La diffusion de l'oléiculture dans les vallées du Moyen Atlas, un moyen pour protéger et restaurer les forêts (Khenifra, Maroc) -

La sédentarisation des populations semi-nomades dans des communes du Moyen Atlas (Maroc) s'accompagne d'une régression rapide des surfaces forestières. Dans certains douars, près de 70% des terrains boisés ont été détruits au cours des dernières décennies ou sont fortement dégradés. Trois facteurs expliqueraient ce repli : le surpâturage, les prélèvements délictueux de bois et depuis 1992, la répétition des sécheresses. Pour préserver les ressources forestières, le Haut Commissariat des Eaux et Forêts et à la lutte contre la désertification restaure des sols érodés en installant des pinèdes, prend en charge la gestion des forêts de protection et finance des campagnes de plantation d'arbres fruitiers à travers tout le pays. L'objet du présent article est de mieux comprendre les relations entre les populations locales et leurs forêts, et de s'interroger sur l'efficacité ressentie des politiques publiques en matière de protection des ressources forestière

Molecular Characterization and Study of Genetic Relationships among local Cultivars of the Moroccan fig (Ficus carica L.) using Microsatellite and ISSR Markers

Molecular characterization of Moroccan local fig (Ficus carica L.) germplasm was performed on the cultivars present in a collection of the National School of Agriculture of Meknes. A total of 22 fig samples were analysed using 7 ISSR primers and 9 loci S.S.R. A total of 54 I.S.S.R. polymorphic bands with an average of 8 per primers and 42 S.S.R. alleles with means 5 alleles per locus were revealed by these analyses. The ISSR markers allowed distinguishing 22 molecular profiles and S.S.R. loci differentiated between 21 different profiles. Pairwise Comparing, 87% of cultivars pairs were differentiated by 7 to 24 alleles and 89% by 9 to 29 ISSR bands. The statistical analysis and genetic distances have shown a wide molecular diversity in the collection, where the average observed heterozygosity was 0.42. The average similarity between cultivars is 70% using SSR markers and 71.6 for ISSR markers. The same SSR profile was obtained for Nabout1 and Nabout2 with 0 allele difference. Small differences of 1 to 6 alleles were obtained among cultivars which have the same names, which presumably corresponds to somaclonal variations obtained through intense vegetative propagation over long periods, while the differences over 7 alleles suggests the problems of homonyms

NextMed, Augmented and Virtual Reality platform for 3D medical imaging visualization

The visualization of the radiological results with more advanced techniques than the current ones, such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies, represent a great advance for medical professionals, by eliminating their imagination capacity as an indispensable requirement for the understanding of medical images. The problem is that for its application it is necessary to segment the anatomical areas of interest, and this currently involves the intervention of the human being. The Nextmed project is presented as a complete solution that includes DICOM images import, automatic segmentation of certain anatomical structures, 3D mesh generation of the segmented area, visualization engine with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, all thanks to different software platforms that have been implemented and detailed, including results obtained from real patients. We will focus on the visualization platform using both Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies to allow medical professionals to work with 3d model representation of medical images in a different way taking advantage of new technologies

Effet du cultivar, du prétraitement et de la technique de séchage sur quelques paramètres physico-chimiques des figues séchées de sept cultivars locaux du figuier (Ficus carica L.) au Maroc

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CD4 T Cell Immunity Is Critical for the Control of Simian Varicella Virus Infection in a Nonhuman Primate Model of VZV Infection

Primary infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in varicella (more commonly known as chickenpox) after which VZV establishes latency in sensory ganglia. VZV can reactivate to cause herpes zoster (shingles), a debilitating disease that affects one million individuals in the US alone annually. Current vaccines against varicella (Varivax) and herpes zoster (Zostavax) are not 100% efficacious. Specifically, studies have shown that 1 dose of varivax can lead to breakthrough varicella, albeit rarely, in children and a 2-dose regimen is now recommended. Similarly, although Zostavax results in a 50% reduction in HZ cases, a significant number of recipients remain at risk. To design more efficacious vaccines, we need a better understanding of the immune response to VZV. Clinical observations suggest that T cell immunity plays a more critical role in the protection against VZV primary infection and reactivation. However, no studies to date have directly tested this hypothesis due to the scarcity of animal models that recapitulate the immune response to VZV. We have recently shown that SVV infection of rhesus macaques models the hallmarks of primary VZV infection in children. In this study, we used this model to experimentally determine the role of CD4, CD8 and B cell responses in the resolution of primary SVV infection in unvaccinated animals. Data presented in this manuscript show that while CD20 depletion leads to a significant delay and decrease in the antibody response to SVV, loss of B cells does not alter the severity of varicella or the kinetics/magnitude of the T cell response. Loss of CD8 T cells resulted in slightly higher viral loads and prolonged viremia. In contrast, CD4 depletion led to higher viral loads, prolonged viremia and disseminated varicella. CD4 depleted animals also had delayed and reduced antibody and CD8 T cell responses. These results are similar to clinical observations that children with agammaglobulinemia have uncomplicated varicella whereas children with T cell deficiencies are at increased risk of progressive varicella with significant complications. Moreover, our studies indicate that CD4 T cell responses to SVV play a more critical role than antibody or CD8 T cell responses in the control of primary SVV infection and suggest that one potential mechanism for enhancing the efficacy of VZV vaccines is by eliciting robust CD4 T cell responses

Simian Varicella Virus Infection of Rhesus Macaques Recapitulates Essential Features of Varicella Zoster Virus Infection in Humans

Simian varicella virus (SVV), the etiologic agent of naturally occurring varicella in primates, is genetically and antigenically closely related to human varicella zoster virus (VZV). Early attempts to develop a model of VZV pathogenesis and latency in nonhuman primates (NHP) resulted in persistent infection. More recent models successfully produced latency; however, only a minority of monkeys became viremic and seroconverted. Thus, previous NHP models were not ideally suited to analyze the immune response to SVV during acute infection and the transition to latency. Here, we show for the first time that intrabronchial inoculation of rhesus macaques with SVV closely mimics naturally occurring varicella (chickenpox) in humans. Infected monkeys developed varicella and viremia that resolved 21 days after infection. Months later, viral DNA was detected only in ganglia and not in non-ganglionic tissues. Like VZV latency in human ganglia, transcripts corresponding to SVV ORFs 21, 62, 63 and 66, but not ORF 40, were detected by RT-PCR. In addition, as described for VZV, SVV ORF 63 protein was detected in the cytoplasm of neurons in latently infected monkey ganglia by immunohistochemistry. We also present the first in depth analysis of the immune response to SVV. Infected animals produced a strong humoral and cell-mediated immune response to SVV, as assessed by immunohistology, serology and flow cytometry. Intrabronchial inoculation of rhesus macaques with SVV provides a novel model to analyze viral and immunological mechanisms of VZV latency and reactivation