Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils of Cupressus arizonica Greene

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from leaves, branches and female cones of Cupressus arizonica Greene cultivated in Tunisia was determined by GC and GC/MS analysis. Significant differences were found between the constituent percentages of the different oils. Among the 87 identified components α-pinene (60.5% in female cones), umbellulone (18.4% in leaves), δ-3-carene (15.6% in branches) and cis-muurola-4(14),5-diene (9.4% in leaves) were found to be the major ones.Composition of essential oils extracted from different organs of C. arizonica Greene growing in Tunisia showed remarkable differences from the same species cultivated in Algeria, Argentina, Iran, Italy, France and Texas based on a comparison with published results. The in vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oils samples was evaluated against some Gram positive and negative bacteria.     

Les manifestations hématologiques du lupus érythémateux systémique. A propos de 70 cas dans une série de 80 LES

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a non-organ specific auto-immune disease which commonly has haematological manifestations. The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological aspects of haematological manifestations among 80 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

A retrospective study of 80 SLE patients covering the period between 1990 and May 2005.

Results

From among the 80 patients with SLE, 70 had haematological manifestations, of which 65 women and 5 men. Average age was 32.41 years. The most commonly-observed haematological manifestation was anaemia (83.75%), followed by bicytopaenia (63.75%) then leukocytopaenia and/or lymphocytopaenia (62.5).     

Occurrence of Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Tunisia, with emphasis on the bluetongue vector Culicoides imicola

Following the bluetongue (BT) outbreaks in Tunisia from 1999 to 2002, BTV (bluetongue virus) serotype 2 was isolated; however, no entomological investigation was performed. In the study presented here, we assessed the Culicoides species populations (particularly C. imicola) in proximity to the BT outbreaks locations, both as a retrospective analysis and to update the list of Culicoides species present in Tunisia. The insects were caught using light traps and the species identification was performed according to the standard entomological methods. This study reveaaled the presence of significant numbers of C. imicola in all the tested locations. In addition, we reported a new Culicoides species for the Tunisian fauna C. punctatus.     

Effects of phosphogypsum on the growth of potato plants overexpressing the StDREB1 transcription factor

We developed an efficient system for agrobacterial transformation of plum (Prunus domestica L.) leaf explants using the PMI/mannose and GFP selection system. The cultivar ‘Startovaya’ was transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain CBE21 carrying the vector pNOV35SGFP. Leaf explants were placed onto a nutrient medium containing various concentrations and combinations of mannose and sucrose to develop an efficient selection system. Nine independent transgenic lines of plum plants were obtained on a regeneration medium containing 20 g/L sucrose and 15 g/L mannose. The highest transformation frequency (1.40?%) was produced using a delayed selection strategy. Starting from the 1st days after transformation and ending by regeneration of shoots from the transgenic callus, selection of transgenic cells was monitored by GFP fluorescence that allowed avoiding formation of escapes. Integration of the manA and gfp transgenes was confirmed by PCR and Southern blotting. The described transformation protocol using a positive PMI/mannose system is an alternative selection system for production of transgenic plum plants without genes of antibiotic and herbicide resistance, and the use of leaf explants enables retention of cultivar traits of plum plants.     

Leberagin-C,A disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich protein from Macrovipera lebetina transmediterranea venom,inhibits alphavbeta3 integrin-mediated cell adhesion

Leberagin-C, a new member of the disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich (D/C) family, was purified to homogeneity from the venom of Tunisian snake Macrovipera lebetina transmediterranea. It is a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 25,787 Da. Its complete sequence of 205 amino acid residues was established by cDNA cloning. The leberagin-C shows many conserved sequences with other known D/C proteins, like the SECD binding sites and a pattern of 28 cysteines. It is the first purified protein from M. lebetina transmediterranea with only two disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich domains. Leberagin-C is able to inhibit platelet aggregation induced by thrombin and arachidonic acid with IC₅₀ of 40 and 50 nM respectively. It was also able to inhibit the adhesion of melanoma tumour cells on fibrinogen and fibronectin, by interfering with the function of alphavbeta3 and, to a lesser extent, with alphavbeta6 and alpha5beta1 integrins. To our knowledge, leberagin-C is the sole described D/C protein that does not specifically interact with the alpha2beta1 integrin. Structure–activity relationship study of leberagin-C suggested that there are some important amino acid differences with jararhagin, the most studied PIII metalloprotease from Bothrops jararaca, notably around the SECD motif in its disintegrin-like domain. Other regions implicated in leberagin-C specificities could not be excluded.     

Managing the risk of cancer in Cowden syndrome: a case report

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Cowden syndrome is a rare cancer predisposition syndrome inherited in an autosomaldominantfashion. The syndrome is characterized by hamartomatous polyps that affectmultiple organs: skin, mucous membranes, thyroid, breast, gastrointestinal tract,endometrium and brain. It is also associated with an increased risk of developing malignancyin many tissues but especially breast, thyroid and endometrium. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 30-year-old Tunisian woman with mental retardation who presentedto our facility with rectal hamartomatous polyps. Her medical history included fibrocysticdisease of the breast over the last three years. A physical examination revealed macrocephaly,hyperkeratotic papules on the mid-facial skin, palmoplantar keratosis and oral mucosalpapillomatosis. A breast examination revealed nodular breast tissue bilaterally and a diffusethyroid goiter. Our patient was clinically euthyroid. A total thyroidectomy was performed. Ahistopathologic examination revealed thyroid papillary carcinoma. A gastrointestinalevaluation revealed esophageal and gastric polyps. Biopsies showed hyperplastic andadenomatous lesions associated with Helicobacter pylori. A final diagnosis of Cowdensyndrome was made according to the syndrome testing criteria adapted by the US NationalComprehensive Cancer Network. A prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was proposed butrefused by our patient. Our patient was kept under surveillance for breast and colorectalmalignancies. CONCLUSIONS: Early and accurate diagnosis of Cowden syndrome is essential because it is a cancerpredisposition syndrome that carries an increased risk for developing malignancy in manytissues, especially breast and thyroid. For this reason, education regarding the signs andsymptoms of cancer is important. All patients must be screened for malignancies and optionsfor prophylactic mastectomy should be discussed. Guidelines for cancer screening includingsurveillance and management plans for these patients should be distinguished from those ofthe general population, and may lead to a more timely diagnosis and treatment of cancersassociated with this syndrome.     

Morphological and genetic characterization of the sharpsnout seabream populations (Diplodus puntazzo,Sparidae) along a boundary area between the two Mediterranean basins

In order to test the potential ecological role of the Siculo-Tunisian Strait as a geographic barrier, the morphological and genetic variation of eight Tunisian samples of the sharpsnout seabream, Diplodus puntazzo, were studied, based on 23 truss network elements and 13 polymorphic allozyme loci. Significant morphological differences were observed between studied samples, especially between lagoon ones. Although genetic data did not support the detected morphometric variation, F-statistics indices (F_IS and F_ST) revealed a significant departure from panmixia with heterozygote deficiencies and slight genetic differentiation between samples. Genetic results suggested the existence of moderate and local genetic heterogeneity that can be explained by the chaotic genetic patchiness hypothesis. Morphological and genetic results showed that the Siculo-Tunisian Strait does not seem to act as a barrier limiting the connectivity between the natural populations of D. puntazzo, at least at the scale of the Tunisian coast. Thus, the phenotypic variation identified in this study appears to be environmentally induced through the exploitation of different ecological niches and hydrodynamic constraints.     

Effects of lunar phases on short-term,explosive physical performance among young trained athletes

Beliefs that lunar phases affect human physiology started in ancient times. Research has recently revealed that a physical fitness index increased in sedentary students at the new moon (NM) and full moon (FM) compared to other moon phases. However, the effect of lunar cycle (moon illumination and gravitational pull) on physical performance in athletes was not examined. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether short-term explosive performance can be influenced by the different phases of the lunar cycle. Fourteen young male Taekwondo athletes (age: 16.9 ± 0.7 years, height: 159.7 ± 50.6 cm, body mass: 62.85 ± 7.84 kg) performed the following tests to assess the explosive physical performance during the different phases of the lunar cycle (NM, FQ (first quarter), FM, and LQ (last quarter)): maximal isometric manual contraction (dominant hand (MIMCD) and non-dominant hand (MIMCND)), maximal back isometric contraction (MBIC), squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 10-m sprint (10 m). The testing sessions during the different moon phases were performed in a counterbalanced order. The order of tests remained the same (MIMCD, MIMCND, MBIC, SJ, CMJ, and 10 m), and all sessions were performed in the evening (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.) on the first day of each evaluated lunar phase. Each parameter was measured over two consecutive lunar months in the calendar. Analysis of variance tests showed that there was no significant effect of lunar cycle on all explosive test measures, p > 0.05. Our results failed to identify any effect of lunar phase on evening explosive performance (mainly involving phosphagen pathway-based efforts) among young trained athletes. Therefore, it appears that moon phase/illumination does not affect short-term physical performance in young trained adolescents.