Kaposi sarcoma in an HIV-negative Tunisian patient: A rare cause of metatarsalgia

AbstractBackgroundKaposi sarcoma (KS) is an angioproliferative neoplasm that is commonly associated with human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). KS with osseous involvement is a rare occurrence, and is far more common in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related KS.Case presentationWe present a 32-year-old Tunisian man, HIV negative, who presented with a 4-year history of atraumatic mechanical metatarsalgia that progressively worsened with a limping gait. Physical examination revealed marked symmetrical forefoot lymphedema and a painful restricted left knee joint movement. Physical examination showed purple-blue plaques and nodules on the feet and ankles. Serologic tests for HIV and syphilis were negative. Plain radiography of the feet revealed numerous small lytic lesions. There were also scattered lytic lesions in the metaphysis of the proximal tibia and fibula. Osteolysis was predominantly left. Magnetic resonance imaging of the feet showed abnormal bone marrow signal of metatarsals and phalanges. Skin lesion biopsy yielded the diagnosis of Kaposi sarcoma. The disease was managed with chemotherapy including vinblastine.ConclusionIn a patient presenting with metatarsalgia without a commonly detected cause, it is mandatory to search for other lesions that may point to a rare diagnosis as KS which is famous for involvement of the metatarsal bone

Molecular prevalence of Chlamydia and Chlamydia-like bacteria in Tunisian domestic ruminant farms and their influencing risk factors

Chlamydia and Chlamydia-like bacteria are well known to infect several organisms and may cause a wide range of diseases, particularly in ruminants. To gain insight into the prevalence and diversity of these intracellular bacteria, we applied a pan-Chlamydiales real-time PCR to 1,134 veterinary samples taken from 130 Tunisian ruminant herds. The true adjusted animal population-level prevalence was 12.9% in cattle, against 8.7% in sheep. In addition, the true adjusted herd-level prevalence of Chlamydiae was 80% in cattle and 25.5% in sheep. Chlamydiales from three familylevel lineages were detected indicating a high biodiversity of Chlamydiales in ruminant herds. Our results showed that Parachlamydia acanthamoebae could be responsiblefor bovine and ovine chlamydiosis in central-eastern Tunisia. Multivariable logistic regression analysis at the animal population level indicated that strata and digestive disorders variables were the important risk factors of bovine and ovine chlamydiosis. However, origin and age variables were found to be associated withbovine and ovine chlamydiosis, respectively. At the herd level, risk factors for Chlamydia positivity were as follows: abortion and herd size for cattle against breeding system, cleaning frequency, quarantine, use of disinfectant and floor type for sheep. Paying attention to these risk factors will help improvement of control programs against this harmful zoonotic disease

Intra-gear variation in sea turtle bycatch: Implications for fisheries management

In the Mediterranean Sea, bottom trawl, bottom longline and set nets are the fishing gears with the highest impact on marine turtle populations. These demersal gear types are characterised by a variety of métiers (fishing operations targeting a specific assemblage of species, using specific gear, during a precise period of the year and/or within a specific area). Data on fishing methods, target species and turtle bycatch were collected through interviews in three different study areas in the central Mediterranean. The results show that, even in the same fishing area, different métiers of the same gear can have a different impact on turtles. These findings have several implications. First, traditional turtle bycatch estimations and comparisons based on a fishing gear as a whole may be spatially or temporally biased by spatial and temporal differences in métier composition, respectively. Second, the efficiency of conservation measures may be different according to the métiers involved and caution is needed when measures developed in small areas with certain métiers are exported to a wider scale with possibly very different métiers. Third, conservation measures may induce shifts among métiers that may have an impact on other species, but such shifts are difficult to detect. All this suggests that, in the Mediterranean, a métier-based approach is needed to provide realistic estimates of turtle bycatch, to increase the efficiency of conservation measures by targeting only the most relevant métiers and to predict the changes in target species and effort distribution that can be driven by conservation measures. The variability of fishing methods and métiers implies that the most effective management strategies should be identified at relatively small geographical scales

Embryonic Growth Rate Thermal Reaction Norm of Mediterranean Caretta caretta Embryos from Two Different Thermal Habitats, Turkey and Libya

Ectothermic species are strongly affected by thermal changes. To assess the viability of these species under climate change constraints, we need to quantify the sensitivity of their life history traits to temperature. The loggerhead marine turtle (Caretta caretta) nests regularly in the Oriental Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The different populations are separated because of time (<12,000 yrs) and very different thermal habitats; it is hotter on the southern coast (Libya) than on the northern ones (Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey). Patterns of embryo growth response to incubation temperatures have been searched for these 2 populations. We found that both populations have similar thermal reaction norms for embryonic growth rate. This highlights that 12,000 yrs is not enough time for this species to adapt to specific thermal habitats and raises the question of the persistence of these populations in the context of rapid climate change. © 2017 Chelonian Research Foundation

Connectivity and stock composition of loggerhead turtles foraging on the North African continental shelf (Central Mediterranean): implications for conservation and management

The loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, is a highly migratory species with a complex life cycle that involves a series of ontogenetic habitat shifts and migrations. Understanding the links amongst nesting populations and foraging habitats is essential for the effective management of the species. Here we used mixed stock analysis to examine the natal origin of loggerhead turtles foraging on the North African continental shelf off Tunisia, one of the most important Mediterranean neritic habitats. An 815-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced from 107 individuals sampled from 2007 to 2009. No temporal variation in haplotype frequencies was detected. Juveniles (n = 87) and adults (n = 23) exhibited weak but significant genetic differentiation that resulted in different stock compositions. Libya was the main source population but the proportion of turtles from this rookery was higher in adults (median = 80%) than in juveniles (median = 35%). Western Greece was the second most important contributing population. Juvenile stock composition derived from mixed stock analysis and the estimates produced by numerical simulation of hatchling dispersion in the Mediterranean Sea were significantly correlated, supporting the recent theory that loggerheads imprint on possible future neritic habitats during the initial phase of their life. This association was not significant for adults, suggesting that other factors contribute to shaping their distribution. Overall, our results show that human activities on the South Tunisian continental shelf pose an immediate threat to the survival of the Libyan rookery

Performance Investigation of MOF-Ethanol Based Adsorption Cooling Cycle

Adsorption cooling systems employs benign refrigerants and could be driven by solar energy or waste heat. Therefore, they are a feasible alternative to vapor compression cooling systems. This paper investigates the performance of metal-organic framework (MOF) ethanol based adsorption cooling cycle. Adsorption isotherms of ethanol onto MOF of type MIL-101 -Cr have been measured experimentally using a magnetic suspension balance for temperatures ranging from 30 to 70 °C and within pressure up to 20 kPa. Then, the experimental data were fitted using Toth adsorption isotherms equation. The coefficient of performance (COP) and specific cooling effect (SCE) were then calculated for evaporation and cooling temperatures of 10 and 30 °C, respectively. The experimental results show that COP attains 0.70 and SCE increases with the increase of heat source temperature and attains 225 kJ per kg of adsorbent at temperature of 80 °C which makes this pair suitable for solar cooling application

Sulphated polysaccharide isolated from Sargassum vulgare: Characterization and hypolipidemic effects

A sulphated polysaccharide from brown algae Sargassum vulgare (SVSP) was extracted and examined with respect to chemical, structural characterization and hypolipidemic effects. SVSP consisted mainly of sulphate and total sugars with low levels of lipids and proteins. Its structure was studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (RMN), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), infra-red spectroscopic, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis. Allowing us therefore to revealed that SVSP was composed of glucose, rhamnose, xylose, galactose, mannose and arabinose with XRD pattern that was typical for a semi-crystalline polymer and complexities of the spectra reflected its homogeneous structure. The administration of SVSP to obese rats is effective in lowering the body weight and inhibiting the lipase activity leading to notable regulation of lipid profile, increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, limiting lipid peroxidation; and protects liver-kidney functions proved by a decrease in the levels of toxicity parameters in blood, confirmed by histological study. © 201