Para testicular rhabdomyosarcoma in adults: three case reports and review of literature

Paratesticular embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare tumor arising from the mesenchymal tissues of the spermatic cord, epididymis, testis and testicular tunics. We report three cases of adult paratesticular RMS, two embryonic and one pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma. All the patients underwent diagnostic orchidectomy. The work up investigations revealed lung metastases. Chemotherapy with Ifosfamide and Doxorubicin was used in two cases, whereas Vincristin- Actinomycin D and Cyclophosphamide was received in one case. An objective partial response was reported in 2 cases, with complete response in one case. Paratesticular RMS is a rare and aggressive tumor. Because of the absence of protocols designed specifically for adult patients, it is necessary to follow therapeutic guidelines in pediatric protocols

La complexité de la prise en charge odontostomatologique de la dysplasie cléido-crânienne (DCC) : rapport de cas et revue de littérature

Introduction : La dysplasie cléido-crânienne (DCC), anciennement connue sous le nom de dysostose cléido-crânienne, est une maladie génétique rare, aux formes d’expressions très variables et inconstantes. Observations : Un cas clinique pris en charge en collaboration entre le service d’odontologie chirurgicale et d’orthodontie du centre de consultation et traitement dentaire de Casablanca illustre notre propos. Il s’agissait d’un patient de 22 ans, consultant pour un retard d’éruption des incisives supérieures droites. À partir des éléments cliniques et radiologiques relevés lors des examens initiaux (atteinte claviculaire, anomalies dentaires et déformations cranio-faciales), le diagnostic évoqué était une dysplasie cléido-crânienne. La prise en charge du patient consistait à corriger les anomalies dentaires, à extraire les dents surnuméraires et à positionner les dents permanentes sur l’arcade de manière à obtenir une occlusion fonctionnelle, durable et esthétique. Discussion : La dysplasie cléido-crânienne (DCC) se manifeste principalement par des anomalies squelettiques, claviculaires, et odontostomatologiques nombreuses et évolutives. Ces dernières restent encore souvent à l’origine du diagnostic précoce et se révèlent parmi les plus handicapantes pour les patients. Ainsi, la prise en charge s’axe presque exclusivement sur la sphère oro-faciale et mobilise l’ensemble des disciplines odontologiques. Aujourd’hui, les démarches thérapeutiques tiennent compte des mécanismes physiopathologiques de l’affection et aboutissent à des résultats satisfaisants justifiant de longues périodes de traitement mobilisant les spécialistes et le patient. Conclusion : Dans tous les cas, c’est une véritable collaboration multidisciplinaire qui se met en place entre le médecin, le chirurgien-dentiste, le chirurgien maxillo-facial et l’orthodontiste pour corriger l’hypoplasie du massif facial et les anomalies dentaires

Characterization of Leachate and Assessment of the Leachate Pollution Index – A Study of the Controlled Landfill in Fez

The rapid increase in municipal solid waste in developing areas, as demonstrated by the Fez landfill, has led to the production of leachate with alarmingly high levels of pollutants, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive analysis and advanced treatment methods. This study uncovers exceptionally high concentrations of organic and inorganic substances, and heavy metals in the leachate, with Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) reaching 57,100 mg/L, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD₅) at 39,400 mg/L, and a significant presence of iron (Fe) at 1,370 mg/L, underscoring the extreme contamination levels. Importantly, this research introduces a notable contribution to the field by calculating a Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) of 88.8, a figure considerably exceeding the limits considered safe for environmental discharge. The results of the current study complement already existing information about the critical environmental threat posed by the leachate, emphasizing the necessity for extensive treatment prior to release into the environment. The study's insights are crucial for developing effective strategies to reduce the risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health, and for guiding policy and practice in waste management in developing regions

Distance learning in the wake of COVID-19 in Morocco

The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) has been one of the priorities of the Moroccan education system that date back to pre-COVID-19 period. Since 1999, the National Charter for Education and Training has accorded great importance to distance education (DE) and learning. Several programmes and initiatives (such as GENIE, NAFIDA, Telmidtice, Lycée Attahadi, …) were launched and funded by the government to promote the use of ICT in schools. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the shift to distance education was mandated to ensure pedagogical continuity. In the current study, a mixed-method research approach was used to assess the extent to which the adoption of distance learning in public educational institutions can ensure pedagogical continuity in Morocco during the outbreak period started from April to June 2020. The Analysis of the data collected from the quantitative study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic, DE was used occasionally due to the lack of technological equipment or knowledge and expertise to use it. During the COVID-19 crisis, 1teachers resorted to self-training and used available social media tools to support learners by sharing various resources with them. In addition, the data collected from the participatory observation of two virtual classes on the «Zoom» and «Teams » platforms showed that the use of videoconferencing in Morocco contributed, even partially, to solving the problem of pedagogical continuity. The experience of lessons broadcast in synchronous mode showed promising results at the technical level in terms of student participation and interactivity, resource sharing and transfer and a favorable classroom climate. However, there is still a lot of work to be done at the pedagogical and didactic level to better exploit the potential of this technology. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education is expected to make a huge effort to guarantee equal access to technology and the internet in order to ensure equitable education, especially in rural areas

La thérapie cellulaire du cartilage : bases cellulaires et moléculaires

L'augmentation de l'espérance de vie rend très urgente la mise au point de techniques de réparation des tissus lésés. Le cartilage articulaire est résistant, élastique et dure toute la vie. Il permet les mouvements des articulations et protége l'os sous-jacent contre les agressions mécaniques et traumatiques. Mais lorsqu'il est lésé, le cartilage ne se répare pas spontanément. Aucun traitement médicamenteux n'étant efficace à ce jour, il paraît licite d'agir précocement sur les lésions traumatiques du cartilage de façon à prévenir l'arthrose et reculer d'autant l'heure de la chirurgie prothétique. La thérapie cellulaire pourrait être une voie de prévention de la survenue de l'arthrose. Le cartilage ne contient qu'un seul type cellulaire, le chondrocyte qui synthétise et sécrète une abondante matrice protéique. Cette dernière assure le maintien des fonctions mécaniques du cartilage. Le concept de thérapie cellulaire consiste à combler la lésion cartilagineuse non seulement avec des chondrocytes sains, mais aussi à reconstituer la structure et les propriétés physico-chimiques de la matrice. La greffe de chondrocytes autologues est à la base de ce concept. Les recherches actuelles portent sur l'utilisation de cellules souches ou progénitrices, associées à un biomatériau "intelligent" permettant le maintien du caractère chondrogénique des cellules, l'introduction du greffon dans la lésion articulaire par des méthodes peu invasives et l'acquisition de propriétés mécaniques proches de celle du cartilage natif

Distribution of Fresh-Water Mollusks of the Gharb Area (Morocco)

To assess changes in the fauna of freshwater mollusks in the Gharb Plain (Morocco), 200 sites spread over five districts were surveyed between May 2012 and May 2013. A total of 11 species were identified. Physella acuta and Melanopsis praemorsa were most frequently encountered. Bulinus truncatus, an intermediate host of schistosomiasis in Morocco, and Planorbarius metidjensis, an intermediate host of schistosomiasis, were not harvested. The absence of these species may be due to a combination of climatic, biological and anthropogenic factors related to the changes that have occurred in the region

Basic fibroblast growth factor as a selective inducer of matrix Gla protein gene expression in proliferative chondrocytes.

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a member of the vitamin K-dependent gamma carboxylase protein family expressed in cartilage. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF1) stimulates chondrocyte differentiation, whereas basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) acts in an opposite manner. We explored the differential expression and regulation by IGF1 and FGF2 of the MGP gene during chondrocyte differentiation. We used a primary culture system of rabbit epiphyseal chondrocytes to show that MGP mRNA is mainly expressed during serum-induced proliferation. Much lower MGP mRNA content is observed in post-mitotic chondrocytes, which newly express alpha 1X procollagen mRNA, a marker of late-differentiated cells. From studies of a series of growth factors, it was shown that IGF1 decreased chondrocyte MGP transcripts, whereas FGF2 had the opposite effect. FGF2 stimulated chondrocyte MGP production in a dose- and time-dependent manner at the mRNA and protein levels. FGF2 acted in a dose- and time-dependent manner, reaching a maximum at 10 ng/ml at 20 h. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide did not modify FGF2 action, in agreement with a direct effect. Actinomycin D abolished FGF2-induced stimulation, strongly suggesting that FGF2 modulated MGP gene transcription. We transiently transfected chondrocytes with a construct containing the mouse MGP promoter from -5000 to -168 base pairs, relative to the transcription start site of the gene linked to the luciferase gene (MGP-Luc). In transfected cells, FGF2 stimulated luciferase activity up to sevenfold while IGF1 had no effect. Hence, FGF2 induces transcription of the MGP gene via the 5'-flanking region of the gene. Using a series of deleted MGP-Luc constructs, we identified a sequence of 748 base pairs which was sufficient for transcriptional activation by FGF2. These results led us to postulate that the inhibitory chondrogenic action of FGF2 involves a mechanism whereby MGP gene transcription and protein are induced

SUMOylation by SUMO2 is implicated in the degradation of misfolded ataxin-7 via RNF4 in SCA7 models

International audiencePerturbation of protein homeostasis and aggregation of misfolded proteins is a major cause of many human diseases. A hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is the intranuclear accumulation of mutant, misfolded ataxin-7 (polyQ-ATXN7). Here, we show that endogenous ATXN7 is modified by SUMO proteins, thus also suggesting a physiological role for this modification under conditions of proteotoxic stress caused by the accumulation of polyQ-ATXN7. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments, immunofluorescence microscopy and proximity ligation assays confirmed the colocalization and interaction of polyQ-ATXN7 with SUMO2 in cells. Moreover, upon inhibition of the proteasome, both endogenous SUMO2/3 and the RNF4 ubiquitin ligase surround large polyQ-ATXN7 intranuclear inclusions. Overexpression of RNF4 and/or SUMO2 significantly decreased levels of polyQ-ATXN7 and, upon proteasomal inhibition, led to a marked increase in the polyubiquitination of polyQ-ATXN7. This provides a mechanism for the clearance of polyQ-ATXN7 from affected cells that involves the recruitment of RNF4 by SUMO2/3-modified polyQ-ATXN7, thus leading to its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In a SCA7 knock-in mouse model, we similarly observed colocalization of SUMO2/3 with polyQ-ATXN7 inclusions in the cerebellum and retina. Furthermore, we detected accumulation of SUMO2/3 high-molecular-mass species in the cerebellum of SCA7 knock-in mice, compared with their wild-type littermates, and changes in SUMO-related transcripts. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the accumulation of SUMO proteins and RNF4 in the cerebellum of SCA7 patients. Taken together, our results show that the SUMO pathway contributes to the clearance of aggregated ATXN7 and suggest that its deregulation might be associated with SCA7 disease progression

Anti-inflammatory potential of Capparis spinosa L. in vivo in mice through inhibition of cell infiltration and cytokine gene expression

Abstract Background Several chronic inflammatory diseases are characterized by inappropriate CD4+ T cell response. In the present study, we assessed the ability of Capparis spinosa L. (CS) preparation to orientate, in vivo, the immune response mediated by CD4+ T cells towards an anti-inflammatory response. Methods The in vivo study was carried out by using the contact hypersensitivity (CHS) model in Swiss mice. Then we performed a histological analysis followed by molecular study by using real time RT-PCR. We also realized a phytochemical screening and a liquid-liquid separation of CS preparation. Results Our study allowed us to detect a significantly reduced edema in mice treated with CS preparations relative to control. CS effect was dose dependent, statistically similar to that observed with indomethacin, independent of the plant genotype and of the period of treatment. Furthermore, our histology studies revealed that CS induced a significant decrease in immune cell infiltration, in vasodilatation and in dermis thickness in the inflammatory site. Interestingly, we showed that CS operated by inhibiting cytokine gene expression including IFN\u3b3, IL-17 and IL-4. Besides, phytochemical screening of CS extract showed the presence of several chemical families such as saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids. One (hexane fraction) out of the three distinct prepared fractions, exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect similar to that of the raw preparation, and would likely contain the bioactive(s) molecule(s). Conclusions Altogether, our data indicate that CS regulates inflammation induced in vivo in mice and thus could be a source of anti-inflammatory molecules, which could be used in some T lymphocyte-dependent inflammatory diseases