Fatty acid and triacylglycerol compositions of milk thistle seeds growing wild in Tunisia (Silybum marianum L.)

The milk thistle plant grows in many regions in Tunisia; however, there is no literature regarding their oil composition. In this study, oil content, fatty acids and triacylglycerols compositions of milk thistle seeds growing wild in Tunisia were determined. The oil content was 30.5%, thus milk thistle seeds could be exploited as natural new source of oil. Among the fatty acids, linoleic acid had the highest percentage (59.98%) followed by oleic acid (21.26%) and palmitic acid (12.74%). The extracted oil from milk thistle seeds is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (60.37%). Various molecular species of TAGs were detected and the major forms were LLL (22.30%), OLL (20.40%), PLL (17.31%), POL (14.30%), and OOL (7.90%). It can be concluded that milk thistle seed oil has a characteristic TAG pattern as compared with these elucidated for olive oil and soybean oil

Lupus systémique et atteinte rénale: Apport des anticorps anti-SSA

Le but de notre travail est de déterminer le profil des auto-anticorps chez 30 patients ayant un lupus systémique avec ou sans atteinte rénale afind'établir une corrélation clinico-immunologique entre la néphropathie lupique et ces auto-anticorps. Il s'agit d'une étude transversale de 30 patients atteints de lupus érythémateux systémique diagnostiqués au service de dermatologie durant la période de Décembre 2010 à Décembre 2012 et réalisée conjointement avec le laboratoire d'immunologie. Les anticorps anti-ADN étaient retrouvés chez 17 patients (56.7%) suivis des anti-SSA dans 12 cas (40%).Cinq patients (62.5%) ayant une atteinte rénale avaient des anticorps anti DNA négatifs. Parmi ces patients avec atteinte rénale, 37.5% avaient des anticorps anti SSA sans anticorps anti DNA. La moitié des patients ayant une atteinte rénale (50%) avaient desanticorps anti SSA positifs. Notre série montre l'importance des anticorps anti-SSA surtout chez des patients avec des anticorps anti-DNA négatifsnon seulement pour le diagnostic du lupus systémique mais aussi pour déceler certaines manifestations systémiques comme l'atteinte rénale

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of ultrafine-grained Ni processed by different powder metallurgy methods

Ultrafine-grained samples were produced from a Ni nanopowder by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure and mechanical behavior of the two specimens were compared. The grain coarsening observed during the SPS procedure was moderated due to a reduced temperature and time of consolidation compared with HIP processing. The smaller grain-size and higher nickel-oxide content in the SPS-processed sample resulted in a higher yield strength. Compression experiments showed that the specimen produced by SPS reached a maximal flow stress at a small strain, which was followed by a long steady-state softening while the HIP-processed sample hardened until failure. It was revealed that the softening of the SPS-processed sample resulted from microcracking along the grain boundaries

Coupled systems of fractional equations related to sound propagation: analysis and discussion

In this note we analyse the propagation of a small density perturbation in a one-dimensional compressible fluid by means of fractional calculus modelling, replacing thus the ordinary time derivative with the Caputo fractional derivative in the constitutive equations. By doing so, we embrace a vast phenomenology, including subdiffusive, superdiffusive and also memoryless processes like classical diffusions. From a mathematical point of view, we study systems of coupled fractional equations, leading to fractional diffusion equations or to equations with sequential fractional derivatives. In this framework we also propose a method to solve partial differential equations with sequential fractional derivatives by analysing the corresponding coupled system of equations

A Leaky Wave Antenna Design Based on Half-mode Substrate Integrated Waveguide Technology for X Band Applications

A new type of leaky-wave antenna (LWA) using half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) as the base structure is proposed in this paper. The structure consists of an array of slot, antenna designed to operate in X band applications from 8 to 12 GHz. HMSIW preserves nearly all the advantages of SIW whereas its size is nearly reduced by half. The antenna radiates one main beam that can be steered from the backward to the forward direction by changing frequency

Sélection pour améliorer la tolérance aux stress abiotiques chez le blé dur (Triticum durum Desf.)

La présente étude s’est fixée pour objectif la sélection pour la tolérance aux stress abiotiques chez le blé dur (Triticum durum Desf.) à l’aide de tests physiologiques. 18 génotypes ont été étudiés sur deux sites au cours de deux années consécutives dans un dispositif en blocs complétement randomisés. Les résultats montrent que le rendement grain est lié au nombre de grains produit par unité de surface, à la biomasse aérienne mesurée à maturité, à l’indice de remplissage du grain et à l’efficacité d’utilisation de l’eau. Les valeurs de l’intégrité cellulaire, la turgescence foliaire et le rapport des concentrations chlorophylliennes a et b sont peu corrélées avec les moyennes des caractères phéno-morphologiques mesurés par site. L’intégrité cellulaire et la turgescence foliaire sont associées à la réduction du rendement grain sous stress. Les génotypes tolérants aux stress abiotiques minimisent la baisse du rendement en grains dans les environnements défavorables alors que les génotypes sensibles valorisent nettement mieux les sites et environnements favorables à l’expression du potentiel de production

Bioactive Lipids, Antibacterial, Hypoglycaemic, and Antioxidant Potentials of Immature and Mature Vicia faba L. Seeds Cultivated in Tunisia

Both the immature and mature Vicia faba L. seeds are used for human consumption. However, there is a lack of information on the phytochemical composition and the potent biological properties of the immature seeds. The aim of the present study was to establish the profile of bioactive lipids as well as the antibacterial, antioxidant, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory capacities of the immature and mature Vicia faba L. seeds. The studied petroleum ether extracts contain different bioactive compounds such as β-sitosterol, lupeol, β-amyrin, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol. The extracts of the immature seeds exhibited higher antioxidant and antibacterial activities than those of mature ones. All tested extracts exerted higher inhibition on α-glucosidase than α-amylase. The immature seeds appeared as promising sources of natural antioxidants, antibacterial compounds, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitors. Thus, the immature Vicia faba L. seeds have a great potential as functional foods providing health beneficial properties

An overview of the welfare of animals used for scientific and educational purposes in Algeria

This study describes the welfare and animals used for scientific and educational purposes in the field of laboratory animal sciences in Algeria. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the status of the care and use of animals and to improve implementing plans and animal welfare measures. A literature review was performed using online databases and reference lists of the US National Library of Medicine to assess the prevalence of animal use for research in Algeria between 2013 and 2017. Also a retrospective study was conducted using the Pasteur Institute of Algeria report for 2015 to assess the prevalence of animal use in both teaching and research. The first workshop on animal experimentation was organized in 2013 in collaboration with international animal laboratory organizations (ICLAS and OIE) and involving the participation of universities, research centers, veterinary schools and the Pasteur Institute of Algeria. In addition, after accreditation of the Algerian Association of Experimental Animal Sciences, a number of training workshops and courses relating to laboratory animal sciences were organized. In Algeria the use of laboratory animals in research and education is a subject of debate regarding the need to establish regulations and to propose an appropriate ethical framework for the use of animals. Finally, some actions have been already taken in Algeria to promote the ethical use of animals but many more sustainable actions are needed and require cooperation, harmonization of policies and establishment of regional and international networks for experience exchange

DIAGNOSTIC BIOLOGIQUE DE LA BRUCELLOSE HUMAINE: COMPARAISON DE DEUX TECHNIQUES DE SEROAGGLUTINATION

objective: Evaluate the technical characteristics of two agglutination techniques used for the detection of serum antibodies of Brucella. Material and methods: The search for Brucella antibodies was performed in 100 serum samples. They come from patients with brucellosis was suspected on clinical and epidemiological criteria. The average age was 31 years with a standard deviation of 1.5 and a sex ratio (M / W) is equal to 2. The two methods used are (manual): 1- BRUCELLACAPT® (Vircell,Spain) 2- ROSE BENGAL ® (Bio-Rad, France). Results: The results showed a concordance between the two techniques of 92% (80% negative results and 12% positive), and discrepancy of 8%. Conclusion: Discordant results demonstrate the need to always integrate the  approach diagnostic of a clinical and epidemiological data associated with biological data, and secondly, to take into account the  threshold value of detection of serological markers of the technique used.Objectif : Evaluer les caractéristiques de deux techniques de séroagglutination  pour la détection des anticorps sériques anti-Brucella. Matériel et méthodes : La recherche des anticorps anti Brucella a été effectuée sur 100 échantillons de sérums,  provenant de patients  chez qui la brucellose a été suspectée sur des critères cliniques et épidémiologiques. La moyenne d’âge est de 31 ans avec un écart type de 1,5 et un sex-ratio (H/F) de 2. Les deux méthodes de séroagglutination utilisées (manuelles) sont : 1- BRUCELLACAPT® (Vircell,Espagne) 2- ROSE BENGALE® (Bio Rad, France). Résultats : Les résultats  ont montré une concordance entre les deux techniques de 92% (80% négatifs et 12% positifs), et une disconcordance de 8%. Conclusion : Les résultats discordants démontrent la nécessité d’intégrer à la démarche diagnostic, les données cliniques, épidémiologiques,  l’évolution de la maladie, ainsi que les données biologiques et  de prendre en considération la valeur seuil  de détection des marqueurs sérologiques de la technique utilisée