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Harmful algal blooms have been documented in the Moroccan Western Mediterranean region since 1993, primarily associated with the presence of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) produced by the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum. The proliferation of this neurotoxic species has led to recurring bans on the harvesting of molluscs, resulting in significant socio-economic repercussions and threats to human health. In the present study, we examine the dynamics of G. catenatum and mollusc PST contamination patterns over a 20-year period (2002-2021) in two distinct marine ecosystems: M'diq Bay and the Oued Laou Estuary. For the PST contamination, we considered two commercially important shellfish species: the smooth clam, Callista Chione, and the cockle, Acanthocardia tuberculata. The highest G. catenatum abundances were consistently observed from November to February in both sites. Our data revealed inter-annual variations in G. catenatum abundance, peaking at 91,840 cells.L -1 in November 2011. PST contamination levels in A. tuberculata were significantly higher than those observed in C. chione. Furthermore, we identified a significant correlation (Pearson, P-value <0.05) between PST contamination of smooth clams and the abundance of G. catenatum. The contamination of A. tuberculata by PSTs reached very high levels, with up to 13,500 μg STX di-HCl eq. kg -1 of shellfish meat, exceeding the established safety thresholds by 16-fold. Additionally, there has been an increase in the prevalence and incidence of PSTs over the years. Notably, we observed a substantial increase in G. catenatum blooms and PST events in the Western Mediterranean during the last decade (2010-2021). The examined data suggest that rainfall could play a pivotal role in G. catenatum bloom dynamics by enriching marine waters with nutrients. The statistical model selection approaches indicated that nutrient concentrations (i.e., nitrate and phosphorus) were the most significant parameters for G. catenatum blooms in the studied area., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: This study has developed a data processing protocol based on mass defect analysis for the automatic construction of unique peak lists addressing the need for the fast and efficient treatment of databases of mass spectra with limited mass resolution., Methods: The data processing protocol, implemented in MATLAB, is tested on a database of 126 mass spectra obtained from time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis of the exhaust of a laboratory diesel miniCAST burner deposited on Ti substrates., Results: The data processing protocol converts the mass spectra into a data matrix suitable for chemometrics (peak list) by combining mass defect analysis and multivariate analysis. In particular, the role of the mass defect analysis is expanded to improve mass calibration and automate the construction of the peak list., Conclusions: In this context, mass defect analysis becomes an invaluable technique for the efficient processing of databases of mass spectra with limited mass resolution by allowing the fast and automated construction of a peak list common to all mass spectra, by improving the mass calibration, and finally by reducing the number of molecular formulae consistent with a given accurate mass, thus facilitating the identification of unknown ions., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the helminth Schistosoma spp. and has the second highest global impact of all parasites. Schistosoma are transmitted through contact with contaminated fresh water predominantly in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Due to the widespread prevalence of Schistosoma , co-infection with other infectious agents is common but often poorly described. Herein, we review recent literature describing the impact of Schistosoma co-infection between species and Schistosoma co-infection with blood-borne protozoa, soil-transmitted helminths, various intestinal protozoa, Mycobacterium , Salmonella , various urinary tract infection-causing agents, and viral pathogens. In each case, disease severity and, of particular interest, the immune landscape, are altered as a consequence of co-infection. Understanding the impact of schistosomiasis co-infections will be important when considering treatment strategies and vaccine development moving forward., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Few works have been carried out on benthic harmful algal blooms (BHAB) species in the southern Mediterranean and no data are available for the highly dynamic Strait of Gibraltar (western Mediterranean waters). For the first time, Ostreopsis sp. 9, Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis were isolated in this key region in terms of exchanges between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and subject to intense maritime traffic. Ribotyping confirmed the morphological identification of these three dinoflagellates species. Monoclonal cultures were established and the maximum growth rate and cell yield were measured at a temperature of 24 °C and an irradiance of 90 µmol photons m -2 s -1 , for each species: 0.26 ± 0.02 d -1 (8.75 × 10 3 cell mL -1 after 28 days) for Ostreopsis sp. 9, 0.21 ± 0.01 d -1 (49 × 10 3 cell mL -1 after 145 days) for P. lima and 0.21 ± 0.01 d -1 (10.02 × 10 3 cell mL -1 after 28 days) for C. monotis . Only P. lima was toxic with concentrations of okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1 measured in optimal growth conditions ranging from 6.4 pg cell -1 to 26.97 pg cell -1 and from 5.19 to 25.27 pg cell -1 , respectively. The toxin content of this species varied in function of the growth phase. Temperature influenced the growth and toxin content of P. lima . Results suggest that future warming of Mediterranean coastal waters may lead to higher growth rates and to increases in cellular toxin levels in P. lima . Nitrate and ammonia affected the toxin content of P. lima but no clear trend was noted. In further studies, we have to isolate other BHAB species and strains from Strait of Gibraltar waters to obtain more insight into their diversity and toxicity.

Background: Aortic valve stenosis involves inflammation, excess deposition of a collagen-rich extracellular matrix, and calcification. Recent studies have shown that M1 or inflammatory macrophages derived from infiltrating monocytes promote calcification of valvular interstitial cells, the most prevalent cell type of the aortic valve. We hypothesized that valvular interstitial cells could modulate inflammatory macrophages phenotype., Methods: We first assessed macrophage phenotype in human aortic valve stenosis and control aortic valves from donors. Then, we examined profibrotic and inflammatory-related gene expression in valves and valvular interstitial cells. Finally, we investigated whether valvular interstitial cells can modify the phenotype of inflammatory macrophages., Results: Circulating monocytes and plasma transforming growth factor beta-1 levels of patients with aortic valve stenosis were significantly higher compared with patients without aortic valve stenosis. Histologic analysis of thickened spongiosa of the aortic valve from patients with aortic valve stenosis showed a high macrophage infiltration but a low matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression compared with control aortic valves. On the other hand, valvular interstitial cell culture of aortic valve stenosis exhibited a profibrotic phenotype with a high expression of transforming growth factor beta-1 and transforming growth factor beta-1/transforming growth factor beta-3 ratio but a decreased expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma nuclear receptor. Valvular interstitial cell-conditioned media of aortic valve stenosis led to a decrease in enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and an increase in production of collagen in inflammatory macrophages compared with valvular interstitial cell-conditioned media from control aortic valve donors., Conclusions: These findings indicate that profibrotic valvular interstitial cells promote the imbalance of extracellular matrix remodeling by reducing matrix metalloproteinase-9 production on inflammatory macrophages that lead to excessive collagen deposition observed in aortic valve stenosis. Further investigation is needed to clarify the role of transforming growth factor beta-1/proliferator-activated receptor gamma nuclear receptor/matrix metalloproteinase-9 in aortic valve stenosis., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The number of newly described sandfly-borne phleboviruses has been steadily growing in recent years. Some phleboviruses are human pathogens, but their health relevance is largely uncharacterized. We aimed to investigate the circulation of these viruses in the Emilia-Romagna region where several have already been described. A total of 482 sandflies were collected in a site in Reggio Emilia in 2019 and 2020. Sandflies collected in 2020 were grouped in 21 pools with a maximum of 25 sandflies per pool, submitted to real time PCR, and isolated in Vero cell culture. Complete genome sequencing showed the isolation of a strain of a Ponticelli III virus. This virus, which belongs to the species Adana phlebovirus , differed in the M segment from the Ponticelli I and Ponticelli II viruses. Analysis performed on the genomic segments of the newly isolated virus compared with other phleboviruses highlighted a strong purifying selection in the L segments, and different substitution saturation, highest in the M segments. Future research should address the ecological processes driving the occurrence of these novel phleboviruses and their possible impact on public health.

Metformin (MET) is the most prescribed antidiabetic drug, but its mechanisms of action remain elusive. Recent data point to the gut as MET's primary target. Here, we explored the effect of MET on the gut glucose transport machinery. Using human enterocytes (Caco-2/TC7 cells) in vitro , we showed that MET transiently reduced the apical density of sodium-glucose transporter 1 (SGLT1) and decreased the absorption of glucose, without changes in the mRNA levels of the transporter. Administered 1 h before a glucose challenge in rats (Wistar, GK), C57BL6 mice and mice pigs, oral MET reduced the post-prandial glucose response (PGR). This effect was abrogated in SGLT1-KO mice. MET also reduced the luminal clearance of 2-( 18 F)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose after oral administration in rats. In conclusion, oral metformin transiently lowers post-prandial glucose response by reducing the apical expression of SGLT1 in enterocytes, which may contribute to the clinical effects of the drug., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023.)

Leishmaniasis is endemic in Morocco where both cutaneous and visceral forms coexist. To date, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) determinants remain poorly investigated in Morocco. However, the disease risk factors identification is vital to determine the specific preventive process. In this aim, a case-control study was conducted in the main active ACL foci in central Morocco. Epidemiological data were extracted from bulletins, registers and annual reports of the regional direction of Health offices. The socioeconomic and environmental data were collected from epidemiological surveys, completed by a questionnaire intended for accessible positive population and control people selected from the cases' entourage. The study included 258 cases and 395 controls. Our results showed that many socioeconomic factors were associated with ACL in Morocco such as the rural habitation (OR = 4.163; 95% CI: 2.91-5.96), movement to endemic area (OR = 4.53; 95% CI: 3.03-6.77), provenance from leishmaniasis foci (in Essaouira focus OR = 5.34; 95% CI: 1.19-24.03) and poverty. In addition, environmental factors like proximity of vegetation (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.14-5.25), poor domestic hygiene, particularly the absence of sewage system/waste management (OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.35-1.96), and presence of animals (OR = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.14-5.25) increase the risk of ACL in Morocco. Except for Matrimonial status (married people, OR = 4.11; 95% CI: 1.80-9.41), there is however no significant association of the disease with the other socio-demographic factors in the study area (p>0.05). These several risk factors must be taken in consideration to prevent this disease through multidisciplinary collaboration and community participation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We propose an automatic method to estimate self-reported pain based on facial landmarks extracted from videos. For each video sequence, we decompose the face into four different regions and the pain intensity is measured by modeling the dynamics of facial movement using the landmarks of these regions. A formulation based on Gram matrices is used for representing the trajectory of landmarks on the Riemannian manifold of symmetric positive semi-definite matrices of fixed rank. A curve fitting algorithm is used to smooth the trajectories and temporal alignment is performed to compute the similarity between the trajectories on the manifold. A Support Vector Regression classifier is then trained to encode extracted trajectories into pain intensity levels consistent with self-reported pain intensity measurement. Finally, a late fusion of the estimation for each region is performed to obtain the final predicted pain level. The proposed approach is evaluated on two publicly available datasets, the UNBCMcMaster Shoulder Pain Archive and the Biovid Heat Pain dataset. We compared our method to the state-of-the-art on both datasets using different testing protocols, showing the competitiveness of the proposed approach.

No studies have been carried out on the benthic harmful algal blooms (BHABs) along the Strait of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean, and little is known about the diversity of blooming species. Here, epibenthic dinoflagellates were monitored at least biweekly over 18 months (May 2019-November 2020) in Oued Lihoud, Cap Malabata and Dalia on the thalli of five dominant macrophytes and in the water column. This is the first report on the seasonal distribution of BHAB species hosted by natural biotic substrates in the Strait of Gibraltar, which is known for high hydrodynamics, major entry of Atlantic waters and important maritime traffic. Three BHAB dinoflagellates were observed in the surveyed areas: Ostreopsis spp., Coolia monotis and Prorocentrum lima. The analysis of all data at the three sites showed that Dictyota dichotoma was the most favourable macroalgae host for these benthic dinoflagellates. The highest cell densities were observed in Cap Malabata for Ostreopsis spp. (2.7 × 10 5 cells/g fresh weight in September 2020), P. lima (4.57 × 10 4 cells/g FW in September 2020) and C. monotis (4.07 × 10 4 cells/g FW in June 2019). Phosphate and temperature were positively correlated to the abundances of the studied thermophilic BHAB species. In contrast, negative correlations were recorded with salinity, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, DIN, nitrogen/phosphate ratio and suspended material, attesting of the complex relationships between environmental factors and BHAB species dynamic in each marine ecosystem. Toxin analyses of the natural phytoplankton assemblage during BHABs showed the presence of only lipophilic toxins, namely okadaic acid and dinophysistoxins produced by P. lima. These BHABs species have to be isolated to establish monoclonal cultures for ribotyping and ecophysiological investigations., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: Leishmaniases are a vector-borne disease, re-emerging in several regions of the world posing a burden on public health. As other vector-borne diseases, climate change is a crucial factor affecting the evolution of leishmaniasis. In Morocco, anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is widespread geographically as many foci across the country, mainly in central Morocco. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of ACL due to Leishmania tropica, and its corresponding vector Phlebotomus sergenti in Morocco., Methods: Using Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) tool, the estimated geographical range shift of L. tropica and P. sergenti by 2050 was projected under two Representative's Concentration's Pathways (RCPs) to be 2.6 and RCP 8.5 respectively. P. sergenti records were obtained from field collections of the laboratory team and previously published entomological observations, while, epidemiological data for L. tropica were obtained from Moroccan Ministry of Health reports., Results: Our models under present-day conditions indicated a probable expansion for L. tropica as well as for its vector in Morocco, P. sergenti. It showed a concentrated distribution in the west-central and northern area of Morocco. Future predictions anticipate expansion into areas not identified as suitable for P. sergenti under present conditions, particularly in northern and southeastern areas of Morocco. L. tropica is also expected to have high expansion in southern areas for the next 30 years in Morocco., Conclusion: This indicates that L. tropica and P. sergenti will continue to find suitable climate conditions in the future. A higher abundance of P. sergenti may indeed result in a higher transmission risk of ACL. This information is essential in developing a control plan for ACL in Morocco. However, future investigations on L. tropica reservoirs are needed to confirm our predictions., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.)

Background: Phlebotomine sand flies are known as vectors of various pathogens such as Leishmania sp parasite and Toscana virus (TOSV). Leishmaniasis is endemic in Morocco, and TOSV is increasingly reported. Our objective is to analyze the specific composition of the natural population of sand flies in endemic and non endemic area of leishmaniasis in Morocco, thus evaluated their infection by Toscana virus., Methods: Sand flies were collected by CDC miniature light traps from seven different localities with an altitude range from 399 m to 1496 m. Synanthropic index was calculated for each sand fly species. The collected female sand flies were grouped in 73 pools, with a maximum of 50 specimens per pool, and submitted to real time PCR for TOSV detection., Results: 8 sand fly species were identified morphologically: 5 of the Phlebotomus genus and 3 of the Sergentomyia genus. Phlebotomus sergenti was the most abundant species comprising of 43,12% of identified sand flies, followed by P. papatasi (18,89%) and P. longicuspis (13,43%). Estimated synanthropic indices for these species were between + 1.1 and + 12.6 suggesting a high preference to anthropogenic environments. A total of 3558 sand fly females were grouped in 73 pools (up to 50 sand flies per pool) for TOSV detection. TOSV was detected in one pool (out of 6 tested) from Lalla Laaziza locality (Chichaoua Province) where P. sergenti was the most abundant sand fly species., Conclusion: We reported the TOSV for the first time in a central Morocco, where cutaneous leishmaniasis by L. tropica is endemic. This result has epidemiological importance for both researchers and health authorities to monitor circulation of TOSV and implement a surveillance plan of sand fly-borne phleboviruses in Morocco., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest/Competing interests There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In this work, we propose a novel approach for generating videos of the six basic facial expressions given a neutral face image. We propose to exploit the face geometry by modeling the facial landmarks motion as curves encoded as points on a hypersphere. By proposing a conditional version of manifold-valued Wasserstein generative adversarial network (GAN) for motion generation on the hypersphere, we learn the distribution of facial expression dynamics of different classes, from which we synthesize new facial expression motions. The resulting motions can be transformed to sequences of landmarks and then to images sequences by editing the texture information using another conditional Generative Adversarial Network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that explores manifold-valued representations with GAN to address the problem of dynamic facial expression generation. We evaluate our proposed approach both quantitatively and qualitatively on two public datasets; Oulu-CASIA and MUG Facial Expression. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in generating realistic videos with continuous motion, realistic appearance and identity preservation. We also show the efficiency of our framework for dynamic facial expressions generation, dynamic facial expression transfer and data augmentation for training improved emotion recognition models.