Phenolic compounds in date palm cultivars sensitive and resistant toFusarium oxysporum

In date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves, the main compounds of the phenolic pool were quercetin and isorhamnetin heterosides, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin. Although previously observed only in date palm fruits, 5-caffeoylshikimic acid (dactylifric acid) and its positional isomers (3-caffeoylshikimic acid and 4-caffeoylshikimic acid) were detected also in the leaves and roots. Quantitative, but not qualitative, differences between cultivars resistant and susceptible toFusarium oxysporum f. sp.albedinis during growth period were observed Acknowledgements: The authors are very grateful to Dr. Janati, Director of SCAS (INRA, Marrakech) for supplying the plant material used in this study. The study was funded by the Programme de Cooperation Franco-Marocaine (Al 473/90) between Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech, Maroc) and Montpellier II University (France)     

Differences in Activity Budgets and Diet Between Semiprovisioned and Wild‐Feeding Groups of the Endangered Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus) in the Central High Atlas Mountains,Morocco

The Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus is a very adaptable primate species occupying a wide range of habitats in Morocco and Algeria. Several groups of this endangered macaque can be found in tourist sites, where they are affected by the presence of visitors providing food to them. We compare the activity budgets and the diet of semiprovisioned and wild‐feeding groups of Barbary macaques in the central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco from February to August 2008. We used instantaneous scan sampling at 15‐min intervals. The behaviors included in the activity budget were feeding, moving, foraging, resting, and aggressive display. Food items were grouped into seven categories. We found no differences between the two groups in the daily percentages of records attributed to feeding. The semiprovisioned group spent significantly more time engaged in resting and aggressive behavior, and foraged and moved significantly less than the wild‐feeding group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in time spent eating leaves, fruits, or roots and bark. The semiprovisioned group, however, spent significantly less time per day feeding on herbs, seeds, and acorns than the wild‐feeding group. Human food accounted for 26% of the daily feeding records for the semiprovisioned group and 1% for the wild‐feeding group. Our findings agree with previous studies and indicate that in the tourist site, where food is highly clumped, macaques decreased foraging time yet showed higher levels of contest competition. Our results support the common claim that the diet of the Barbary macaque is highly flexible, differing among its varied habitats. Conservation efforts for the Barbary macaques should take into account the changes in behavior that human‐modified environments may cause.     

Comparative analysis of storage conditions and homogenization methods for tick and flea species for identification by MALDI‐TOF MS

Ticks and fleas are vectors for numerous human and animal pathogens. Controlling them, which is important in combating such diseases, requires accurate identification, to distinguish between vector and non‐vector species. Recently, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) was applied to the rapid identification of arthropods. The growth of this promising tool, however, requires guidelines to be established. To this end, standardization protocols were applied to species of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Latreille and Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Bouché, including the automation of sample homogenization using two homogenizer devices, and varied sample preservation modes for a period of 1–6 months. The MS spectra were then compared with those obtained from manual pestle grinding, the standard homogenization method. Both automated methods generated intense, reproducible MS spectra from fresh specimens. Frozen storage methods appeared to represent the best preservation mode, for up to 6 months, while storage in ethanol is also possible, with some caveats for tick specimens. Carnoy's buffer, however, was shown to be less compatible with MS analysis for the purpose of identifying ticks or fleas. These standard protocols for MALDI‐TOF MS arthropod identification should be complemented by additional MS spectrum quality controls, to generalize their use in monitoring arthropods of medical interest.     

Are you my mother? Kin recognition in the ant Formica fusca

In social insects, workers trade personal reproduction for indirect fitness returns from helping their mother rear collateral kin. Colony membership is generally used as a proxy for kin discrimination, but the question remains whether recognition allows workers to discriminate between kin and nonkin regardless of colony affiliation. We investigated whether workers of the ant Formica fusca can identify their mother when fostered with their mother, their sisters, a hetero‐colonial queen or hetero‐colonial workers. We found that workers always displayed less aggression towards both their mother and their foster queen, as compared to an unfamiliar hetero‐colonial queen. In support of this finding, workers maintain their colony hydrocarbon profile regardless of foster regime, yet show modifications when exposed to different environments. This indicates that recognition entails environmental and genetic components, which allow both discrimination of kin in the absence of prior contact and learning of recognition cues based on group membership.     

Hand Mycetoma: The Mycetoma Research Centre Experience and Literature Review

Mycetoma is a devastating, neglected tropical disease characterised by extensive tissue involvement resulting in destruction, deformities and disabilities in the affected patients. The hand is commonly affected by mycetoma thus compromises its functionality and hinder the patient’s daily activities of living. In this communication, we report on 533 patients with hand mycetoma managed over a period of 24 years at the Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. Eumycetoma was the commonest type of mycetoma (83.3%) encountered. Males were predominately affected (69.2%) with a sex ratio of 2.2:1. The majority of the patients (84%) were young adult below the age of 40 years old at presentation. The generality of patients (86.4%) were from the Sudan mycetoma belt. Children and adolescents (28.1%), farmers (18.2%) and workers (17.4%) were more frequently affected. The majority of patients (67.4%) had disease duration of less than 5 years at presentation. The study, did not document significant history of local trauma, familial tendency, concomitant medical diseases or other predisposing cause for mycetoma in this population. Pain (23.1%) was not a disease feature in this series and 52% of patients had past surgery for mycetoma and recurrence. The right hand was affected most (60.4%), and 64% of them had small lesion at presentation. Conventional x-ray was only helpful in patients with advanced disease and the MRI accurately determined the disease extension. Cytological smears, surgical biopsies histopathological examination and grains culture were the principal diagnostic tools for causative organisms’ identification. In the present series it was difficult to determine the treatment outcome due to high patients follow up dropout.     

Circulating cell-free DNA,peripheral lymphocyte subsets alterations and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio in assessment of COVID-19 severity

Cell destruction results in plasma accumulation of cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Dynamic changes in circulating lymphocytes are features of COVID-19. We aimed to investigate if cfDNA level can serve in stratification of COVID-19 patients, and if cfDNA level is associated with alterations in lymphocyte subsets and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). This cross-sectional comparative study enrolled 64 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. Patients were subdivided to severe and non-severe groups. Plasma cfDNA concentration was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Lymphocyte subsets were assessed by flow cytometry. There was significant increase in cfDNA among severe cases when compared with non-severe cases. cfDNA showed positive correlation with NLR and inverse correlation with T cell percentage. cfDNA positively correlated with ferritin and C-reactive protein. The output data of performed ROC curves to differentiate severe from non-severe cases revealed that cfDNA at cut-off ≥17.31 ng/µl and AUC of 0.96 yielded (93%) sensitivity and (73%) specificity. In summary, excessive release of cfDNA can serve as sensitive COVID-19 severity predictor. There is an association between cfDNA up-regulation and NLR up-regulation and T cell percentage down-regulation. cfDNA level can be used in stratification and personalized monitoring strategies in COVID-19 patients.     

Discrimination Between Paraffin-Embedded and Frozen Skin Sections Using Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy

The difference between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections is always questionable. Ten patients of early stage mycosis fungoides, ten patients with psoriasis and ten normal controls were included in this study. Aim of this study is to differentiate between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections in inflammatory and malignant dermatoses using synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy (SIRM). It was found that epidermal beta sheets in paraffin-embedded sections were higher in a highly significant manner than frozen sections (P < 0.001). Also, epidermal nucleic acids in paraffin-embedded sections were lower in a highly significant manner than frozen sections (P < 0.001). However, when various skin diseases were compared with the control. It was found that the difference between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections were almost similar. In conclusion SIRM is a unique promising diagnostic technique and it seems that frozen processing preserve skin tissue more, this was represented by less apoptosis (beta sheets) and more nucleic acids than paraffin processing. However, there are still many advantages of both approaches over the other depending on the goal of the study.     

Impact of pyrethroid-impregnated curtains on Phlebotomus papatasi sandflies indoors at Khartoum, Sudan

Laboratory and field investigations were made in an endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Khartoum State, Sudan, to evaluate the effects of permethrin-impregnated curtains on the human-biting activity, nocturnal activity and resting behaviour of the vector sandfly Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) indoors. Laboratory bioassays showed that curtains impregnated with 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 g/m2 permethrin all gave 100% mortality within 24h of exposure of P. papatasi for 3 min. Under natural field conditions, the biting activity indoors and the resting density of P. papatasi were significantly reduced (P<0.001 and P=0.036, respectively) in rooms provided with permethrin-impregnated curtains as compared to control rooms left without curtains or fitted with unimpregnated curtains. No significant difference was found between the numbers of nocturnally active P. papatasi collected in rooms provided with impregnated curtains and rooms left without curtains or provided with unimpregnated curtains (P=0.377). Evidently P. papatasi was not repelled by these doses of permethrin on curtains, but the survival rate of sandflies collected from test rooms provided with permethrin-impregnated curtains was significantly reduced (P=0.036). We conclude that use of permethrin-impregnated curtains may provide a good control method for P. papatasi and other endophilic and/or endophagic sandfly vectors of leishmaniasis.