Kyste hydatique du masséter: a propos d’un cas

La localisation cervico faciale et particulièrement musculaire massétérine est exceptionnelle même en zone d’endémie. Le kyste hydatique au niveau de cette localisation pose un problème de diagnostic et des difficultés thérapeutiques du fait de la présence de filets nerveux du VII. Les auteurs rapportent un cas rare de localisation primaire d’un kyste hydatique au niveau du muscle masséter.Mots clès : Kyste hydatique, face, masséter, imagerie, chirurgie

Mucormycose rhinosinusienne a extension palatine

Les mucormycoses sont des infections fongiques, aigues, rares et souvent fatales. Elles touchent avec prédilection les sujets  immunodéprimés. La forme rhinocérébrale est la plus fréquente. Le diagnostic repose sur l’examen clinique, anatomopathologique et mycologique. L’approche thérapeutique doit être multidisciplinaire. Les auteurs rapportent l’histoire clinique d’un patient, ayant présenté une mucormycose rhinosinusienne avec atteinte du palais au décours d’une infection dentaire. A travers cette observation, ils discutent les différents aspects cliniques, les moyens du diagnostic et les modalités thérapeutiques de la mucormycose rhinocérébrale.Mots clés : Infection fongique, mucormycose rhinocérébrale, zygomycètes, pronostic, traitement

Salt effect on physiological, biochemical and anatomical structures of two Origanum majorana varieties (Tunisian and Canadian)

In this study, we evaluated the salt concentration effect on plant growth, mineral composition, antioxidant responses and anatomical structure of two varieties of Origanum majorana after exposure to NaCl treatment. Our results show an inclusive behaviour of the two varieties, since the majority of sodium was exported and accumulated in their aerial parts. The Canadian variety (CV) appeared relatively more tolerant to salt than the Tunisian one (TV). Transversal section of leaves showed a thickening of dorsal and ventral cuticle, more importantly in CV than in TV, in the presence and in absence of salt. This was accompanied by an increase in the length of palisade cells, and the width of spongy collenchyma lacuna. The stem had a subquadrangular shape in TV and quadrangular in the Canadian variety. At mature stage, the stem pit was reabsorbed in the TV and replaced by a large cavity, whereas it remained unchanged in CV. The relative salt tolerance of the CV was related to: (1) a good selectivity in favour of K+: (2) a strong peroxidase activity and (3) an increase in the lengthening of palisade cell accompanied with an increase of lacunae in spongy parenchyma in CV.Key words: Origanum majorana, salinity, growth, mineral nutrition, leaves, stems, anatomical, antioxidant

Ethanolic Extract of Algerian Propolis Induced Cell Damage in Staphylococcus aureus: A Promising Alternative as a Natural Bio-Preservative in Food Products

This study describes the antistaphylococcal mechanism of the ethanolic extract of Algerian propolis on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. To investigate the underlying mechanism of action of the ethanolic extract of propolis, bacteriolysis, bacterial death, leakage of potassium, proteins, nucleic components, and scanning electron microscopic studies were conducted. The results showed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ethanolic extract of propolis against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was 39 μg ml–1. The extract displayed significant bactericid activity against S. aureus in a time and concentration dependant manner. Its mode of action was evident from the increase of K+ efflux and nucleotide leakage. These results were confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) that showed remarkable morphological and ultrastructural changes in S. aureus after exposure to 1MIC and 2MIC concentrations. The overall study contributed to the understanding of the antistaphylococcal mechanism of ethanolic extract of propolis. It emphasizes its potential to be used as an important natural bio-preservatives in food products

PP2A/B55 and Fcp1 regulate Greatwall and Ensa desphorylation during mitotic exit

Entry into mitosis is triggered by activation of Cdk1 and inactivation of its counteracting phosphatase PP2A/B55. Greatwall kinase inactivates PP2A/B55 via its substrates Ensa and ARPP19. Both Greatwall and Ensa/ARPP19 are regulated by phosphorylation, but the dynamic regulation of Greatwall activity and the phosphatases that control Greatwall kinase and its substrates are poorly understood. To address these questions we applied a combination of mathematical modelling and experiments using phospho-specific antibodies to monitor Greatwall, Ensa/ARPP19 and Cdk substrate phosphorylation during mitotic entry and exit. We demonstrate that PP2A/B55 is required for Gwl dephosphorylation at the essential Cdk site Thr194. Ensa/ARPP19 dephosphorylation is mediated by the RNA Polymerase II carboxy terminal domain phosphatase Fcp1. Surprisingly, neither Fcp1 nor PP2A appear to essential to dephosphorylate the bulk of mitotic Cdk1 substrates following Cdk1 inhibition. Taken together our results suggest a hierarchy of phosphatases coordinating Greatwall, Ensa/ARPP19 and Cdk substrate dephosphorylation during mitotic exit

A Constrained Fuzzy Knowledge-Based System for the Management of Container Yard Operations

The management of container yard operations is considered by yard operators to be a very challenging task due to the many uncertainties inherent in such operations. The storage of the containers is one of those operations that require proper management for the efficient utilisation of the yard, requiring rapid retrieval time and a minimum number of re-handlings. The main challenge is when containers of a different size, type, or weight need to be stored in a yard that holds a number of pre-existing containers. This challenge becomes even more complex when the date and time for the departure of the containers are unknown, as is the case when the container is collected by a third-party logistics company without any prior notice being given. The aim of this study is to develop a new system for the management of container yard operations that takes into consideration a number of factors and constraints that occur in a real-life situation. One of these factors is the duration of stay for the topmost containers of each stack, when the containers are stored. Because the duration of stay for containers in a yard varies dynamically over time, an ‘ON/OFF’ strategy is proposed to activate/deactivate the duration of stay factor constraint if the length of stay for these containers varies significantly over time. A number of tools and techniques are utilised for developing the proposed system including: discrete event simulation for the modelling of container storage and retrieval operations, a fuzzy know ledge-based model for the stack allocation of containers, and a heuristic algorithm called ‘neighbourhood’ for the container retrieval operation. Results show that by adopting the proposed ‘ON/OFF’ strategy, 5% of the number of re-handlings, 2.5% of the total retrieval time, 6.6% of the total re-handling time and 42% of the average waiting time per truck are reduced