Fueling of a marine-terrestrial ecosystem by a major seabird colony

Seabirds redistribute nutrients between different ecosystem compartments and over vast geographical areas. This nutrient transfer may impact both local ecosystems on seabird breeding islands and regional biogeochemical cycling, but these processes are seldom considered in local conservation plans or biogeochemical models. The island of Stora Karlso in the Baltic Sea hosts the largest concentration of piscivorous seabirds in the region, and also hosts a large colony of insectivorous House martins Delichon urbicum adjacent to the breeding seabirds. We show that a previously reported unusually high insectivore abundance was explained by large amounts of chironomids-highly enriched in delta N-15-that feed on seabird residues as larvae along rocky shores to eventually emerge as flying adults. Benthic ammonium and phosphate fluxes were up to 163% and 153% higher close to the colony (1,300 m distance) than further away (2,700 m) and the estimated nutrient release from the seabirds at were in the same order of magnitude as the loads from the largest waste-water treatment plants in the region. The trophic cascade impacting insectivorous passerines and the substantial redistribution of nutrients suggest that seabird nutrient transfer should be increasingly considered in local conservation plans and regional nutrient cycling models.Peer reviewe

L’endocardite à Bartonella en Tunisie: Particularités lésionnelles et évolutives

L'endocardite à Bartonalla est une infection ubiquitaire, son diagnostic est difficile vu qu'il s'agit souvent d'endocardite à hémoculture négative. Lebut de cette étude est d'analyser les particularités lésionnelles et  évolutives de cette entité dans un pays du nord d'Afrique, la Tunisie et dedémontrer la gravité de cette infection. Nous avons étudié  rétrospectivement les dossiers médicaux de 20 patients atteints  d'endocardite à Bartonella, confirmée selon les critères de Dukes modifiés. L'âge moyen de nos patients était 37 ans avec une prédominance  masculine (SR=3). Tous nos malades avaient un niveau socio-économique bas. Le motif essentiel de consultation était la dyspnée, 6 patients étaient admis dans un tableau d'insuffisance cardiaque congestive. Une  prédilection des lésions au niveau de la valve aortique a été notée (14 cas). Quatorze patients avaient des végétations endocarditiques avec une taille qui dépasse 10 mm chez 8 malades. La majorité des patients (18 patients) présentaient une régurgitation valvulaire massive en rapport principalement avec des mutilations importantes (6 cas de ruptures de cordages mitraux, 2 cas de déchirures des sigmoïdes aortiques, un cas de perforation valvulaire aortique, un cas de désinsertion de prothèse  mitrale). Quinze malades (3/4) avaient nécessité une chirurgie à la phase active de la maladie, l'indication majeure était l'insuffisance cardiaque. Une complication neurologique était notée chez 2 malades et une  complication rénale chez 3 malades. Treize patients étaient guéris, 5 malades étaient décédés et 2 malades opérés ont présenté une  réinfection à staphylococcus aureus et à candida albicans en  postopératoire. L'endocardite à Bartonella est une infection grave. Cette Bactérie possède un potentiel destructif important. Le recours à la chirurgie est quasi constant. La morbi-mortalité est élevée. La recherche de cette bactérie devrait être alors systématique chez nos malades suspects d'endocardite d'autant plus que la bartonellose est endémique sur nos terres

Case Report: Giant cystic schwannoma of the middle mediastinum with cervical extension

Schwannomas (neurilemmomas) are benign tumors arising from the Schwann cells of the neural sheath. They are typically, well-encapsulated lesions which rarely adhere to the adjacent structures. In the chest, schwannomas are often seen within the posterior mediastinum and commonly originating along intercostal nerves. Several operative approaches have previously been described for the resection of these tumors, including thoracoscopic techniques and posterolateral thoracotomy. We report in this case a giant cystic mediastinal schwannoma of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve with cervical extension, unresectable by the usual described approaches, which was completely removed through a cervical approach.Keywords: mediastinal tumor; schwannoma; thoracotomy; cervicotom

Virulence properties and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting of Candida albicans isolates obtained from Monastir dental hospital, Tunisia

Genotypic and phenotypic characterization as well as studies on the virulence factors of Candida albicans isolates obtained from oral cavity of patients was carried out using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting and epithelial cells adherence assay, respectively. RAPD patterns revealed the presence of 13 C. albicans genotypes separated into two clusters at 75% ofsimilarity when they were combined. Results also showed the presence of haemolytic protease activity as virulence factors with 88% of the C. albicans strains been able to adhere to Caco-2 cells and only 64% to Hep-2. RAPD-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular tool used to differentiate the isolates into various genotypes based on their virulence properties.Key words: Candida albicans, stomatitis, random amplified polymorphic DNA, Hep-2, Caco-2 cells

QT Prolongation Complicated with Torsades de Pointes in Prosthetic Mitral Valve Endocarditis: A Case Report

We present the case of a 49-year-old male patient with prosthetic mitral valve endocarditis associated with QT prolongation and torsades de pointes. He was asymptomatic until the end of January 2012, when he was admitted to our hospital emergency unit because of syncope, fever, and suspicion of endocarditis. Cardiologic evaluation was requested and the transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) echocardiograms revealed vegetations on the prosthetic mitral valve. All cultures were positive for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. The corrected QT (QTc) interval was markedly prolonged upon admission (QTc 540 ms). He experienced torsades de pointes (TdP) several times and he was recovered after bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The clinical course and the long QTc interval with deep inverted T wave were completely normalized 4 weeks after. He continued on triple antibiotic therapy for 45 days with a good revolution. The clinical features and the possible mechanisms of QT prolongation (inflammation, infection) of this patient are discussed

Imidazolium-based ionic liquid type dependence of the bending response of polymer actuators

Actuators based on polymer blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with 40 % of different ionic liquids (IL) are prepared by solvent casting. [C2mim][Cl], [C6mim][Cl], [C10mim][Cl], [C2mim][NTf2], [C6mim][NTf2] and [C10mim][NTf2] were selected in order to evaluate the effect of anion and cation sizes in the bending properties. The microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of the blend depend on the IL type, which in turn leads to a different bending response. In particular, the mechanical properties are independent on the IL type but the AC conductivity of the composites depend more on the anion type than on the size of the alkyl chain connected to the imidazolium based cation. Thus, the bending response of the IL/PVDF composites is correlated with the anion and cation sizes and a maximum bending response of 0.3 % is achieved for a 10 volts square signal in the IL/PVDF composite with 40 wt% content of [C2mim][NTf2].The authors thank FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2013, UID/Multi/04551/2013, UID/QUI/50006/2013, project PTDC/EEI-SII/5582/2014, a contract under Investigador FCT 2012 program (J.M.S.S.E.), and grants SFRH/BD/90215/2012 (JCD) and SFRH/BPD/112547/2015 (CMC). Financial support from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK Program is also acknowledged. The authors (R. M. and S. B. H.) would like to thank the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Research for its financial support. The authors thank the support of M. S. Martins (U. Minho) for supporting the electromechanical measurements

Biodiversity Studies for Sustainable Lagoon: Thermophilic and Tropical Fish Species vs. Endemic Commercial Species at Mellah Lagoon (Mediterranean, Algeria)

Lagoons play an important socio-economic role and represent a precious natural heritage at risk from fishing pressure and chemical and biological pollution. Our research focused on better understanding the discrimination of fish biodiversity, the detection of non-indigenous species, and the valorization of commercial indigenous species at Mellah lagoon (Algeria). Taxonomic characterization and barcoding for all fish species and Inkscape schematic drawings for the most common species are provided. A total of 20 families and 37 species were recorded. The thermophilic species Coris julis, Thalassoma pavo, and Aphanius fasciatus and tropical species such as Gambusia holbrooki and Parablennius pilicornis were identified. Numerous Mediterranean species of socio-economic importance are highlighted, and detailed information is summarized for the lagoon’s sustainability. This short-term evaluation goes hand in hand with long-term programs documenting the interaction between indigenous and non-indigenous species in the lagoon and will allow the development of a provisional relationship model for future studies. Thermophilic and tropical species patterns in the Mellah lagoon are presented. Taken together, we provide useful data that can guide future investigations and may become a potential management tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and protecting species with large socio-economic roles from potential thermal stress impact

Defects in the CAPN1 Gene Result in Alterations in Cerebellar Development and Cerebellar Ataxia in Mice and Humans

A CAPN1 missense mutation in Parson Russell Terrier dogs is associated with spinocerebellar ataxia. We now report that homozygous or heterozygous CAPN1-null mutations in humans result in cerebellar ataxia and limb spasticity in four independent pedigrees. Calpain-1 knockout (KO) mice also exhibit a mild form of ataxia due to abnormal cerebellar development, including enhanced neuronal apoptosis, decreased number of cerebellar granule cells, and altered synaptic transmission. Enhanced apoptosis is due to absence of calpain-1-mediated cleavage of PH domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), which results in inhibition of the Akt pro-survival pathway in developing granule cells. Injection of neonatal mice with the indirect Akt activator, bisperoxovanadium, or crossing calpain-1 KO mice with PHLPP1 KO mice prevented increased postnatal cerebellar granule cell apoptosis and restored granule cell density and motor coordination in adult mice. Thus, mutations in CAPN1 are an additional cause of ataxia in mammals, including humans

Application of a standard risk assessment scheme to a North Africa contaminated site (Sfax, Tunisia) - tier 1

Phosphorus is a critical element to agriculture, consequently global phosphate rock demand will remain rising to feed a growing world population. The beneficiation of phosphorous ore gives rise to several tons of a waste by-product [phosphogypsum (PG)] which valorisation is limited, within other reasons, by the risks posed to environment and human health. Although threatening, the accumulation in stacks is the only procedure so far practiced by several countries as a means to get rid of this industrial externality. As part of a NATO Science for Peace Project (SfP 983311) this study describes the application of an environmental risk assessment (ERA) framework, to assess the risks posed by a PG stack to the surrounding soils, in Sfax, Republic of Tunisia. The ERA followed a weight of evidence approach, supported by two lines of evidence (LoE): the chemical (ChemLoE) and the ecotoxicological (EcotoxLoE). Integrated risks point for risk values greater than 0.5 in soils collected in PG stack surrounding area. Soil salinization, has likely contributed to the exacerbation of risks, as well as to the lack of consistency between both LoEs. This study highlights the need of rethinking the weight given to each LoE in ERA, in areas where soil salinization is a reality.publishe

The chemical and electrochemical oxidative polymerization of 2-amino-4-tert-butylphenol

[EN] Poly(2-amino-4-tert-butylphenol), poly(2A-4TBP), was synthesized from monomer aqueous solution using either electrochemical or chemical oxidation procedures. Several spectroscopic characterization techniques were employed to gain information on the chemical structure and redox behavior of the obtained materials. It was found that the chemical polymerization product could be described as an oligomer mixture containing up to 16 monomer units. In parallel to other polymers derived from o-aminophenol, phenoxazine rings constitute also the basic structure of poly(2A-4TBP). In addition, the occurrence of N-N couplings, which are favored by the presence of the voluminous tert-butyl substituent, seems also relevant. No significant structural differences were found between the chemically or electrochemically synthesized materials. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.Financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and FEDER funds (MAT2013-42007-P) and from the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO2013/038) is gratefully acknowledged. M. Abidi thanks the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia for funding her stay at the University of Alicante.Abidi, M.; López-Bernabeu, S.; Huerta, F.; Montilla-Jiménez, F.; Besbes-Hentati, S.; Morallón, E. (2016). The chemical and electrochemical oxidative polymerization of 2-amino-4-tert-butylphenol. Electrochimica Acta. 212:958-965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2016.07.060S95896521