Influence of Highway Traffic on Contamination of Roadside Soil with Heavy Metals

This study is one of the first works which examined the assessment of heavy metal contamination of pavement-side soils in Algeria. It deals with the section of National Highway 3 (RN3), which crosses the wilaya of Batna. In the environment of sampling sites there is no industry or dangerous activity on the environment, the heavy metals addressed in this study are (Pb, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn), their origin being road traffic. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Determine the concentrations of heavy metals in road dust; (2) Identify the sources of different heavy metals in soils and road dust; (3) Exploring the extent of heavy metal pollution in neighbouring soils. To this end, 33 samples were collected, including 03 road dust and 30 soil samples over different distances from 1m to 80m. The samples were analyzed by FRX. Results indicated that concentrations in road dust were higher than in soil. The distribution of heavy metal concentrations in dust is Fe>Pb>Zn>Cu>Cr>Ni, and the distribution in the ground is Fe>Pb>Cu>Zn>Cr>Ni in the direction of Biskra and in the opposite direction and decreases away from the road, while the distribution in the central solid ground is Fe> Cu>Cr>Pb>Zn>Ni. Climatic conditions such as wind, rainfall, temperature, humidity and the nature of the terrain were also significantly related to their enrichment in these roadside soils. The enrichment factor (EF) and the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were calculated, as well as all elements with a (EF) that ranges from moderate to high to extremely contaminated, reflecting the high anthropogenic load of these metals in the study area and the results of the Igéo accumulation indices confirm the results obtained for the enrichment factor (EF). Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091736 Full Text: PD

BRAFV600E hot spot mutation in thyroid carcinomas: first Moroccan experience from a single-institution retrospective study

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate. BRAFV600E mutation is described to be associated with a worse prognostic of thyroid carcinomas, as well as extrathyroidal invasion and increased mortality. Objective: To our knowledge, there are no reported studies neither from Morocco nor from other Maghreb countries regarding the prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation in thyroid carcinomas. Here we aim to evaluate the frequency of BRAFV600E oncogene in Moroccan thyroid carcinomas. Methods: In this Single-Institution retrospective study realized in the Anatomic Pathology and Histology Service in the Military Hospital of Instruction Mohammed V \u2018HMIMV\u2019 in Rabat, we report, using direct genomic sequencing, the assessment of BRAFV600E in 37 thyroid tumors. Results: We detected BRAFV600E mutation exclusively in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas \u2018PTC\u2019 with a prevalence of 28% (8 PTC out 29 PTC). Like international trends, Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas \u2019PTC\u2019 is more frequent than Follicular Thyroid Carcinomas \u2018FTC\u2019 and Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinomas \u2018ATC\u2019 (29 PTC, 7 FTC and 1 ATC). Conclusion: Our finding gives to the international community the first estimated incidence of this oncogene in Morocco showing that this prevalence falls within the range of international trends (30% to 90%) reported in distinct worldwide geographic regions

Practical Method Proposed to Estimate Silting’s Rate in Small and Hillside Dams

The construction of small dams and hillside reservoirs is a common practice for dealing with erratic and unevenly distributed rainfalls in arid and semi arid areas. Moreover, these small hydraulics structures are recommended as a solution to adapt to climate change in rural areas. They are fundamental for the sustainability of the water resources. However, these dams are potential sinks for upstream sediment. Therefore, it would be useful to monitor and measure the amount of sediments in small dams because it is necessary to understand siltation and better functioning of these vital structures. This control and these measurements require the application of the bathymetry or topography surveys which is too expensive for the responsible of these small dams. In this context, this paper proposes a simple and low cost method called: Triangulation of the estimated silted level. This method is based on direct measurement of the accessible silted level in dam. This new method is compared with another method based on the initial Elevation-Capacity curve of dam, usually used when the bathymetry is not attainable. The results of both of them have been verified with those of the bathymetry and electrical tomography methods and validated the proposal method as the most approximate. Therefore, this method is recommended as a new direct and simple technique to evaluate the amount of silting in small dams and hillside reservoirs

A meta-analysis on the susceptibility to the development of bladder cancer in the presence of DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and MTHFR gene polymorphisms

Abstract Background The etiology of bladder cancer is not yet well known. In this study, we want to evaluate the effect of polymorphisms of genes that have an epigenetic effect (MTHFR, DNMT3A/B) on the susceptibility to develop bladder cancer (BC). Methods A systematic review was performed for MTHFR, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B, followed by a meta-analysis conducted for rs1801131, rs1801133, rs2274976, rs1550117, and rs1569686 SNPs. A sensitivity and a subgroup analysis were then used. Results 20 studies were included, where no statistically significant association between any of the analyzed SNPs and the occurrence of BC was detected. Subgroup analysis revealed a statistically significant association in North African population with rs1801133: TT vs. TC + CC (P = 0.013; OR 95% CI = 0.52 [0.311–0.872]); TT vs.TC (P = 0.003; OR 95% CI = 0.448 [0.261–0.769]) and in North American population with rs1801131: CC vs. CA (P = 0.039; OR 95% CI = 0.71 [0.523–0.984]). A sensitivity analysis revealed that there is a statistically significant association between rs1801131 and the occurrence of BC (OR = 0.79, 95%CI [0.65–0.97]), (OR = 0.80, 95%CI [0.65–0.98]) and (OR = 0.78, 95%CI [0.63–0.96]) which correspond to CC vs. CA + AA; CC vs. CA; and CC vs. AA genetic models. Conclusion This is the first study to assess the effect of DNMTs on bladder cancer risk. No statistically significant association was found between polymorphisms of MTHFR, DNMT3A/B genes and bladder cancer development, except for the North African and the North American populations with rs1801133 and  rs1801131, respectively, with a protective effect of rs1801131 based on a sensitivity analysis

Pathogenicity of three entomopathogenic fungi, to the aphid species, Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and their Alkaline protease activities

Abstract The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of three entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) (Beauveria bassiana, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Verticillium alfalfae) on the aphid species, Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) (Hemiptera: Aphididae). The selected EPF were isolated from the agricultural soil of the National Institute of Plant Protection (INPV) in Constantine, Algeria, and were tested against the aphid insects that were collected from the same area. The aphid species M. dirhodum were exposed to each fungal spore suspensions 107 conidia/ml for 10 s. Percent mortality was recorded at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days post treatment. Percentage mortalities, 7 days post treatment, were 95.83, 63.98, and 51.83% by B. bassiana, C. cladosporioides, and V. alfalfae, respectively. The higher protease activities were observed for isolate V. alfalfae with 95 U/ml, followed by B. bassiana with 38.26 U/ml, and finally C. cladosporioides with 35, 65 U/ml. The results presented in this study revealed that there was no relation between high alkaline protease activities and high virulence isolates

La dysplasie ectodermique anhidrotique : à propos de deux cas

Les dysplasies ectodermiques constituent un groupe hétérogène de maladies qui touchent les organes d’origine ectodermique ainsi que leurs dérivés. Dans cet article, les auteurs rapportent les cas de deux soeurs atteintes d’une forme anhidrotique de la maladie ou syndrome de Christ Siemens Touraine. Les manifestations dentaires et leur traitement sont particulièrement soulignés

Seroprevalence of Leptospirosis among High-Risk Individuals in Morocco

International audienceBackground: Leptospirosis is an anthropozoonotic reemerging neglected infectious disease underreported in most developing countries. A cross-sectional study was performed between 17 and 23 February 2014 to estimate the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among high-risk populations in Casablanca (Morocco).Methods: A total of 490 human serum samples (97.6% males) were collected in 3 high-risk occupational sites including the biggest meat slaughterhouse (n = 208), a poultry market (n = 121), and the fish market (n = 161). A total of 125 human blood samples were also collected from the general population and used in this study as a control group. To detect the presence of anti-Leptospira, sera were screened with in-house IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were tested by Microscopic Agglutination Technique (MAT) using a panel of 24 serovar cultures and cut point of 1 : 25.Results: Seroprevalence of leptospirosis among the control group was 10.4% (13/125). A high seropositivity among the overall seroprevalence of 24.1% (118/490) was observed in the high-risk groups of which 7.3% (36/490), 13.7% (67/490), and 3.1% (15/490) were for anti-Leptospira IgM, IgG, and both IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Most of the positive individuals were occupationally involved in poultry (37.2%), followed by the market fish (26.1%) and the meat slaughterhouse (14.9%) workers. Among all ELISA-positive serum samples, 20.3% (n = 24) had positive MAT responses, of which the Icterohaemorrhagiae (n = 7) is the most common infecting serogroup followed by Javanica (4), Australis (2), and Sejroe, Mini, and Panama (one in each). In the remaining 8 MAT-positive sera, MAT showed equal titers against more than one serogroup.Conclusion: Individuals engaged in risk activities are often exposed to leptospiral infection. Therefore, control and prevention policies toward these populations are necessary