Écosystèmes méditerranéens menacés par les changements globaux et les pressions anthropogéniques : vulnérabilité et capacité adaptative des forêts du Nord Liban

Situé au confluent de trois continents, et en raison de sa topographie accidentée, sa biogéographie, sa géologie et les civilisations humaines particulières au bassin méditerranéen qui y sont établies, le Liban abrite des forêts exceptionnelles par leurs variations et caractéristiques, représentant un trait unique dans l’environnement aride de la Méditerranée orientale. Le Nord Liban compte une mosaïque de peuplements forestiers à grande richesse spécifique. Cependant, ces forêts sont soumises à diverses pressions d’origine naturelle et anthropique pesant sur leurs ressources intrinsèques. Cet article vise à estimer la capacité des forêts du Nord Liban à réagir aux changements globaux et aux pressions humaines à travers l’évaluation de la vulnérabilité de quatre formations forestières-types de la région en fonction de leur exposition, sensibilité et capacité d’adaptation à des facteurs de stress spécifiques, et en se basant sur des indicateurs/descripteurs des pressions abiotiques et des pratiques anthropiques. Les résultats illustrent une vulnérabilité relativement élevée des forêts au (sur)pâturage, aux incendies et à l’expansion urbaine et agricole. Bien que ces dernières détiennent une capacité d’adaptation élevée inhérente à leurs structures diverses, caractéristiques physiologiques et richesse en biodiversité, la fréquence rapide des impacts risque de compromettre leurs mécanismes d’adaptation et de défier leur capacité de résilience surtout en vue des changements climatiques globauxLocated at the crossroad of three continents, in a complex context of topography, biogeography, geology and historic human settlements particular to the Mediterranean basin, Lebanon hosts very particular forests representing a unique feature in the arid environment of the Eastern Mediterranean. North Lebanon embraces several types of forest stands with high specific richness. These forests are however subject to several anthropogenic and natural threats. This paper aims at assessing their ability to cope with and adapt to global changes and human disturbances, through an evaluation of the vulnerability of four representative stands of the North forest communities as a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, with respect to specific indicators/descriptors related to biotic pressures and anthropogenic practices. Results illustrate a relatively high vulnerability of forests to overgrazing, fire events and increasing agricultural and urban encroachment. These stands have an important adaptive capacity inherent to their diverse structures, physiological characteristics and species richness. However, impacts are rapidly and frequently occurring in a way that will probably challenge their ability to provide a response and defy their resilience especially in view of the plodding effects of climate chang

Lung Function and Respiratory Health of Populations Living Close to Quarry Sites in Palestine: A Cross-Sectional Study

Environmental exposure to dust from quarrying activities could pose health dangers to the population living nearby. This study aimed to investigate the health effects of dust exposure on people living close to quarry sites and compared them with those who live far from the quarry sites. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted among 79 exposed participants, who lived less than 500 m away from the quarry sites, and 79 control participants who lived more than 500 m away. All participants answered a questionnaire on dust exposure at home and health effects, as well as performed a lung function test in which both reported and measured health effects were investigated. People who live in close proximity to the quarry sites reported exposure to dust at home (98%), land destruction (85%), plant leaves covered with dust (97%), and an inability to grow crops (92%). The exposed group reported significantly higher eye and nasal allergy (22% vs. 3%), eye soreness (18% vs. 1%), and dryness (17% vs. 3%), chest tightness (9% vs. 1%), and chronic cough (11% vs. 0%) compared to the control group. Lung function parameters were significantly lower among the exposed group compared to the control group; mean forced vital capacity (FVC) was 3.35 L vs. 3.71 L (p = 0.001), mean forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) was 2.78 L vs. 3.17 L (p = 0.001). Higher levels of airway restriction were found among the exposed group. Among the exposed group, lung function parameters worsened with the increasing closeness of home to the quarry site. This study demonstrates the negative health effects of environmental dust exposure among two communities living near quarry sites in Palestine. The results highlight the importance of developing and strictly enforcing rules and regulations in Palestine to protect population health

Process simulation of tar removal from gasification producer gas

International audienc

Towards synthetic fuels production from biomass gasification: Tar content at low temperatures

International audienc

Mediterranean ecosystems challenged by global changes and anthropogenic pressures: vulnerability and adaptive capacity of forests in North Lebanon

International audienceno abstrac

A case report: The first show phenomenon in the treatment of spinal cord injury with Regentime procedure using autologous bone marrow‐derived stem cells

Key Clinical Message Promising outcomes are shown in this case report using the Regentime procedure and autologous stem cells to treat spinal cord injury. The observed “First Show Phenomenon” provides valuable insights into the therapy's potential for spinal cord injury. Abstract This case report demonstrates “the first show phenomenon” following Regentime stem cell therapy applied to a spinal cord injury patient. A 40‐year‐old gentleman sustained a ballistic injury at the level of T9, resulting in complete bilateral motor and sensory loss from T9 and below. He was treated with autologous bone marrow‐derived mononuclear stem cells injected into his spinal canal 2.5 years after his injury. Follow‐up during the first‐week posttransplantation showed early symptom improvement termed “the first show phenomenon.” He regained sensation to light touch in his lower limbs by the end of week 1 and reported no serious implications or complications

The Regentime stem cell procedure, successful treatment for a Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease case

Key Clinical Message This report highlights the successful treatment of a Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease case using the Regentime stem cell procedure, suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic approach for patients suffering from this challenging condition

Type II diabetes mellitus and hyperhomocysteinemia: a complex interaction

Background: Elevated homocysteine (Hc) levels have a well-established and clear causal relationship to epithelial damage leading to coronary artery disease. Furthermore, it is strongly associated with other metabolic syndrome variables, such as hypertension, which is correlated with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Studies on T2DM in relation to Hc levels have shown both positive and negative associations. The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between Hc levels and risk of T2DM in the Lebanese population. Methods: We sought to identify whether Hc associates positively or negatively with diabetes in a case–control study, where 2755 subjects enrolled from patients who had been catheterized for coronary artery diagnosis and treatment. We further sought to identify whether the gene variant MTHFR 667C>T is associated with T2DM, and how Hc and MTHFR 667C>T also impact other correlates of T2DM, including the widely used diuretics in this study population. Results: We found that Hc levels were significantly reduced among subjects with diabetes compared to those without diabetes when adjusted for all potential confounders (OR 0.640; 95% CI [0.44–0.92]; p = 0.0200). The associations between Hc levels and other variates contradicted the result: hypertension associates positively with high Hc levels, and with T2DM. The MTHFR 667C>T only associated significantly with high Hc levels. Conclusion: These results suggest population-specific variations among a range of mechanisms that modulate the association of Hc and T2DM, providing a probe for future studies