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The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation (Clevenger apparatus) from aerial parts of Astragalus gombiformis were analysed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). This study showed that the A. gombiformis essential oils are complex mixtures of important natural compounds, which varied qualitatively and quantitatively between cultivated and wild plants and between phenological stages of development. All analysed oils are characterized by the constant presence of phytol, 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone, 4-terpineol, and γ-terpinene. This study is the fi rst report on the chemical composition of essential oils from A. gombiformis and indicates that these oils should be more studied.

Background The purpose of this work was to study the association between the PON1 L55M and Q192R polymorphisms and bipolar I disorder in Tunisian patients and to explore their relation to the sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of this disease. Patients and methods Our study included 109 patients with bipolar I disorder and 110 controls aged 39.4 ± 11.8 and 37.3 ± 9.2 years, respectively. L55M and Q192R of the PON1 gene polymorphisms were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Results Significant difference was detected in the distribution of the genotype frequencies of L55M and Q192R polymorphisms (χ² = 6.32, df = 2, p = 0.04; χ² = 10.15, df = 2, p = 0.006 respectively) between patients and controls. We noted significant association between bipolar I disorder and QR and RR genotypes (OR 2.06, CI 95% 1.10–3.84, p = 0.02; OR 1.72, CI 95% 1.07–2.75, p = 0.02 respectively) and between this disease and LM and MM genotypes (OR 2.22, CI 95% 1.19–4.15, p = 0.012; OR 3.04, CI 95% 1.60–5.77, p = 0.01 respectively). There were no significant differences in gender, age at onset, illness episode and treatment among all genotypes. However, Q192R polymorphism was significantly associated with age and patients with RR genotype were the youngest. Conclusion Bipolar I disorder was significantly associated with L55M and Q192R polymorphisms, suggesting that these polymorphisms may play a role for development of bipolar I disorder. There was no significant association between the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of this population and these polymorphisms. Further studies are required to clarify the implication of these polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of bipolar I disorder.

Background: Stone composition has changed substantially over the past decades in developed countries. We studied urinary stone composition in Tunisian children. Methods: We studied 205 children ranging from 3 months to 16 years old age and who were diagnosed as having urinary stones (122 boys and 83 girls). Stone analysis was performed respectively using a stereomicroscope and by infrared spectroscopy to determine, respectively, the morphological type and molecular composition of each. Results: Of 205 stones analysed, 77 (37.5%) were composed of a single constituent. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone were predominant, being a constituent of 54.7% of stones, followed by calcium phosphate and purines; 14.6% of cases. Calcium oxalate monohydrate was more frequently seen in girls (p Conclusions: The increase in calcium oxalate stones in school age children and the decrease of struvite and purines stones confirm the change in the etiology of urolithiasis with respect to age.

Background: Cigarette smoking has been recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, while the role of homocysteine is still not clear. This study investigated the effects of smoking on plasma homocysteine concentration and determined the correlation between this parameter and biological markers of tobacco use, such as plasma thiocyanate and urine cotinine. Methods: Folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine were measured in 300 subjects: 138 non-smokers and 162 smokers using immunoassay methods. Cotinine was measured using an enzymatic colorimetric method and thiocyanate by a selective electrode. Results: In smokers, we found a significant increase in homocysteine and a decrease in folate and vitamin B12 levels compared to non-smokers. Homocysteine was strongly correlated with the duration of use and the number of cigarettes consumed. Folate and vitamin B12 were significantly reduced in subjects smoking for more than 20 years compared to those who smoked less than 5 years. Among smokers, we noted a positive correlation between homocysteine and both plasma thiocyanates and cotininuria, and a negative-correlation between cotininuria and plasma folate. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking increases homocysteine, which is strongly correlated with cotininuria and plasma thiocyanates. Moreover, smokers had tendency to develop hypofolatemia and hypovitamin B12, particularly when the duration of consumption exceeded 20 years.

Studies evaluating the influence of age and gender on the distribution of the various types of paediatric urinary calculi are scarce. Aim of our study was to high-light the modification of epidemiological characteristics of this pathology depending on patients' age and gender.We present the results of a study based on 205 calculi (from 122 boys and 83 girls) analyzed by infrared spectroscopy between 1993 and 2007. 54.6% of the patients were under 5 years.Calcium oxalate (CaOx) was the predominant constituent in 54.7% of stones, followed by calcium phosphate and ammonium urate (14.6% each). We found a male preponderance for struvite stones (12.3% vs 1.2%), and an increasing prevalence of calcium oxalate stones with age (42.9% in infants vs 59.3% in older children). Purines stones were observed in 20% of cases, but their prevalence decreases with age (28.6% in infants vs 18.5% in old children).The increase of calcium oxalate stone rate in school age children and the decrease of purines stones confirm the change on the etiology of urolithiasis according to age.

Objectives: Agricultural workers chronically exposed to complex mixtures of pesticides are at increased risk of acute and chronic toxicity of these compounds. Enzyme activities are among the biomarkers that may be used to detect the effects of pesticides before adverse clinical health effects occur. The aims of this study were to ascertain the relationships between paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and other serum enzymes and to investigate whether long-term exposure to pesticides affects these relationships in Tunisian agricultural workers. Methods: The activities of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), aminotransferases, gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) were measured in plasma from workers chronically exposed to pesticides using an Integra 400 plusTM system. PON1 activity was measured using konelab 30TM system. Results: Significant increases in aminotransferases, CK, LDH and ALP activities were found in workers exposed to pesticides. However, BChE and PON1 activities were decreased significantly in these subjects. In addition, PON1 activity was positively correlated with both BChE and GGT activities in these workers. Conclusion: This study suggests that pesticides lead to alteration of serum enzymes and that chronic exposure to pesticides might contribute to explain the positive correlation between PON1 and GGT, perhaps in order to protect BChE and simultaneously induce detoxification of pesticides.

To show an outline of the clinical and biological characteristics of paediatric urolithiasis among Tunisian children in the coast region.This retrospective study included 168 children under the age of 16 years presented with urinary stones (100 boys and 68 girls). Patients were reviewed in a multi-centric study with regard to age at diagnosis, sex, history, and physical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. The physical and chemical analysis of stones was carried out respectively by a stereomicroscope and by infra-red spectroscopy.The sex ratio was 1.47. The clinical presentation of this pathology was dominated by abdominal pain (28%), hematuria (25.6%), dysuria (16.7%) and urinary tract infection (14.3%). Stones were located in the upper urinary tract in 75.6% of cases. Of the urine cultures, 14.3% were positive. Whewellite was more frequent in children stones than in infants (p0.05) and was the main component in 46.4% of stone section and 55.4% in stone surface.The male prevalence of paediatric urolithiasis is progressively decreasing in Tunisia. The epidemiological profile of renal stones in our country has changed towards a predominance of calcium oxalate stone and upper tract location.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cigarette smoking on plasma uric acid concentration and to determine the correlation between this parameter and the biological tobacco markers, plasma thiocyanate and urinary cotinine.The initial study was conducted on 300 subjects; 138 of them were nonsmokers (62 men and 76 women) aged 14-72 years and 162 were current smokers (145 men and 17 women) aged 16-85 years. Uric acid, creatinine, and urinary cotinine were determined by the enzymatic colorimetric method and plasma thiocyanate by selective electrode.Plasma uric acid concentration was significantly lower in smokers than in nonsmokers. A statistically significant negative correlation was noted between the smoking status parameters, including both the number of cigarettes smoked/day (F (3-161) = 12.063; r = -0.9968; p = 0.0001) and the duration of smoking (F (3-161) = 1.305; r = -0.9406; p = 0.0274), and the plasma uric acid. Among smokers, we noted a negative correlation between uric acid and both plasma thiocyanates (r = -0.437; p 0.05) and urinary cotinine (r = -0.580; p 0.05).After excluding the other factors affecting the uric acid levels, the significant low plasma uric acid in smokers was attributed to a reduction of the endogenous production as a result of the chronic exposure to cigarette smoke that is a significant source of oxidative stress. Therefore, it is recommended to stop or reduce smoking and to introduce plasma uric acid estimation as a routine test, since it is cheap and simple to reflect the antioxidant level.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their association with lipid parameters in bipolar patients. Our study included 130 patients with bipolar disorder and 130 control subjects aged respectively 37.9 +/- 12.1 and 37.2 +/- 13.1 years. Obesity was evaluated by body mass index (BMI). Concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, cLDL and cHDL were determined by enzymatic methods and ApoA1, ApoB and Lp(a) by techniques immunoturbidimetric. The prevalence of obesity in patients is 30.1% vs 12.3% in controls. A significant increase in BMI was noted in patients compared with controls regardless of sex and tobacco status and in patients aged less than 35 years and those consumers of alcohol. The majority of obese and overweight patients are treated with valproic acid. We found increase in cholesterol (4.41 +/- 1.02 vs 3.90 +/- 0.98 mmol/L), in cLDL (2.13 +/- 1.09 vs 1.29 +/- 0.56 mmol/L) and in Lp(a) (236 +/- 207 vs 163 +/- 150 mg/L) and decrease in HDLc (0.98 +/- 0.28 vs 1.09 +/- 0.36 mmol/L), more frequent at the obese patients and those presenting an overweight. In conclusion, in bipolar patients, obesity and overweight are frequent and associated with perturbations in lipid profile particularly an increase in total cholesterol, cLDL and Lp(a) and decrease in cHDL that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

This study aims at examine the effect of cigarettes smoking on paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity and lipid profile. Our study included 102 smokers aged 35.5 +/- 16.0 years and 98 non-smokers aged 38.5 +/- 21.9 years. Total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerols (TG), HDL cholesterol (CHDL) and LDL-cholesterol (cLDL) were determined by enzymatic colorimetric methods. ApoA1 and ApoB and Lp(a) were analyzed by immunoturbidimetry on Konélab 30, PON1 activity was measured by a kinetic method. Plasma CT, TG, cLDL, Lp(a) and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio appeared significantly higher in the smokers when compared to nonsmokers, since cHDL levels were lower. In addition, TG values were significantly higher in subjects smoking more than 30 cigarettes/day as compared to those smoking 5-10 cigarettes/day. We noted a significant decrease of PON1 activity in smokers compared to non smokers (94 +/- 104 vs 158 +/- 133 IU/L), with regression of PON1 activity according number of cigarettes/day. In conclusion, hypertriglyceridemia, low levels of cHDL, high levels of ApoB/ApoA1 and significant decrease of PON1 activity confirm the high risk of cardiovascular diseases in smokers.

Background. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is necessary for the formation of collagen, reducing free radicals, and aiding in iron absorption. SCURVY, a disease of dietary ascorbic acid deficiency, is uncommon today. It still exists in high risk groups including economically disadvantaged populations with poor nutrition. The incidence of SCURVY in the pediatric population is very low.Cases Report. Here we report two cases of SCURVY revealed by subperiosteal hematoma in children with cerebral palsy and developmental delay.Conclusion. SCURVY is extremely rare in children. Musculoskeletal manifestations are prominent in pediatric SCURVY. Multiple subperiosteal hematomas are an important indicator for diagnosis.

Objective: to determine the incidence of Hellp syndrome (HS) and the maternal fetal outcome associated with its occurrence.Design: a prospective study during a 6-month period.Setting: the department of obstetrics and gynecology and the Intensive Care Unit of a 700 bed teaching hospital.Patients: Sixty-two consecutive preeclamptic and eclamptic women.Measurements and results: all patients were systematically investigated for the biological markers of HS. The effects of the occurrence of HS on maternal and fetal prognosis were evaluated by comparing for prognosis indicators usually assessed in gravidic hypertension, pre-eclamptic and eclamptic women who exhibited HS (HS+subgroup) with HS free patients (HS-subgroup). HS was found in 12 out of the 62 pre-eclamptic and eclamptic women (19.3%). Its occurrence was associated with higher maternal mortality (16.7% vs 0%;p=0.03), a greater incidence of eclamptic crisis (50% vs 20%;p=0.03), severe hypertension (33% vs 8%;p=0.03) and episodes of acute renal failure (66% vs 30%;p=0.02). Mean proteinuria was also higher in HS+patients (4.6±3.3 vs 2.2±2.5 g/day;p=0.001). However, fetal outcome was not significantly altered.Conclusion: Pre-eclampsia and elampsia may be more severe in the presence of HS with a worsening of maternal prognosis while fetal outcome seems not altered.

Objective Studies evaluating the influence of age and gender on the distribution of the various types of pediatric urinary calculi are scarce. The aim of this study was to highlight the modification of epidemiological characteristics of this pathology according to patients' sex and age. Patients and methods A total of 205 calculi (from 122 boys and 83 girls) were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy between 1993 and 2007; 54.6% of the patients were under 5 years. Results Calcium oxalate was the predominant constituent in 54.7% of stones, followed by calcium phosphate and purines (14.6% each). We found a predominance of calcium oxalate in females (59.1% vs 50.8%), and a male preponderance for struvite stones (12.3% vs 1.2%). There was an increasing prevalence of calcium oxalate stones with age in both genders (42.9% in infants vs 59.3% in older children). Purine stones were predominant in 20% of cases, but prevalence decreased with age (28.6% in infants vs 18.5% in older children). Conclusion The increase in calcium oxalate stones in school-age children and the decrease in stones containing purines confirm a change in the etiology of urolithiasis according to age.

Background: The aim of this work is to study the effects of lead on pituitary-testicular axis. It is about a direct toxicity on testicular cells or an indirect toxicity via abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis?Methods: Forty male rats were divided equitably into four groups. One of these groups received tap water containing 0.3% lead acetate for one month. A second group was assigned to the same protocol but the intoxication was conducted for two months. The third and the fourth groups were used as reference. At the end of the experiment, the rats were anaesthetized and blood was collected for the proportioning of the FSH, the LH, testosterone and lead. The testes and epididymides were removed quickly and weighed. For the determination of testosterone in testicular fluids, a cruciate incision was made in the tunica albuginea of each right testis and centrifuged at 54xg for the extraction of interstitial fluid. Thereafter, the seminiferous tubules were extruded and centrifuged at 6000xg to collect seminiferous tubule fluid. The left testis of each animal was cut in two halves, one half was used for the histological examination and the other was suitably treated for the determination of the lead concentration. The epididymides were homogenized in solution containing Triton X-100 and spermatozoa were counted using Malessez cells. The plasma FSH and LH were determined by RIA using reagents from a commercial kit (BioInternational, France), while testosterone was determined by electrochemiluminescence (Elecsys, rochediagnostics). The lead concentration in blood and Tissues was measured by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry with the Zeeman effect background (Hitachi Z- 9000).Results: In the rats poisoned for one month, no notable effect was noted in spite of a blood lead concentration of 0.721 μg/ml. On the contrary, in animals exposed to lead acetate for two months, the blood level passed to 2.721 μg/ml and plasma testosterone, FSH and LH dropped by about 45%. In parallel, the secretion of testosterone by the Leydig cells fell by 35% and epididymal sperm count dropped by 14%. The histological examination showed lead deposits in the walls of the seminiferous tubules. Conclusions: Although we do not exclude a directly toxic action of lead on the interstitial cells and on the Sertoli cells, it seems that the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is the major target of lead since the decrease in the plasmatic LH and FSH was associated with a reduction in testosterone secretion and with a reduction in the number of the epididymal spermatozoa.

International studies may not reflect the real changes of stone disease in our own country. In this retrospective work, we describe the evolution of this pathology in Tunisia during the last 12 years.The records of 133 children with urolithiasis treated in Tunisia between 1994 and 2006 were reviewed. The physical and chemical analysis of stones was carried out respectively by a stereomicroscope and by infra-red spectroscopy and the epidemiologic data were collected.The male prevalence of this pathology is progressively declining. The male to female ratio, passed from 1.7 in the 1994-97 period to 1.5 in 2006. Upper urinary tract was most frequently affected by this pathology. Over the last 12 year period urinary tract infection was in continuous increase and currently reaches 50% being 21.9% in 1994. This explains the increasing frequency of struvite stones which passed from 15.6% in 1994 to 37.5% in 2006. Ammonium urate stones became more frequent in the last few years being the main component in 25% of cases (12.5% in 1994-97). Calcium oxalate monohydrate remains the most frequent stone component even if its frequency fell (59.4% in 1994 and 12.5% in 2006) in favour of the increase of phosphatic and phospho-calcic stones.The rise in the frequency of struvite and ammonium urate stone reflects an increase in the infectious risk factors in our country.

The clinical and laboratory characteristics of urolithiasis in Tunisian children have evolved continuously since the 1980s. This retrospective study defines the current status of urolithiasis in children in Tunisia.All 104 children (age: 8-192 months) of our series were hospitalized for urolithiasis. A first-line metabolic, urine and plasma work-up was performed in 96 patients. Physical and chemical analysis of the stones was performed by stereomicroscopy and infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Statistical analysis of the results was performed with SPSS 11.0 software. The Chi-square test was used for comparison of percentages.Our study shows a male predominance of urolithiasis with a sex ratio of 1.53. The clinical features were dominated by urinary tract infections (28.8%). Stones were situated in the upper tract in 75% of cases and the lower tract in 25% of cases. Urine culture was positive in 15 patients. Identification of the crystalline composition showed that whewellite was the most frequent crystalline species in children (80.0%) and infants (57.1%). Ammonium acid urate was more frequent in infants.In this study, we observed changes in the epidemiological characteristics (bladder stones and infection stones) of urolithiasis in children over the last decade in Tunisia. The patient's age is an important factor that must be taken into account during aetiopathogenic work-up.

To define the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of urinary stones in infants, to study the role of stone chemical analysis in the aetiological assessment of urinary stones and to define the various treatment modalities adapted to this age-group.Between 1984 and 2002, 64 infants (age: 5-24 months) were hospitalised for urinary stones. Urine culture was performed in all patients and metabolic assessment was performed in 24 patients. Physicochemical stone analysis was performed by infrared spectrophotometry in 37 patients.Upper tract and lower tract stones were equally prevalent. Urine culture was positive in 48 cases. The micro-organism most frequently isolated was Proteus mirabilis (19 cases). The metabolic assessment was normal in 15 patients and pathological in 9 patients. Infrared spectrophotometry showed that 17 stones were pure. 60 patients were treated surgically, 2 were treated by endoscopy associated with intracorporeal lithotripsy. One patient was treated medically and another patient passed the stone spontaneously while in hospital. No intraoperative or postoperative complication was observed. No recurrence was observed in this series. The mean follow-up is 16 months (range: 6 months to 94 months).The epidemiological profile of urinary stones in infants in Tunisia is situated between that observed in developed countries and that observed in developing countries. In our study, the incidence of metabolic abnormalities appears to be low despite a high rate of consanguinity in Tunisia. This can be largely explained by the absence of an aetiological survey and/or an inadequate survey when it is performed.

Introduction: Depression is a common mental disorder, and is according to the World Health Organisation the second leading cause of disability in the world. The discovery of antidepressants and especially Selective Serotonin Recapture Inhibitors (SSRI) has been a major contribution in the treatment of the disease. Despite all the efforts made during the preclinical phase, the drug hepatotoxicity is revealed, most of the time, after their marketing. Hepatotoxicity of antidepressants has played a central role in guiding prescriptions and has been implicated in the decisions of removal from the market of certain molecules. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of hepatotoxicity in patients with major depressive disorder treated with antidepressants and to estimate the most harmful antidepressants for the liver. Patients and Method: We conducted a comparative crosssectional study on patients with recurrent depressive disorder (according to the DSM IV text revised) treated with antidepressants. We included 122 outpatients followed in the psychiatry department of Fattouma Bourguiba Hospital of Monastir (Tunisia) and controls aged from 22 to 59 year old with no history of mental or physical illness. The two groups were paired in age and sex. The hepatotoxicity was assessed by seric assay of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Direct Bilirubin (DB), Total Bilirubin (TB) Total cholesterol (TC), g-Glutamyltransferase (GGT), Alkaline Phosphatase (PAL) and triglyceride (TG). All chemical analyses were performed on Cobas 600TM (Roche Diagnostics) in the biochemical and toxicological laboratory of the Fattouma Bourguiba Hospital of Monastir. All the statistical analyses were performed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 18.0 for windows. Results: The mean age of our patients was 43.79±13.00 year old. The sex ratio was 0.67. Thirty-four per cent of our patients were treated by tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) and 66% were treated by SSRI. Compared with controls, our patients had higher activities of AST (p

Background This study aimed to evaluate the interference of tobacco smoke on immunochromatography assay for urinary benzodiazepines detection and the interest of two biological markers and smoking status parameters as predictive factors of false results. Methods Our study included 256 voluntary subjects (143 passive smokers and 113 smokers). Cotinine was measured by homogenous immunoenzymatic assay and SCN- by selective electrode. Urinary drugs were detected by immunochromatographic assay. A positive result is completed by an analytical method with an immunometric assay. Results False positive results for benzodiazepines are significantly more frequent in smokers compared with passive smokers (90.2% Vs 22.4%, p Conclusions Tobacco smoke interferes with immunochromatographic assay of urinary drug detection; therefore, all subjects must be questioned about their smoking status to avoid such false results during results interpretation.

In vivo acute toxicity of high doses of nanoparticles of three different porous iron(III) carboxylate Metal–Organic Frameworks (nanoMOFs) was intravenously investigated in rats by evaluating their distribution, metabolism and excretion. All studied parameters (serum, enzymatic, histological, etc.) are in agreement with a low acute toxicity. The mechanism of degradation and excretion of the nanoMOFs has been evidenced and shows that the nanoparticles are rapidly sequestered by the liver and spleen, then further biodegraded and directly eliminated in urine or feces without metabolization and substantial toxicity.

Introduction Smoking is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The mechanism(s) for the effects of smoking on CVD are not clearly understood; however, a number of atherogenic characteristics such as insulin resistance have been reported. Aims We aim to investigate the effects of cigarette smoking on insulin resistance and to determine the correlation between this parameter with smoking status characteristics. Methods This study was conducted on 138 nonsmokers and 162 smokers aged respectively 35.55±16.03 and 38.47±21.91 years. All subjects are not diabetics. Fasting glucose was determined by enzymatic methods and insulin by chemiluminescence method. Insulin resistance (IR) was estimated using the Homeostasis Model of Assessment equation: HOMA-IR = [fasting insulin (mU/L) × fasting glucose (mmol/L)] /22.5. IR was defined as the upper quartile of HOMA-IR. Values above 2.5 were taken as abnormal and reflect insulin resistance. Results and discussion Compared to non-smokers, smokers had significantly higher levels of fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR index. A statistically significant association was noted between the smoking status parameters, including both the number of cigarettes smoked/day and the duration of smoking, and fasting insulin levels as well for HOMA-IR index. Among smokers, we noted a positive correlation between HOMA-IR index and both plasma thiocyanates and urinary cotinine. Conclusion The findings show that smokers have a high risk to developing an insulin resistant, hyperinsulinaemic, compared with a matched group of non-smokers, and may help to explain the high risk of cardiovascular diseases in smokers.

Introduction Paraoxonase (PON), an enzyme, is a key process in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Aims We aim to investigate the variations of PON1 activity in Tunisian bipolar I patients treated with thymoregulators. Patients and methods Our study included 78 patients with bipolar I disorder, diagnosed according to the DSM-IV, and 64 controls aged 35.97±11.55 years and 36,31±18.26 years respectively. 41 patients were treated by valproic acid, 16 under carbamazepine and 21 under lithium. PON1 activity was determined by kinetic methods using Konelab 30 equipment. Results Compared to controls, patients treated by thymoregulators had a significantly lower paraoxonase activity (p=0.004). Furthermore, PON1 was significantly correlated with c-HDL values (r=0.5612; P Conclusions Bipolar patients had a significant decrease in PON1 activity that contributes to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. This perturbation could be related to treatment with thymoregulators and particularly lithium. Therefore, such patients should require specific care and clinics should track the effects of treatment on physical and biological parameters, and should facilitate access to appropriate medical care.

Extracts of aerial parts and roots of wild Astragalus gombiformis Pomel were tested for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities and contents of phenolic compounds. Antibacterial activity was tested by the paper disk agar diffusion method and determination of the minimal inhibitor concentration. Among the tested extracts, three extracts (methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate) from aerial parts and two extracts (water, methanol) from roots exhibited diameters of inhibition zone equal or above 12 mm (at 150 μg/ disk) and minimal inhibitor concentrations ranging between 233 and 1250 μg/ml. Spectrophotometric and HPLC analyses showed that contents of both total polyphenols and flavonoids, as well as antioxidant activity were higher in the methanolic extract of aerial parts as compared to roots. No insecticidal activity of the extracts of the aerial parts was found against Culex pipiens.

The aim of this study is to assess the clinical and biological characteristics of renal stone disease among children living in the coastal region of Tunisia. This retrospective multi-center study included 100 children under the age of 16 years, who presented with urinary stones. The patients′ charts were reviewed with regard to age at diagnosis, sex, history and physical exami-nation as well as laboratory and radiologic findings. Stone analysis was performed by infrared spec-trophotometry. The male/female sex ratio was 1.5 to 1. The clinical presentation of this pathology was dominated by dysuria. Stones were located in the upper urinary tract in 76 cases (76%). A total of 13% of the study subjects had positive urine cultures. Metabolic investigations were performed in all patients and were normal in 80 cases. Whewellite (calcium oxalate) was found in 77 stones (77.0%). Stone section was made of whewellite in 69.0% of cases and ammonium urate in 47.0%. Struvite stones were more frequently seen in the lower urinary tract. Our study suggests that the epidemiological profile of renal stones in Tunisia has changed towards a predominance of calcium oxalate stones and upper tract location. Also, the male predominance of pediatric urolithiasis is becoming less obvious in Tunisia

Background: The metabolic syndrome is a growing global public health problem which is frequently associated with psychiatric illness. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and to study its profile in Tunisian bipolar I patients. Methods: Our study included 130 patients with bipolar I disorder diagnosed according to the DSM-IV and assessed for metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III modified criteria. The mean age was 37.9 ±12.1 years, 45 were women (mean age 37.5±13.4 years) and 85 were men (mean age 38.1 ± 11.4 years). Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 26.1%.The highest prevalence of this syndrome was obtained by association between obesity, low c-HDL and hypertriglyceridemia (44.1%). In the total sample, 59.2% met the criteria for low c-HDL, 53.1% for hypertriglyceridemia, 33.8% for obesity, 16.1% for high fasting glucose and 5.4% for hypertension. Gender, age, illness episode and treatment were not significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, while patients under lithium had higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than those under valproic acid, carbamazepine or antipsychotics. Patients with metabolic syndrome had significant higher levels of HOMA-IR and uric acid than metabolic syndrome free patients (p< 0.001). Conclusions: Bipolar patients have high prevalence of metabolic syndrome which is associated with insulin resistance and an increase of uric acid values that raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.Keywords: bipolar disorder, metabolic syndrome, uric acid, insulin resistance.African Health Sciences 2011; 11(3): 414 - 420

Background Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have a high risk of suicide. Many pathophysiological factors involved in MDD and suicide such us a low cholesterol levels have been associated with MDD and increased vulnerability to suicide. In this study, we investigate the relation between lipid parameters and suicide risk in patients with MDD. Methods Plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) were determined in 160 patients meeting the DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD (110 patients without suicidal behavior and 52 suicidal attempters) and 151 healthy controls. Results A significant decrease in plasma cholesterol levels was observed in the group of suicidal depressive patients compared to those without suicidal behavior (p

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the variations of paraoxonase activity and lipid profile in bipolar I patients, and the association of this activity with the sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of this population. Patients and methods Our study included 66 patients with bipolar I disorder and 64 controls aged 37.9 ± 12.6 and 36.3 ± 18.2 years, respectively. Paraoxonase activity was determined by kinetic methods; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (c-HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (c-LDL), triglycerides and total cholesterol were determined by enzymatic methods; apolipoprotein (Apo)A1, ApoB and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) were determined by immunoturbidimetry using Konelab 30 equipment (Thermo Scientific). Results Compared with controls, patients had a significantly lower paraoxonase activity and ApoA1 level, and significantly higher total cholesterol, c-LDL and Lp(a) level and ApoB/ApoA1 ratio. Furthermore, paraoxonase activity was significantly correlated with c-HDL values (r = 0.5612; P < 0.001). The lowest paraoxonase activity was noted in relation to age and body mass index (BMI). Moreover, it was associated with gender but not with smoking and alcohol consumption status. In patients, there was no significant change in paraoxonase activity in relation to illness episodes, whereas the lowest values of this activity were seen in manic patients. In contrast, paraoxonase activity was significantly associated with treatment. Indeed, patients taking lithium had the lowest levels. Conclusions Bipolar patients had a significant decrease in paraoxonase activity and perturbations in their lipid profile that contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Decrease in this activity was significantly associated with treatment with lithium but not with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Therefore, such patients require specific care, particularly with regard to their lipid profile.

Background Having considered how bioavailable aluminium (Al) may affect ecological systems and animals living there, especially cattle, and in search for a preventive dietary treatment against Al toxicity, we aimed to test the protective role of fenugreek seeds against chronic liver injury induced by aluminum chloride (AlCl3) in Wistar rats. Results Five months of AlCl3 oral exposure (500 mg/kg bw i.g for one month then 1600 ppm via drinking water) caused liver atrophy, an inhibition of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), an enhancement of both lipid peroxidation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and an increase of total protein level in liver. Moreover, histopathological and histochemical examinations revealed moderate alterations in the hepatic parenchyma in addition to a disrupted iron metabolism. Co-administration of fenugreek seed powder (FSP) at 5% in pellet diet during two months succeeded to antagonize the harmful effects of AlCl3 by restoring all tested parameters. Conclusion This study highlighted the hepatotoxicity of AlCl3 through biochemical and histological parameters in one hand and the hepatoprotective role of fenugreek seeds on the other hand. Thus this work could be a pilot study which will encourage farmers to use fenugreek seeds as a detoxifying diet supplement for domestic animals.