Geographical distribution of health indicators related to snake bites and envenomation in Morocco between 1999 and 2013

OBJECTIVES Envenomation from snake bites is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological features of snake bites in Morocco and to evaluate time-space trends in snake bite incidence, the mortality rate, and the case-fatality rate. METHODS This is a retrospective study of snake bite cases reported to the Moroccan Poison Control Center between 1999 and 2013. RESULTS During the study period, 2,053 people were bitten by snakes in Morocco. Most victims were adults (55.4%). The average age of the patients was 26.48±17.25 years. More than half of the cases (58.1%) were males. Approximately 75% of snake bites happened in rural areas, and 85 deaths were recorded during this period. The incidence of snake bites remained generally steady over the 15-year period of this study, with a marked increase noted since 2012. The mortality rate has increased slightly, from 0.02 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 1999 to 0.05 in 2013. The geographical distribution of snake bite cases in the regions of Morocco showed that Tanger-Tétouan had the highest annual incidence of snake bites (1.41 bites per 100,000 inhabitants). However, the highest annual mortality rates were recorded in the Guelmim-Es Semara and Souss-Massa-Drâa regions (0.09 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants for both regions). CONCLUSIONS The geographical distribution of the incidence, mortality, and case-fatality rates of snake bites in Morocco showed large disparities across regions during the three 5-year periods included in this study, meaning that certain areas can be considered high-risk for snake bites

Reactive jojoba and castor oils-based cyclic carbonates for biobased polyhydroxyurethanes

International audienceSyntheses of novel biobased PolyHydroxyUrethane (PHU) have been performed from Jojoba and castor oil. Cyclic carbonate monomers with various functionality were synthesized from both jojoba and castor oils. Pendant cyclic carbonate groups were obtained by a two-step reaction: thiol-ene coupling with thioglycolic acid followed by esterification with glycerin carbonate. These novel cyclic carbonate monomers exhibited higher reactivity than previous intra-chain plant oil-based cyclic carbonates. Di-functional jojoba oil-based cyclic carbonate was synthesized for the first time. PHUs were obtained by aminolysis of plant oil-based cyclic carbonates with various aliphatic and aromatic diamines. Structured linear and cross-linked PHUs were obtained with Tg ranging from −45 to 20 °C. The different PHU materials were characterized by SEC, FTIR, DSC, ATG and DMA measurements. These results showed the potentiality of this environmentally friendly approach to prepare plant oils-based PHU materials with interesting performances

New Biobased Polyurethane Materials from Modified Vegetable Oil

International audienc

Ophidian envenomation in Morocco: Analysis of specific hospitalization records (2012-2015)

Snakebites are a real public health problem in Morocco, from the point of view of incidence and mortality. Inorder to contribute to the reduction of the resulting morbidity and mortality, the present work aims to describe the epidemiological profile of cases of Snakebites and to follow the spatio-temporal trends of the health indicators studied (incidence, fatality and mortality). The methodology adopted consists of a retrospective analysis of the cases collected from the Anti Poison and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco from specific hospitalization records. Between 2012 and 2015, the MPCC gathered 224 cases. The mean age was 26.9 ± 18.9 years with a sex ratio (M / F) of 1.4. Most of the bites occurred during hot seasons (84%) and in rural areas (95%). The time to hospitalization exceeded 24 hours in 7% of cases. Clinically, compartment syndrome was observed in 17 patients, renal failure in 13 patients and shock in 13 patients. The distribution according to clinical gradation was almost uniform. From a therapeutic standpoint, in addition to the antivenom, two types of treatment were the most recommended: symptomatic treatment based on the administration of analgesics (n = 168) and on the administration of an antitetanus serum (n = 99), and treatment involving transfusion (n = 58). Analysis of all of these files enabled us to detect parameters having a direct impact on morbidity and mortality following a bite and ophidian envenomation, on which the competent authorities should focus in order to thwart this scourge and its complications

Snakebites notified to the poison control center of Morocco between 2009 and 2013

Abstract Background Snakebites cause considerable death and injury throughout the globe, particularly in tropical regions, and pose an important yet neglected threat to public health. In 2008, the Centre Anti Poison et de Parmacovigilance du Maroc (CAPM) started to set up a specific strategy for the control of snakebites that was formalized in 2012. The aim of the present study is to describe and update the epidemiological characteristics of snakebites notified to CAPM between 2009 and 2013. Methods This retrospective five-year study included all cases of snakebites notified to CAPM by mail or phone. Results During the study period, 873 snakebite cases were reported to CAPM, an average incidence of 2.65 cases per 100,000 inhabitants with 218 cases each year. The highest incidence was found in Tangier-Tetouan region with 357 cases (40.9 %) followed by Souss Massa Draa region with 128 cases (14.6 %). The average age of patients was 26.8 ± 17.2 years. The male to female sex ratio was 1.67:1 and 77 % of cases occurred in rural areas. The bites occurred mainly in spring (44 %) followed by summer (42 %). Snake species was identified in 54 cases (6.2 %): colubrids represented 31 % (n = 18) and vipers 67 % (n = 36), mainly Daboia mauritanica, Bitis arietans and Cerastes cerastes. In 311 cases (35.6 %), the patients showed viper syndrome. Thrombocytopenia was observed in 23.5 % of viper syndrome cases, whereas, compartment syndrome was observed in 7.6 % patients. FAV-Afrique® was administered in 41 patients (5 %). In patients treated with antivenom, 38 patients recovered and three died. Twenty-seven deaths were reported (3.9 %). Conclusion Despite specific efforts to better understand the epidemiology of snakebites in Morocco (incidence, severity, snake species involved), it remains underestimated. Therefore, further work is still necessary to ensure accessibility of appropriate antivenom against venomous species and to improve the management of envenomation in Morocco

Very low field flux penetration in halogenated cuprates

International audienceThe low-frequency non linear magnetic susceptibility chi(H,T) of YBa2Cu3O7-deltaFx ceramics (delta = 0 and 0.3) is measured in the range 0 <= x <= 0.2, 15K <= T < Tc, with Tc the coherence critical temperature and ac field amplitude 10(-8) T < µ0H0 < 10(-2) T. We find that the real part chi'(H0,T) = f[H1(T,x)/H0] is a universal scaling function for all samples with H1(T,x) = H1(0,x)epsilon(phi) the experimentally determined first flux penetration field, epsilon = 1-T/Tc and phi = 2.7+/-0.2. We describe a model where the order parameter is localized in randomly coupled regions whose critical behaviour depends on couplings above a temperature-dependent threshold. The observed dependence H1(T) results from screening currents circulating in percolation fractal clusters

Disorder and non-linear magnetic response of high Tc superconductors

International audienceWe measure the low frequency magnetic response of YBa2Cu3O6.7Fx (0 <= x< 0.2) ceramics in a wide range of a.c. fields (10-7 T <= µ0H0 <= 10-4 T). When changing the amount of disorder (varying x) on the microscopic level we find the same non linear response with field amplitude H0 as in granular conventional superconductors. The real part of the susceptibility appears as a universal function of H1(T)/H0 where H1(T) is the field of first flux penetration. The power law dependence found for H1(T) can be understood in the framework of the coherence transition of granular superconductors with random couplings

A Review on UAV-Based Applications for Plant Disease Detection and Monitoring

peer reviewedRemote sensing technology is vital for precision agriculture, aiding in early issue detection, resource management, and environmentally friendly practices. Recent advances in remote sensing technology and data processing have propelled unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into valuable tools for obtaining detailed data on plant diseases with high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution. Given the growing body of scholarly research centered on UAV-based disease detection, a comprehensive review and analysis of current studies becomes imperative to provide a panoramic view of evolving methodologies in plant disease monitoring and to strategically evaluate the potential and limitations of such strategies. This study undertakes a systematic quantitative literature review to summarize existing literature and discern current research trends in UAV-based applications for plant disease detection and monitoring. Results reveal a global disparity in research on the topic, with Asian countries being the top contributing countries (43 out of 103 papers). World regions such as Oceania and Africa exhibit comparatively lesser representation. To date, research has largely focused on diseases affecting wheat, sugar beet, potato, maize, and grapevine. Multispectral, reg-green-blue, and hyperspectral sensors were most often used to detect and identify disease symptoms, with current trends pointing to approaches integrating multiple sensors and the use of machine learning and deep learning techniques. Future research should prioritize (i) development of cost-effective and user-friendly UAVs, (ii) integration with emerging agricultural technologies, (iii) improved data acquisition and processing efficiency (iv) diverse testing scenarios, and (v) ethical considerations through proper regulations.European Project FoodLan