencies of the CCR2 (64Ile) and the (-59029) CCR5 A alleles in patients infected with HCV (22.1% and 35.9%) compared to G1 (24.3% and 40.6%) and compared to controls (14.4% and 20%). We also observed a lower frequency of the MCP-1 G allele and a greater frequency of the CCR5Δ32 variant in G2 (15.2% and 6.5%) compared to G1 (22.6% and 1.4%) that was not statistically significant. However, adjustment for known covariates (age, gender and HCV genotypes) didn’t confirm the results of univariate analysis. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggests a possible role for some of the studied chemokines polymorphisms in the spontaneous clearance or persistence of HCV infection in Tunisian population. These results should be further investigated by a prospective cohort studies and large population-based studies.Keywords: Chemokines; Receptors; Hepatitis C virus; Spontaneous Clearance; Polymorphisms

Prise en charge de l’atresie choanale

Introduction: L’atrésie choanale est une malformation congénitale rare mais non exceptionnelle. Le but de notre travail est d’étudier les caractéristiques épidémiologiques, cliniques et radiologiques de cette pathologie, et de discuter les différentes modalités thérapeutiques et leurs résultats respectifs.Matériel et méthodes: Notre étude rétrospective porte sur une série de 12 cas d’atrésie choanale opérés dans notre service entre 2002 et 2010. Tous les patients ont bénéficié d’un examen ORL et d’une tomodensitométrie du massif facial. Tous les patients ont été opérés sous anesthésie générale.Résultats: L’âge moyen était de 10,7 ans (3 jours - 31 ans) et le sex-ratio était de 2. L’atteinte était unilatérale dans 66,6% et bilatérale dans 33,3% des cas. Dans 16% des cas, l’atrésie rentrait dans le cadre d’un syndrome polymalformatif. La technique opératoire utilisée était la voie  endoscopique dans 10 cas et la voie transpalatine dans 2 cas. Le taux de succès global était de 75%. Trois cas de récidive ont été notés. Ils ont été réopérés par voie endonasale.Conclusion: L’endoscopie nasale et la TDM permettent le diagnostic positif de l’atrésie choanale. Le traitement de référence actuellement est la chirurgie par voie endonasale.Mots-clés: atrésie choanale, malformation, obstruction nasale, endoscopie, tomodensitométrie, chirurgie endonasal

Recovery, assessment, and molecular characterization of minor olive genotypes in Tunisia

Olive is one of the oldest cultivated species in the Mediterranean Basin, including Tunisia, where it has a wide diversity, with more than 200 cultivars, of both wild and feral forms. Many minor cultivars are still present in marginal areas of Tunisia, where they are maintained by farmers in small local groves, but they are poorly characterized and evaluated. In order to recover this neglected germplasm, surveys were conducted in different areas, and 31 genotypes were collected, molecularly characterized with 12 nuclear microsatellite (simple sequence repeat (SSR)) markers, and compared with 26 reference cultivars present in the Tunisian National Olive collection. The analysis revealed an overall high genetic diversity of this olive’s germplasm, but also discovered the presence of synonymies and homonymies among the commercialized varieties. The structure analysis showed the presence of different gene pools in the analyzed germplasm. In particular, the marginal germplasm from Ras Jbal and Azmour is characterized by gene pools not present in commercial (Nurseries) varieties, pointing out the very narrow genetic base of the commercialized olive material in Tunisia, and the need to broaden it to avoid the risk of genetic erosion of this species in this country

Asymptotic Behavior for a Nematic Liquid Crystal Model with Different Kinematic Transport Properties

We study the asymptotic behavior of global solutions to hydrodynamical systems modeling the nematic liquid crystal flows under kinematic transports for molecules of different shapes. The coupling system consists of Navier-Stokes equations and kinematic transport equations for the molecular orientations. We prove the convergence of global strong solutions to single steady states as time tends to infinity as well as estimates on the convergence rate both in 2D for arbitrary regular initial data and in 3D for certain particular cases

Principles of environmentally-sustainable anaesthesia: a global consensus statement from the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists

The Earth’s mean surface temperature is already approximately 1.1°C higher than pre-industrial levels. Exceeding a mean 1.5°C rise by 2050 will make global adaptation to the consequences of climate change less possible. To protect public health, anaesthesia providers need to reduce the contribution their practice makes to global warming. We convened a Working Group of 45 anaesthesia providers with a recognised interest in sustainability, and used a three-stage modified Delphi consensus process to agree on principles of environmentally sustainable anaesthesia that are achievable worldwide. The Working Group agreed on the following three important underlying statements: patient safety should not be compromised by sustainable anaesthetic practices; high-, middle- and low-income countries should support each other appropriately in delivering sustainable healthcare (including anaesthesia); and healthcare systems should be mandated to reduce their contribution to global warming. We set out seven fundamental principles to guide anaesthesia providers in the move to environmentally sustainable practice, including: choice of medications and equipment; minimising waste and overuse of resources; and addressing environmental sustainability in anaesthetists’ education, research, quality improvement and local healthcare leadership activities. These changes are achievable with minimal material resource and financial investment, and should undergo re-evaluation and updates as better evidence is published. This paper discusses each principle individually, and directs readers towards further important references

Exploiting Mitochondrial Dysfunction for Effective Elimination of Imatinib-Resistant Leukemic Cells

Challenges today concern chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients resistant to imatinib. There is growing evidence that imatinib-resistant leukemic cells present abnormal glucose metabolism but the impact on mitochondria has been neglected. Our work aimed to better understand and exploit the metabolic alterations of imatinib-resistant leukemic cells. Imatinib-resistant cells presented high glycolysis as compared to sensitive cells. Consistently, expression of key glycolytic enzymes, at least partly mediated by HIF-1α, was modified in imatinib-resistant cells suggesting that imatinib-resistant cells uncouple glycolytic flux from pyruvate oxidation. Interestingly, mitochondria of imatinib-resistant cells exhibited accumulation of TCA cycle intermediates, increased NADH and low oxygen consumption. These mitochondrial alterations due to the partial failure of ETC were further confirmed in leukemic cells isolated from some imatinib-resistant CML patients. As a consequence, mitochondria generated more ROS than those of imatinib-sensitive cells. This, in turn, resulted in increased death of imatinib-resistant leukemic cells following in vitro or in vivo treatment with the pro-oxidants, PEITC and Trisenox, in a syngeneic mouse tumor model. Conversely, inhibition of glycolysis caused derepression of respiration leading to lower cellular ROS. In conclusion, these findings indicate that imatinib-resistant leukemic cells have an unexpected mitochondrial dysfunction that could be exploited for selective therapeutic intervention

Clorose férrica induzida pelo calcário

Iron chlorosis is one of the most common and difficult to control problems in crops grown on calcareous soils. In alkaline soils, which represent one third of the Earth surface, the bicarbonate ion prevails and is a major induction factor of iron chlorosis. As a result, alkalinity limits Fe bioavailability in the soil solution, Fe reduction and assimilation, as well as transport and uptake within the plant. Due to this nutritional imbalance, plants develop different response strategies which are not entirely successful on calcareous soils. In consequence, yield, fruit quality and harvesting season are negatively affected. Preventing and treating iron chlorosis is highly costly, but is inevitable, in order to ensure crop sustainability in regions where soil calcium carbonate and aridity are limiting factors. In this work, we present a short overview of Fe dynamics in calcareous soils and its influence on crop productivit